19, March 2022
Ukraine Crisis Day 24: President Zelensky calls for talks with Putin 0
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine enters its 24th day.
“This is the time to meet, to talk, time for renewing territorial integrity and fairness for Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a video posted to Facebook on Saturday.
“I want to be heard by everyone, especially in Moscow,” he said, adding, “Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such, that several generations will not recover.”
Delegations from Kiev and Moscow have been negotiating since the onset of the Russian military campaign. The latest round of talks opened on Monday.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, who said the two sides have come closer to an agreement on a neutral status for Ukraine, noted on Friday that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible after the teams finalize a draft treaty to end the hostilities that receives a preliminary approval from the countries’ governments.
Sources
19, March 2022
Syria’s president visits 1st Arab state in more than 1 decade 0
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits the United Arab Emirates in his first such visit to an Arab state since the beginning of foreign-backed violence in Syria.
Meeting with Assad on Friday, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahya “stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security,” the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
“The UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with Syria,” the Emirati official added, describing the two nations as “brotherly peoples.”
Assad, for his part, urged that in order to protect the region, “we must continue with adherence to our principles, the sovereignty of our countries, and the interests of our peoples,” the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Assad’s visit to the UAE took place only months after the Emirates’ Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan traveled to the Syrian capital Damascus. It also came amid the widely-reported prospect of Damascus’ return to the Arab League regional grouping.
Source: Presstv