NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in Brussels on Wednesday (21 February 2024) to discuss further strengthening the Alliance’s long-standing partnership with Georgia, NATO press office reports. The Secretary General emphasised that Georgia is a close partner and reiterated NATO’s full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity….
Reuters. Police in Northern Ireland’s Belfast donned riot gear and advanced along a road in specialist vehicles as smoke billowed behind them on Wednesday evening (June 10). Police also clashed with protesters for a second night on Wednesday, deploying water cannon and armoured vehicles against a few dozen young men hurling bricks and fireworks…
Several countries have launched evacuation operations for their citizens from both Iran and Israel due to escalating tensions. Bulgaria closed its embassy in Tehran and evacuated its diplomatic staff and their families through Azerbaijani territory. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced that the embassy would continue operating from Baku. Hungary has also temporarily…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday promised to introduce a new “civilian” constitution, Anadolu Agency reports. “We will work together to bring a civilian constitution to Turkey,” Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting, which lasted more than eight hours, in the capital Ankara. “We want to follow our journey in the second…
Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Azerbaijan Mazahir Panahov has held a press conference on the preliminary outcomes of the snap presidential election. Panahov disclosed that the results from 6,102 out of 6,537 polling stations (93.35 percent) in 125 constituencies have been submitted to the CEC. He highlighted that the number of valid…
“Indirect” talks between Iran and the United States aimed at removing U.S. sanctions will resume this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday. The talks, scheduled for this week, are intended to smoothen a few issues over the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Iran, the spokesman said during his weekly press conference….
Two years after the Gaza conflict erupted, President Donald Trump pledged U.S. support for Gaza security guarantees and said he believes a deal is close to being completed for the remaining hostages, Reuters reports. Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in…
Reuters. The U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (December 10), ratcheting up tensions with Caracas in a move that also raised oil prices. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other…
After a dramatic six-hour long standoff with security, South Korean police have called off an attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, BBC reports. The 150 officers involved found themselves helplessly outnumbered – first by the large number of pro-Yoon supporters who had gathered outside his residence before sunrise, and then by a…
The EU and the US have appealed to Moscow to hold a meeting on the subject of Nagorno-Karabakh before the crisis begins. Maria Zakharova, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced this during the briefing. Commenting on the meeting of the parties in Istanbul, which was described as ‘secret’ in the media, Maria Zakharova…
On October 28, Security Council Secretary of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar. Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin was also present at the meeting, the Office of the Security Council said in a press release. The…
Today is the 17th anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of Istanbul-based ‘Agos’ weekly. Dink was a journalist in a country where free-thinking journalists are persecuted. And as a peace fighter, he was persecuted by nationalists. Dink was one of Turkey’s prominent intellectuals, known for his fearless speeches and…
Russian President Vladimir Putin participated virtually in the ceremony delivering the first nuclear fuel batch to the first power generation unit at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant (NPP) in Turkey. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan also took part in the ceremony remotely. Once fuel arrives at the plant, the Akkuyu NPP will officially become…
The uncertain future of EU-US relations under a second Donald Trump presidency will be one of the main issues when European leaders meet in Budapest, Euronews reports. A large contingency of European leaders, including most members of the European Union, have descended onto Budapest for a high-level meeting that is set to be dominated…
Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson, referred to the latest developments in Georgia, after the government fully enforced the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence. “The Secretary just put out a statement announcing an entire comprehensive review of our policy with respect to Georgia that could jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance that we…
In Europe, the most welcoming country is Armenia, according to the Euronews.travel. The country extends relaxed visa rules to travellers from 135 countries, placing it in 26th place in the overall leaderboard. Kosovo offers this welcome to 109 countries, while Moldova does to 103. Most European countries are a little stricter, offering visa-free…
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that he was naming Ukraine’s former ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, as his new adviser on reconstruction and investment. “Starting today, Oksana Markarova will continue supporting our state as my Advisor on Rebuilding and Investments,” he wrote on X. “Beyond the fundamental goal of defending…
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in capital Ankara on Monday (February 20) to discuss how Washington can further assist Ankara as it grapples with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people, Reuters reports. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey’s southeast and…
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy referred to his meeting with Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov. “Good exchange with FM (of Azerbaijan) Jeyhun Bayramov. Welcomed resumption of trilateral meetings hosted by Charles Michel, discussed its outcomes and way forward and exchanged views on EU-Azerbaijan relations. The EU…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a loan of up to 35 billion euros ($39 billion) for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on Friday, saying it was needed to defend the country against Russian attacks and help it get through the winter, Reuters reports. Standing beside her at a joint press…
Jimmy Carter, the earnest Georgia peanut farmer who as U.S. president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday(December 29) , the Carter Center said. He…
The process for approving supplies of Patriot air defense systems as part of a deal between the US and NATO is still ongoing and the German Defense Ministry denies reports that deliveries have already been launched, the ministry’s spokesman Mitko Mueller told reporters at a briefing, TASS reports. “Specific terms, including which systems will…
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged “maximum restraint” from India and Pakistan as a standoff between the two countries has continued to escalate, Reuters reports. Tensions between India and Pakistan are at their highest in years, the UN chief said. “I deeply respect and am profoundly grateful to the governments and people…
Gegham Stepanyan, Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsperson, presented current situation at the site. “The humanitarian access ban by Azerbaijan since June 15, 2023 has further deepened the deprivations and sufferings of Artsakh people under the seven-month-long blockade. The absolute absence of the most essential foodstuffs and vitally important products dramatically decreases the quality of people’s life, leading…
US President-elect Donald Trump has demanded Panama reduce fees on the Panama Canal or return it to US control, accusing the central American country of charging “exorbitant prices” to American shipping and naval vessels, BBC reports. “The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, highly unfair,” he told a crowd of supporters in Arizona…
Boris Ruge, Assistant NATO Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, held a meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani ambassadors at the alliance. “On behalf of NATO I congratulated the Ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the historic meeting facilitated by the US Government in Washington. NATO welcomes this breakthrough and will continue to…
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash had a telephone conversation. The officials discussed issues related to bilateral economic relations, including cooperation in the fields of energy and transport. The parties emphasized the need for quick implementation of joint projects, in particular, the new transit…
The United States remains concerned the Lachin Corridor has now been blocked for over three weeks, creating a grave humanitarian situation. US Permanent Representative to the OSCE Michael Carpenter wrote about this in his Twitter. “We thank ICRC for providing critical aid during this time, but call on Azerbaijan and Russia to restore access immediately,” Carpenter…
The decision to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group is a vital step supporting the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, Finland’s Foreign Minister and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Elina Valtonen said at the 32nd meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers. “I witnessed positive progress in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In August, we made a decision to…
Reuters. The U.S. Senate on Monday (November 10) approved a compromise that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, breaking a weeks-long stalemate that has disrupted food benefits for millions, left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid and snarled air traffic. The 60-40 vote passed with the support of nearly all…
