Blinken to visit Kazakhstan, Lavrov met with Aliyev, Japan expands sanctions on Russia. DAILY UPDATE
0British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a new deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland on Monday (February 27) and said it would pave the way for a new chapter in London's relationship with the bloc.
Standing alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at a news conference in Windsor, Sunak said the two sides had agreed to remove "any sense of a border" between Britain and its province - a situation that had angered politicians on both sides.
The agreement marks a high-risk strategy for Sunak just four months after he took office. He is looking to secure improved relations with Brussels - and the United States - without angering the wing of his party most wedded to Brexit.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who arrived in Baku on a working visit, met today with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Lavrov's meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeihun Bayramov will also take place in Baku.
"The visit of the Russian Foreign Minister coincides with the first anniversary of the bilateral declaration on allied cooperation signed on February 22 last year. During the meetings with the leadership of Azerbaijan, Lavrov will discuss the entire range of bilateral issues, current regional and international issues, as well as pay special attention to the implementation of trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday talks with Sweden and Finland over their NATO membership bids would resume on March 9, although he said Sweden had still not fulfilled its obligations under a memorandum signed last year.
Turkey in January cancelled talks with Sweden and Finland on their applications after a Danish far-right political politician burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
"My colleagues will attend the meeting that will be held on March 9," Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara, adding that the meeting would be held in Brussels.
Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the North Atlantic defence alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Sweden in particular has faced unexpected objections from Turkey.
Ankara accuses Stockholm of harbouring what it considers members of terrorist groups.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday embarked on a trip to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Blinken stated that he will attend the G20 Ministerial in India. Blinken noted that he looks forward to advancing Central Asian partnerships.
He tweeted, "Today I'm embarking on a trip to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India. It will be my first time as Secretary visiting Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan -- and I look forward to advancing our Central Asian partnerships. From there, I'll head to India for the G20 Ministerial."
Blinken is on an official visit to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and India from February 28 to March 3, the US Department of State said in a statement. On March 1, Antony Blinken will visit India to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has arrived in Damascus in what is the first visit by a top Egyptian envoy to Syria since its civil war began in 2011 and another sign of possible warming ties between President Bashar al-Assad and Arab states, Al Jazeera reports.
According to the Syrian state news agency (SANA), Shoukry was received at Damascus airport by his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad on Monday.
Al-Assad has benefitted from an outpouring of Arab support for Syria since February 6 earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people there and in neighbouring Turkey.
The NATO countries, having turned into participants in the conflict in Ukraine, are now acting in a united alliance not as conditional opponents of Russia, but as enemies, said Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
In the interview of Izvestia newspaper, he commented on the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop Russia's participation in the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty. Peskov noted that when this document was being created, the nuclear arsenals of France and the UK were not taken into account, which are not comparable with the arsenals of Russia and the US in terms of their power and amount. But when NATO became a de facto participant in the conflict in Ukraine, the situation changed.
Japan imposed new sanctions, to which 48 Russian citizens and 73 organizations are subjected. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan on Tuesday.
Another earthquake was registered in Malatya Province of Turkey, informed the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) of the country.
A 4.1-magnitude quake occurred in Yesilyurt district of Malatya, the report said.
It was reported that this tremor was recorded at 5:18am, and at a depth of 7 kilometers.