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TOPICS

Jordanian-Syrian parliamentary talks, a sign of rapprochement and a prelude to further breakthrough

Shehab Al Makahleh In a rare qualitative step since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Jordanian Parliament Speaker Atif Al Tarawneh met with his Syrian counterpart Hamouda Al Sayegh in Saint Petersburg, where the 137th international parliamentary meeting is being held. Commenting on the Syrian conflict, Al Tarawneh …

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Iraqi PM Abadi in Saudi Arabia to forge bilateral ties

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi arrived to Riyadh on Saturday to attend inaugural meeting of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, a body said to cover two countries’ cooperation in political, economic, security and cultural fields. Meanwhile, in Baghdad Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih’s met with his Iraqi counterpart Jabar al-Luaibi, …

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Independence or not – the hard questions for Kurdistan and Scotland

By Shehab Al-Makahleh To vote for independence or not, that is the question in Kurdistan and Scotland. Both cases are loaded with huge geopolitical implications. In Iraqi Kurdistan a non-binding referendum was held on the 25th of September, in which the Kurds were asked to decide whether to …

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Will the Houthis fulfill their word to target UAE with long range missiles?

By Shehab Al-Makahleh Many people were surprised by the unprecedented and violent threats that Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of Ansar Allah Al Houthi Movement, directed against the United Arab Emirates when he vowed to launch missile attacks against targets in the UAE and against Saudi oil targets. Abdul …

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Alliances shift in the Middle East as all roads lead to Moscow

ANALYSIS / By Firas Al-Atraqchi As US media continues to speculate on the motives behind the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas and the press in the UK critique Prime Minister Theresa May’s latest policy speech, there have been significant changes in Middle Eastern alliances. On Friday, Saudi Arabia’s …

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Russia to play Middle East mediator during King Salman’s visit

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh  The long-awaited, historic visit of King Salman to Russia this week will demonstrate the scale of dialogue and coordination the two countries seek to achieve to strengthen their bilateral relations. The visit has great symbolism, with billboards installed in Moscow to welcome King Salman to …

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Erdogan’s visit to Tehran defines Turkey’s future roadmap

COMMENTARY Turkish president Erdogan will visit Tehran on Wednesday, October 4 to hold bilateral meetings and attend a joint strategic council session. The meeting comes on the heels of Iranian FM visit to Doha, signaling ever closer cooperation and coordination between the three states, and ahead of Saudi …

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King Salman’s Russia visit has potential to change Middle East landscape

Shehab Al-Makahleh Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will head an official delegation on October 4-7, 2017 to have meetings with Russian president Vladimir Putin and senior government officials, the first ever visit by a Saudi King to Moscow since the foundation of the Kingdom. The visit, which has been …

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Putin arrives to Ankara, German military leaves Incirlik airbase for Jordan

ANALYSIS/COMMENTARY Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ankara on September 28 for key talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including recent developments in Iraq and Syria and bilateral relations. At the same time, following months of strained relations between the two NATO-states, on Thursday German military has …

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