Author: Anadolu Agency

Norway announced on Saturday that it needs an “integrated Palestine” state that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said during the 22nd Doha Forum’s panel discussion titled “Conflict Mediation in a New Era,” alongside Qatar’s prime minister and India’s foreign minister, that “we want an integrated Palestine comprising West Bank, Gaza, and relevant parts of Jerusalem.” “I believe the message now from this region is that that is perfectly doable. There might actually be a major deal, but it has to happen with Palestine. “It’s not one conflict, but there is a…

India cited “national interests” and commitments to various regimes in defending arms supplies to Israel. “The issue of India’s exports, including India’s exports of anything which directly or indirectly has any military implications, is guided by our national interest and by our commitments to various regimes,” Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in response to a question in parliament. Indian parliamentarian John Brittas asked if it is a fact that Palestine’s minister of state in the foreign office met Indian ambassador Renu Yadav to request New Delhi reconsider arms sales to Israel because of their use against Palestine civilians. “We are…

US president-elect Donald Trump on Saturday landed in Paris to take part in the reopening ceremony for the Notre Dame cathedral which has been restored after the 2019 fire, an airport source said. Trump, making his first foreign trip since his election win, arrived at Orly airport in the south of Paris aboard a private plane just before 0700 GMT, said the source, asking not to be named. He is to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron before the ceremony and may also meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it has decided to deploy additional forces along its border with Syria in response to recent advances made by anti-regime groups in Syria’s civil war. In a statement, the Israeli army said: “Following an assessment of the situation, it was decided to call up additional forces for defensive operations in the Golan Heights, near the Syrian border.” The army added that the deployment of additional troops would bolster defense efforts in the area and prepare for various scenarios on the front lines, though no further details were provided. Israeli military radio said the…

Turkish, Iranian, and Russian foreign ministers underscored the importance of restarting the political process in Syria during the Astana Format Foreign Ministers Meeting in Doha, Qatar, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended the meeting, as did his Iranian and Russian counterparts, Abbas Araghchi and Sergey Lavrov, respectively. The discussions focused on the situation in Syria, with sources describing the meeting as “constructive.” According to sources, the meeting highlighted the need to restart the political process and act in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, as well as reaffirming support for Syria’s territorial integrity…

Biden administration officials view the potential collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime within days, according to a report published Saturday. Citing five American officials, CNN reported that there is not yet a formal evaluation of Assad’s future, and his collapse is not guaranteed. One senior US official told the network that “the emerging consensus is that is an increasingly plausible scenario”. Another official said: “Probably by next weekend the Assad regime will have lost any semblance of power”. “Only thing that would delay a rebel conquest would be a well-organized coup and reorganization, but Assad’s folks have done a good job…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said he hopes the march of anti-regime forces toward Damascus continues “without accidents or disasters.” “Idlib, Hama, Homs, and the target, of course, is Damascus. The opposition’s march continues. Our wish is that this march in Syria continues without accidents or disasters,” Erdoğan told reporters following Friday prayers in Istanbul. Syria has become a new focus amid anti-regime forces’ lightning advance across the country’s north that last week saw them take the commercial hub of Aleppo from regime forces, followed by the key city of Hama on Thursday and closing in on the third-largest…

Türkiye’s exports to the US rose 9.8% year-on-year to $12.3 billion in the first 11 months of the year, becoming the second largest export destination, according to Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) data compiled by Anadolu. Türkiye remains an important center of attraction for US-based firms, as the efforts of maintaining close ties with the US in bilateral relations reflect positively on foreign trade. Türkiye’s potential to attract investments with its strong, large, and dynamic economy plays an important role, while trade delegations also contribute to the increase of exports and sales to the US. The industrial sector stood out as…

As Bashar al-Assad regime forces continued to withdraw from eastern Syria, the US-backed terrorist group PKK/YPG expanded and took over its control over territories that the regime forces had left behind. After suffering consecutive territorial losses to anti-regime groups in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, and Homs since Nov. 27, Syrian regime forces began withdrawing from their positions in Deir ez-Zor province, near the Iraqi border, during the day. The Syrian regime army and Iranian-backed forces, after handing over Deir ez-Zor’s city center, airport, and several strategic points to the PKK/YPG, moved toward Damascus and Homs, the gateway to the capital city.…

Türkiye on Friday criticized the Greek Cypriot administration’s increased armament activities and warned such actions could undermine regional stability and peace. “This misguided policy could further undermine the stability and peace of our region and will lead to an arms race on the island,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said. It said that Türkiye shared the views expressed in a statement made on the issue by the Foreign Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The TRNC’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday expressed concerns over the intensification of the Greek Cypriot administration’s military activities, “bolstered by ‘strategic partnership’ with…