Eurasia

Negotiations between the regime and the Syrian Democratic Forces have fallen apart, although a military confrontation is not anticipated reports Baladi News.

Russian reinforcements have been sent to Hassakeh to monitor the ceasefire and prevent further attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces by Turkey reports Al-Masdar.

Turkey has agreed to resume long-stalled talks with Greece on complex territorial disputes, but its calculus appears focused on short-term gains in its relations with the United States and the European Union.

Greece and Turkey will hold explanatory talks for the first time in years following the tensions that peaked last year between the regional rivals, although the two parties have yet to agree on the issues to be discussed. Greece and Turkey will sit down for exploratory talks on Jan. 25 …

The Gulf reconciliation has sparked controversy in the opposition circles of northwestern Syria over its expected positive effects on the Syrian revolution and opposition.

While claims that Russia is playing a large role in reconciliation talks between the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Syrian regime may be overstated, Moscow could benefit in several ways if the two sides restore relations.

Egypt’s parliament elected Hanafy Ali el-Gebaly as its new speaker, raising controversy as Gebaly chaired the Supreme Constitutional Court that validated an agreement under which Egypt agreed to transfer the strategic Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.

An attempted assassination of a journalist bearing the hallmarks of the Islamic State in the opposition-held city of al-Bab in the countryside of Aleppo has prompted fears about the escalation of IS operations and stirred demands to prosecute terrorist operatives in the area.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its militias in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, are trying to avoid further losses from suspected Israeli airstrikes by redeploying, hiding inside residential neighborhoods in large cities and putting their strategic weapons in underground tunnels.

Analysts expect the four-month suspension in Port Sudan to accelerate the launch of the Transit Trade Agreement between Egypt and Sudan and eventually bring economic and political benefits to Egypt.