Turkiye, Syria sign defense cooperation agreement after Ankara talks
The neighbors had been negotiating a comprehensive military cooperation agreement for months, after the ousting of Bashar Assad in December.
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Arab News
15 minutes ago
- Arab News
Syrian authorities arrest Assad-era militant suspected of mutilating bodies
LONDON: Authorities in the Syrian Arab Republic arrested a suspect for grave violations associated with the defunct Assad regime against civilians during the country's civil war. Security forces in the coastal governorate of Latakia have arrested Naser Hani Ruslan, who is accused of participating in serious abuses against Syrians, the Interior Ministry announced. The ministry added that Ruslan was part of a militia linked to the former Assad regime and was reportedly involved in operations against areas controlled by Syrian rebel forces, including the mutilation of bodies. Authorities have begun investigations against Ruslan, who is awaiting trial. Following the fall of the Assad regime last December, the new government in Damascus has arrested several suspects, including army officers, for crimes committed against Syrians during the country's civil conflict.
Arab News
15 minutes ago
- Arab News
India and China eye resumption of border trade after five years
NEW DELHI: India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order. Past trade between the neighbors across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia. However, the two countries, caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff regime, have moved to mend ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July. That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly 2020 border clash between troops. 'For a long time, China-India border trade cooperation has played an important role in improving the lives of people living along the border,' China's foreign ministry said in a statement sent to AFP on Thursday. It said the two sides have 'reached a consensus on cross-border exchanges and cooperation, including resumption of border trade.' New Delhi's junior foreign minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told parliament last week that 'India has engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade.' No restart date was given by either side. Successive US administrations have seen India as a longstanding ally with like-minded interests when it comes to China. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, as well as Australia and Japan. However, ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump's ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine. The United States will double new import tariffs on India from 25 percent to 50 percent by August 27 if New Delhi does not switch crude suppliers. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday that the partnership between New Delhi and Washington had 'weathered several transitions and challenges.' Jaiswal said India hoped that the 'relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests.' He said India 'stands ready' to support the efforts to end the Ukraine war and endorses the summit to be held between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China in late August. It would be Modi's first visit since 2018, although it has not been confirmed officially. Beijing has said that 'China welcomes Prime Minister Modi' for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit opening on August 31.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
War Crimes Likely Committed by Both Sides in Syria Sectarian Violence, UN Commission says
War crimes were likely committed by members of interim government forces as well as by fighters loyal to Syria's former rulers during an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria's coastal areas that culminated in a series of March massacres, a UN team of investigators found in a report on Thursday. Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence that primarily targeted Alawi communities, and reports of violations continue, according to a report by the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry. "The scale and brutality of the violence documented in our report is deeply disturbing," said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission, in a statement released alongside the report. Torture, killings and inhumane acts related to the treatment of the dead were documented by the UN team which based its research on more than 200 interviews with victims and witnesses as well as visits to mass grave sites. The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year, prompting the interim government to name a fact-finding committee. There was no immediate public comment in response to the report from interim authorities nor from former Syrian officials, many of whom have left the country. A Reuters investigation last month found nearly 1,500 Syrian Alawites - the minority sect of Assad - had been killed and identified a chain of command from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders. New Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously denounced the violence as a threat to his mission to unite the country and promised to punish those responsible. The commission acknowledged in its report the commitment of Syria's interim authorities to identify those responsible but said the scale of the violence warranted further steps.
