Diplomacy Archives - Page 112 of 120

23 Feb

New NATO talks with Turkey to resume in mid-March: Swedish PM

Stockholm, Feb 23 (IANS) Talks between Sweden, Finland and Turkey would resume in mid-March, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told local media. "We have just confirmed this today," Kristersson told Swedish public television broadcaster SVT on Wednesday, without specifying the date for such talks. Turkey has postponed a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland on their NATO bids slated for February following the burning of a copy of the Quran in Stockholm, Xinhua news agency reported. Despite the US attempts to push for both countries' rapid accession into NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday reaffirmed Ankara's demand for more…

23 Feb

Iraq, Iran discuss border situation, bilateral cooperation, regional security

Baghdad, Feb 23 (IANS) Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held meetings with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad on border situation, bilateral cooperation and regional security. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said at a joint press conference with Amir-Abdollahian that the two sides discussed issues of common interest, including border situation, adding the Iraqi government has taken measures to protect its border with Iran from being used to launch attack against neighbouring countries, reports Xinhua news agency. "Iraq's Constitution prohibits the use of Iraq's lands to attack neighbouring countries," he told reporters. For his part, Amir-Abdollahian told reporters that Iran supports strengthening…

21 Feb

10-hr train journey to Kiev, details emerge of Biden’s secret trip

Kiev/Washington, Feb 21 (IANS) Several details have emerged of US President Joe Biden's secret trip to Kiev, including the banning of phones during the 10-hour long train journey from Warsaw to the Ukrainian capital, a media report revealed. White House officials have described Biden's unexpected visit to Kiev on Monday as "unprecedented in modern times" as previous presidential trips to wartime Iraq and Afghanistan had the back up of a heavy US military presence, said the BBC report. Biden had been scheduled to fly out from the US to Warsaw on Monday evening, for a two-day trip. "The advance schedule however,…

20 Feb

As Biden visits Ukraine, China’s top diplomat heads to Russia

Hong Kong, Feb 20 (IANS) As US President Joe Biden touched down in Ukraine to meet with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, Chinas top diplomat was travelling in the opposite direction, on his way to Russia, according to a media report. Wang Yi - who was promoted as Chinese leader Xi Jinping's top foreign policy advisor last month - is due to arrive in Moscow this week as part of his eight-day Europe tour, a trip that brings into focus China's attempted diplomatic balancing act since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine a year ago, CNN reported. The optics of the…

20 Feb

Biden makes surprise visit to Kiev

Kiev, Feb 20 (IANS) US President Joe Biden on Monday made a surprise visit to Kiev where he met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky just four days before the ongoing war marks its first anniversary. In a social media post, Zelensky shared a picture of the two leaders and said Biden's "visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians". The surprise visit came as Biden travelled to neighbouring Poland to meet President Andrzej Duda, reports the BBC. There had been speculation earlier on Monday that an important guest was arriving in the Ukrainian capital, which Ukrainian politician Lesia…

17 Feb

Iranian president says China visit ‘successful’

Tehran, Feb 17 (IANS) Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has described his state visit to China as "very successful and fruitful". Raisi made the remarks in an address to reporters upon arrival in Tehran from his Beijing visit on Thursday, according to the website of the Iranian president's office, Xinhua News Agency reported. Noting that he held meetings with Chinese leaders, Raisi said the strategic level of the two countries' communication had given a strategic aspect to bilateral talks so that the two countries could pursue the issues of common interest. He said Iran's foreign policy is to build trust in neighbors…

12 Feb

Arctic chill descends upon US-China relations after spy balloon affair

Washington, Feb 12 (IANS) As the spy balloon wafted across continental America over the past days, relations between the United States and China went from moderately cold to freezing. Tentative first steps taken towards normalisation of ties from the stormy phase of Trump-triggered trade war and the Covid-19 pandemic, had led to the first in-person summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in Bali, which, in turn, was to be built upon with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's first visit to Beijing, for wide-ranging talks, including a meeting with the Chinese President. Blinken called off the visit -- postponed,…

06 Feb

S.Korea, Australia renew currency swap deal for 5 years

Seoul, Feb 6 (IANS) The central banks of South Korea and Australia have agreed to renew their bilateral currency swap deal for five more years. The Bank of Korea (BOK) and the Reserve Bank of Australia extended their existing currency swap agreement, in which the South Korean currency is swapped for the Australian dollar, for five more years through February 5, 2028, Xinhua news agency reported citing an official statement released on Monday as saying. The size of the agreement was unchanged at A$12 billion, or 9.6 trillion won. The central banks initially signed the swap deal in 2014 and extended…

03 Feb

Iraq keen to strengthen cooperation with Saudi Arabia: President

Baghdad, Feb 3 (IANS) Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid said his country is keen to strengthen cooperation with Saudi Arabia at various levels and continue its coordination and consultation with the kingdom on regional and international issues of common concern. Rashid made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, according to a statement released by the Iraqi Presidency. It is the Saudi top diplomat's first visit to Iraq since the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani took office in October last year, reports Xinhua news agency. During Faisal's meeting with al-Sudani on…

03 Feb

France, Israel agree to deepen strategic partnership

Paris, Feb 3 (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries and strengthen bilateral relationship in all areas, the Elysee said in a statement on Friday. During a working dinner on Thursday night, Macron said Netanyahu choosing France as his first visit outside the Middle East since his appointment as Israeli Prime Minister shows the "closeness" between the two countries and the two people, Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement. The two leaders hailed the quality of bilateral relations and exchanged views over issues of mutual…