Merz heads to China to boost dialogue on global challenges
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is heading to Beijing on for his first official visit as chancellor, aiming to strengthen political and economic dial...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian officials following a one-day visit to Minsk on Monday 15 December ,where he met with Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenov.
While in Minsk, Araghchi also met with the President Aleksandr Lukashenko and the Secretary of the State Security Council of Belarus, Alexander Volfovich.
Araghchi and Ryzhenov signed three bilateral cooperation documents namely: strengthening the role of international law in international relations, and strategic principles for countering unilateral coercive actions, as well as cooperation program of the ministry of foreign affairs of Iran and Belarus for 2026-2030.
At the conclusion of his visit, the Iranian foreign minister told reporters in Minsk that the meetings with Belarusian officials were “frank, positive and constructive”.
“It was a very useful visit. The meeting with the president was a very constructive, and there was a frank and direct discussion about the projects to be cooperated. The talks between the two foreign ministers were very positive too.”
“I also had a meeting with the Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, where we discussed security and regional issues, and I submitted invitation of the Secretary of Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani to visit Tehran, he added.
Araghchi said that the Belarusian minister of transport will visit Iran in the near future “to further cooperation in the field of transit and international transportation”.
In Moscow, he is scheduled to meet with high-ranking officials including Chairman of State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin on Tuesday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Sergei Lavrov will meet Araghchi on Wednesday.
It said in a statement that the two foreign ministers will discuss bilateral issues in the wake of the Comprehensive Strategic Treaty which entered into force in October 2025, international developments and Iran's civilian nuclear program.
On the eve of Araghchi’ visit to Russia, Lavrov said in an exclusive interview with Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB that Tehran and Moscow have strategic partnership and Russia will always support legitimate rights of Iran.
“We condemn the subsequent Israel and US military attacks against Iran because they lacked any international basis or legitimacy,” he said referring to the 12-day war in June in which Iran’s major civilian nuclear sites were bombed.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Syria has secured a $50 million financing package from the World Bank to support transport infrastructure projects as the country advances its economic recovery efforts, Syrian media reported on Sunday.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
A British national was among at least 19 people killed when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway into the Trishuli river in Nepal before dawn on Monday (23 February), authorities said. A New Zealander and a Chinese national were among those injured.
Iran is prepared to take any necessary steps to secure a deal with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Tuesday (24 February), as the two countries prepare for a fresh round of negotiations in Geneva.
Expanding cross-border commerce and strengthening regional trade corridors topped the agenda in Baku on Tuesday (24 February), as senior lawmakers from Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia met to discuss deeper economic integration across the South Caucasus.
The European Union has formally declared that Russia must withdraw its troops from occupied territories - including those inside Georgia - as part of the conditions for achieving lasting peace in Europe.
The Taliban in Kabul has rejected Russian claims that more than 23,000 militants from around 20 international terror groups are currently operating within Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan says it has allocated $2.2 million to strengthen scientific monitoring of the Caspian Sea amid growing concern over falling water levels, biodiversity loss and rising industrial pressure on the world’s largest inland body of water.
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