Author: Steven Sahiounie

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during an official visit to Moscow, will discuss with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday a number of bilateral and international issues, including the North-South transport corridor, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the situation in Syria. The top diplomats of Iran and Russia will discuss the resumption of the JCPOA. “One of the issues to be raised during our tomorrow discussions with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov will be the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program],” Iranian Foreign Minister said in his Telegram account, upon arriving in Moscow.…

The ASEAN economic union reportedly wants to protect transactions from “possible geopolitical repercussions” The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to discuss dropping the US dollar, euro, yen and pound sterling from transactions and moving to settlements in local currencies, according to the news magazine Tempo. An official meeting of ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors kicked off on Tuesday in Indonesia. A regional grouping that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its members, ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. “Efforts to reduce dependence on major currencies…

It is reported that Vladimir Zelensky has already extended an invitation to Xi Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said he was ready to receive a visit from Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “We are ready to see him here,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press published on Wednesday. “I want to speak with him. <…> But during all this year, more than one year, I didn’t have [contact with Xi].” According to the AP, Zelensky has already extended an invitation to Xi. Commenting on the report at a news briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said…

“Ukraine is far from being the sole country that has become a proving ground for testing biological weapons,” Nikolay Patrushev stressed There is strong evidence that the United States is engaged in biological activity in Ukraine, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said on Wednesday. “There is irrefutable evidence that Washington conducts large-scale biological activity on Ukrainian territory and the American elites are involved in these processes,” Patrushev said at a meeting of security chiefs from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). As the Russian security chief pointed out, “in the areas of Ternopol, Odessa, Kharkov and Nikolayev,…

Poland and Romania want local farmers to be safeguarded against a flood of cheap imports Poland and Romania have appealed to the European Commission to set an export tracing mechanism for Ukrainian grain, the countries’ respective prime ministers, Mateusz Morawiecki and Nicolae Ciuca, revealed at a business conference in Bucharest on Tuesday. According to the senior officials, Ukraine has been shipping much of its grain through neighboring Eastern European countries after its Black Sea ports were blocked amid Russia’s military operation. Many of these shipments are much cheaper than local produce, and due to various factors they have ended up…

Moscow and Tehran have repeatedly rejected allegations of Russia’s use of Iranian drones in Ukraine Cooperation between Iran and Russia in the sphere of defense does not infringe upon the interests of third countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the IRNA news agency on Wednesday upon arriving in Moscow. “Cooperation in the sphere of defense is one of the issues on the bilateral cooperation agenda while it is not directed against any third country,” the news agency quoted him as saying when the top diplomat was asked to comment on claims by the US Department of State that Iran…

Russia will continue to press for a comprehensive, transparent and unbiased investigation into all aspects of the sabotage acts, including identification of its perpetrators, their sponsors, organizers and abettors, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin said The UN Security Council’s decision not to support the Russian-Chinese resolution on an international investigation into last year’s sabotage attacks on the Nord Steam pipelines is creating a dangerous precedent, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin has said. “Efforts of Western countries have created a dangerous precedent. Instead of consolidating the international struggle against terrorism and crime, they have set a course towards differentiating…

Israel will not tolerate meddling in its internal affairs, even from the “best of friends,” the PM said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded after President Joe Biden voiced concerns about proposed judicial reforms in Israel, insisting his country would make its own decisions and not succumb to “pressure from abroad.” In a series of tweets shared on Tuesday night, Netanyahu noted that he has known his US counterpart for “over 40 years” and commended Biden for his “longstanding commitment to Israel.” However, he urged Washington not to meddle in his country’s internal affairs, after Biden said he was “very concerned” about the upcoming legal changes.…

Italy’s Foreign Minister urges the country to help Tunisia in light of numerous ongoing crises that the country is embroiled in. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani underlined the need for Rome and the international community to help Tunisia in light of the ongoing crises that the country is facing. “For two months we have been saying, in all international forums: we must help Tunisia with financing from the IMF and the World Bank, giving at least the first aid pending reforms and verification of progress,” Tajani underlined. Responding to a question about the US opposing the IMF unfreezing needed aid…

The United Nations has found that the funds from the European Union have facilitated the torture of migrants and sex slavery in Libya. Funding from the European Union has facilitated the commission of abuses against migrants in Libya, exposing them to systemic torture and sex slavery, a United Nations investigation said Monday. The investigation expressed concern over the worsening human rights situation in the country of conflict-torn North Africa, warning that the European Union was helping some groups abusing migrants. “We’re not saying that the EU and its member states have committed these crimes,” investigator Chaloka Beyani told reporters. “The…