EU holds first Brussels talks with Taliban since 2021
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have pledged to deepen bilateral ties across energy, trade, transport, defence, and technology following high-level talks in Astana.
On Thursday, the two leaders held a one-to-one meeting at Astana’s Palace of Independence before jointly chairing the sixth meeting of the Türkiye-Kazakhstan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
At a subsequent joint press conference, Erdoğan said the talks had covered energy, transport, trade, health, mining, culture, education, technology, and defence industry cooperation.
On energy, Ankara aims to deliver “more oil from Kazakhstan to global markets”, Erdoğan said, underlining Türkiye’s ambition to position itself as a key energy route linking Central Asia to international markets.
Addressing regional connectivity, he said the importance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, “is better understood every day” in light of recent geopolitical developments.
Still under construction, the Middle Corridor is a 4,000-kilometre rail, sea, and road network linking Southeast Asia and China to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye.
Ankara has promoted the multimodal corridor as a strategic alternative for trade and energy flows, particularly as geopolitical tensions continue to disrupt traditional Eurasian transport routes across Eurasia.
Tokayev, for his part, said Türkiye-Kazakhstan relations were developing “in the spirit of a strategic partnership”, adding that there were “no disagreements or contradictions” between the two Turkic nations.
He also noted that Türkiye was among Kazakhstan’s largest investors and one of its top five trading partners.
During Erdoğan’s visit, officials from both countries signed 13 bilateral agreements, including a declaration of eternal friendship and a deal reinforcing their strategic partnership.
On Friday, Erdoğan will travel to the Kazakh city of Turkistan, known as the “spiritual capital of the Turkic world”, to attend an informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited by the TASS news agency. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle East to win over allies sceptical about a proposed deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into "infinity, despite Tehran's denials, and that unfrozen Iranian assets would be used to buy humanitarian supplies from the United States.
Authorities in France are reporting that about 20 people have died over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas of rivers, lakes and coastal waters as they tried to escape the heatwave.
The European Union and Taliban officials held talks in Brussels on Tuesday on consular services and the situation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected in Europe.
China’s anti-corruption authorities have launched an investigation into Bian Zhigang, a senior defence and space official, over suspected serious violations of discipline and law, officials said on Wednesday.
Alibaba, one of the world's largest technology and e-commerce companies, has sued the U.S. Pentagon after being added to a blacklist of firms it claims support China's military, escalating a dispute with potentially significant consequences for the company.
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has said inspections in Iran will resume in the near future following an interim peace agreement between Tehran and Washington. However, Iranian officials insist access to key facilities remains contingent on a final deal and the lifting of sanctions.
Pakistan and Russia have agreed to deepen counterterrorism cooperation amid continuing concerns over militant threats emanating from Afghanistan, underlining growing alignment between the two countries on regional security.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment