Middle East

Israel and Iran accused one another Sunday at the United Nations of being the main threat to peace in the Middle East, each calling on the Security Council to impose sanctions on their sworn enemy.

Parliamentary Speaker Konstantinos Tassoulas has expressed Greece's concern over developments in the Middle East in a meeting with Arab ambassadors and attaches in Athens.

"Greece is concerned about a possible spread of the war in the region. In addition, increased migration flows to the European Union is among the possible repercussions of the crisis," Tassoulas noted.

Dust clouds have covered the skies of southeastern provinces, while the visibility range has decreased due to the dust transportation from Syria.

Layers of dust coated vehicles and apartment balconies in the provinces of Şırnak, Bingöl, Mardin and Tunceli late on May 23.

A traffic jam in Kyiv, Ukraine, 24 February 2022. EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

At midday on Thursday there were already reports from Poland about trains arriving in Warsaw this morning full of Ukrainians, with some saying these tickets were purchased days ago in expectation of a Russian invasion.

A member of the Polish Border Guard is seen exiting his vehicle near the border with Belarus on 14 August, 2021 in Zubrzyca Wielka, Poland. Photo: Jaap Arriens

According to the statement dated August 18, the Interior Ministry said 2,100 people had "attempted to illegally enter Poland" via the border with Belarus so far this month.

The European Union should agree on imposing sanctions on Turkey by the year-end in order to deter Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from jeopardizing the regional peace any further, European Parliament Vice President Dimitrios Papadimoulis told Sputnik.

The Palestinian Authority has cut all ties with the United States and Israel, including those relating to security, after rejecting a Middle East peace plan presented by U.S. President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Feb. 1.

Abbas was in Cairo to address the Arab League, which backed the Palestinians in their opposition to Trump's plan.

Palestine's leadership vowed on Jan. 23 not to recognize any Middle East peace plan it had previously rejected, warning the U.S. and Israel against announcing such a deal.

The United States has halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey, a Pentagon spokesman said on 1 April, marking the first concrete U.S. step to block delivery of the jet to the NATO ally in light of Ankara's planned purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

This is evidenced by the continuous strengthening of our bilateral relations with a number of countries in the region, he remarked, according to the Serbian government.