DUSHANBE, 13 March 2022, (TON): The working groups of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan held a meeting at the border checkpoint “Guliston” of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border, following which they signed a protocol.

In the administration of the city of Isfara in the Sughd region of Tajikistan, the parties came to agreements, the details of which have not yet been disclosed.

The source said “the meeting of the working groups of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan took place today, where some border issues were discussed, and as a result, the parties sign-ed a protocol,”

It added that the meeting was held behind closed doors.

Earlier it was reported that on Saturday morning at the checkpoint “Guliston” a meeting of representatives of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan began to prevent conflicts on sections of the co-mmon border and ensure the safety of the border population.

The length of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is about 980 km, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, dozens of disputed sections remained on it.

BANGKOK, 13 March 2022, (TON): The Associated Press reported “6,500 Russians are stuck in four provinces and cities of Thailand as tourists grapple with fewer airline options to head back home and sanctions that have affected their access to financial services.”

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told the newswire that 6,500 Russians were stranded in Pattaya city and the provinces of Surat Thani, Krabi and Phuket.

One thousand Ukrainians are also stuck in Thailand.

One volunteer translator told media “because credit card co-mpanies like Visa and Ma-stercard have blocked Russian banks from their networks, Russians have been unable to pay their bills while abroad.”

Yuthasak told the news outlet that officials were trying to work with Russians to help them find flights back home given restricted travel access to Russia.

“There are some airlines that still fly to Russia, but travelers have to transit in another country. We are trying to coordinate and search the flights for them.”

BELGRADE, 13 March 2022, (TON): Serbia will not join NATO, the bombing of the North Atlantic Alliance in 1999 was an aggression against the country, said Serb-ian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Serbia will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on April 3. As part of the campaign at the head of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Vucic attended an election rally in the village of Busie, home to refugees from Serbian Krajina in Croatia.

The Serbian leader told the audience “our opponents say that we should join NATO. And my answer to them is that we should not join NATO, because we have our own army that protects our land and sky.”

He said “not far from here they killed Milica Rakic (girl 2.5 died during the bombing). Soon we will celebrate the anniversary of the aggression and we will not hesitate and call it aggression, not an intervention or a campaign.”

Those present lit red, blue and white smoke bombs at the back of the crowd, to which he pointed out to a roar of approval that I’m not sure if it’s a Serbian or a Russian tricolor.

Vucic said “it is very important to maintain peace and stability. I won’t even talk about political pressure, I know that you feel it too. Hysteria reigns all over the world now, but Serbia will never ban Tchaikovsky.”

CAIRO, 13 March 2022, (TON): Egypt has condemned in the strongest terms a drone strike targeting an oil refinery in Riyadh.

In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “Cairo reaffirms once again its total condemnation of these terrorist acts that target vital installations and the security and safety of energy supplies in the Kingdom.”

The ministry also said Egypt would stand by Saudi Arabia in the measures it is taking to protect its security and sovereignty in the face of these despicable terrorist acts.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy announced that the Riyadh refinery was attacked by a remote drone, which resulted in a small fire that was controlled, and did not result in any injuries or deaths.

KABUL, 13 March 2022, (TON): The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, and the Islamic Emirate’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and their accompanying delegations met in Antalya, Turkey, discussed Afghanistan’s political and economic situation. Both were in Turkey for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

West said on Twitter that they had a productive conversation.

He said “covered critical issues for the Afghan people: economic stabilization & growth, education, & commercial air travel."

 West said the US shared the allies’ and partners’ view that the international community must stay engaged with the Islamic Emirate and welcomed the reopening of universities in Afghanistan. But he said much more work needs to be done.

He said “much more work remains on human rights, protecting gains, and seeing the richness of Afghan society reflected in governance.”

The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said “Muttaqi and West have agreed that the $3.5 billion Afghan central bank’s assets that have been freed from the US court’s litigation after US President Joe Biden’s executive order should not be given to international humanitarian aid groups and should not be spent as humanitarian assistance.”

KABUL, 13 March 2022, (TON): State Department officials said “without the backing of a recognized government or money to keep the lights on, Afghanistan’s embassy to the United States is shutting down.”

The officials said “Afghan diplomats, who were appointed by the former U.S.-backed government and could be under threat by the ruling Taliban if they return home, have 30 days to apply for residency or temporary humanitarian parole to remain in the United States before they risk being deported.”

Although they would not be sent back to Afghanistan, it is not clear where else the diplomats would go, said the officials, who openly hoped the situation would not reach that point.

Around 25 diplomats about one-fourth of the estimated 100 who worked at the Afghan Embassy in Washington or the country’s consulates in New York and Los Angeles have yet to apply to remain, said two State Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue more frankly.

NEW DELHI, 13 March 2022, (TON): Indian and Chinese Corps Commanders met for the 15th time to try resolve the balance friction areas in eastern Ladakh.

The meeting, which began on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border personnel meeting point.

The Indian delegation was led by commander of XIV Corps, which is responsible for guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in eastern Ladakh, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, who had taken the reins of the unit just before the 14th round of discussions in January.

For China, the delegation was headed by Maj Gen Yang Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang Military District, who, too, had led the discussions in the 14th round in January for the first time.

NEW DELHI, 13 March 2022, (TON): Officials said “an Indian Air Force aircraft from Poland’s Rzeszow carrying students evacuated from northeastern Ukrainian city Sumy landed at the Hindon airbase here.”

The flight, which was conducted by the IAF using its C-17 military transport plane, landed at the airbase.

This is the second of the three flights being operated by India, one each by Air India, IndiGo and the IAF from Rzezow to Delhi to bring back 600 students who have recently been evacuated from Sumy.

Officials said “the first flight had taken off from Rzeszow around 11.30 pm (IST) on Thursday and landed in Delhi.”

DHAKA, 13 March 2022, (TON): Visiting UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Director General Qu Dongyu today assured of providing technological support to Bangladesh in science-based farming and getting foreign funds.

He said “this while visiting fisheries hatcheries and poultry farms and Boro paddy field at Bahuriachala and Koltia villages under sadar upazila.”

During his visit, the FAO director general talked with farmers and listened to their problems.

Sharing his own experience, Qu Dongyu said he was born in a Chinese village and he was brought up in village.

He hoped “Bangladesh would be developed within 10-15 years as like as China.”

Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said “the government is making strides to have all agricultural production including paddy cultivation, fisheries and poultry farming in the scientific and modern way to make agricultural works profitable.”

DHAKA, 13 March 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen had a bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

They discussed relating to mutual interest alongside the Rohingya crisis issue.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Momen is visiting Turkey to attend Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2022.”