Author: Steven Sahiounie

Aleksandar Vucic will stay on as head of state, with his defense minister taking over the helm of the Serbian Progressive Party President Aleksandar Vucic has stepped down as leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) after 11 years in charge, with Defense Minister Milos Vucevic set to take the position. Vucic, who will stay in office as president, announced his decision amid anti-government protests in Belgrade and clashes in Kosovo. SNS delegates accepted Vucic’s resignation at a party conference in the city of Kragujevac on Saturday, electing Vucevic as his successor immediately afterwards. Vucic assumed leadership of the…

The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman dismissed the “groundless and worthless” allegations that the president of Ukraine has made against Tehran, describing them as a political show aimed at distracting the public attention. In a statement released on Saturday, Nasser Kanaani denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent remarks against Iran as an attempt to pin the blame on others and divert public opinion, saying such a political show with baseless claims is worthless. In a televised address on Wednesday, Zelensky accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones for the war in Ukraine and called on Iran to not side with what he…

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova blames US and EU for anti-Serbian provocations Russia decisively condemns Pristina’s provocative steps that have brought the situation in Kosovo to the brink of a “hot phase,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Saturday, adding that the responsibility for anti-Serbian provocation lies with the US and the EU. “We decisively condemn Pristina’s provocative steps that have brought the situation on the brink of a hot phase and threaten security of the entire Balkan region. The responsibility for this lies entirely with the US and the EU. They did nothing to bring the Kosovo…

President Mahmoud Abbas said today on the 59th anniversary of the founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) that the organization was founded in 1964 to thwart the plans of the global Zionist movement to obliterate the identity of the Palestinian people, and to be the opposite of the Zionist nationalist project. “The PLO preserved the independent Palestinian national decision and protected the national project from being lost,” said President Abbas, commemorating the occasion. “The establishment of the PLO and its representation of our people are one of the most important achievements of Palestinian politics.” The President paid tribute to the…

Kemal Kilicdaroglu called on Turkish Muslims to withhold their votes from the incumbent president Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu has declared it “a sin” to vote for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding that “sincere Muslims” would not commit such an act. Erdogan, a social conservative, is expected to defeat Kilicdaroglu in a runoff election on Sunday. “Do not sin by voting for Erdogan,” Kilicdaroglu urged the faithful during an appearance on Fox News’ Turkish subsidiary on Saturday. “A sincere Muslim would not commit such a great sin,” he added. Kilicdaroglu’s invocation of religion is out of character for the secularist politician. His CHP party supported a ban…

A majority of those polled distrust Washington, and view Russia favorably Some 80% of the Chinese population think the US and Western countries are ultimately responsible for the conflict in Ukraine, according to a new study. Less than 10% blame Russia for starting the offensive. Published on Wednesday by the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, the survey found that 80.1% of respondents blame the conflict on the “US and Western countries,” while 11.7% blame Ukraine, and 8.2% hold Russia responsible. Some 34.1% identified the “impact of the war on civilian life” as the most important issue arising from the conflict,…

Minister of Transport, Transport Minister Zouhair Khzeim , discussed with Emirati Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail al- Mazrouei , means of strengthening cooperation relations in different transport sectors, in away that serves the two friendly peoples. The meeting came on the sidelines of Development Road Conference, which kicked off Saturday in Baghdad. Khzeim appreciated the stance of United Arab Emirates and its efforts in providing the humanitarian assistance to obstacle the repercussions of the earthquake catastrophe hit Syria last February. Minister Al-Mazrouei, in his turn, stressed the importance of boosting cooperation relations in transport domains between the two countries,…

Japan’s stunt with the “Rising Sun” flag comes in light of recent improving relations between Japan and South Korea.  Japan’s naval vessels will reportedly fly the flag of the “Rising Sun”, the flag of imperial Japan, during the military exercises near South Korea. Tokyo had announced that they would be participating in the multinational naval exercises adjacent to Jeju Island next week which aims to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “The flag will be hoisted in accordance with domestic laws and regulations,” Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu said. Japan’s stunt with the “Rising Sun” comes in light of…

This follows after Putin said that Turkey’s NPP project is a key project of both countries, which allows for the development of economic and neighborly ties between them. Director of the Fourth European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Yuri Pilipson, relayed to Sputnik that Russia is hoping for more improvement of mutually beneficial cooperation with Turkey, believing that both countries can withstand Western pressure. “Turkey is a major power, an influential regional player. In recent years, this country has been pursuing an independent trajectory on most issues in order to ensure, first of all, its own national interests. Such a principled approach,…

The share of the Chinese currency in transactions will rise tenfold this year, Herman Gref predicts The Chinese yuan has become a major player in Russia’s foreign trade and its share in the country’s cross-border settlements is expected to grow tenfold, Herman Gref, the head of Russia’s largest state-owned lender, Sber, said on Tuesday. The share of the yuan in Russia’s export settlements jumped from 2% to 18% and in import payments from 5% to 27% over the past year, according to Gref. Speaking at a Russian-Chinese Business Forum in Shanghai, he highlighted the “significant” interest in national currencies, and…