DHAKA, 01 December 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said “Dhaka will adopt a 'peace declaration' at the 'World Peace Conference' to be held here from December 4 and 5 that expected a gathering of peace activists from more than 90 countries.

He said "peace activists from nearly 91 countries are expected to join our peace conference where they will create a declaration on global peace.”

Dhaka has invited peace activists, writers, poets, singers and civil societies.

The foreign minister made the remark while inaugurating a friendly T10 cricket match at Moulana Bhasani Hokey Staduim in the capital marking the World Peace conference.

Bangladesh is hosting the 'World Peace Conference' marking the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years celebration of the country's independence.

DHAKA, 01 December 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said “Dhaka will adopt a 'peace declaration' at the 'World Peace Conference' to be held here from December 4 and 5 that expected a gathering of peace activists from more than 90 countries.

He said "peace activists from nearly 91 countries are expected to join our peace conference where they will create a declaration on global peace.”

Dhaka has invited peace activists, writers, poets, singers and civil societies.

The foreign minister made the remark while inaugurating a friendly T10 cricket match at Moulana Bhasani Hokey Staduim in the capital marking the World Peace conference.

Bangladesh is hosting the 'World Peace Conference' marking the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years celebration of the country's independence.

DHAKA, 01 December 2021, (TON): The government of South Korea has donated eight ambulances and 100 oxygen generation units to the Government of Bangladesh to support its efforts towards overcoming the coronavirus pandemic and enhancing the country’s capacity in the health sector.

Ambassador Lee said “we will stand by our Bangladeshi friends.”

The handover ceremony was held at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in presence of South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun, DGHS Director General Prof Abdul Bashar Khurshid Alam and Country Director of the KOICA Bangladesh Office Doh Young-Ah and other officials.

Ambassador Lee said Korea’s continuous support in Bangladesh, including the donation of the eight ambulances, symbolizes the friendship between South Korea and Bangladesh.

RIYADH, 01 December 2021, (TON): The Arab coalition destroyed and explosive drone launched from Sanaa airport, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The drone was downed in the governorate of Amran in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia’s air defenses often destroys the militia’s drones, which are launched from northern Yemen.

The coalition hit Iranian Revolutionary Guard experts in Yemen’s capital.

The operation complies with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, the coalition said.

The coalition has hit a number of sites in the capital in the past few weeks in an effort to deteriorate the capabilities of the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

Houthi attempts to target civilians has been labeled as war crimes by the Kingdom.

The Arab coalition has been supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government regain full control of the country after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

CAIRO, 30 November 2021, (TON): Egyptian Minister of Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi and the president of the Saudi General Organization for Military Industries Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Mady held talks on the possibility of exchanging experiences and manufacturing technology.

They met on the sidelines of the Saudi delegation's visit to Egypt to participate in the Second International Defense Expo, which is being held in Cairo until Dec. 2.

Morsi said “there was a need for integration between Arab countries in the defense industries field, especially between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.”

The minister said “Egypt was witnessing a state of stability as a result of the efforts made by the state to enhance the security situation and economic reform measures to attract more foreign investment.”

Al-Mady praised the minister’s role in meeting the needs of the Egyptian armed forces.

He said “the Saudi General Organization for Military Industries took part in the first EDEX, in 2018, and was keen to participate in this year's event as the exhibition represented a distinguished international gathering of major authorities and companies.”

Al-Mady called for Egypt to participate in the first World Defense Show in Riyadh, to be held next March, which will provide a unified platform for stakeholders in the military and security industries sector.

NEW YORK, 30 November 2021, (TON): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the perpetrators of chemical-weapon attacks must be identified and held accountable for their actions.”

His comments came as he opened the second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Currently, 60 percent of UN member states are covered by five nuclear weapon-free zones in Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia.

Guterres said that expanding these zones would lead to more robust disarmament and non-proliferation norms.

The UN chief said “that is particularly the case in the Middle East, where concerns over nuclear programs persist, and where conflicts and civil wars are causing widespread civilian casualties and suffering, undermining stability and disrupting social and economic development.”

In line with a General Assembly decision, the goal of the conference is to elaborate a legally binding treaty” to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, on the basis of “arrangements freely arrived at by the states of the region.

Guterres praised Kuwait for actively engaging participants during the intersessional period to learn from the other nuclear weapon-free zones and continue moving the process forward.

ROME, 30 November 2021, (TON): Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini said in Parliament “a new Italian Air Force airlift is bringing 500 more Afghan refugees to Rome.”

The refugees are Afghan citizens and family members who worked with the Italian armed forces while they were deployed in Afghanistan, mostly in Herat province. They have all so far been displaced in countries close to Afghanistan.

Guerini named the operation “Aquila Omnia-Bis.” At the end of it, nearly 5,000 Afghans will be taken to Italy.

He told parliamentarians “last summer's evacuation of Afghan citizens from Kabul was a very complex operation, but the incessant and silent work of the Italian armed forces has continued in the last few months too. Thanks to the collaboration between the defense, foreign affairs and interior ministries and the National Information Services we can say we are satisfied.”

Over 1,500 Italian military have been working on this airlift since it began in the second half of August.

ANKARA, 30 November 2021, (TON): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says “he plans to pay a return visit to the United Arab Emirates in February as the two countries move to put years of tense relations behind them.”

Abu Dhabi’s crown prince visited Ankara last week, making his first official trip to Turkey since 2012 and the highest-level visit by an Emirati official since relations between the two countries hit a low.

Erdogan and the crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, oversaw the signing of nearly a dozen cooperation deals during the visit, while a top Emirati official said the UAE has earmarked $10 billion for investment in Turkey.

Erdogan told a group of journalists on his return from a trip to Turkmenistan late Sunday that the crown prince’s visit took place in an “almost family like” environment and hailed the visit as a “step that is instrumental in starting a new era between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.”

VIENNA, 30 November 2021, (TON): Iran and world powers will meet in Vienna to try to salvage their 2015 nuclear deal, but with Tehran sticking to its tough stance and Western powers increasingly frustrated, hopes of a breakthrough appear slim.

Diplomats say time is running low to resurrect the pact, which then-US President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, angering Iran and dismaying the other powers involved, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

Six rounds of indirect talks were held between April and June. The new round begins after a hiatus triggered by the election of hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi in June as Iran’s president.

Western diplomats said “Tehran’s new negotiating team has set out demands that US and European diplomats consider unrealistic.”

An Iranian official close to the talks told media “our demands are clear. Other parties and especially Americans should decide whether they want this deal to be revived or not. They abandoned the pact, so they should return to it and lift all sanctions.”

Iran’s demands include the dropping of all US and European Union sanctions imposed since 2017, including those unrelated to Iran’s nuclear program, in a verifiable process.

Iran’s foreign ministry ruled out the possibility of direct meeting between Iranian and US officials in Vienna. Talks between Iran and world powers will resume at 1300 GMT.

WASHINGTON, 30 November 2021, (TON): Secretary Antony J. Blinken said “our cooperation with allies and partners provides us with more than a small bit of optimism and faith.  It shows us the way forward, together, rooted in our shared values, and committed not only to rebuilding our alliances and partnerships, but to building them back better.  If we do this, there are no challenges we cannot and will not overcome.”

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministerial in Riga, Latvia, November 30-December 1, 2021. 

During his visit, the Secretary will meet with Latvian President Egils Levits, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, and Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics to discuss the U.S.-Latvian shared commitment to NATO and Transatlantic security and to increasing coordination on global challenges.

The United States and Latvia are strategic allies and partners, with a relationship built on mutual commitments to democracy, freedom, rule of law, security, and prosperity.

Having established diplomatic relations in 1922, the United States never recognized the Soviet Union’s forcible occupation of Latvia in 1940.  Following the restoration of Latvia’s independence in 1991, the United States worked closely with the people of Latvia as they rebuilt their institutions to ensure their personal liberty, economic freedom, and sovereignty. 

The United States and Latvia will commemorate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022.

As a member of NATO and the European Union (EU), Latvia strongly supports the Transatlantic Alliance and draws from its reform experience during the EU accession process to help others achieve security, stability, and greater prosperity.