Eurasia

In a sign that Ankara is seeking to make renewed inroads in Central Asia, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited three of the five states in the region in early March—Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Turkey has made concerted efforts to leverage historic, cultural, …

Syrian Oil Minister Bassam Toma’a has revealed that around 90 per cent of Syrian oil is under the control of US forces, Aram News Network reported on Friday. “The Americans and their followers are acting like pirates as they are targeting the Syrian oil wealth and oil supplies,” the Syrian …

A container ship blocking the Suez Canal like a “beached whale” sent new shockwaves through global trade today as officials stopped all ships entering the channel and the salvage company said it may take weeks to free, Reuters reported. The 400 metre Ever Given, almost as long as the Empire …

Erdogan was promoting his global campaign of victimization by “Islamophobia”, while in fact it is the critics of extremist Islam who are in danger and frequently killed. In the Caucasus, Turkey has just supported the Azerbaijani war against Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to create a Turkish Islamic corridor between …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described the relations between Tehran and Beijing as strategic, hailing China’s stances in support of Iran in international arenas, including on the JCPOA and the US’ unilateral sanctions. Iran and China maintain very good ties and the two countries’ common stances on international issues are indications …

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority chief said on Saturday that officials could not lay out a set timetable for when Panamanian container ship, The Ever Given, will be dislodged. Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei said that the ship broke the canal’s bank and can only be moved using excavators.

The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) says it is working very hard to continue to prioritise the interests of Russian entrepreneurs in all its dealings. One of the ways the organisation is doing this is by strengthening its international ties. Already, the CCI has successfully established 76 operational …

Two initiatives send the clearest signal, yet, that China may be gearing up to play a greater political role in the Middle East. Touring the region this week, Foreign Minister Wang Yi laid out five principles Middle Eastern nations would need to adopt to achieve a measure of regional stability. …

More than a year after the US and the Taliban signed an agreement in Doha to pave the way for a reduction in both Taliban violence and the American troop presence, progress on intra-Afghan talks remains limited and the security situation remains fragile. The agreement called for a phased reduction …

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has travelled to Tehran for talks with senior Iranian officials. The Chinese top diplomat arrived here in the Iranian capital on Friday afternoon. He is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Ali Larijani, an adviser to the …