In this July 20, 2021 photo, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech following a parade in the northern part of Cyprus' divided capital Nicosia, in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou / AFP) ANKARA- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he instructed the Turkish foreign minister to declare […]
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting with foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations on Sept 23, 2021, on the sidelines of the 76th UN General Assembly in New York. (KENA BETANCUR / POOL / AFP) JAKARTA – Malaysia and Indonesia share strong reservations […]
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud speaks during a joint press conference with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (not pictured) at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad on July 27, 2021. (AAMIR QURESHI / AFP) CAIRO – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken […]
Statistics from the General Administration of Customs on Wednesday showed that China's foreign trade in goods in the first three quarters totaled 28.33 trillion yuan ($4.4 trillion), up 22.7 percent year-on-year. Exports increased by 24.5 percent and imports by 22 percent. This speaks volumes about the resilience of China's foreign trade. The fact that the […]
Taliban fighters check commuters along a road in Kunduz on Oct 10, 2021. (HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP) DOHA – There is no clear path for unfreezing Afghan government funds, Qatar's foreign minister told a conference on Wednesday, highlighting the economic challenges Afghanistan faces under its new Taliban rulers. Qatar is hosting talks between the Taliban […]
Photo taken on May 3, 2018 shows Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (PHOTO / VCG) In his speech to mark the 110th anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 President Xi Jinping said the revolution led to search for path to national rejuvenation. He also emphasized aggression and hegemony are not in the blood of the Chinese […]
This undated picture shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY) DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday stressed the need to end the presence of "illegal foreign powers" on Syrian soil, referring to the US and Turkish forces, according to the state news agency SANA. Assad made the remarks when meeting with […]
A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency on August 26, 2021 shows Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (right) talking with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian ahead of a meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Minister. (IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP) DUBAI – Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have gone a "good distance", Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian […]
This photograph taken on April 29, 2019 shows a couple taking photographs outside the parliament house in Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP) SINGAPORE – Singapore's parliament has approved a law that gives broad powers to the government to deal with foreign interference. The small and open city-state, which says it is vulnerable to foreign meddling, […]
Leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Fumio Kishida (center) is applauded after being elected as new prime minister at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Oct 4, 2021. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP) TOKYO – Japan's new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on Monday called a parliamentary election for Oct 31 and vowed […]
BERLIN – Germany rejects Iran's demands for the United States to release frozen Iranian assets as a condition for nuclear talks to resume, Germany's foreign ministry said on Monday. "Iran cannot set any further conditions for resuming the talks," a German foreign ministry spokesman said after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's demand for assets worth […]
DUBAI – Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday that US officials tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but he insisted Washington must first release $10 billion of Tehran's frozen funds as a sign of good will. Iran has rejected direct talks with the United States, and indirect talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear […]
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid attends a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on Sept 9, 2021. (ALEXANDER NEMENOV / POOL / AFP) MANAMA – Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid flew to Bahrain on Thursday on the highest-level official Israeli visit to the Gulf state since the countries established formal relations last year. Lapid, […]
Japan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida reacts as he won in the Liberal Democrat Party leadership election in Tokyo on Sept 29, 2021. (KYODO NEWS VIA AP) Fumio Kishida is set to become Japan’s prime minister, after the ex-foreign minister overcame popular reformer Taro Kono to win leadership of the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. […]
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (center) meets with Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (far left) and South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (far right) on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 22, 2021, in New York. (JASON DECROW / POOL / AP) WASHINGTON – Japanese Foreign […]
Candidates for the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, (from left-right) Taro Kono, the cabinet minister in charge of vaccinations, Fumio Kishida, former foreign minister, Sanae Takaichi, former internal affairs minister, and Seiko Noda, former internal affairs minister, pose for photographers prior to a debate session at the Japan National Press Club in […]
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran on Feb 22, 2021. (ATTA KENARE / AFP) Iran may hold talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear accord with world powers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week as the country looks to make further changes to its […]
Candidates for the presidential election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party pose prior to a joint news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Sept 17, 2021. The contenders are (from left) Taro Kono, the cabinet minister in charge of vaccinations; Fumio Kishida, former foreign minister; Sanae Takaichi, former internal affairs minister; and Seiko […]
Japan's former women's empowerment minister Seiko Noda announces her run for leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party at its headquarters in Tokyo on September 16, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG) Former Japanese communications minister Seiko Noda said she plans to run to in a vote this month to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, as […]
In this file photo on Oct 22, 2013, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during United Nations day in Tehran. (PHOTO / AFP) Iran on Tuesday named senior diplomat Ali Bagheri Kani to replace Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, a seasoned diplomat and chief negotiator in talks on Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world […]