BAKU ACCOUNTS FOR 9.1% OF ISRAELI ARMS EXPORTS
In 2018-2022, Azerbaijan became the second country to which Israel exported the most weapons, noted in the report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
It was noted that 9.1% of Israel's weapon exports fell to the share of Azerbaijan during the mentioned period. India was the country to which Israel exported the most weapons during 2018-2022. Weapon exports to India accounted for 37% of Israel's total weapon exports.
The third country to which Israel exported the most weapons was the Philippines (8.5%).
In 2018-2022, Israel's share in global weapons exports was 2.3%.
BELARUS AND IRAN WILL STRENGTHEN COOPERATION
Belarus and Iran are well positioned to advance cooperation to a new level, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said following the meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on 13 March, BelTA has learned.
The president noted that on 18 March 2023 Belarus and Iran will celebrate a landmark event - the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. “This is a good occasion to significantly upgrade our cooperation, after all we have every opportunity to do so. And today President Raisi and I have taken advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
“We absolutely trust each other. Our peoples support us in this. We have welcomed significant progress in bilateral trade last year, a three-fold increase over 2021. However, we believe that this lags far behind the potential of the two states,” the Belarusian leader said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko admitted that the two countries failed to implement some of the agreements, although the parties were on the same page on many things and had a clear understanding of the situation. “Therefore, in the current conditions, it is of fundamental importance to cement our ties, expand contacts and implement all the agreements reached, without delay or red tape,” the president stressed.
Cooperation in science and technology deserves special attention. The existing developments should pave the way for closer collaborations and should be translated into promising commercial projects.
“We will cooperate in all areas, including in the humanitarian sphere, which is one of the main areas of cooperation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
Belarus and Iran also intend to strengthen inter-parliamentary contacts.
“I am sure that the road map signed today (a comprehensive cooperation plan), as well as agreements and commercial contracts, will help promote a long-term partnership,” the president of Belarus said.
He thanked his Iranian counterpart for his hospitality, and wished the people of Iran peace and prosperity. Aleksandr Lukashenko also invited Ebrahim Raisi to visit Minsk at a convenient time.
CHINA'S PRESIDENT TO VISIT MOSCOW NEXT WEEK
Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to travel to Russia to meet his counterpart Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, people familiar with the matter said, which would be sooner than previously expected, Reuters reports.
Plans for a visit come as China has been offering to broker peace in Ukraine, an effort that has been met with scepticism in the West given Beijing's diplomatic support for Russia.
Putin said last month that a Xi visit had been agreed, though the Kremlin chief gave no date for a possible visit. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that a visit to Moscow could take place in April or early May.
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of Xi going to Moscow.
When asked about the Reuters report, the Kremlin said it had nothing to say on the matter.
"As a rule, announcements of official foreign visits are coordinated synchronously by mutual agreement of the parties," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
"When there is such readiness, we will let you know."
No other details were immediately available.
The sources briefed on the matter declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the issue.
REPRESENTATIVES OF RUSSIA, IRAN, SYRIA AND TURKEY WILL MEET
Representatives of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey will hold a working meeting on Syria in Moscow on March 15-16. The agenda of the meeting includes both the process of normalization of Syria-Turkey relations and the recent situation in Syria.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced the quadrilateral meeting to be held in Moscow earlier at a joint press conference held in Ankara with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
