Middle East Experience

Moscow is ready to make a “significant contribution” to averting a looming food crisis if the West lifts sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone call with Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi.“Vladimir Putin emphasises that the Russian Federation is ready to make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis through the export of grain and fertiliser, subject to the lifting of politically motivated restrictions by the West,” the Kremlin said in a statement following the call. It added that Putin also spoke about the “steps taken to ensure safety of navigation, including the daily opening of humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilian ships from the ports of the Azov and Black Sea, which is impeded by the Ukrainian side”. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Putin also described as “unfounded” accusations that Russia was to blame for the problems with food supplies on the global market.A statement from the Italian government said “the call was dedicated to developments in Ukraine and efforts to find a common solution to the ongoing food crisis, as well as the severe repercussions for the world's poorest countries”. Russia was slapped with unprecedented sanctions after Putin ordered troops into neighbouring Ukraine on February 24. The sanctions and military action have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both Russia and Ukraine.The two countries produce 30 percent of the global wheat supply.Read more:Moscow pours cold water on Italian peace plan for UkrainePutin says West won’t succeed in cutting Russia off
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Putin says Russia ready to help solve food crisis if West lifts sanctions

Jean-Luc Martinez is accused of conspiring to hide origin of works taken out of Egypt during Arab spring..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Former head of Louvre charged in Egyptian artefacts trafficking case

Tensions surrounding Jerusalem have been high for a while, and Hamas has made threats to Israel if the march goes on as planned.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Jerusalem Day flag march should be done sensitively - editorial

The charges violate freedom of expression and association..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Cuba must release imprisoned artists

Kadhimi discussed with Salih “recent developments in politics, the economy and security-related matters in Iraq.”..
Source: Your Middle East
Full Article: Speculation grows Iraq may keep current government in place

Greece has told the head of the United Nations that Turkey is directly challenging its sovereignty over islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, and pursuing a hostile and “revisionist” policy that is destabilizing the region. The four-page letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, dated May 25 and signed by Greece's permanent UN representative, Maria Theofili, was seen by The Associated Press on Thursday. “Greece solemnly calls upon Turkey to stop questioning Greece’s sovereignty over its Aegean islands, in particular through legally baseless and historically false assertions (and) to abstain from threatening Greece with war,” the letter reads. Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades over sea boundaries, but the disagreement flared in 2020 as oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean intensified.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Turkey is demanding that Greece demilitarize its eastern islands, maintaining the action is required under 20th century treaties that ceded sovereignty of the islands to Greece. The Greek government calls the demand a deliberate misinterpretation and has accused Turkey, a fellow NATO member, of stepping up hostile actions in the area. “Highly threatening acts by Turkey (include) repeated overflights of Greek territory by fighter jets in contravention to international law,” the letter said. The Greek-Turkish dispute largely centers around oil-and-gas drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean, specifically around Greek islands near Turkey’s coastline. A Turkish survey mission two years ago triggered a tense naval stand-off that Western allies had warned ran the risk of escalating into a military conflict. In response to the energy crisis worsened by the war in Ukraine, Greece has pledged to temporarily reverse a coal phase-out and step up hydrocarbon exploration along its western coastline.Read more:Turkey's Erdogan says Greek PM Mitsotakis ‘doesn’t exist’ for him after his US visitTurkey rejects Greece’s charges of illegal military flights: Athens ‘started tension’Greece formally protests Turkey’s military flights over inhabited Greek islands
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Greece tells UN that Turkey is challenging its sovereignty

No meeting between Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers has been scheduled in the foreseeable future, an official from the Saudi foreign ministry said on Thursday, adding that some progress has been made in talks with Teheran but “it's not enough”.Iran foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on earlier on Thursday that he may meet his Saudi counterpart soon in a third country.“Iran must build confidence for future cooperation, and there are several issues that can be discussed with Teheran if it has the desire to de-escalate tensions in the region,” the official told Reuters.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:Saudi foreign minister says some progress in talks with Iran
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: No Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers meeting in foreseeable future: Saudi official

Two senior US officials visited Saudi Arabia this week for talks on Iran, global energy supplies and regional issues, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday.Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and the State Department’s senior advisor for energy security Amos Hochstein met senior Saudi officials in Riyadh.“I will confirm that Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein were in the region to follow up on conversations on a range of issues including Iran’s destabilizing activities, ensuring stable global energy supplies and other regional issues,” Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.She added: “This trip is to review engagement with Saudi Arabia on energy security, as asking for oil is simply wrong. That’s the way we see it and a misunderstanding of both the complexity of that issue as well as our multi-faceted discussions with the Saudis.”Jean-Pierre added that OPEC+ will make its own decisions as it relates to oil production and export levels. “We are in consultation with all relevant producers about market conditions including Saudi Arabia.”The US has been asking Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, to increase oil production to lower prices that have surged since Russia invaded Ukraine.Read more:Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince discusses US ties with Congress members visiting Kingdom
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Two senior US officials visited Saudi Arabia for talks on Iran, energy: White House

Local farmers and officials say the harvest is going well, but both the growers and the government are still under an unusual amount of pressure..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Cut off from Black Sea wheat imports, Egypt leans on local harvest

Thousands of years ago, God created our natural world in six days. Fifty-five years ago, He reshaped history in six hurried days.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: 6 ways the world changed after the 1967 Six Day War