Middle East & North Africa

ANKARA, March 27. /TASS/: Russian and Turkish Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have agreed to organize the next round of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, the Turkish presidential office said on Sunday after their telephone conversation.

"During the call, the presidents discussed the latest developments in the Russian-Ukrainian war and the negotiating process. President Erdogan and President Putin agreed to organize the next meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul," it said.

TEHRAN, Mar 26 (NNN-IRNA) – The ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia are facing problems and challenges, but Iran is working hard to keep the dialogue open between the two Middle Eastern powers, Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian said, yesterday.

CAIRO, Mar 27 (NNN-MENA) – Egypt marked the annual global Earth Hour last night, by turning off lights of a number of landmarks across the country for 60 minutes, including Saladin Citadel, in the capital, Cairo.

“We participate in Earth Hour by simultaneously switching off the lights of Saladin Citadel in Cairo, Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria, the area of the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan and the area of Deir el-Bahari temples in Luxor,” said Mostafa Waziri, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

SANAA, Mar 27 (NNN-YPA) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels, yesterday, announced a three-day unilateral cease-fire with the Saudi-led coalition, voicing their commitment to a permanent truce, if the coalition ends airstrikes and withdraws forces.

DOHA, March 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said Iran and world powers were “very close” to agreement on reviving their 2015 nuclear deal, which would curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting tough sanctions.

Iran’s foreign minister appeared to show flexibility on an issue which has been a leading sticking point in the nuclear talks, and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group launched an apparent peace initiative to end a seven-year war.

JERUSALEM, March 27 (Reuters) - The United States has no strategy of regime change for Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Sunday after President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power".

"I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else," Blinken said during a visit to Jerusalem.

DOHA, March 27 (Reuters) - Turkey and other nations must still talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Sunday, adding that Kyiv needed more support to defend itself.

NATO member Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to mediate in the month-long conflict.

"If everybody burns bridges with Russia then who is going to talk to them at the end of the day," Ibrahim Kalin told the Doha international forum.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A leading European Union diplomat held talks in Tehran on Sunday, Iran’s state-run media reported, amid hopes that an agreement to restore Iran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers could be completed.

The meetings between the EU’s envoy, Enrique Mora, and top Iranian officials come at a sensitive moment for talks to revive the deal, as the glimmers of a resolution to some of the thorniest issues in the negotiations have emerged.

JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday tried to soothe the fears of Israel and its Gulf Arab allies ahead of the possible renewal of global powers’ international nuclear deal with Iran.

Blinken made the comments shortly before joining his counterparts from Israel and four Arab countries at a special gathering where the Iranian nuclear deal was expected to top the agenda. Israel and many of its neighbors are fiercely opposed to the deal, which they believe with embolden and enrich Iran.

26 March 2022; MEMO: Russia has threatened to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid into north-western Syria through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey.

The Russian deputy permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Dmitry Polyanskiy, stated that his country: "Will not turn a blind eye to the failure of Western countries to comply with the resolution on cross-border humanitarian aid in Syria."