The operational situation in Syria has noticeably stabilized. American troops are completing the evacuation from the northeastern part of the country. Clashes with jihadists took place in western Aleppo and northern Latakia. In Hasaka, the Turkish army, having captured the city of Ras al-Ain, was actually surrounded Sun SAR. In the north of Raqqa, pro-Turkish forces went on the offensive. You can find out more detailed information about the events taking place in Syria from our daily report.
- Aleppo Province:
Northern Aleppo
The American military contingent is completing its withdrawal from northern Syria. The day before yesterday, a US Army convoy was spotted in northern Aleppo heading towards the border with Iraq. The Americans were accompanied by the Syrian military along the entire route.
Video: The American contingent leaves the northern part of Aleppo, accompanied by the Syrian military - report
Western Aleppo
After a long lull, the jihadists again began to take active action. So, in the Tel Zarazir area, special forces of the brigade " Abu Amara"attacked the headquarters of the Syrian security service. There is no information about casualties among security forces yet.
Video: Jihadist special forces attack in Tel Zarazir area
- Province of Latakia:
Yesterday after the raid Russian Aerospace Forces units of the 42nd brigade of the 4th armored division of the SAR Armed Forces launched a powerful rocket and artillery strike on the positions of " Islamic Party of Turkestan" And " Hayat Tahrir al-Sham"in the northeast of Latakia. Government troops were shelling near the city of Kabani. In this case, as noted, Soviet-made anti-aircraft guns from the Great Patriotic War were used.
Video: SAR armed forces fire at jihadist positions from a Soviet anti-aircraft gun from the 40s
- Hasakah Province:
On Sunday morning, the Turkish army and pro-Turkish militants captured the city of Ras al-Ayn in the north of Hasakah province. However, the further advance of the Turkish group stopped, as they were actually surrounded by the Syrian army. The Turkoman forces are surrounded on all sides by three tank brigades of the SAR Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, the US military continues to leave Hasakah province. Moreover, their evacuation is accompanied by some excesses.
Thus, residents of the city of Kamyshli staged a kind of “see-off”, throwing stones and rotten fruit at the column of Americans. At the same time, they expressed insults to the US military, who abandoned them, afraid to protect them from the Turks.
Video: US convoy pelted with stones and rotten fruit
- Deir ez-Zor Province:
The Russian military has built a new bridge across the Euphrates River to replace the destroyed one. Under continuous shelling, a floating road bridge was built in two days a few kilometers from Deir ez-Zor.
In order to prevent construction, the militants used drones, which dropped bombs and grenades on the heads of Russian military personnel. The structure was erected on time without loss of personnel.
- Raqqa Province:
Yesterday afternoon, pro-Turkish militants carried out a new attack south of the border town of Tal Abyad. Formations " Syrian National Army"suddenly attacked the defense" Syrian Democratic Forces» ( SDF), despite the established ceasefire. As a result, Ankara's satellites managed to capture the village. Khirbat Force, Al-Salibi and Al-Alwat.
Meanwhile, the command of the Syrian Armed Forces is urgently transferring additional reinforcements to the north of Raqqa. Columns of Syrian military were spotted near the cities of Ain Issa and Tabqa.
Video: Transfer of reinforcements of the Syrian Armed Forces to northern Syria
In turn, the Turkish military created a new observation post in the north of Raqqa. It is located east of the city of Soluk. More such facilities are expected to emerge as Ankara seeks to increase its presence in the north of the country.
Video: Military situation in Syria 10/21/2019
Review of the combat map and operational summary of Syria for yesterday.
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The operational situation in Syria is changing for the better. In the north of Homs, government troops repelled the advance of Islamist rebels, and in the east they are preparing to storm the city of Al-Qaryatein. Israeli aircraft attacked a battery of anti-aircraft missiles near Damascus S-200 in response to aircraft fire Israeli Air Force invading Syrian airspace. The situation in Eastern Ghouta has worsened, where militants have taken active action. At the same time, a successful offensive continues in Deir ez-Zor Sun SAR and stripping administrative center from terrorists. East of Hama from ISIS the last “pocket” has been liberated, and in the north of the province there are fierce battles between the group “ Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" and militants " Islamic State" In Daraa, terrorists attacked armed opposition units. In Raqqa, the operation to liberate the city is nearing completion. Under control " Syrian Democratic Forces» ( SDF) is currently located about 95% of the territory of the settlement. You can find out more detailed information about the events taking place in Syria from our daily report.
- Homs Province:
East Homs
The command of the Syrian Armed Forces has not yet begun the operation to liberate Al-Qaryatein. Significant forces of government troops are converging on the city. They included the assault units of the 3rd Division " Shield of Kalamun».
North Homs
Last weekend, militants from the group Harakat Ahrar al-Sham“, violating the truce, attacked the positions of the Syrian Armed Forces near the city of Jabbourin. In addition, several more government-controlled settlements came under attack from the jihadists. ().
In turn, the Syrian army received the green light from the guarantors of the truce: Russia, Iran and Turkey to take retaliatory measures against the rebels. As a result, the objects and positions of the rebels were first exposed to an airstrike, and then the artillery of the Syrian Armed Forces began to process them.
Video: The city of Talbisa, under the control of militants, was subjected to a massive air and artillery strike by the Syrian Armed Forces
During the operation to clear the territory of eastern Homs, the Syrian military discovered a large warehouse of weapons and ammunition belonging to the Islamic State. Most of the military equipment turned out to be Israeli-made.
Video: Security forces discovered an ISIS warehouse with Israeli weapons
- Damascus Province:
Yesterday, the Israeli Air Force retaliated against the SAR air defense base for firing at its aircraft that violated Syrian airspace. Israeli fighter jets fired missiles while over Lebanon. As a result, the S-200 battery was disabled. No human casualties were recorded. ().
Eastern Ghouta
Grouping " Jaysh al-Islam"continues to successfully resist government forces. As another propaganda step, the Islamists' press service published a video showing the training of militants for the organization.
The situation in the Ain Tarma area has deteriorated significantly. Militants of the group Failak ar-Rahman“They burned a Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and a military bulldozer. In addition, the positions of the SAR armed forces were blown up with the help of undermining.
Video: Faylaq al-Rahman militants blow up strongholds of the Syrian Armed Forces in Ain Tarma
Aleppo Province:
Northern Aleppo
The internecine war between pro-Turkish factions in northern Aleppo appears to be close to ending. The warring militant groups came to an agreement on a truce. These clashes led to the death of over 50 Islamists on both sides. However, the conflict is still far from being completely resolved and it could resume again at any moment.
Meanwhile, another graduation of military pilots took place at the Kuweiris airbase. Yesterday, the Syrian Air Force added three squadrons of pilots who had just completed training.
Video: Graduation ceremony for pilots at Kuweiris Air Base
- Idlib Province:
Türkiye is increasing its military presence in Idlib. Another mechanized battalion of the Turkish army crossed the provincial border and entered Syrian territory. It consists of 15 tanks and 60 other combat vehicles.
Video: Turkish units invade Idlib part 1
The Turkish operation in Idlib currently covers the area between the settlements of Kah and Dayra Simaan. In this area, the Turkish army is strengthening the resulting “corridor” and creating monitoring bases.
Video: Turkish troops in Idlib part 2
- Deir ez-Zor Province:
The Syrian army began an operation in the southern part of the city of Deir ez-Zor. Units of the 5th Army Corps and the 4th Mechanized Division are participating in it.
The Syrian military, with the support of tanks, is displacing terrorist gangs from the areas of Resafa, Rashidiya and Umma. If the pace of this offensive continues at the same level, the ISIS group in the city of Deir ez-Zor will be eliminated in the coming days.
Video: Syrian tanks on the streets of Deir ez-Zor
On the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, government troops liberated the village of Husseiniya, as well as the village. Zabkri, Saalo, Al-Aliyat and Al-Tob.
The rapid advance of the Syrian Armed Forces in Deir ez-Zor is forcing the forces of the Islamic State to retreat. According to available information, the terrorists left the village of Mohassan. However, the Syrian military has still not entered the above-mentioned settlements, waiting for sappers. The fact is that the entire infrastructure of towns and villages shows signs of complete mining.
A single suicide attack was launched in the Humeimah area. Unfortunately it was crowned with success. There are numerous casualties among the Syrian military.
- Hama Province:
Eastern Hama
The Syrian army has completed clearing the eastern “pocket” of Hama from terrorists. The operation was carried out by units of the 4th mechanized and 3rd divisions of the SAR Armed Forces. ().
Northern Hama
In the north of Hama, the confrontation between ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues. Al-Nusra militants drove the terrorists out of the village. Mustarikha and Shukistar.
Video: Footage of clashes from the area of the settlement. Mustarikha and Shukistar
During the battle, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists captured four prisoners. However, they were immediately shot, despite the fact that they threw down their weapons.
Video: Al-Nusra militant shoots captured terrorists
- Hasakah Province:
If on the common front the “Islamic State” suffers one defeat after another, then in sabotage attacks it takes revenge. One of the ISIS raid groups in the area of the Al-Salhiyah-Sor highway captured a stronghold of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). All SDF soldiers captured by terrorists were beheaded. ().
- Daraa Province:
ISIS-controlled group Jaysh Khalid ibn al-Walid»attacked the positions of the armed opposition in the area of the city of Advan. Fierce fighting is currently taking place in this area with the use of armored vehicles.
The Syrian military intercepted a shipment of communications equipment intended for the rebels. The cargo was hidden in a car heading to Daraa from Suwayda.
- Raqqa Province:
Over the past 24 hours, the SDF recaptured the al-Naim roundabout from ISIS. During this battle, 11 militants were killed and another 37 surrendered.
A little earlier, the Kurds occupied the building of the National Hospital, which the terrorists used as a gathering place for hostages. There is no mention of their release.
Meanwhile, Raqqa's "Civil Council" banned the evacuation of foreign IS fighters. His statement said they were not covered by the signed agreement and “cannot be forgiven.”
Video: Military situation in Syria 10/16/2017 (Russian translation)
Review of the combat map and operational summary of Syria for yesterday.
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Summary news past days O key events V countries Middle East And Northern Africa: Syria, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt And Saudi Arabia Arabia.
Messages world news agencies, Arabic And Western sources, including users social networks. IN reviews presented military cards, photos And video most significant events.
SYRIA
Turkey's armed forces captured designated targets in a new cross-border Operation Peace Spring in neighboring Syria. This is stated in a statement issued by the country's defense department on Thursday.
“Operation Peace Spring continued successfully throughout the night and was carried out both from the air and on land. Designated targets were captured. The operation continues successfully in accordance with [our] plans,” the communiqué noted.
Turkey's armed forces will advance at least 30 kilometers into northeastern Syria to create a “security zone” there, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.
“At the first stage, we plan to create a security zone 120 kilometers long, then 400 kilometers. The width is about 30 km, we do not plan to reduce (the depth of the zone), ”said the head of the foreign ministry on the Turkish NTV channel.
After two days of fighting, the Turkish army and the Syrian opposition forces fighting on its side managed to surround two border cities in northeastern Syria - Ras al-Ayn and Tell Abyad. Al Jazeera television station reported this on Friday. According to her information, Turkish troops and their allies were able to close the encirclement after they established control over 11 settlements located in the vicinity of these cities.
In Ras al-Ain in the north of Raqqa province, Turkish troops have now entered an industrial zone where they are exchanging fire with Kurdish People's Protection Forces (YPG) fighters remaining there. In Tell Abyad, armed oppositionists ousted Kurdish militias from the suburbs of Al-Yabs and Tell Fandar.
As Farouk Abu Bakr, a representative of the so-called Free Syrian Army (TFSA), told Al Hadath TV channel, opposition groups, with the support of Turkey, “entered the battle against Kurdish separatists to restore the territorial unity of Syria.” “This is a traditionally Arab region that was captured by the YPG, and we want to liberate it,” he stressed. According to Abu Bakr, the armed opposition is Turkey's partner in the fight against terrorist groups.
The SANA agency, in turn, reported a disorderly retreat of Kurdish troops from the border areas. According to his information, the militias and their commanders are hastily leaving Ras al-Ain along with columns of refugees and heading deep into the province of Hasakah.
On Thursday, the number of refugees who left the border area where Turkey plans to create a buffer zone exceeded 80 thousand people.
Ras al-Ain.
At night, Turkish troops intensified shelling of the city of Tell Abyad. According to SANA, eight civilians were killed and about 10 were injured. Significant material damage was caused to residential buildings and commercial facilities.
Moscow and Damascus have not yet reached an agreement on a new conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to discuss the military operation that Turkey launched on October 9 in northeastern Syria. Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov told reporters about this.
“We have established contacts with the Syrian leadership in various areas, various structures participate in these contacts, so we are using established schemes here. But so far no agreement has been reached on a new conversation between the leaders,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
On October 9, Putin had a telephone conversation with Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, during which he called on Ankara to carefully weigh the situation and not harm the overall efforts to resolve the crisis in this country with its military operation in Syria. In the conversation, which took place at the initiative of the Turkish side, the leaders continued to exchange views on Syrian issues, including taking into account the agreements reached in September in Ankara at a meeting of the leaders of the guarantor states of the Astana process.
US President Donald Trump believes that in the situation with the Turkish operation in northeast Syria, the United States has three options, one of which is mediation in negotiations between Turkey and the Kurds. The American leader wrote about this on Thursday on Twitter.
“We have 100% defeated the IS caliphate (the Islamic State terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation), we no longer have troops in the area attacked by Turkey in Syria. We did our job perfectly. Now Türkiye is attacking the Kurds, they have been fighting each other for 200 years. We have a choice of three options: send thousands of troops and win a military victory, hit Turkey hard financially and through sanctions, or broker an agreement between Turkey and the Kurds,” he wrote.
US President Donald Trump said he is in contact with Turkey and the Syrian Kurds in connection with the Turkish operation in northern Syria.
“Turkey has been planning to attack the Kurds for a long time, they [Turks and Kurds] have always been at war,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “We have no military personnel near the attack area.” I intend to stop endless wars, I’m talking to both sides.”
“Someone wants us to send tens of thousands of soldiers into this zone and start a new war. Türkiye is a NATO member,” he noted. — Someone says not to interfere and let the Kurds fight their wars (even with our financial help). “I said that I will hit Turkey very seriously financially and with the help of sanctions, if they do not play by the rules, I will closely monitor.”
Five European countries that are members of the UN Security Council called on Ankara on Thursday to stop the operation in northeast Syria because it will not solve Turkey's security problems. This was stated on Thursday at the UN headquarters after closed consultations in the UN Security Council on the situation in northern Syria by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the UN, Jürgen Schulz, speaking on behalf of the “European Five” members of the UN Security Council - Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Poland, and also supported the statement of Estonia.
“We are deeply concerned about the Turkish military operation in northeast Syria,” he said. “We call on Turkey to end its unilateral military operation and believe that it will not solve the problems that are of concern to Turkey.”
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticized the European Union on Thursday for condemning Ankara's cross-border Operation Peace Spring in Syria. During his speech, broadcast by NTV, the Turkish leader threatened to open the door for refugees to Europe if it calls this operation an invasion.
“Hey, European Union, pull yourself together! If you try to call our operation an invasion, then our job is simple - we will open our border crossings and release 3.6 million refugees to you,” he said.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Muller will present information to the Security Council of the world organization on the situation in northeast Syria in light of Turkey's military operation. This was announced on Thursday at a regular briefing by Deputy Spokesperson of the UN Secretary General Farhan Haq.
As he noted, the states that are members of the Security Council “will discuss Syria, and Assistant Secretary General Ursula Muller will inform them about the humanitarian situation in the northeast of the country.” “They are also expected to receive information from UN Assistant Secretary-General for Asia and the Middle East Khaled Khiari,” Haque said.
The United Nations is intensifying humanitarian activities in areas of Syria where Turkey is deployed, said Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Farhan Haq.
“We are not in a region where there is conflict... We have humanitarian personnel in other areas where we believe people may be coming to seek safety. And so we will be expanding our activities in nearby areas,” Haque said.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Turkey to stop its invasion of Syria, saying that by doing so it would help the Islamic State restore the caliphate, Euronews reports.
“Turkey is putting millions of people at humanitarian risk,” Macron said at a news conference. “At the same time, Turkey will be responsible to the international community for helping IS create a caliphate.”
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar had a telephone conversation with French Defense Minister Florence Parly.
Greece condemns Turkey's military operation in Syria and calls for its immediate end, the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Greece fully supports the position of the European Union, condemns Turkey’s new unilateral military actions on the territory of a sovereign state and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities in northeast Syria. Operations that violate international law undermine regional stability and jeopardize United Nations efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis,” the statement said.
Poland is concerned about the operation of the Turkish army in Syria and hopes for its speedy completion, the republic’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Poland is concerned about the start of the operation of the Turkish armed forces in northeastern Syria. “We fear that it could negatively affect the stability of the region, attempts to develop a peaceful solution carried out under the auspices of the UN, and also contribute to the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation,” the statement said.
Armenia condemns the Turkish invasion of Syria. We are concerned about the current situation as we believe this action will further worsen the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this at a meeting of the Government of Armenia on October 10, speaking about yesterday’s invasion of Syria by the Turkish Armed Forces.
He, in particular, noted: “We call on the international community to take effective measures aimed at stopping these illegal actions and protecting the rights of Syrian citizens, including representatives of national minorities living along the Turkish border.
In this regard, I would like to emphasize the following: as you know, Yerevan is successfully carrying out a humanitarian mission in Syria, and we will continue it. I think it is worthwhile, after considering the agenda of the Cabinet meeting, to discuss behind closed doors and exchange views on the situation in northern Syria, possible developments and our positions.”
EC head Jean-Claude Juncker called on Turkey to act with restraint in Syria and stop the military operation, which, according to him, will not lead to positive results, RIA Novosti reports.
“Turkey has security concerns on the border with Syria. However, I urge Turkey, as well as other actors, to act with restraint and stop the operations that are already underway. This military action does not lead to positive results,” said Juncker, speaking in the European Parliament.
NATO member Norway is suspending all new arms exports to Turkey.
A military operation by the Turkish army in northern Syria could have dangerous consequences for the unity of Syria and negatively affect the course of the war against terrorists in the Arab Republic, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Thursday at a meeting with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rose Marie De Carlo at the Baabda Palace , RIA Novosti reports.
“President Aoun drew the attention of the UN Adviser to the fact that the latest developments that are taking place on the Syrian-Turkish border could have dangerous consequences for the course of the war in Syria, and Lebanon is monitoring the developments in the hope that there will be no attacks on the unity of Syria and the realities associated with will not become refugees,” the Lebanese Presidential Press Service wrote in a statement.
Washington proceeds from the fact that Ankara, in light of its operation in Syria, bears full responsibility for the safety of civilians and the fight against the terrorist group “Islamic State” (IS, banned in the Russian Federation) in the Arab Republic. US Permanent Representative to the world organization Kelly Craft told reporters at the UN on Thursday.
As she emphasized, “the United States does not in any way encourage” Turkey’s operation. “[U.S. President Donald] Trump has told the Turkish government that it bears full responsibility for the safety of the Kurdish population and religious minorities, including Christians, and for preventing a humanitarian crisis,” Craft said. “Failure to play by the rules, protect vulnerable populations, and ensure that IS cannot take advantage of these actions to strengthen itself will have consequences,” she said.
The demographic policy pursued in Syria by some states that are members of the international coalition led by the United States became a prerequisite for the Turkish military operation in the Arab republic. Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, announced this to reporters on Thursday.
As he stated, the Russian Federation proceeds from the fact that “all parties should exercise maximum restraint during this operation.” As he emphasized, “this operation was the result of demographic engineering carried out in northeastern Syria by some coalition partners.” “We warned them for a long time not to experiment with this,” Nebenzya said.
“We called on the Kurds to participate in direct dialogue with the Syrian authorities, but, as you know, they chose other patrons. You see what is happening now,” said the Russian permanent representative.
The Arab-Kurdish armed coalition SDF is supported by the United States.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu ruled out the possibility of holding negotiations with the current Syrian government. He stated this on Thursday on CNN Turk.
“What can we talk about with people who killed a million Syrian citizens? The Assad government cannot unite Syria,” the foreign minister said in response to a journalist’s request to comment on the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow intends to facilitate dialogue between Damascus and Ankara.
NATO expects Turkey's operation in Syria to be balanced and proportionate, and that Turkey will seek to avoid exacerbating civilian suffering. This was stated by Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference in Athens, which was broadcast by the organization’s press service.
“I expect Turkey to show restraint, that its actions will be balanced and proportionate, that Ankara will try to avoid even greater suffering among civilians,” Stoltenberg said. “However, we must focus on our key task - defeating the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS, banned in the Russian Federation). Turkey is part of the [US-led] coalition in Syria, NATO is part of the coalition. We must act together to defeat ISIS,” Stoltenberg said. He also called for "caution to prevent increased migration flows in the region."
In turn, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed fears that Turkey’s military actions could “give time for IS forces in the region to regroup and strengthen.”
Earlier on Thursday, the chairman of the executive committee of the Kurdish Council for Democratic Syria, Ilham Ahmed, told a TASS correspondent in Brussels that IS militants could have escaped from a prison in the Syrian city of Qamishli, which was shelled by Turkish troops.
The Turkish Armed Forces eliminated 219 “terrorists” during the “Source of Peace” military operation in Syria. Anadolu Agency reported this on Thursday with reference to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
Previously, the department reported 174 “liquidated terrorists” from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Kurdish People’s Defense Forces.
The flow of refugees from the Syrian border areas of Ras al-Ain and Tell Abyad intensified on Thursday after the expansion of the military operation "Spring of Peace", launched by the Turkish army. As Al Hadath TV channel reported, the number of civilians who fled their homes exceeded 60 thousand people.
According to him, the first columns of refugees set out on Thursday from the city of Qamishli, the administrative center of the self-proclaimed Kurdish autonomy in northeastern Syria. Turkish troops resumed shelling its western and eastern outskirts in the afternoon, where the main forces of the Kurdish armed forces are concentrated.
As the SANA agency reported, 13 civilians were killed and 29 more were injured in the past 24 hours in northeastern Syria. According to him, as a result of the aggressive actions of the Turkish army, great material damage was caused to economic facilities in the region. Thus, on Thursday the thermal power plant in Ain el-Arous was disabled. Earlier, the Turkish Air Force raided the Rumeylan oil field, where a fire broke out at the main oil loading station.
Turkey's armed forces continued to shell northeastern Syria from their base in Akcakale on Thursday as part of their operation against Kurdish groups in Syria. Footage shows a plume of smoke and explosions as Turkish troops fire artillery from their base, which was set up days ago for the operation.
Turkey's Ministry of National Defense has released footage of its commandos allegedly operating in Syria.
Latest events on the second day of the operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in the Syrian Arab Republic.
At least 18 people were injured as a result of shelling by Syrian Kurds from the People's Defense Forces in the Turkish cities of Akcakale and Ceylanpinar on the border with Syria. This was reported on Thursday by NTV channel.
According to him, administrative buildings became targets of mortar fire.
In addition, journalists from the Khaber Turk TV channel came under fire. The incident occurred while they were broadcasting live from the roof of one of the houses on the Turkish-Syrian border.
Later it became known that at least three people, including a child, were victims of shelling by Syrian Kurds in the Turkish city of Akcakale, located near the border with the Arab Republic.
According to local authorities, “terrorists fired from the Syrian region of Tell Abyad, during which several shells exploded in the city center.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iraqi President Barham Saleh expressed their readiness to facilitate contacts to resolve the situation in northeast Syria. This is stated in a message from the Russian Foreign Ministry following a telephone conversation between the parties on Thursday.
“Issues related to the development of the situation in northeast Syria were discussed. A common opinion was expressed on the need to achieve lasting and long-term stabilization of the situation on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria through the establishment of dialogue between Damascus and Ankara, as well as between the Syrian authorities and representatives Syrian Kurds. It was emphasized that Russia and Iraq are ready to facilitate such contacts,” the diplomatic department reported.
“The interlocutors agreed to continue the exchange of views and coordination of approaches,” the ministry added.
Iranian authorities demand an end to Turkey's military operation in Syria and the withdrawal of troops from the Arab country. This is stated in a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, released on Thursday by its press service.
“Given the serious humanitarian threat and risks to civilians in the region, the Iranian Foreign Ministry insists on the immediate cessation of attacks and the withdrawal of Turkish armed forces from Syrian territory,” the statement said. It is noted that “the Iranian side is concerned about Ankara’s actions.”
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, “military actions will not only not benefit Turkey’s security, but will also lead to material losses and casualties.” “Tehran is convinced that tension can only be resolved through peaceful actions, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” the department noted. At the same time, the Iranian side “declares its readiness for any kind of mediation between Syria and Turkey to resolve problems.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “condemned Turkey’s invasion of northeast Syria, promising to help the valiant Kurdish people,” Haaretz reports.
“Israel strongly condemns Turkey’s military incursion into Kurdish areas in Syria,” Netanyahu tweeted, adding that “Israel warns of ethnic cleansing against Kurds by Turkey and its representatives.” According to Netanyahu, "Israel will make every effort to offer humanitarian assistance to the brave Kurdish people."
The first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee is scheduled for October 29, Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov told reporters. “The Constitutional Committee has already been formed, its first meeting is scheduled for October 29,” he said.
As the Kremlin representative noted, it is important that Turkey, which launched a new military operation in northern Syria on October 9, “with its careless actions does not interfere with this most important political process, the process of settlement in Syria.” He added that Moscow is sympathetic to “Ankara’s concerns regarding the protection of national security.” “However, there are key international legal norms that relate to joint efforts to combat terrorism and establish peace in Syria. This is, first of all, a commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, respect for its sovereignty,” Ushakov said.
He recalled that during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 9, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that he shares this approach. “Now, given the start of the operation, we consider it important for all parties to show restraint and carefully weigh their practical steps so as not to damage the measures taken for a political settlement in Syria,” Ushakov added.
Moscow also called for the humanitarian aspect to be taken into account in this situation. “It is unacceptable for civilians to be harmed. Peace and stability in northeast Syria must be ensured taking into account the interests of all groups of the Syrian people,” the Kremlin representative emphasized. According to him, in general, the worsening situation in the region causes concern in Moscow, and it intends to “closely monitor developments.”
Ushakov drew attention to the fact that Putin and Erdogan communicate by phone and meet with each other more often than with other leaders, which is “due to their joint engagement in Syrian affairs.” “The parties did not agree on a new telephone conversation, but it can take place as needed. Leaders are always willing to talk and discuss current situations. It will be the same this time, I’m sure,” the Kremlin representative concluded.
Turkey has deployed its air defense system near the Syrian border region, where they are currently launching an operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Russia said aviation publication Avia.Pro.
According to Avia.Pro, the Turkish military deployed its air defense system in this area of operation after the US refused to support its ongoing invasion of the northeastern region of Syria.
“Due to the fact that the United States of America refused to support Turkey during its military operation in northern Syria, the latter deployed short-range air defense systems in the area of operation that could be used by American aircraft and drones if the latter tried to intervene,” - the message said.
“According to preliminary data, we are talking about anti-aircraft missile launchers consisting of 8 Stinger missiles mounted on a wheeled base. There are no official comments from Ankara on this issue, but experts draw attention to one important detail: the Kurds do not have planes or helicopters in their arsenal, and Washington is the main opponent of the military operation in northern Syria,” they continued.
“Whether the Turkish army dares to use its air defense systems against American combat aircraft and helicopters is still unknown.
Aleppo. Civilians and two police officers were injured in a motorcycle explosion in the center of Al Bab. Local sources said six civilians and two police officers were injured when a bomb planted by an unidentified person exploded at a motorcycle repair shop.
Latakia. The Syrian Air Force continued its air operation along the Latakia-Turkey border region, targeting several targets belonging to HTS and Turkestan Islamic Party militants in the Jabal Al-Akrad and Jabal Turkmen areas.
Hasaka. Turkish soldiers dismantled concrete barriers opposite Syrian city Tell Halaf is west of the Ras al-Ayn area and are preparing to launch an invasion along this section of the border. This was reported on Thursday by the Syrian television station Al Ekhbariya.
According to her information, on Wednesday Turkish artillery was already shelling settlements in the Khabur River valley, where Tell Halaf is located - one of the centers of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization in northern Syria. The area is home to Assyrian Christians, who are considered a religious and ethnic minority in Hasakah.
Turkish army artillery shelled the area of the large Rumeilan oil field on Thursday. As the Al Ekhbariya television station reported, as a result of a direct hit, the main oil loading station of Said was disabled, and a strong fire broke out at the facility.
Earlier, SANA reported that the aggressive actions of Turkish troops led to the failure of the water tower in Miyah Alluk on Wednesday. However, repair crews later managed to restore operation of the facility, which supplies drinking water to 2 million residents of Hasakah.
Two children, 10 years old, were killed and another was injured as a result of Turkey's indiscriminate bombing of the city of Qamishli.
14 Turkish soldiers were killed during battles with the formations of the Kurdish coalition “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) near the city of Ras al-Ain. Al Mayadeen TV channel reported this on Thursday, citing Kurdish sources. According to them, the SDF is successfully repelling the offensive of the Turkish army east of Ras al-Ain.
The Kurdish “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) thwarted an attempt by militants of the terrorist group “Islamic State” (IS, banned in the Russian Federation) to take advantage of the offensive operation of the Turkish army and carry out a foray in the area of the city of Ras al-Ain. Al Mayadeen TV channel reported this on Thursday, citing Kurdish security sources.
According to them, militants from IS “sleeping cells” tried to take control of the village of Al-Tuwaymiya in the Ras al-Ain region.
The Turkish Air Force resumed airstrikes in the area of Ras al-Ain on Thursday morning. Strikes are being carried out on villages located east of Ras al-Ain.
This information was confirmed by the Syrian TV channel Al-Ikhbariya. He notes that ground forces of the Turkish army are also taking part in the operation. Al Jazeera TV channel confirmed this information. Turkish forces allegedly managed to take control of several villages.
Internal Security Forces (Asayish) captured 5 members of sleeper cells associated with Turkish-backed armed groups in Ras al-Ayn.
TFSA militants and units of the Turkish army near the city of Ras al-Ain.
Deir ez-Zor. The Syrian Arab Army is moving reinforcements to the Euphrates River Valley area. The SAR government is concerned that the oil fields in eastern Deir ez-Zor will remain under the control of the American coalition or will be captured by the Turkish armed forces and their allies.
According to an AMN source, if the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) enter into peace talks, they will demand the transfer of these oil fields, including Al-Umar, which is the largest in eastern Syria. He added that the Syrian army is ready to act if they feel that the Syrian Democratic Forces are on the verge of collapse east of the Euphrates River.
Raqqa. Demonstration in the city of Tel Abyad to protest against the Turkish military operation
Ground units of the Turkish Armed Forces entered the Syrian Tell Abyad, located on the border of the two countries, on Thursday morning. The Milliyet newspaper reported this.
The advance towards Tell Abyad began at night from four directions. It is indicated that to date, in the city and its outskirts, the positions of the armed Kurdish detachments that were there before the start of Operation Peace Spring are not visible, and no firefights have been heard.
TFSA Statement: “The village of Al Yabiseh, west of Tel Abyad, was captured after heavy clashes with the YPG.
Turkish artillery shelling of the outskirts of Tel Abyad.
According to the SANA agency, in the north of Raqqa province, Turkish troops penetrated deep into Syrian territory and occupied four villages in the vicinity of the border town of Tel Abyad, including the village. Iqsas.
Turkish military reinforcements moving towards Tel Abyad.
ISRAEL
A telephone conversation took place between Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The main topic of conversation was the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany and the terrorist attack in Halle.
Reuven Rivlin's press service reported that the Israeli President thanked the German authorities for what they are doing to ensure the safety of members of the Jewish community in their country. But at the same time, he noted that it is necessary to continue to act decisively and without hesitation against any manifestations of anti-Semitism.
“We must learn from the tragedy in Halle to ensure that it does not happen again,” concluded Reuven Rivlin.
Two partners of Trump's personal lawyer Rudolfo Giuliani, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were arrested in the United States on suspicion of illegally financing Donald Trump's election campaign - in particular, transferring money from Russian donors to the Republican Party foundation.
Parnas and Fruman, immigrants from the USSR, now doing business in the state of Florida, helped Giuliani in his negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities regarding the initiation of criminal cases against Joe Biden and his son Hunter. During the investigation launched by Congress as part of the impeachment procedure, it turned out that the two constantly accompanied Giuliani during his trips to Ukraine. Parnas and Fruman were attempting to fly out of the United States on October 9 and were arrested at the Dallas airport on charges of violating campaign finance laws, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
American law prohibits accepting campaign contributions from foreigners and donations under someone else's name.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York accuses Giuliani's associates and two other businessmen named David Corrella and Andrei Kukushkin of "organizing a scheme to transfer foreign money to candidates for public office in order to gain influence over the candidates, their campaigns and their administrations."
The businessmen are accused of falsifying documents about the origin of hundreds of thousands of dollars they donated to Republican Party campaign funds, including its America First Action committee, created in 2018 to re-elect Donald Trump.
60% of Israelis oppose US interference in Israeli decisions. On October 10, a Ruderman Foundation poll found that 60% of Israelis oppose US interference in Israeli decisions. It also became known that only 22% of Israelis are aware of the differences between the different movements of the Jewish community in the United States.
300 members of the Likud Central Committee (CC) voted this evening. October 10, for the proposal of its chairman, Knesset member Haim Katz, who stated that Benjamin Netanyahu is the party's candidate to form a new government.
“The Center has confirmed that Likud Chairman and Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, who in accordance with Article 85 of the Likud Charter is the [Likud] movement's candidate for the position of Prime Minister of Israel, is Prime Minister "Likud for the entire 22nd Knesset," the proposal says.
“During the term of the 22nd Knesset, Likud will only serve in a single government led by Likud Chairman and Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, whether for any or a rotating term. ", it says there.
Prime Minister Netanyahu himself was absent this evening from the Ganei HaTaaruch conference center, but it is clear that through the proposal approved by the Likud Central Committee, he wants to neutralize the ability of any other Likud member to form a right-wing government in the 22nd Knesset .
10 October, senior officials of the ruling Likud party say that the leader of the NDI party, Avigdor Lieberman, is preventing the creation of a broad unity government that would include all Zionist parties. “Lieberman announces that he expects the mandate to be handed over to [Blue and White Party leader Benny] Gantz, and continues to refuse to vote against the left-wing minority government supported by Arab parties,” they say, adding that Likud is working to the creation of a government of broad national unity, and, as the President proposed, without the disqualification of any party. The one who stops the process is Lieberman, who is completely aligned with Yair Lapid.”
Members of the Knesset from the Joint Arab List met on October 10 with Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan and the police high command. The meeting discussed the situation in the Arab sector in connection with the outbreak of violence in the Arab environment.
On the morning of October 10, hundreds of Israeli Arabs set out in a convoy from Maj al-Krum to Jerusalem. In this regard, congestion occurred on highways No. 6 and No. 1 at the entrance to the capital.
At the same time, dozens of people protested outside the office of the head of government in Jerusalem. Among them were relatives of those killed in various acts of violence in the Arab sector. Protestants also demanded the resignation of Minister Erdan.
Since the beginning of the year, 73 people have been killed in the Arab sector.
The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah is negotiating to change the supply route to the Gaza Strip so that more goods are supplied to the strip through the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt at the expense of the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border with Israel.
According to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Ramallah also wants Palestinian Authority tax officers to collect import duties on the Egyptian side of the Rafah checkpoint.
In this way, Ramallah hopes to put pressure on Hamas, which imposes duties on the supply of goods to the sector, and also to reduce Israel’s ability to control the autonomy’s tax revenues.
According to the newspaper, this topic was discussed during a recent visit to Cairo by a Palestinian delegation led by Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh.
During the night (10/10), IDF soldiers, as well as Shin Bet, Border Police (MAHAV) and Israeli police arrested eight PA residents in Judea and Samaria. suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.
This was reported by the IDF press service.
IRAN
About 30% of Iranians aged 15 to 24 are not working or studying, according to a report from the country's Ministry of Labor.
This was reported by The Times of Israel with reference to Radio Farda.
Iran's economy has been under threat since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in the 1980s, and recent sanctions have worsened the problem.
The Iranian authorities decided to release the previously detained Russian citizen Yulia Yuzik; she flew to Moscow. This is stated in a statement by the Russian Embassy in Tehran published on Thursday.
“As a result of the joint efforts of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Tehran, the Iranian side decided to release Russian citizen Yulia Yuzik,” the statement said. “Early in the morning of October 10, she flew from Iran to Moscow on an Aeroflot flight.”
Yuzik feels fine, press attache of the Russian Embassy in Iran Andrei Ganenko told TASS.
“I feel normal, safe and sound,” he said.
IRAQ
US President Donald Trump said that especially dangerous militants of the terrorist organization Daesh (Islamic State, ISIS, ISIS - banned in Russia), who were held by the Kurdish People's Self-Defense Units in northeastern Syria, were transferred under the supervision of the US military before the start of Turkish army operations in the specified region of the Arab Republic.
Trump did not go into detail, but The Washington Post reported on October 10 that the United States had gained control of two notorious British fighters from the Islamic State group dubbed the "Beatles" and transferred them to Iraq.
“We're taking some of the most dangerous Islamic State fighters and moving them to secure other locations,” Trump said. “We have captured a number of ISIS fighters who are particularly terrible, and we want nothing to happen to them in terms of them escaping (from captivity).”
The two Beatles allegedly taken into custody by the US military are Alexander Coty and El Shafi Elsheikh, who were part of a cell of four British men known for their extreme brutality. At the height of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, members of the group kidnapped and tortured foreigners, including journalists, Voice of America explained on Thursday.
On Thursday evening, 64 children - citizens of Uzbekistan - were delivered on a special flight from Baghdad (Iraq) to Tashkent as part of the humanitarian operation "Mehr-2" ("Good-2"), UzA reported.
The operation was carried out on behalf of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in cooperation with the Government of Iraq and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Among those who arrived home were 39 boys and 25 girls, of which 14 were children under 3 years of age and 2 orphans.
EGYPT
The Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov and the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at negotiations in Cairo raised the issue of resuming charter flights between the countries. The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation told reporters about this.
“Of course, this issue has been raised,” he said, noting that not all security issues at Egyptian airports have yet been resolved.
“In the near future (it is planned) to speed up the procedures for answering all technical questions that remain in this regard. And I really hope, I hope, that if all the answers are received, there will probably be more control visits [to Egyptian airports by Russian aviation specialists]. After this, decisions will be made [on the resumption of flights to resort towns Cairo],” Manturov said.
The parties also considered the issue of supplying Russian aircraft to Egypt, in particular 12 SSJ-100 aircraft, the minister added. According to him, the issues of resuming flights to resort towns in Egypt and the supply of aircraft are interconnected, and the final decision on the supply of aircraft will be made after the situation with charters is resolved.
The contract for the supply of SSJ-100 aircraft to Egypt has been discussed since May 2015 - then it was about the supply of 12 aircraft with an option for another 12 aircraft. It was assumed that under the trade-in scheme, Russia would receive Embraer aircraft from Egypt, giving away the SSJ-100. The first deliveries were due to begin at the end of 2016.
An agreement on a free trade zone between Egypt and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) may be signed in mid-2020, the head of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov told reporters after a meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly.
“The end of next year, in my opinion, is the maximum time frame [for signing the agreement]. I would target the middle of next year,” the minister said.
At the same time, he noted that the third of six rounds of negotiations has already ended. “We will contact the EEC [Eurasian Economic Commission] regarding the possibilities in this case, in the absence of any contraindications or contradictions, to speed up the process of passing the rounds or combining them into one,” Manturov said.
The first round of negotiations on concluding a free trade agreement between the EAEU and Egypt took place in January 2019. The agreement will provide new opportunities for the development and simplification of trade between participants, the EEC noted earlier.
Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Egyptian Ambassador to Moscow Ihab Nasr at a meeting on Thursday discussed the situation in the Middle East, including in northeast Syria, as well as preparations for the first Russia-Africa summit. This is stated in the message of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“During the conversation, the emerging situation in the Middle East and North Africa was discussed, including in the context of the latest events in northeast Syria,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “At the same time, the importance of further strengthening coordination between Moscow and Cairo in resolving regional crises through political and diplomatic means was noted.”
The ministry noted that the parties touched upon some practical issues in preparing for the upcoming Russia-Africa summit.
The meeting took place at the request of the Egyptian diplomat, the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated.
Egypt's Ministry of Energy has ordered a reduction in the rate of daily natural gas production from 7 to 6 billion cubic feet (from 198 to 170 million cubic meters).
According to Egypt oil and gas, the decision was made due to the low level of demand for gas in the domestic and foreign markets.
According to Egyptian sources, gas consumption by Egyptian power plants has dropped from 4.5 billion cubic feet per year to 3.7 billion cubic feet per year.
Currently, Egyptian power plants consume 61% of gas sold on the domestic market.
Türkiye
The Second Ankara Court for Particularly Serious Crimes released from custody three suspects in the case of the murder of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, a TASS correspondent reports from the courtroom.
The court decided to release Sercan Bashar, Kagan Bulbul and Timur Ozkan. The latter is the organizer of the exhibition at which the crime was committed.
The first hearing in the case of Karlov’s murder took place in the Turkish capital on January 8. The Ankara prosecutor's office sent an indictment to the court in November 2018. There are now 25 suspects in this case, including the leader of the “Fethullahist terrorist group” (FETO), Fethullah Gülen. Former civil servant Shahin Sogyut, in turn, allegedly personally ordered the direct executor to kill the Russian diplomat.
Among the charges brought by the prosecutor's office are violation of the constitutional order, membership in an armed terrorist group, and premeditated murder for terrorist purposes. The prosecution described the incident as “a provocative action aimed at undermining relations between Turkey and Russia.”
An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 occurred in the Sea of Marmara off the coast of Turkey, Trend reports citing Turkish media.
According to the report, the tremors were recorded at 19:52 local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 3.71 kilometers from Yalova province.
The source of the tremors lay at a depth of 10.66 kilometers. The earthquake was felt in Istanbul.
It is also reported that at 22:32 a magnitude 3.5 earthquake occurred in the Sea of Marmara. The epicenter of the tremors was located 2.97 kilometers from the province of Yalova, the source lay at a depth of 11.21 kilometers.
There were no reports of casualties or damage.
SAUDI ARABIA
Russian President Vladimir Putin will make state visits to Saudi Arabia and the United States on October 14-15. United Arab Emirates(UAE). Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov told reporters about this on Thursday.
“On Monday and Tuesday [next week] the long-awaited state visits of the President of the Russian Federation to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will take place,” the Kremlin spokesman said, clarifying that the state visit to Riyadh will take place on Monday, October 14, and from Saudi Arabia to Tuesday, October 15, the Russian leader will fly to the UAE on a state visit.
“These visits are important, they have been prepared for a long time, and they really are now of particular relevance in connection with the situation in the Middle East, North Africa and so on,” Ushakov said.
He recalled that the previous trip of the Russian President to Saudi Arabia took place in February 2007, and in October 2017, for the first time in history, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud paid a visit to Russia. Ushakov noted that Putin and King Salman keep in touch by phone, in addition, the Russian President regularly meets with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
The previous time the Russian leader visited the UAE was also in 2007.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will discuss coordination of actions to stabilize the situation on the oil market at negotiations on October 14 in Riyadh. Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov told reporters about this.
“During the negotiations, issues of further coordination of joint actions in order to stabilize the global hydrocarbon market will be raised,” he said. Ushakov recalled that “with the active role of Russia and Saudi Arabia, it was possible to agree on the extension until March of next year of the agreement in the OPEC+ format to reduce oil production.”
In addition, according to Ushakov, “increasing multifaceted interaction in various areas will be discussed.” In particular, we are talking about the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, Agriculture, industry, as well as military-technical cooperation and cultural and humanitarian exchanges.
“About 30 documents are being prepared for signing, both interdepartmental and commercial,” the Kremlin representative added. According to him, trade turnover between the countries in 2018 increased by 15% and exceeded $1 billion, and in January-July 2019 the figure increased by 38%, exceeding $846 million.
According to Ushakov, during the negotiations a “detailed exchange of views on current topics on the international agenda with an emphasis on the state of affairs in the Middle East and North Africa region is expected.” “There will be a conversation about the situation in Syria, in the Persian Gulf region, in Yemen, as well as about the Palestinian-Israeli settlement,” he added.
The presidential aide said that Vladimir Putin will also take part in the first meeting of the Russian-Saudi Economic Council.
He recalled that Russia in this newly established council is represented by the head of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, and Saudi Arabia by the Minister of the National Guard, Prince Abdullah bin Bandar. The council included representatives of large businesses from the two countries, “about 20 representatives from each side,” Ushakov added.
“The program of the visit provides for the participation of the President of the Russian Federation in the first meeting of this economic council, which will take place after negotiations with the king,” Ushakov said, adding that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, also intends to take part in the same meeting.
As the Kremlin representative noted, investment cooperation occupies an important place in bilateral cooperation. Saudi Arabia's public fund has allocated $10 billion for investment together with RDIF in the Russian economy. More than $2.5 billion of this amount has already been disbursed, he added.
The board of directors of Saudi Arabia's state oil company Saudi Aramco will give final approval for the sale of its securities next week. Bloomberg reported this, citing statements from experts familiar with the matter.
Members of the company's Board of Directors plan to meet with consultants on the initial public offering around October 17, experts noted. The oil giant will evaluate market conditions and feedback from a roadshow for potential core investors that ends this week before making a final forecast, they said.
Saudi Aramco's initial public offering (IPO) will be the largest in the history of the global stock market. Experts involved in the deal say about 2% of the company could be sold, which is expected to raise about $40 billion. The sale is central to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's strategy to fund plans to diversify the country's economy.
According to experts, although Saudi Aramco is likely to move forward with the listing, a final decision has not yet been made and the Saudis could still either delay or cancel the IPO. Company representatives have not yet commented on the information presented above.
The initial public offering (IPO) of shares of Saudi Arabia's state oil company Saudi Aramco will in no way affect Riyadh's participation in OPEC. The cartel's secretary general, Mohamed Barkindo, announced this in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains committed to the OPEC organization as a founding country, as the de facto leader of the organization, as it is called in the media. And we have heard from their representatives at the highest levels of government that the company's IPO will not in any way affect their membership in OPEC,” he said.
According to Barkindo, the company's management took a balanced approach to the decision to hold an IPO right now. “For the last couple of years, they (Saudi Aramco management - TASS note) have been working very hard to prepare Aramco for an IPO. I think that in order to decide on placement, they had to evaluate the entire situation. The company is in very capable hands. And they decided that the best time had come,” said the OPEC Secretary General.
JSC Russian Railways (RZD) will take part in the tender for the construction of railways in Saudi Arabia. RDIF General Director Kirill Dmitriev told reporters about this.
“Saudi Arabia has a massive railway construction program, with a number of tenders and competitions being held on who will supply. Russian Railways could participate in the construction of a significant element of railway infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. We believe that Russian Railways is one of the most competitive companies in this area. Together with Russian Railways, we are promoting the concept of Russian Railways’ participation in the construction of various sections of railways in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Dmitriev noted that RDIF also supports projects to invest funds of Saudi companies in national projects in Russia.
“We share information about where to invest in infrastructure, and, accordingly, discuss investments in national projects - this will be one of the important topics of discussion during the visit to Saudi Arabia,” said the head of the RDIF.
YEMEN
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP, banned in the Russian Federation) specialist in the manufacture of explosive devices, Ibrahim Hasan al-Asiri, who occupied one of the key positions in the group’s hierarchy, was eliminated two years ago during a US special operation in Yemen. This was reported in a statement issued by US President Donald Trump on Thursday.
“We confirm for the first time that Ibrahim al-Asiri, an important al-Qaeda bomb maker and terrorist coordinator, was killed two years ago during U.S. counterterrorism operations in Yemen,” the document said.
Turkish MLRS fire in full bursts at the Tel Abyad area
On the night of October 9, 2019 (closer to the morning), Turkish self-propelled guns opened fire on Kurdish positions in more than 30 areas over 400 km. Syrian-Turkish border along the entire length from Kobani to Derik (the most extreme point in northeast Syria). All more or less large border cities came under attack - Ain al-Arab (Kobani), Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ain (Serekanye) and even the city of Qamishli, where quite significant forces of the Syrian Arab Army are stationed.
Under the cover of artillery fire, mortars and MLRS, at least four groups of militants from Islamist groups, members of the Syrian National Army (SNA), hastily concocted by the Turks, entered Syrian territory near the cities of Tel Abyad (Raqqa Ave.) and Ras al-Ain ( Hasaka Ave.). All groups underwent special training in Turkey and in the “Idlib zone.” The invasion was covered by Turkish special forces and snipers with thermal imaging scopes.
According to local Kurdish sources, the first group of Islamists entered Syria in the agricultural region. schools east of Tel Abyad, the second attacked the village of Tel Arkam (west of Ras al-Ain), the third walked literally a kilometer from the second and attacked the village of Tel Halaf (also west of Ras al-Ain), the fourth invaded the area Majah plantations (east of Ras al-Ain).
In the morning, Turkish aviation joined in the attacks on the Kurds. The strikes were carried out in the areas of Kobani, Ain Issa (Raqqa Ave.), Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ain and the Qamishli region. Drones (both reconnaissance and attack) were used en masse.
Judging by the number of forces and means involved, the main blow was delivered to Ras al-Ain. The city is supposed to be blocked simultaneously from the west and east, but even by the evening of October 9 this could not be done. SNA militants and Turkish special forces managed to capture only a small bridgehead west of Ras al-Ain - by approximately 18:00 the village of Tel Arkam was taken. At Tel Halaf and Majah, the pro-Turkish forces failed.
Attack on Kurdish positions near Ras al-Ain
Near Tel Halaf, one Turkish tank, an armored personnel carrier and at least three militant pickup trucks were destroyed. The enemy assault groups were driven back to Turkey by the Kurds. According to the command of the Kurdish self-defense forces YPG, in total, the militants lost at least 8 people killed (five of them remained on the battlefield), the Turkish army - 2 people.
It is characteristic that simultaneously with the Turkish invasion, the bandit underground of the territory became more active. grouping "Islamic State" (IS, banned in the Russian Federation). As soon as pro-Turkish forces invaded Syria west of Ras al-Ayn, a little further south in the same area the Kurds were attacked by a large group of IS militants. The terrorists tried to capture the Asayish Kurdish police checkpoint, but suffered losses and retreated after about an hour of fighting.
The actions of the 1st group of invasion forces, advancing east of Tel Abyad, were more or less successful. Already on the morning of October 9, she managed to capture a bridgehead to a depth of 6 km. together with a small village, which the Turks quickly renamed on their maps to Turkmen Abatiyn. In the evening and on the night of October 10, the bridgehead was expanded, capturing the villages of Isafi Koya and Asrafat al-Azu. By the morning of October 10, the Turkish army and SNA militants already controlled up to 12 kilometers of the border here.
Kurdish positions near Tel Abyad are burning
In the far west, in the right bank of Aleppo province, SNA militants tried to attack Kurdish forces north of the city of Menbij, but lost three killed, up to a dozen wounded, and quickly retreated to their original positions.
In total, according to Kurdish media, 8 civilians were killed by Turkish shelling over the past 24 hours.
This morning, shelling and air strikes continued. The city of Qamishli was subjected to heavy attacks by the Turkish Air Force. The most active shooting battles are taking place east of Ras al-Ain - in the Majah area.
SYRIA
The Kremlin does not comment on the terms of supply of S-300 systems to Syria. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told reporters about this.
“The delivery [of S-300 systems to Syria] is truly complete,” he said. “Please check with the Ministry of Defense for all other details related to this delivery.”
Earlier, a military-diplomatic source told TASS that Russia had supplied Syria free of charge with three divisions of the S-300PM anti-aircraft missile system, consisting of eight launchers each. “On October 1, the delivery of three S-300PM divisions, consisting of eight launchers each, to Syria was completed,” the agency’s interlocutor said.
“The equipment was previously in service with one of the anti-aircraft missile regiments of the Russian Aerospace Forces, re-equipped with the S-400 Triumph system; it underwent a major overhaul at Russian defense enterprises, is fully operational and capable of performing combat missions,” the source said, adding that the S-300PM “were transferred to the Syrian side free of charge.”
Following negotiations with Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov on Tuesday, October 9, in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will continue to strike hostile targets in Syria, despite the supply of Russian anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) to the Arab Republic. S-300. Agence France-Presse reports this.
Israel will continue to oppose Iran’s plans to “root” its military presence in Syria, including by carrying out air strikes in the neighboring Arab country, Netanyahu emphasized.
According to the head of the parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Larijani, the Israeli side is unable to strike at the S-300 Favorite anti-aircraft missile systems in Syria. He told media representatives about this. “I don’t think Israel is capable of any serious action,” Larijani said. He emphasized that the Russian Federation has every right to deploy S-300 systems in Syria to protect its interests, especially after the incident with the downing of the Russian Il-20 aircraft. This is Russia's legal right, the Iranian parliamentarian said.
Russia will continue to expose the provocations of a group of countries led by the United States against the Syrian government over its alleged use of chemical weapons. The head of the Russian delegation, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov, speaking at the 89th session of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
“Opponents of the legitimate Syrian authorities tirelessly insist on the guilt of government troops in using chemical weapons against the civilian population. Allegedly, there is confirmation of this in the reports of the Joint Investigation Mechanism [JIM], based on information collected by the Fact-Finding Mission in Syria [FFM]," Kalamanov noted.
“But who gives this pseudo-information? These are non-governmental organizations like the White Helmets, which are engaged and fed by the governments of the United States, Great Britain and other countries,” he pointed out. “Now the White Helmets are fleeing Syria. They have completely discredited themselves even in the eyes of their Western sponsors.”
“We will continue to expose the background of the dirty provocative game that is being continued by a group of countries led by the United States against the legitimate government of Syria through manipulation of facts and the insertion of fake, custom-made videos by representatives of the White Helmets and similar structures,” the deputy minister emphasized.
Russia sees no reason to speed up the start of the work of the Syrian Constitutional Commission. This was stated on Tuesday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following negotiations with his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajcak.
“We don’t see any reason to speed up this process and set some artificial deadlines for the start of this work. The most important thing here is quality,” he said.
Lavrov emphasized that attempts to force the issue lead to the fact that the set goals cannot be achieved and “only unnecessary excitement is whipped up.” “We continue to work, our representatives, together with Turkish and Iranian partners, are in contact with all interested parties, including Syrian colleagues and UN representatives, with whom they meet regularly,” the minister said.
The delegation of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDF, an autonomous governing body created by the Kurds in the northeast of the country) will hold the third round of negotiations in Damascus. Al Mayadeen TV channel reported this on Tuesday. According to him, the political dialogue between the Kurds and the central government will resume on Wednesday after the delegation arrives in Damascus.
The first round of negotiations between the parties took place on July 26-27. Then it was possible to reach agreements on the creation of joint committees in various areas “with the aim of establishing economic life in the northern regions and solving the social problems that have accumulated there.” At the second round on August 14-15, the development of a roadmap for building a “decentralized democratic Syria” was discussed.
On October 4, SDF co-chair Amina Omar said that the Kurds are committed to continuing dialogue with Damascus, which will “end the crisis in Syria and preserve its territorial unity.” According to her, the Kurds hope that as a result of the negotiations it will be possible to reach a settlement that “will meet the interests of the entire Syrian people and open the way to a stable future.”
Russia is concerned about the situation on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where the United States, with the support of the Kurds, is creating some kind of special administration. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova announced this at a briefing on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, developments on the eastern bank of the Euphrates are causing increasing concern,” she said. “In this zone, the Americans actually rule the roost, relying on their Kurdish allies.”
“The efforts they are making to form some kind of special administration in the Trans-Euphrates region, which does not comply with the current constitution of Syria, are not yielding positive results,” added the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“Such quasi-state construction irritates the non-Kurdish population - Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomans,” Zakharova continued. “Local residents express particular dissatisfaction with the arbitrariness committed by employees of the local security service supervised by the Americans.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree on Tuesday granting a general amnesty “for those evading military service inside and outside the country.” As the SANA news agency reported, the decree exempts deserters from criminal punishment provided for by the law on service in the ranks of the armed forces of the republic.
Under the terms of the amnesty, fugitives inside the country must confess and surrender to authorities within four months. For those who left Syria, the period to turn themselves in has been increased to six months.
In 2013 and 2015, President Assad already issued similar amnesty decrees. This step received a positive response from the population. According to the Syrian press, thousands of people surrendered to the authorities at that time.
Commentators in Damascus say the amnesty decree is an important step towards national reconciliation and will facilitate the return of refugees to the country.
The decree of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to pardon deserters should be seen as a step towards national reconciliation in this country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced this on Tuesday.
“As for the issue of pardoning deserters, this is probably a step towards national reconciliation, towards creating conditions that would be acceptable for those refugees who want to return to Syria. “Not only refugees, but also temporarily displaced persons,” noted the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. “We actively encourage this attitude among the Syrian leadership.”
“As you know, in connection with the need to help refugees return to their homes, fears were expressed that their safety would not be guaranteed, that they would be discriminated against, that they would be immediately drafted into the army,” Lavrov noted. “They also cited the example of the so-called Law No. 10, which is supposedly aimed at expropriating property from those who will not return.” “On all these issues, we are trying to help the government and its opponents find agreements that will be generally acceptable, which will help people make a decision about returning to their homeland,” the minister noted.
“By the way, according to Law No. 10, we advised those who expressed concerns in this regard, in particular, UN representatives, to come into contact with the Syrian government,” Lavrov stated. — Such contacts took place. Now, in my opinion, almost all the misunderstandings and misunderstandings that existed in connection with this document have already been dispelled.”
Accusations from the West that Russia allegedly carried out cyber attacks against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were specifically put forward to create an information field before the publication of the final report on the chemical attack in the Syrian Duma and the adoption of decisions on changing the functions of the OPCW. This opinion was expressed in a conversation with a TASS correspondent by former OPCW inspector and expert of the Russian International Affairs Council Anton Utkin, commenting on expectations from the organization’s session starting on Tuesday.
He recalled that the purpose of the session is to determine the agenda of the OPCW conference scheduled for November. “Of course, there is a direct connection between Russia’s accusations of cyber attacks and the upcoming OPCW activities,” Utkin said. — At the conference in November the issue of making appropriate decisions regarding the attributive mechanism will be decided. Let me remind you that this is the mechanism that allows the OPCW to appoint those responsible for the use of chemical weapons, that is, to put it mildly, a very controversial mechanism.”
“The final OPCW report on the use of chemical weapons in Douma has not yet been released,” he continued. “Such an attack on Russia, accusing it of cyber attacks on the OPCW, could certainly be preventive work against Moscow in conditions where the final report on the Duma may not contain the desired information that chemical weapons were actually used.”
The analyst emphasized that if in the final report on the alleged chemical attack in Douma, OPCW experts are unable to provide evidence of the use of chemical weapons, then “the information space will still be filled with accusations against the Russian Federation in cyber attacks, and the data in the report will go unnoticed.”
“Safe havens” for terrorists exist in Indonesia, the Egyptian Sinai and Afghanistan. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Oleg Syromolotov stated this in an interview with TASS.
“Quiet havens” are primarily where military operations are taking place, the senior diplomat noted. “Today there is such a “harbour” in Sinai, terrorists are being transferred to Afghanistan and Indonesia.”
According to him, one of the most difficult tasks at the moment is to suppress the return of foreign terrorists from the Middle East, primarily from Syria and Iraq. “You see, they are spreading across Europe,” Syromolotov explained. “And through Belarus and Ukraine, terrorists get to Russia.”
According to him, European countries are also facing the problem of the spread of militants from the Middle East region.
The Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that there is information about attempts to transfer terrorists from Idlib to Iraq, but so far such actions have been suppressed. “There are attempts to transfer [terrorists from Idlib] to Iraq, they are being stopped. Iraq is responsible for this; they clearly don’t need extra terrorists,” Syromolotov said.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed concern about the lack of funds to provide assistance to refugees and displaced persons in a number of countries, including Syria, TASS reports.
As the official representative of this department, Babar Baloch, said at a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, only 35% of the $1.968 billion needed in 2018 to support Syrians who were forced to leave their homes has been received to date.
“About 5.6 million Syrian refugees in the region and 6.2 million internally displaced people are directly affected by the lack of funds,” he said. “UNHCR’s $1.968 billion needs related to the situation in Syria are only 35% funded.”
According to Baloch, the funds are needed, in particular, to provide assistance to Syrians who have returned to their places of former residence on the eve of winter. In addition, if funding is not forthcoming, the program to provide cash to refugee families in Jordan and Lebanon will have to end in November: in total, about half a million refugees need such support to pay rent, basic services and meet daily needs.
Baloch recalled that last year 56.6% of the necessary funds were received, and in 2016 - 57%.
Russia calls on UNESCO to get involved in the restoration of destroyed monuments in Syrian Aleppo and Palmyra. This was stated by the permanent representative of Russia in the international organization Alexander Kuznetsov, RIA Novosti reports on Tuesday.
“The world needs UNESCO where no one else can replace it. We consider the implementation of a strategy to protect culture and promote cultural pluralism in the event of an armed conflict to be one of the most relevant areas,” the diplomat emphasized, speaking at the 205th session of the UNESCO Executive Board.
He recalled that the organization had begun a project to revive the old city of Iraqi Mosul, but noted that “no less urgent is the task of restoring cultural heritage Syria".
“We call on UNESCO to get involved in the restoration of the monuments of Palmyra and Aleppo destroyed by terrorists,” Kuznetsov said.
The permanent representative noted that Russian experts have already carried out significant preparatory work and created a 3D model of the Palmyra ancient settlement. Kuznetsov added that the Hermitage is ready to accept a group of Syrian restorers for an internship.
“We expect UNESCO to take practical steps to fill in the content of the memorandum signed in October 2017 between the organization and the Hermitage on the issue of the protection and restoration of cultural property in conflict zones, in particular in the Middle East,” he concluded.
A year ago, on October 9, 2017, a memorandum of understanding was signed in Paris between the State Hermitage Museum and UNESCO. UNESCO and the Hermitage agreed to “carry out joint projects to promote the protection of cultural property in areas affected by emergencies, especially in the Middle East.”
The document stated that the parties would assess the damage caused to cultural property, develop operational plans to ensure the safety of damaged cultural property, and restore damaged movable and immovable objects.
The Syrian oil industry will be able to reach pre-war oil production levels no earlier than 2023. Z. Arbash, a member of the Advisory Council of the Government of Syria, announced this on October 8, 2018.
According to Z. Arbash, due to the damage caused by terrorists, until 2023-2024. Syria's oil sector will not return to pre-war production levels (until 2011). Restoring the oil industry will take at least 4-5 years. This deadline is technologically determined; putting pressure on this area is pointless. The reason is that the fields under the control of terrorists have been depleted, and the militants have destroyed the infrastructure in these regions. After a technical and geological assessment of the deposits returned to the control of the authorities, a period of rescue will begin, after which it will be possible to return the level of production to at least acceptable, Z. Arbash believes. After this, it will be possible to think about developing the deposits, but this requires enormous investments. The figures for the damage suffered by the Syrian oil sector due to the war were voiced by the Minister of Oil of Syria A. Ghanem. As of October 2017, oil production in Syria has fallen 24 times since the beginning of the military conflict (from 385 thousand barrels per day to 16 thousand barrels per day). Gas production decreased by 1.6 times (from 21 million m3/day to 13.5 million m3/day).
In monetary terms, the losses of the Syrian oil industry exceeded $68 billion. Overall, the Syrian economy suffered $400 billion in damage. Syria hopes to restore its oil industry with Russian support. Back in 2016, against the backdrop of an emerging improvement in the situation, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad invited Russia to take part in the development of oil and gas fields and petrochemical industry facilities in the country; moreover, Bashar al-Assad stated that Syria would not allow Western countries participate in the reconstruction of the country, while Russian companies are given an exclusive opportunity to work in the Syrian oil and gas sector. In February 2018, Russia and Syria signed a roadmap for cooperation in the oil and gas industry. In July 2018, the Russian Ministry of Energy reported that Russian oil companies are studying the possibilities of restoring oil and gas fields, oil refineries and infrastructure elements in Syria. At the same time, it became known that Russian companies began geological exploration work (GRR) in Syria, both onshore and offshore.
Due to ongoing fighting and drought, wheat production in Syria fell by 30% to 1.2 million tons compared to last season. This is the lowest harvest in 30 years. Lamb reports. Grain Online with reference to FAO UN. Before the crisis, Syria produced an average of 4.1 million tons of wheat.
About 27 thousand tons of Crimean wheat were sent to Syria through the ports of Sevastopol, Governor Dmitry Ovsyannikov told TASS. He said that in May of this year, a delegation from Syria, led by the ambassador of this country to Russia, Riyad Haddad, visited Sevastopol. The prospects for joint work were discussed, in particular, an agreement was reached on the supply of grain grown on the Crimean Peninsula to Syria.
“As a result of the meeting, a contract for grain transshipment was concluded, and after a short time a mobile unit was installed, which allows grain to be transshipped directly from the machines. To date, about 27 thousand tons of wheat have already been supplied,” Ovsyannikov said.
The governor clarified that it is also planned to participate in the restoration of the Syrian economy - to supply food, construction materials and much more. “Companies from Sevastopol will also participate in this work, if necessary. All this will become the basis for the growth of cargo turnover between Sevastopol and Tartus,” Ovsyannikov noted.
In Syria, terrorists of the Islamic State (an organization banned in Russia) (IS) attacked militants of Jabhat al-Nusra in the village of Latamna, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties (CPVS).
As noted, as a result of the attack, two White Helmets soldiers were killed, and the terrorists also captured two chlorine cylinders. The incident occurred on the evening of October 9.
“As a result of the clash, four militants and two employees of the White Helmets organization were killed. Two chlorine cylinders were removed from the headquarters premises,” the TsPVS statement says.
According to reports, the stolen cylinders were delivered to the south of Aleppo province and handed over to terrorists of the IS-affiliated group Harras Ad-Din.
The opening of the Nassib crossing on the Syrian-Jordanian border, scheduled for October 10, has been delayed due to US pressure on Amman. This statement was made on Wednesday by the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan.
According to her information, Jordan, which is experiencing great economic difficulties, is interested in the speedy resumption of the transport corridor with Syria, which will bring it income from the transit of goods across the border. However, as Al-Watan points out, the Jordanian authorities “do not risk resisting the dictates of Washington, which is trying to extract concessions from Damascus in a political settlement.”
The Syrian Ministry of Transport announced on September 29 that it had completed “all logistical preparations to resume the movement of goods and passengers across the border.” A representative of the department said that the opening of the Nasib checkpoint will take place on October 10.
However, Jordan's Transport Minister Walid al-Masri said on Tuesday that "the parties are still discussing technical details and the opening of the checkpoint is being delayed." In turn, the kingdom's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi told reporters in Amman that "the border will be opened after the bilateral technical committees complete all the preparatory work." According to the minister, “the opening of the border crossing should serve the common interests of Syria and Jordan.”
The People's Council (Parliament) of Syria ratified on Tuesday a treaty of friendship and cooperation with South Ossetia. SANA agency reported this.
“The Council approved a bill to ratify the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of South Ossetia signed on July 23, 2018 in Damascus,” the agency quotes a press release from the Syrian parliament.
Aleppo. Militants of the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front group shelled residential areas of Aleppo from their positions in the Layramoun district. As a result of the militants' shelling, several civilians were injured in the area of Nile Street. In response, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) later launched artillery strikes on militant positions in Lairamun.
Turkey has sent a serious warning to the US authorities in connection with the increased military activities of the YPG in the Manbij area.
Citing Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Daily Sabah reported that Ankara had approached Washington.
“The terrorist group must know that when the time and place comes, it will be buried in the trenches it has dug,” Akar told Anadolu Agency.
Akar said the YPG was digging trenches and building up its forces around Manbij, in violation of the US-Turkey agreement.
Over the past two weeks, the Turkish military has complained about an increased YPG presence in Manbij, prompting it to fortify the area in preparation for a new operation.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya fighters at the Aoun al-Dadat checkpoint near Jarabulus arrested foreign IS commander Abu Khubaib al-Jazairi, as well as seven women and 16 children accompanying him on their way to Afrin from Manbij.
Idlib. The agreements reached by the presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan on the creation of a demilitarized zone in Idlib province are being implemented. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters about this on Wednesday.
“These agreements on the creation of a demilitarized zone inside the Idlib de-escalation area are being implemented,” he said, noting that the main role in their implementation is played by Turkey, which is “actively seeking to ensure that all factions located there cooperate in solving this task.” “Our information confirms that this process is proceeding quite progressively,” Lavrov stated.
He recalled that by October 15, the demilitarized zone should be fully functional. At the same time, according to him, a delay of a day or two does not play any role. “The quality of this work is more important. We actively support these efforts of our Turkish partners,” the minister emphasized.
The withdrawal of heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone in the Syrian province of Idlib is currently complete. Anadolu reported this on Wednesday with reference to a statement by the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
“Today the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone in Idlib has been completed. We continue, without reducing our efforts, to take measures within the framework of the Sochi agreements to ensure permanent peace in Idlib,” the ministry noted.
Unidentified assailants killed Abu Yousef al-Jazrawi (Saudi Arabia), security adviser to the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on the road between the villages of Juzef and Maerata, south of Idlib.
Hama. Withdrawal of heavy jihadist weapons from the north of the province.
Russian reconnaissance UAV spotted in northern Hama.
Homs. Displaced people in the al-Rukban camp organized a protest, demanding that the Syrian government allow humanitarian aid to pass through.
“We appeal to the United Nations, international organizations and stakeholders to save this camp,” Mohammed Derbas al-Khalidi, head of the local council at al-Rukban camp, said on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.
Damascus. Government law enforcement agencies made arrests in Eastern Ghouta and the Damascus suburbs.
Suwayda. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is engaged in heavy fighting near the strategic heights of Tulul al-Safa.
At least 15 Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers were killed in an ambush organized by IS militants in the Al-Safa area.
The 4th Panzer Division was transferred to the Al-Safa area.
Deir ez-Zor. Dust storm in Deir ez-Zor.
Raqqa. Another mass grave has been discovered in the city of Raqqa. As the Iranian English-language channel Press TV reported on Wednesday, October 10, this is the largest burial site in the territories liberated from Islamist militants.
ISRAEL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Russia is expected in the near future, but the exact date has not yet been agreed upon, co-chairman of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Environmental Protection and Cultural Heritage of Israel Ze'ev Elkin told Russian journalists on Tuesday.
“The exact date has not yet been set, but it is expected to be relatively soon,” said Elkin, who accompanied the commission’s Russian co-chair, Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov, to Tuesday’s meeting with Netanyahu.
“Naturally, at the beginning of the meeting, our Prime Minister once again expressed our condolences to the families of those killed during the fall incident Russian plane. Naturally, we will do everything in our power to prevent such incidents from occurring, and this is one of the tasks of the constant dialogue that Israel and Russia conduct between themselves,” Elkin said.
He also added that the death of a Russian plane in Syria became a test of the strength of relations between Russia and Israel, which the countries will be able to withstand. "<…>This obliges us to do everything that depends on us to show and actually embody that the relations between our countries are very strong, and both sides are interested in developing them,” Elkin said, answering a related question. “It is in exams of this kind, when various kinds of misunderstandings arise, that the strength of relationships is tested, the sincerity and openness of dialogue between the leaders of both countries is tested. I am confident that Israel and Russia will pass this test of the strength of our relations,” he added.
The leaders of Russia and Israel, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu, will discuss the issue of cooperation in the air sphere at the upcoming meeting. This was stated on Tuesday at a plenary meeting of the State Duma by the chairman of its defense committee, former commander of the Russian Airborne Forces Vladimir Shamanov.
“Negotiations are underway [with Israel], and you already know that there is an agreement - in the near future there will be another meeting between the country’s president and Netanyahu. And one of the issues will be the issue of clarifying interaction in the air sphere,” Shamanov said.
“There will be more stringent questions raised due to the fact that, indeed, we have delivered three S-300 divisions to Syria, and the situation there has changed significantly today,” he emphasized. “It’s one thing to say it, but another thing to do it. We see all planes, including invisible ones,” the politician confirmed.
A proposal to hold a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been received, and its dates are being considered. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters about this on Wednesday.
“Such a proposal has been received. The timing is considered in contacts between the presidential administration and the office of the Prime Minister of Israel,” the minister noted.
Commenting on Netanyahu’s statements that Israel will act against Iran’s entrenchment in Syria, Lavrov emphasized that all external players who are in one way or another involved in the Syrian conflict should “first of all be guided by the task of assisting the Syrian government in the uncompromising eradication of the terrorist threat in Syria.” earth." “I think that it is by this criterion that one should judge certain actions,” added the head of the Russian diplomatic service.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov told Russian journalists that he assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting with him in Jerusalem that Russia pays great attention to the security issues of the Jewish state. Akimov met with the head of the Israeli cabinet in his office on Tuesday.
“Once again they told the Prime Minister that Russia has always treated and treats issues of Israeli national security, issues that are sensitive for Israel, very scrupulously, with great attention,” Akimov said. He said Netanyahu, at a meeting on Tuesday, expressed condolences to the families of the 15 soldiers killed in the crash. Russian spy plane IL-20 over Mediterranean Sea September 17. “This is a sensitive topic, it relates more to the political agenda, I think the leaders of our countries will develop solutions that would make such events technically, including, impossible,” the Russian Deputy Prime Minister continued. — The development of economic and humanitarian contacts is an excellent basis for being able to conduct dialogue even in such difficult times, including on sensitive issues, and, most importantly, today I felt a great will and desire to make these aspects the basis for development Russian-Israeli relations from the Prime Minister of Israel."
Russia expects that the topics of innovative development and digitalization will be reflected in joint work with Israel. This was stated by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov during his opening speech before the start of the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, which will be chaired by the Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“It is very important to respond to technological changes in the world. We very much hope that topics such as innovative development, digitalization, and development in the field of new production systems will also be reflected in our work,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Akimov also indicated that the parties plan to work on issues of expanding the geography of cooperation. “Russia is a huge country, where life is far from being exhausted<…>Moscow and St. Petersburg. Therefore, this part of the dialogue should, from my point of view, actively develop,” he noted.
In addition, Russia and Israel need to discuss joint support for initiatives promoted by the business community and representatives of the cultural and social spheres.
“Our contacts with you and the contacts of our colleagues are of an almost daily working nature, and the meeting of the commission is an opportunity to take stock and outline new plans,” Akimov concluded.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon have decided to appoint Professor Amir Yaron as the new head of the Bank of Israel. Yaron will replace Karnit Flug, who is due to leave this post on November 12 at the end of her 5-year term. Yaron's candidacy will be submitted to the nominating committee for approval.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who, in his opinion, fought against “hypocrisy” in the organization. Netanyahu’s words were quoted on Tuesday on Twitter by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
“I would like to thank Permanent Representative Nikki Haley, who has led an uncompromising fight against hypocrisy at the UN and for truth and justice for our country,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying.
The leadership of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the fact that decisions on the Middle East were once again adopted in the Organization on the basis of consensus, joined by Israel and Palestine. This is stated in a UNESCO statement received by the Paris TASS office. The decisions taken relate to two issues - about the global heritage of Jerusalem and about the organization of the educational process in the Palestinian territories.
“On Wednesday, at its 205th plenary session, the UNESCO Executive Board once again adopted decisions on the Middle East based on consensus. Last year, all 12 decisions on the Middle East were agreed upon as a result of negotiations between the parties with the assistance of the UNESCO secretariat,” the statement noted. On the approval of the new document, supported by both Israel and Palestine, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said: “The spirit of dialogue and sense of responsibility that led to this result must be celebrated. It is clear that there is currently a growing trend towards consensus, which is based on the presence of all parties at the negotiating table at UNESCO and, of course, on goodwill.”
As the head of UNESCO noted, “all these factors were present in recent months, which allowed the Secretariat of the Organization to fully act as a mediator.” “I would like to thank everyone who worked to achieve this result, especially the representatives of the delegations of Palestine, Israel and Jordan. And also all members of the Executive Council who supported this agreement, and the European Union,” emphasized Audrey Azoulay.
Moscow and Tel Aviv have completed the creation of the Russian-Israeli Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The corresponding statement was made by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Maxim Akimov and Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Environmental Protection and Cultural Heritage of Israel Zeev Elkin within the framework of a bilateral business forum organized by the Israeli-Russian Business Council.
“For us, this kind of platform, where new ideas are born, where cooperation is born, where new business projects are born, this is what we need,” Elkin said.
According to the Israeli minister, the main task for the two countries is to expand trade turnover and business cooperation, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry will become an important tool and platform for business representatives.
“We have high hopes for the future of Russian-Israeli economic cooperation. The constant growth of both quantitative indicators and the level of economic interaction in general is a natural consequence of the hard work of representatives of both countries and the high interest of business,” said the head of the council, Teimuraz Khikhinashvili.
IDF forces continue to search for the terrorist Ashraf Walid Suleiman Naalov, who killed two Israelis on the morning of October 7 in the Barkan industrial zone.
Two IDF battalions, as well as special forces of the army, police and Shin Bet are taking part in the search.
IDF forces detained the mother and sisters of the terrorist. The search for terrorist accomplices continues.
Citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo must leave Israel by early January, the Immigration and Border Protection Agency said.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri's decision, first published on Sunday, was made in agreement with the Foreign Ministry. Krngo citizens will have until January 5 to leave Israel and no new residence permits will be able to reverse this decision.
The launch of the first Israeli lunar exploration spacecraft was postponed to 2019 due to technical difficulties at Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported this on Wednesday.
Initially, the private Israeli company SpaceIL and the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries intended to place the lunar module as an additional payload on the SpaceX Falcon-9 launch vehicle, which was supposed to launch from the launch site at Cape Canaveral (Florida) in December 2018. The Israelis intended to land their spacecraft on the Moon on February 13, 2019. Now it is expected that the Israeli station will go to the Earth’s satellite no earlier than the first quarter of 2019, Yedioth Ahronoth points out.
The Israeli device weighing 600 kg was created as part of the Google Lunar X Prize project. According to its terms, the private company that was the first to deliver to the Moon an automatic station capable of moving along the lunar surface at a distance of at least 500 m would receive a prize of $20 million. In March of this year, Google canceled this competition, but the Israeli company continued to work on the lunar module, spending about $88 million on the project.
IRAN
Most of the US sanctions against Tehran turned out to be ineffective thanks to the efforts of the Central Bank of Iran. This was stated by the head of the Central Bank Abdolnasser Hemmati on Tuesday.
“Our efforts have rendered most of the sanctions ineffective, and now the country has sufficient support to withstand the economic war,” Mehr news agency quoted Hemmati as saying. He emphasized that “Iran is in a difficult situation, the enemies are trying to weaken the solidarity of the people of the country.”
Hemmati thanked the executive branch for the support of the Central Bank. “Due to the powers granted to the Central Bank by all three branches of government, we are able to operate effectively in the country’s market,” he said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appointed Hemmati as head of the Central Bank at the end of July. The appointment occurred against the backdrop of a prolonged currency crisis.
On October 1, the national currency of Iran began to strengthen after a protracted fall. Over the week, the exchange rate of the Iranian rial in the country's exchange offices against the dollar increased by almost 35%. The value of the dollar fell to 120 thousand Iranian rials; at the end of September, the exchange rate on the free market exceeded 180 thousand rials.
Instability in the Iranian foreign exchange market began to take on serious proportions at the beginning of the year. This process accelerated after US President Donald Trump announced in the spring that Washington would withdraw from a deal that limited Tehran’s nuclear development in exchange for the lifting of the relevant UN Security Council sanctions and unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and the EU. At the end of May, the exchange rate of the Iranian rial was 65 thousand per dollar.
EU finance ministers will try to convince the US administration not to disconnect Iran from the SWIFT international payment system. The Financial Times reported this on Tuesday.
We are talking about an international interbank system for transmitting information and making payments, to which over 11 thousand financial institutions in more than 200 countries are connected. “Our question is: why remove all the electrical cables from the building when you can just turn off the lights,” a European diplomat told the publication on condition of confidentiality. “If it can be determined which bank should be sanctioned, there is no need to force SWIFT to cut off Iran.”
According to the publication, the heads of the EU finance ministries intend to announce this approach at meetings with United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Indonesia on the island of Bali, which starts on Tuesday. It will last until October 14.
The United States and “certain countries” in the Middle East region are disappointed with the establishment and development of friendly strategic relations between Iran and Turkey. Speaker of the Majlis (Parliament) of Iran Ali Larijani announced this on Tuesday, October 9, while meeting with his Turkish colleague Binali Yildirim “on the sidelines” of the III Meeting of Speakers of Parliaments of Eurasian Countries in Antalya, Turkey.
“After the successful measures taken by Iran, Russia and Turkey to resolve the conflict in Syria, the concerns of the United States and some regional countries only continued to grow,” Larijani said in a conversation with the chairman of the Turkish parliament, Iranian news agency Mehr reports.
Speaking today at the III Conference of Speakers, Larijani called on the parliaments of Eurasian countries to jointly develop measures to counter the “selfish actions” of the US administration in the economic sphere and agree on the transition to national currencies in trade settlements. “The unilateral, selfish and illegal actions of (US President Donald) Trump and the use of pressure against other countries have a negative impact on international relations, leading to chaos and mistrust,” the Iranian speaker said.
The US Treasury has issued a license to British BP and Serica Energy to operate the Rhum gas field in the North Sea, which is being developed jointly with Iran, Serica said in a release.
The license will be valid until October 31, 2019 and can be extended subject to the conditions of the Ministry of Finance.
The approval will allow Serica Energy to complete the purchase of BP's stake in the Room project, as well as the Bruce and Keith fields, which will result in the company becoming the operator of three projects, the release said.
“Obtaining a license and guarantee from OFAC is an important step towards ensuring the continuity of ongoing operations at this critical North Sea field, which makes a significant contribution to the production of natural gas in the UK,” — the message quotes the head of Serica Energy, Mitch Flegg.
The Rum gas field in the North Sea is owned 50% by BP and 50% by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). In November 2017, Serica agreed with BP to purchase its stake in the field.
The Chinese Ambassador to Tehran said that Beijing seeks to expand economic and trade relations with Tehran, IRNA reported on Tuesday.
Pang Sen, in a meeting with Special Assistant to the Speaker of the Majlis (Parliament) of Iran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, spoke about this desire and expressed satisfaction with the growing economic ties between the two countries.
“The level of bilateral cooperation is favorable. China pays great attention to the development of cooperation with Iran and attaches great importance to the development of partnerships,” he continued.
Sen considered terrorism a common problem of all countries and emphasized the need for a global and universal fight against this ominous phenomenon.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who is also the Director General of International Affairs, pointing to the existing relations between the two countries, praised the growth of these ties and noted: “The long-standing relationship between Iran and China shows the deep cultural and social ties of both countries.”
The Iranian official emphasized the development of parliamentary relations, adding that parliamentary cooperation serves as an important basis for the development of friendly relations between the two countries, and the Iranian parliament emphasizes the importance of improving relations between the two countries.
He also said that there are relevant opportunities in the economic and commercial sectors of the two countries that should be exploited to promote increased levels of cooperation and interests of Tehran and Beijing.
United States sanctions against Iran will not lead to the suspension of flights by Qatar's national carrier, Qatar Airways, to the Islamic Republic. The general director of the Qatari airline, Akbar al-Baker, said this at a business forum in Doha on Monday, October 8, the Tasnim news agency reports today.
Flights in the Iranian direction will continue, the manager of Qatar Airways noted, noting that American sanctions do not apply to air travel using civilian passenger airliners.
The United States has asked the International Court of Justice to withdraw Iran's demands for the return of $1.75 billion in Iranian assets in US national banks confiscated by the American court.
Previously, the US Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that Iranian assets must be transferred to the families of those killed in the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut.
The United States has accused Iran of funding and supplying weapons to the militant Hezbollah party, which is also accused of attacking trucks at a US military base in the Lebanese capital. Iran denies any links to the explosion or support of radical groups.
“Iran comes to court with dirty hands.” This is an excellent example of bad faith,” US State Department legal spokesman Richard Visek said on Monday. "The activities at the heart of this case relate to Iran's support of international terrorism... They include sponsoring terrorist attacks, assassinations, kidnappings and hijackings," he added.
Visek also accused Iran's "senior leaders" of "encouraging and facilitating terrorism" as well as "violating obligations on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles and defense systems."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador to the country because of the extradition to Belgium of an Iranian diplomat who is suspected of involvement in preparing a terrorist attack against participants in a conference of the Iranian foreign opposition group Mujahideen-e Khalq (Organization of the Mujahideen of the Iranian People), which was supposed to be held in the summer in the French city of Villepinte. This was reported by Press TV.
As DPA previously reported, German authorities extradited to Belgium on Tuesday an Iranian diplomat suspected of involvement in preparing a terrorist attack against participants in a conference of the Mujahideen-e Khalq group. Last week, the Higher Regional Court in Bamberg (Bavaria) approved the extradition of the Iranian.
Despite US threats to stop importing Iranian oil, South Korean authorities still strive to maintain trade ties with Iran and have access to Iranian oil, IRNA reported on Wednesday.
The South Korean authorities, who have taken a positive stance towards Iran, are monitoring the improvement of the situation for the activities of Korean companies operating in Iran.
They intend to negotiate with the United States in order to cause the least damage to Korean companies in trade with Tehran and to be freed from oil sanctions against Iran.
The partnership between Iran and South Korea is beneficial to both sides, so these countries are looking for different ways to continue economic relations.
According to Iran's ambassador to Seoul, trade between Iran and South Korea reached $14 billion in 2017. Iran exported goods worth $8 billion to South Korea, 98 percent of which, valued at $7.9 billion, is petroleum products.
According to the deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), from March to September this year, Iran's customs revenue amounted to about $3.88 billion, Russian media reported on Wednesday.
Ali Rahimyan said that this figure for the same period last year was 158.835 trillion rials (about $3.78 billion).
The official further noted that Iran's customs revenue during the past 1396 Iranian calendar year, ending March 20, 2018, was 30 percent more than the figure provided for in the state budget law.
Iran's non-oil exports amounted to $23.123 billion in the first half of this year, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same period last year. It was reported that 56.644 million tons of goods were exported during these six months.
In the first half of this year, about 16.22 million tons of goods worth $22.182 billion were imported, which is 9.30 percent less by weight and 11.93 percent less by value than a year ago.
The Serbian government has decided to cancel visa-free entry for citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This was reported on Wednesday by the publication "Official Bulletin", which publishes decrees of the Cabinet of Ministers.
It is reported that the decision was made on October 8 and will come into force on the eighth day after publication. According to analysts, this decision was made due to a sharp increase in the migration flow from Iran to Europe through the territory of Serbia.
Belgrade agreed with Tehran on a visa-free regime in August 2017.
IRAQ
Adel Abdel Mahdi, appointed Prime Minister of Iraq last week, on Monday invited those wishing to take a post in the new cabinet of ministers to send information about themselves electronically, RIA Novosti reports.
Applications, according to a statement from the new prime minister's office, will be accepted from Tuesday morning to Thursday evening.
Abdel Mahdi's office also stated that the politician has been extremely busy since his appointment. It is reported that he “is forced to refuse to receive numerous delegations and visitors wishing to personally congratulate the head of government, or to nominate himself for a post in the new cabinet.”
Iraqi President Barham Saleh, who was elected by parliament last Tuesday, instructed Adel Abdel Mahdi, who was appointed to the post of Prime Minister, to form a new government for the country.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to increase water supplies to Iraq, said Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. The Jerusalem Post reports this.
Since Ankara diverted water from the Tigris River to the Ilisu Dam, Iraq's clean water crisis has worsened significantly.
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to our request to ensure that water reaches all provinces in Iraq, especially Basra,” Halbousi, who met Erdogan the day before in Turkey, said in a statement.
A video has appeared on the Internet that captures the moment of the murder of Miss Baghdad 2015, 22-year-old Tara Fares.
Türkiye
The implementation of the Turkish Stream is on schedule, gas can flow through both lines of the pipeline from January 1, 2020, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
“As for the Turkish Stream, its construction is being carried out in accordance with the approved plans. You know, an intergovernmental agreement was signed between Russia and Turkey, a road map was approved and everything is going according to schedule, by January 1, 2020 it will be possible to supply gas via the Turkish Stream, along two lines,” Novak said.
At the same time, he added that the priority destinations for supplies via the Turkish Stream are Bulgaria and. “The continuation of one line should ensure gas supplies to the south-eastern part of Europe, to those countries that need gas. There are different route options. There is the option of Greece and Italy, there are options for gas supplies through Turkey to Bulgaria, then Serbia, Hungary and […] Now the gas transportation infrastructure is being expanded in these countries, for us today the most priority is, of course, the direction towards Bulgaria and,” the minister added.
Novak recalled that at the moment, roadmaps for the development of gas transportation infrastructure have been signed with all countries, the timing of which is “generally synchronized with the construction of the Turkish Stream.”
The offshore part of the Turkish Stream pipeline is 85% ready, gas will begin flowing at the end of 2019. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters about this.
“The overall completion rate is 85%. This is just the underwater part. Therefore, we have no doubt that by the end of 2019 the entire project will be implemented: both sea and land [parts]. Gas will begin to flow at the end of 2019,” he said.
As the Ambassador of Ukraine in Ankara Andrey Sibiga said, “Turkey has actually stopped fraudulent schemes for illegal shipping between Turkish ports and the ports of Russian-occupied Crimea.”
“Have you noticed that not only the calls of Turkish ships to Crimea have been stopped, but also the fraudulent schemes of ships in which they entered from the ports of occupied Crimea to the ports of Turkey under the flags of third countries? Turkey previously prohibited this for its ships, and now it has finally solved this problem,” the ambassador said.
He explained that previously, some shipowners, despite the official ban of the Turkish authorities from visiting the ports of Crimea, deliberately deceived the maritime administration: they turned off alerts about the location of ships, issued the “SOS” command if only the port would accept them, carried out fraud with documentation about visiting the previous port, etc. .
“Now ships must submit an answer to the question of the maritime administration: “were you in the ports of Crimea?”
The corresponding decision of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping No. 635/2017 on the introduction of such a procedure appeared after a meeting of the presidents of the two countries, Petro Poroshenko and Recep Erdogan,” Sibiga added.
The Saudi side invited representatives of the Turkish authorities to inspect the building of the kingdom's Consulate General in Istanbul. This was reported on Tuesday by Habertürk TV channel.
We are talking about an actual invitation to Turkish “specialists and representatives of interested departments” to carry out investigative actions at the diplomatic mission in connection with the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
According to the Milliyet newspaper, the invitation was conveyed to the Turkish authorities in the form of a diplomatic note, which notes that it was sent as a sign of readiness to cooperate with Ankara and “due to the fact that the Saudi Kingdom attaches importance to the search for the truth in the matter of the disappearance of a Saudi citizen.” Jamal Khashoggi.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry reported that “the Saudi Arabian authorities stated that they are open to cooperation, and a search may be carried out in the building of the Consulate General.”
Turkish authorities have formed an investigation team that will inspect the premises of the Saudi Arabian Consulate General in Istanbul after the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Haberturk TV channel reported this on Tuesday.
According to him, the group will be headed by the Deputy Prosecutor General of Turkey and one of the prosecutors of the republic. Meanwhile, the date and time of the procedure have not been specified.
Earlier it was reported that Turkish investigators are studying the recordings of 150 surveillance cameras to establish the circumstances of the disappearance of Khashoggi, who has not been in touch since October 2 after visiting the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia.
Turkish authorities have put on the wanted list a black van that may allegedly contain the remains of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Guardian reports this.
In Turkey, the pro-government newspaper Sabah published photographs of alleged members of a “kill squad” who may be involved in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The newspaper believes that 15 Saudi citizens participated in the kidnapping or murder of the journalist. Their identities were established thanks to images taken by CCTV cameras at the airport and the hotels where they stayed.
It is assumed that these people were at the Saudi Arabian diplomatic mission in Istanbul at the time of Khashoggi’s disappearance. In total, they spent two days in Turkey, and then returned to their homeland on charter and regular flights.
Turkish officials suspect the journalist was killed, claims Saudi Arabia has strongly denied CCTV footage showing an alleged timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi was broadcast by Turkish media on Wednesday.
The Ankara Prosecutor General's Office has issued detention warrants for 51 suspects as part of the ongoing investigation into the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. As Anadolu Agency reported on Tuesday, among these persons are 49 current and former employees of the command of the ground forces of the republic.
The raids are taking place in 28 provinces of the country. In addition to the military, detention warrants have been issued for two so-called internal imams of the “Fethullahist terrorist organization” (FETO), who communicated with FETO supporters in the army.
As part of an operation carried out against the terrorist organization PKK in eight Turkish provinces in the southeast of the country, as well as in Istanbul, 90 PKK members were detained, the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.
The report notes that during a search in the apartments of the detainees, firearms were found, as well as maps on which military and strategic objects were indicated.
Kurdish rebels attacked military base, located in the Cukurca district of the Kurdish-populated province of Hakkari in southeastern Turkey.
According to the website of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, representatives of the Hakkari administration issued a statement early in the morning of October 9, reporting an attack by Kurdish rebels on a military base located on Mount Güven in the Çukurca district. According to the report, as a result of the attack, 1 soldier was killed and 4 were wounded.
The State Duma and the National Assembly of Turkey signed a protocol of intent to create an interparliamentary commission high level. Speakers Vyacheslav Volodin and Binali Yildirim put their signatures on the communiqué on Tuesday.
“An agreement was reached on the creation of a new, advanced format of cooperation - a high-level Russian-Turkish interparliamentary commission with the aim of facilitating the implementation of agreements between the leaders of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, including the effective practical implementation of infrastructure-significant projects in areas of mutual interest,” the document says.
It is proposed to hold commission meetings once every six months, alternately in Russia and Turkey. “The parties agreed to sign documents on the creation of a high-level Commission during the upcoming visit of the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yildirim to the Russian Federation,” the communique notes.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the third meeting of speakers of Eurasian parliaments.
A ship carrying illegal immigrants sank in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the western Turkish province of Izmir, the Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement.
The report notes that 30 people disappeared as a result of the incident, and the bodies of four people were found.
It is reported that work is currently underway to search for the missing.
EGYPT
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the near future.
“The President of Egypt will soon be visiting me, let’s treat him to your apples,” Putin suggested, talking with workers of the Rassvet agricultural enterprise.
Putin noted that he would be happy to pass on all the gifts from Stavropol to his counterpart and advised Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who participated in the conversation, to introduce his colleagues from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to the successes of Russian farmers. “Thank God, we have very good relations with them,” Putin noted. Galeev assured that “he will also enter the Middle Eastern market.” “The market, by the way, is huge, because nothing grows there and they were initially attached to Europe,” Medvedev approved the idea. — If we offer a good product and a competitive
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