Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman says Iran is a neighboring country and we want to have a good and distinguished relationship with them.

In an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya News, he said we want Iran to prosper as we have Saudi interests in Iran to drive prosperity and growth in the region and the entire world.

He said Saudi Arabia is working with its partners in the region and the world to find solutions for the problems.

The Saudi Crown Prince expressed the hope that the Houthis will sit at the negotiations table to reach solutions that guarantee everyone’s rights and to safeguard the interests of all the countries in the region.

During telephonic conversation, Sec. Austin and Gen. Bajwa discussed the importance of regional stability

RAWALPINDI (DNA): The United States’ Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss regional stability and security.

During the call, Secretary Austin reaffirmed the importance of the U.S. – Pakistan bilateral relationship and expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s support for Afghanistan Peace Negotiations. Secretary Austin and General Bajwa also discussed the drawdown in Afghanistan.

According to the US Defense Department, Secretary Austin and General Bajwa discussed the importance of regional stability and the desire for the United States and Pakistan to continue working together on shared goals and objectives in the region.

Meanwhile, US officials urged American civilians and embassy employees to leave the country as soon as possible, given that a non-aggression agreement between the US and the Taliban is set to expire by May 1. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad told senators in a Tuesday hearing that some diplomats who “are not necessary to be there” and “can do their job from elsewhere” will be withdrawn from the embassy. “It will not affect operation or the capabilities of the embassy. We are very much committed to that,” Khalilzad told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan could face a major economic blow if peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government fail, an expert warned.

Speaking at a webinar by the Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution, an Islamabad-based think tank, late Monday, Zafar Moeen Nasir, former vice chancellor of Punjab University, said the country’s policy shift from geopolitics to geo-economics could cost Pakistan economically.

“As the withdrawal of US forces is near and clouds of civil war are looming there which is going to create tremendous security risks (for Pakistan), any civil war can be a setback for economic conditions in Pakistan,” he said.

He was referring to the post-withdrawal situation in Afghanistan if the US pulls out without a sustainable peace deal between Kabul and the insurgents.

Pakistan has been one of Afghanistan’s largest trading partners, but several internal and external factors have led to a drop in trade in recent years. Both countries share a 2,430-kilometer-long (1,510-mile) border, and border crossings are the main trading routes.

“America has also realized that Pakistan can play both, positive as well as negative role, after its forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now it depends on Pakistan’s policymakers how to tackle the Afghanistan issue as Pakistan has already shifted towards geo-economics, so Pakistan will focus more on the economic outcome rather than geo-political gains,” Nasir said.

He added that constructive role in Afghanistan by Pakistan will bring dividends for both nations.

US, CHINA TENSION

The speaker also spoke on current ongoing tension between Washington and Beijing and said Pakistan cannot take risk to take side in this “new cold war”.

“This is a complex situation for Pakistan to make choice as Pakistan was friend to America but now very close to China,” Nasir explained.

A defense analyst believed that distance between Islamabad and Washington was created by the latter’s opposition to multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“The US is not our enemy, it has been a friend, but a matter of concern for us is only the US’ blatant opposition to the CPEC which must try and make them understand that it is our need,” said retired Maj. Gen. Raza Muhammad, an adviser at the National Defense University.

He added that recent deal between China and Iran will also bring positive progress in the region.

“There is a great possibility of regional connectivity, not only the regional connectivity, ultimately it is the Eurasian connectivity, and then it is going to become the Afro-Asian connectivity and global connectivity as Pakistan is already very strongly pursuing its goals and objectives and despite all opposition to the CPEC,” he argued and termed the CPEC a game-changer for the country’s future.

The $64 billion CPEC-a network of roads, railways and pipelines-aims to connect China’s strategically important northwestern Xinxiang province to the port of Gwadar in Balochistan.

The speakers including Sameera Imran, assistant professor at National Defense University; Faheem Sardar, Islamabad-based economic analyst; and Sabah Aslam, head of Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution, also suggested Islamabad to enhance its trade relations with Central Asian states, neighbors, and beyond.

ANKARA – Turkey’s Capital Markets Board (SPK) and the Central Bank of Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

According to a SPK statement on Wednesday, the MoU aims to improve the exchange of information and technical cooperation about capital markets between the authorities of the two countries.

“This MoU is considered an important step … towards enhancing dialogue on regulations and practices as well as sharing of expertise about capital markets,” the statement said.

To date, SPK has signed bilateral MoU with foreign counterpart authorities in 36 countries.

BERLIN – Germany and China on Wednesday vowed to deepen cooperation in the area of economy, climate protection and health, amid major disagreements on human rights.

At the start of the German-Chinese government talks which were organized online due to the pandemic, Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed to the differences of opinion in the sphere of human rights in a joint statement with China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

For his part, Li also openly admitted to considerable differences in German-Chinese relations.

It was the sixth edition of the Sino-German government talks which have been taking place every two years since 2011, during which the members of the cabinets also come together for deliberations.

Merkel said part of the partnership is also “that we can address difficult issues and put everything on the table.”

As an example, she cited the situation in Hong Kong, where Beijing has adopted a security law restricting political freedoms.

China has repeatedly rejected Western criticism of its tough stance against the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong or of its alleged crackdown on the Muslim Uyghur minority as interference in its internal affairs.

Merkel told Li that she wished that both sides could “get the human rights dialogue going again as soon as possible.”

The chancellor defended the dialogue with Beijing, saying conflicts could only be resolved if you keep talking.


’OBJECTIVE FACT’

The Chinese prime minister echoed Merkel’s remarks by also highlighting their differences at the outset of the government deliberations.

“China and Germany have different views on some of the issues. That is an objective fact, ” Li said.

As long as both sides, however, “respect their core interests” and communicate “on the basis of equal treatment and non-interference in internal affairs”, they could create favorable conditions for the continued smooth development of cooperation, he added.

According to Li, the current international situation is going through complex and far-reaching changes.

He pointed out the pandemic was far from over and there was still protectionism.

As major economies and influential countries, China and Germany support multilateralism and free trade, the Chinese leader said.

“Both sides should set an example for openness, mutual benefit and cooperation for mutual benefit,” Li reiterated.

Germany considers China a partner when it comes to trade, climate change and issues like the Iran nuclear agreement.


Pressed by the US to adopt a more hardline stance on China over what Washington sees as China’s aggressive foreign policy, the German government has refused to stand up to Beijing citing its major economic interests in the Asian country.

DOHA – Qatar Airways will operate three weekly flights to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire via Accra from June 16th. The route becomes the fourth new destination in Africa announced by the national carrier of the state of Qatar since the start of the pandemic.

The Abidjan service will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in business class and 232 in economy.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “At Qatar Airways, we remain committed to the African market, expanding our network across the continent and offering seamless connectivity to the largest network of destinations across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

“We are thankful to the Côte d’Ivoire government for their support to launch these flights, providing an opportunity to reunite family and friends with their loved ones across the globe. 

“We look forward to working closely with our partners in Côte d’Ivoire to steadily grow this route and support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”

The airline has also added seven new destinations in the past 12 months including San Francisco and Seattle in the US, Abuja, Accra and Luanda in Africa, as well as Brisbane and Cebu in Asia Pacific. 

The airline also recently announced that it will resume services to Khartoum, Sudan, with four weekly flights starting May 11th.

LONDON – European lawmakers have approved the final ratification of the post-Brexit trade deal between the European Union and the United Kingdom, nearly five years after Britain decided to leave the bloc.

The deal, which was finalized on Christmas Eve, had already been ratified by the U.K. Parliament and conditionally came into force pending the European Parliament’s approval, which marks the final legal hurdle.

Lawmakers at the European Parliament endorsed the free trade agreement by 660 votes in favor, 5 against, and 32 abstentions. The vote took place Tuesday but results were not announced until Wednesday morning.

The U.K. had joined the bloc in 1973.

In a debate ahead of the vote, many legislators rued Britain‘s departure but insisted ratifying the text was the best option to avoid economic disruptions and ensure the EU’s single market integrity.

Amid ongoing tensions between London and Brussels over Northern Ireland trade rules, the EU Parliament also said that the agreement will provide extra legal tools to “prevent and protect against unilateral divergence from the obligations to which both parties signed up.”

Earlier this year, the European Union accused Britain of breaching international law after the U.K. government unilaterally extended until October a grace period for not conducting checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. The move led the EU to start legal action against its former member nation.

Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. but remained part of the EU’s single market for goods after Brexit to avoid customs checks at the territory’s border with EU member Ireland. An open Irish border helped underpin the peace process that ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

But tensions and violence have escalated in recent weeks, with unionists saying the arrangement the British government and the EU worked out has amounted to the creation of a border between the territory and the rest of the U.K.

The sensitivity of Northern Ireland’s status also was seen in September when the U.K. Parliament considered legislation that would have given Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s government the power to override part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland.

The tension increased in January when the EU threatened to ban shipments of coronavirus vaccines to Northern Ireland as part of moves to shore up the bloc’s supply. That would have drawn a hard border on the island of Ireland — exactly the scenario the Brexit deal was crafted to avoid.

Relations between the EU and the U.K. have been strained since a Brexit transition period ended on Jan. 1. The two sides have argued so far this year over issues ranging from COVID-19 vaccine supplies to the full diplomatic recognition of the EU in Britain.