Author: Steven Sahiounie

India abrogated the statehood and special status of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August 2019, evoking objection and protests from neighbouring Pakistan and further worsening Indo-Pak relations. Since India’s move to split Kashmir into two federally-administered territories, Pakistan has been raising the Kashmir issue internationally. Reiterating his stance on Kashmir and blaming India for taking “unilateral steps”, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means that are grounded in justice. “Our Kashmiri brothers have been living under difficult circumstances over the years. However, the recent unilateral steps have further…

With the number of non-dollar deals rising, Moscow and Brussels are discussing ways to boost the volume of settlements in euros or rubles, says Russia’s envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov. The talks about the switch-over come as the greenback still remains a “powerful weapon” of the US, the permanent representative to the EU said in an interview with Sputnik. Sanctions are another tool for Washington, as foreign companies dependent on the American market have to stop dealing with firms, as well as whole countries, that the US targets. We have dialogue [about switching to rubles and euro in settlements], and the…

By Andrew Korybko Shishir Upadhyaya, a former Indian naval intelligence officer and one of RT’s newest columnists, is incorrect in recently writing that the latest Russian-Indian oil deal is an “unpleasant surprise for Washington” since it’s actually an “unpleasant surprise” for Tehran because the Islamic Republic is powerless to stop two of its closest economic partners from taking advantage of the US’ unilateral anti-Iranian sanctions to strengthen their energy ties with one another at its expense, which in no way goes against America’s “Indo-Pacific” strategy but actually complements this grand strategic vision in its own way. *** New RT columnist and…

Sudan has agreed to hand ousted President Omar al-Bashir and others to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Darfur, a member of Khartoum’s ruling body said Tuesday. The Hague-based ICC has charged Bashir and three of his former aides with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan’s western region during a devastating conflict from 2003. “Those who have been indicted by the ICC, they have to go there,” Mohamed Hassan Al-Taishay, a member of the ruling sovereign council, said in a statement. “One of them is Al-Bashir and (there are) three others,” he later…

Forces loyal to Libya’s Khalifa Haftar have blocked UN flights to and from the country, in a move condemned by the United Nations, which has also warned of “severe consequences” to its humanitarian efforts. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it regretted that “its regular flights, which transport its staff to and from Libya, are not granted permission by the LNA (Haftar’s self-proclaimed army) to land in Libya.” UNSMIL spokesman Jean Alam said the mission there were no “security assurances from the LNA for landing of aircraft in western Libya.” Alam said the…

Iran has warned Israel against any act of aggression targeting its interests in Syria and the region, saying it will not hesitate to give a crushing response to any “foolish” act by the Tel Aviv regime. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will give a crushing response to any act of aggression or foolish move by the regime (Israel) against our country’s interests in Syria and the region, which will make them regret [their measure],” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Wednesday. Mousavi said that Iran has been present in Syria upon an invitation by and based on an…

Turkey’s inability to separate “opposition” from terrorist groups in Syria’s Idlib is one of the main reasons behind the ongoing escalation there, Russian Defense Ministry has said, warning Ankara against “uncoordinated” actions. The ongoing fighting in Syria’s Idlib region has been triggered by repeated attacks from “terrorist groups” in the government-controlled parts of the country, the Russian military said on Tuesday. These continual attacks – documented by both Russian and Turkish servicemen stationed in the area – ultimately triggered a Syrian government offensive against the terrorist . Ankara itself is partially to blame for the ongoing bloodshed, since it failed to separate…

The Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki has hailed the release of a UN Rights office report on companies with Israeli settlement ties. Maliki also urged UN-member states and the UN Human Rights council to “issue recommendations and instructions to these companies to end their work immediately with the settlements,” Reuters reports. “The publication of the list of companies and parties operating in settlements is a victory for international law,” said a statement issued by al-Maliki’s office. The UN human rights office said on Wednesday it had identified 112 business entities for which it has reasonable grounds to conclude to have ties to Israeli…

Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that if Turkish soldiers are hit by Damascus forces again, the retaliation will not be limited to the Idlib area. He also discussed Syrian peace process in a phone call with Vladimir Putin. The Turkish leader made his comments during a speech in the nation’s parliament on Wednesday. I announce that we will strike the [Syrian] regime forces everywhere starting from today, without being bound to Idlib and by the Sochi Memorandum, if our soldiers at the lookout posts or elsewhere suffer any harm. The 2018 Sochi Memorandum established the de-escalation zone set up around Idlib…

Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Myles Caggins previously stated that US-led coalition troops opened fire on civilians, claiming they had to do it in self-defence. One minor and an adult died when a coalition patrol opened fire on a crowd in Qamshli, according to a military source. “At 10 a.m. the US patrol including six armoured Humvee vehicles deliberately entered the area controlled by the Syrian authorities”, the Syrian military source said. “The US troops opened fire, as a result 10-year-old Juma Suleiman Barre was killed”. The source added that during the clashes one US soldier was injured and four armoured vehicles were…