Author: Steven Sahiounie

Syrian leader Bashar Assad praised the peace proposal that Russian President Vladimir Putin made to settle the conflict in Ukraine. Assad expressed his opinion while receiving the Russian president’s special envoy for the Syrian settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev, and his delegation in Damascus. “The peace initiative that was put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin represents a real basis for a peaceful settlement between the two countries,” Assad was quoted by his office as saying. “The fact that the West and Ukraine turned down this Russian initiative speaks to their absolute responsibility for the bloodshed,” the Syrian leader went on to…

American politicians do not need peace in Ukraine, their goal is the strategic defeat of Moscow, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with the Newsweek magazine. “Let me emphasize that on June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a peaceful plan for ending the Ukrainian conflict. In response, we only saw new supplies of weapons to the Kiev regime,” Antonov said. “Thus, the reaction of Washington is obvious: local politicians do not need peace. They only focus on war with the objective of inflicting strategic defeat on Russia,” the diplomat concluded. Antonov stressed that the initiative…

Hamas intends to move its political leadership from Doha, Qatar, to Baghdad, Iraq, in a decision already approved by the Iraqi government, UAE newspaper The National revealed, citing Iraqi lawmakers. The National noted that last month, the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and Iraqi and Iranian government officials had been discussing a possible relocation to Baghdad. Haniyeh also discussed the matter with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during a phone call conversation. In early June, the movement established its political office in Baghdad and plans to launch a press center there in the upcoming weeks, but is still determining a…

The Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that took place in the Republic of Dagestan in the Russian Federation, leaving a number of innocent victims. “Syria strongly condemns all forms of violence and terrorism that aim to destabilize security in Russia”, Foreign and Expatriate Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The missile attack by the Kiev forces on Russian citizens in Crimea, using American-made weapons, is yet another confirmation of the level of hostility of the West has towards the Russian Federation, according to the statement. The ministry added “Syria affirms support for the…

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty in a deal with the US that will secure his freedom, the Associated Press reports. According to the media outlet, Assange pleaded guilty to a single felony charge for publishing US military secrets in federal court in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US commonwealth in the Pacific. The deal will allow Assange to return to Australia, his home country. “The abrupt conclusion enables both sides to claim a degree of victory, with the [US] Justice Department able to resolve without trial a case that raised thorny legal issues and that might…

Iranian Interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has met with Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid bin Abdulkarim Al Khereiji In Tehran to discuss bilateral relations and means to enhance ties. During the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the 19th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) ministerial meeting on Tuesday, Bagheri Kani emphasized that the two countries have a serious determination to pursue the deepening and development of relations in various fields. “We believe that there should be no obstacle in the way of this process,” he added. The top Iranian diplomat also thanked Saudi officials for facilitating the affairs of Iranian pilgrims in…

China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang reaffirmed the necessity of respecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling on the great powers to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and promote lasting peace. In a briefing to the UN Security Council on the situation in Syria, Geng said, “China expresses its deep concern over the continued Israeli attacks on Syria, which constitute a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Geng stressed China’s affirm commitment to reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria through a process led and owned by the Syrians. The terrorism…

Ten children per day are losing one or both of their legs in the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, according to the Secretary General of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini. Speaking during a press conference at the UNRWA Advisory Commission in Geneva, Lazzarini stated: “Basically, we have every day 10 children who are losing one leg or two legs on average. This gives you an idea of the scope of the type of childhood, a child can have in Gaza.” Citing figures from the UN children’s agency UNICEF, he said that figure “does…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s flynas has been named the Best Low-Cost Airline in the Middle East for the seventh time in a row by a leading industry body.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has “a lot to offer” global players in the artificial intelligence sector looking to set up shop in the Kingdom, a top minister has insisted.