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Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian

Iran-Syria ties

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus where he was welcomed by his counterpart, Faisal Mekdad. Upon arrival, the top Iranian diplomat described Tehran-Damascus relations as strategic. He said Iran seeks to forge closer cooperation with Syria on all fronts. Amir-Abdollahian said Iran will continue to stand by its western neighbor as it did during Syria’s war on terrorism. The Syrian foreign minister, in turn, said Damascus supports Tehran’s efforts with regard to its nuclear issue. He said Syria strongly condemns Washington’s moves aimed at playing with Iran’s nuclear program and other regional affairs. Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Damascus after concluding his trip to Beirut where he held talks with senior Lebanese officials.

Iraq elections

Iraqis are preparing to cast their ballots on Sunday to choose members of a new parliament. More than 25 million people are eligible to vote for 329-seat legislature. Some groups cast their ballots in early voting on Friday. They included security forces, prisoners and internally displaced people. A new single-member constituency system for electing lawmakers is supposed to boost independent versus traditional political blocs. The elections are taking place a year earlier than the scheduled time. That’s an effort to respond to demands raised during protests that broke out in 2019. Those protests called for a change and an end to corruption in Iraq.

China Taipei policy

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to realize a peaceful reunification with Chinese Taipei while reiterating opposition to the self-ruled island’s independence bid. Xi made the comments during his address on an anniversary marking the 1911 revolution. He called the Taipei question a matter of China’s internal affairs, saying Beijing would not tolerate any outside interference. The Chinese President added, a peaceful reunification would serve the overall interests of the people of the island. Chinese Taipei's officials reacted by saying that the future of the island rests in the hands of its people. They called on Beijing to avoid provocative steps. The development comes amid tensions over Taipei’s growing military reliance on Washington. China claims its sovereignty over the island under the one-china policy. It also condemns US-Taipei ties and Washington’s weapons sales to the island.


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