16 Mar 2023; MEMO: The head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, Archbishop Atallah Hanna, said on Wednesday that Jerusalem is being subject to an "unprecedented conspiracy."
The archbishop made his comment during a meeting with a delegation of Italian MPs and municipal officials who are visiting the occupied territories to show their solidarity with the Palestinians and to examine their situation first hand.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: Neither the US or Europe could have been an "honest broker" between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, Riyadh's former intelligence chief Turki Al-Faisal said yesterday. Speaking in an interview with AFP, the 78-year-old explained why China managed to successfully mediate one of the most bitter rivalries in the region given that the West has failed for so long.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Wednesday met with Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, and other officials in the capital, Addis Ababa, as both countries look to repair ties following war in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, Anadolu News Agency reports.
"Probably the most important thing is to deepen the peace that has taken hold in the north," Blinken told journalists after the meeting.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Turkish Parliament is highly likely to ratify Finland's NATO membership before it closes mid-April for elections, the officials said, Reuters reported.
"We are looking favourably at Finland's accession. It would not be wrong to say that accession talks will be held at different times than Sweden," one Turkish senior official said.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, said on Wednesday that Saudi investments into Iran could happen "very quickly" following an agreement to restore diplomatic ties, Reuters reports.
"There are a lot of opportunities for Saudi investments in Iran. We don't see impediments as long as the terms of any agreement would be respected," Al-Jadaan said during the Financial Sector Conference in Riyadh.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority (PA) said Wednesday it will participate in a security meeting with Israel in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh this weekend, Anadolu News Agency reports.
Egypt, Jordan and the US will attend the meeting, due on 19 March.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: China, Iran and Russia will hold five-day trilateral naval drills in the Gulf of Oman as of Wednesday, Beijing said, Anadolu News Agency reports.
The trilateral maritime exercises, Security Belt-2023, will conclude on Sunday, China's Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Militaries from Beijing, Moscow and Tehran have held several joint exercises, so far.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: The UN said Wednesday that it could finish offloading oil from a decaying tanker off Yemen if donors quickly provide the remaining $34 million that is needed, Anadolu News Agency reports.
The UN recently purchased a ship that it hopes will avert a catastrophic spill from the decaying vessel.
15 Mar 2023; MEMO: Lebanon's veteran Central Bank head, Riad Salameh, did not attend a hearing on Wednesday into accusations of embezzling public money after his lawyer objected to the presence of European investigators, two sources said, Reuters reports.
ADDIS ABABA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Xue Bing, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday refuted the groundless cliche that China is creating a "debt trap" in Africa, calling it a narrative trap instead.
Addressing media here in the Ethiopian capital, the special envoy said Africa's debt burdens should not be blamed on China.
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