Asia International

Israel Opposes French Initiative, Calls for Direct Talks with Palestine

More than 25 foreign ministers mostly from Western and Arab countries are meeting in Paris to revive talks to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the absence of the two conflicting parties. Netanyahu has been against the French approach and he stated ahead of the Paris conference that “the path to peace does not pass though […]

Asia International

Armenian “Genocide”: Ankara Reacts as expected, Berlin Trying to Calm Waters

The German Bundestag on Thursday approved a non-binding resolution recognizing the 1915 massacre of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish forces as genocide with only one member of the parliament voting against it and another abstaining. Turkey reacted by recalling its ambassador in Berlin for consultations and also summoned Germany’s Chargé d’affaires in Ankara. Turkey’s […]

Asia Finance International

Vision 2030 to Make KSA Live Without Oil, Prince Mohammed

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Monday a large-scale reform plan dubbed Vision 2030 meant to restructure the kingdom’s economy and ministerial departments, reform the educational system, and give long term residency permits to foreigners, among others. Yet, the most outstanding announcement he made is the creation of a $2 trillion Sovereign Wealth Fund […]

Asia International

Mideast: Will Washington Oppose Continued Israeli Settlements for the Sake of Peace?

Washington has not said whether it would oppose or back Palestinian diplomatic drive seeking to gather condemnations at the United Nations Security Council against Israel’s continued settlement projects, deemed by Palestinians as a major roadblock of the two-state solution envisioned by the international community to bring peace to the region. US State Department spokesman John […]

Asia International

Russian Tourism Flow to Morocco to Go Up Following Royal Visit

The number of Russian tourists is expected to soar in the coming years following the visit paid lately by King Mohammed VI to the Russian Federation, a visit which gave a new momentum to Moroccan-Russian cooperation. To achieve this goal, Moroccan national tourism office has signed several agreements with big Russian travel agencies to sell […]

Asia International

Israel: Netanyahu Ready to Support Two-state Solution?

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday agreed that peace between Palestinians and Israelis can only be achieved if both parties agree to talk and accept the two-state solution. “Peace won’t come through UN Security Council resolutions but through direct negotiations between the parties. The best formula for achieving peace remains two states for two peoples in […]

Asia International

Israel: Arab World, Gateway to Lasting Peace Agreement with Palestine, Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said reaching a peace deal with Palestine will first require the Arab World warming its ties with Israel at a time Arab countries insist that normalizing their relations with Tel Aviv would only take place when a solution is reached to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu was speaking at the event […]

Asia International

Palestine: Hamas Seeks to Smooth Ties with Cairo

The Hamas delegation that arrived in Cairo on Saturday held its second round of meetings with Egyptian security officials on Sunday in a bid to ease tensions between the two sides. The delegation’s visit takes place a week after Egypt accused Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood of cooperating in the assassination of Hisham Barakat, the […]

Asia International

Turkey: Erdogan Defies Terrorists following Ankara Bombing

Following the Sunday attack in Ankara which killed more than 30 people, Turkey’s President vowed to defeat terrorists who are wreaking havoc on his country, become one of their targets because of instability in the region. After a briefing with his Interior Minister Efkan Ala, Recep Tayyip Erdogan who was in Istanbul condemned the attack […]

Asia International

Lebanese Hezbollah Listed Terrorist Organization in Arab World

Hezbollah, a political party in Lebanon with a military wing, has been declared by the Arab League as a “terrorist group” although two of the organization’s 22members, Lebanon and Iraq, voiced reservations. The resolution was adopted by Arab Foreign Ministers following a similar move by the Gulf Cooperation Council on March 2. Explaining Lebanon’s reservations, […]