Section: Middle East Monitor (Kuwait)
Relief in Ankara at signs of improved relations with Riyadh
Turkish-Saudi relations have witnessed signs of improvement in recent days, in light of other developments and new international and regional equations imposed by the victory of the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, in the US presidential elections. These indicators led to relief in Ankara, because it would give it the opportunity to devote itself...
Russia: ‘Turkey’s position on Crimea is a prominent issue between Moscow, Ankara’
The Russian presidency has confirmed that Turkey’s position on the legal status of Crimea is still one of the biggest discords between Moscow and Ankara. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Friday that relations between Russia and Turkey are mutually beneficial, based on principles of non-interference in domestic affairs and...
UAE funding Russian Wagner mercenaries in Libya, says US
The US Department of Defence has indicated that the United Arab Emirates is financing Russian Wagner mercenaries operating in Libya. The Pentagon report could have a serious impact on Washington’s relations with the Gulf State. “The DIA [Defence Intelligence Agency] assessed that the United Arab Emirates may provide some financing for...
Incomplete victory for Azerbaijan, crushing defeat for Armenia, big win for Russia
There is no doubt that Russia under Vladimir Putin is not the weak state that it was after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The Russian president wants to restore Russia to the glory of the USSR and its geopolitical position. Its military intervention in Ukraine, through which it controlled strategic sites in Crimea, was followed by Moscow...
Facebook removes ‘inauthentic’ networks spanning 8 nations
Facebook on Friday said it has dismantled seven separate networks of fake accounts and pages on its platform that were active in Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Myanmar, Georgia, and Ukraine due to “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”, Reuters reports. The social media platform announced it had taken down the new networks as part of its...
12-year-old boy loses his arm after shark attack in Egypt
A mother, her son and their guide have been attacked by a shark in the Ras Mohamed Nature Reserve in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Ukraine’s State Agency for Tourism Development said: “The 12-year-old boy is still in intensive care after undergoing surgery, facing another one tomorrow. His mauled hand could not be saved.” The mother has a...
An Egyptian or Russian message?
Last week, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that the Russian and Egyptian parties will meet in order to prepare for joint naval exercises to be held in the Black Sea under the name “Friendship Bridge 2020”. In December 2019, Russia and Egypt held naval exercises in the Mediterranean with the same name. It is expected that the drills,...
Saudi’s bid to join UN Human Rights Council rejected
Saudi Arabia failed in its bid to join the UN Human Rights Council for the next three-year term, while China and Russia were elected to the Geneva-based body. Other countries elected to the 47-member council yesterday in the secret ballot which took place at the UN headquarters in New York were: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Malawi, Cuba, Bolivia,...
Turkey extends condolences for Ukrainian plane crash
Turkey’s foreign minister extended condolences Friday to Ukraine for a military plane crash that killed 22 people, Anadolu Agency reports. “I share the sorrow of the families of those who lost their lives in a deadly plane crash in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. He extended his condolences to the “friendly...
Russia expands sanctions against EU individuals, bodies
Russia has added more EU individuals and entities to its blacklist, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, Anadolu reports. “In response to actions of the EU, Russia has now decided to expand its reciprocal list that are denied entry to its territory,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news conference in Moscow. “The number of the...
