War being waged against Russia, says Putin

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said a real war was again being waged against Russia as he invoked the Soviet Union's victory in World War II to say the West was trying to destroy his country.

In a speech on Red Square as part of Russia's Victory Day celebrations, Putin said Russia wanted to see a peaceful future, and said the entire country was behind what Russia calls the special military operation in Ukraine.

Putin said that Russians were united in a sacred fight with the West over Ukraine but the strains of war were evident at one of the most pared back anniversaries of the victory over Nazi Germany in decades.

Putin has repeatedly likened the war in Ukraine - which he casts as a defensive move against a West which wants to carve up Russia - to the challenge Moscow faced when Adolf Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

"The decisive battles for the fate of our Motherland have always become patriotic, all-national and sacred," Putin told veterans and soldiers assembled on Red Square for the annual Victory Day parade.

Putin hailed Russian forces in Ukraine as heroes who were fighting for the country's future against a West which, he said, had forgotten the decisive role played by the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany.

Cheers rang out across Red Square, with a gun salute and the Russian national anthem, though with a much curtailed show of military hardware - and no aviation. A single tank took part - a T-34, a type used in World War Two.

The Soviet Union had lost 27 million people in World War II, including many millions in Ukraine, but eventually pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag in 1945.

Iran hosting conference on new world order

Tehran will host an international conference on the emerging new world order on May 10-11, General Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam announced on Monday. 

Moqaddam, the former police chief who is currently the head of Iran’s National Defense University, said Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf will deliver opening remarks at the conference. 

“In addition, General [Mohammad Hossein] Bagheri, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces, and three other foreign speakers will be the keynote speakers of the ceremony. The closing ceremony speaker will be Admiral [Ali] Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council,” General Ahmadi Moqaddam added. 

“Guests from 36 countries will participate in this conference, and bilateral meetings between Iranian officials and foreign guests, as well as between foreign guests, will be held on the sidelines of this conference,” he added.

The former police chief went on to say that Saudi Arabia does not have an official presence and its scholars are not participating in the conference, but in the coming years, if such conferences are held we will have a serious plan for the participation of our neighbors.

General Bagheri, who recently visited Oman, described the conference as significant. The general pointed out that Tehran would host a significant conference on the new international order, which will be attended by a number of nations, including Oman.

In recent years, Iran and Oman have conducted a number of joint naval exercises.

The Iranian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman conducted a combined military exercise in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman in December 2021. 

The military drill, which was the eighth of its type between the naval forces of Iran and Oman, was carried out in accordance with a decision made at meetings of the two nations’ joint military friendship commissions.

 

Saudi Arabia and China to enhance cooperation in peaceful use of atomic energy

According to Saudi Gazette report, Saudi and Chinese officials discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the areas of peaceful use of atomic energy and nuclear technology.

The talks were held between Eng. Abdullah Al-Shamrani, CEO of the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), and Liu Jing, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) at the headquarters of SGS in Jeddah on Monday.

During their talks, the SGS and CAEA officials examined aspects of partnership and mutual cooperation in the fields of geosciences and alternative geo energy. The meeting reviewed a number of projects related to geological sciences and the national geological database, and the capabilities and experiences possessed by the two parties, which ensure the improvement of the outputs of joint work.

The Chinese delegation also paid a field visit to the drilling library to view the mechanism and digitization of core drilling samples, as well as colored spectral images of mineral components. They also reviewed the basic drilling database management system, which is compatible with the National Geological Database (NGD), in addition to the technical procedures for drilling samples.

It is noteworthy that the four-day visit of the Chinese delegation comes as part of the meetings with officials of the Saudi Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission and the Saudi Geological Survey to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of peaceful use of atomic energy and nuclear technology. The SGS is also working within its ongoing alternative renewable geothermal energy exploration initiative projects.

Arab League marks 75th anniversary of Nakba

As the 75th anniversary of Nakba (the catastrophe) is marked, it remains paramount that the world should not forget the Zionist regime’s crimes against the Palestinian people, said the Arab League on Monday.

Marking the occasion during an event, a statement by Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul-Gheit — delivered on his part by Assistant Secretary for Palestinian sector affairs Ambassador Saeed Abu-Ali — said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has an imperative to conduct a swift investigation into the ongoing crimes committed by Israel since its so-called inception.

International organizations, including the UNSC, must take a stance to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land to pave the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and centered on the capital of east Jerusalem.

According to Aboul-Gheit’s statement, the international community must also take action against the outrageous extreme right- wing policies of the Israeli government, which was antagonizing the people of Palestine.

The current Israeli occupation government refuses the two-state solution and blesses all actions aimed at boost illegal settlements throughout Palestinian lands.

Aboul-Gheit stressed that the Palestinian people have had enough of aggression and injustice that lasted for over seven decades starting 1948 when over 800,000 Palestinians were kicked off their lands and homes.

The Zionist forces had destroyed 531 towns and villages during Al-Nakba. Some 70 acts of genocide were carried out with 15,000 Palestinians killed in cold-blood, the statement noted, saying that since Al-Nakba some 100,000 Palestinians have lost their lives.

The impact of the day also affected over 5,000 Palestinians who dwelled in Israeli jails without justification or reason, the statement affirmed.

Also marking the occasion was member of the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Dr. Ahmad Abu-Houli who stressed the importance of lifting the injustices befalling on the Palestinian people.

He called for a specialized committee of Arab experts to look into ways to free Palestinian prisoners in cooperation with the international community, saying that their cause must be highlighted worldwide.

An international conference should be held to protect Palestinian prisoners organized by the Arab League and similar to the one held in Iraq back in 2012, he added.

Iran to eliminate US dollar in trade with Oman

In a meeting between the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and a senior trade delegation from Oman on Monday, the Iranian side expressed complete readiness for eliminating the United States dollar from the two countries’ trade transactions.

Speaking at the meeting, CBI Governor Mohammadreza Farzin, who is also the head of the Iran-Oman Joint Economic Committee, said the strategic policy of the Central Bank of Iran is to cut ties with the US dollar in foreign exchange and trade, the CBI portal reported.

“We have sound economic and political reasons for this strategy, because, on one hand, the US uses the dollar as a political tool, and on the other hand, other currencies, especially in Asia are getting stronger against the dollar,” Farzin explained.

Referring to the complete readiness of the CBI to reduce and eliminate dollar exchanges from the cycle of commercial and economic transactions between Iran and Oman the official said, “The grounds for conducting economic and commercial transactions based on the national currencies of the two countries are fully prepared.”

Referring to the positive negotiations between Iran and Oman last year regarding the development of monetary and banking relations along with trade relations between the two countries Frazin stated, “Iran is ready for international methods like clearinghouses, multilateral monetary agreements and bilateral monetary agreements in trade transactions with Oman.”

The CBI governor further mentioned the expansion of trade relations between Iran and Oman in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) and said, “The trade between the two countries grew by 40% in the past year and reached US$1.8 billion.”

He further emphasized the necessity of using joint credit cards between the monetary and banking networks of Iran and Oman in order to facilitate the commercial relations and economic activities of the two countries’ businessmen and stated: “The negotiations in this regard have also been carried out with the Central Bank of Oman and Iran is ready to put the use of joint credit cards on the agenda as soon as possible.”

DP World and CMA CGM form Chile container depot

DP World and CMA CGM have created a new company Chile Inland Services (CIS), a joint venture to operate a container depot and bonded storage facility 10 km from the Port of San Antonio.

In April, CIS began its first phase of operations, consisting of a five-hectare facility providing maintenance, repair, and specialized refrigeration services for maritime containers.

By the end of 2023, CIS services intend to expand to 11 hectares and include additional container storage space, a secure customs area for full container storage and a bonded warehouse for cargo consolidation and deconsolidation.

"We are pleased to officially open Chile Inland Services. This investment represents an important milestone for us as we continue to develop smart logistics solutions for our customers. Our goal is to develop integrated logistics services in key locations, making it easier for Chilean companies to move their goods through the Port of San Antonio," said Curtis Dorion, CEO of DP World Chile.

Efrain Osorio, General Manager of CMA CGM for Chile, Peru, and Bolivia said "Our strategic participation with DP World in CIS seeks to differentiate us in the market, raise the level of service by taking what we do at sea and in ports to specialized logistics services on land, and offer our customers a preferential service throughout the country. Chile continues to grow in exports and cargoes are becoming more and more sophisticated".

 

Arab League readmits Syria

The Arab League readmitted Syria on Sunday after more than a decade of suspension, consolidating a regional push to normalize ties with President Bashar al-Assad in a move criticized by Washington.

The decision said Syria could resume its participation in Arab League meetings immediately, while calling for a resolution of the crisis resulting from Syria's civil war, including the flight of refugees to neighbouring countries and drug smuggling across the region.

While Arab states including the United Arab Emirates have pressed to end Assad's isolation, some have been opposed to full normalization without a political solution to the Syrian conflict, seeking conditions for Syria's return.

Qatar, which had previously opposed Syria's return to the League, said its position on normalization had not changed and it hoped regional consensus on Syria could be a motive for the Syrian regime to address the roots of the crisis, a foreign ministry spokesperson told state news agency QNA.

"The reinstatement of Syria does not mean normalization of relations between Arab countries and Syria," Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters in Cairo. "This is a sovereign decision for each country to make."

Syria called on Arab states to show mutual respect.

A US State Department spokesperson said Washington shared the goals of Arab partners in Syria, including building security and stability, but remained skeptical of Assad's willingness to take the steps necessary to resolve Syria's crisis".

"We do not believe Syria merits readmission into the Arab League at this time," the spokesperson said, adding that US sanctions would remain in full effect.

But Russia, an Assad ally, hailed Syria's readmission.

"Moscow welcomes this long-awaited step, the logical result of the process, which has gained momentum, of returning Syria to the 'Arab family,'" Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.