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Beirut, An aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force arrived Lebanon, loaded with relief aid to the Syrians affected by the devastating earthquake on February 6.
The aircraft arrived Wednesday afternoon at Beirut Air Transport Base as its destination.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency
Damascus- Fayssal Mikdad ,Foreign and Expatriates Minister , expressed Syria’s thanks to Jordan for the assistance it provided to face the repercussions of the earthquake catastrophe.
”We have been cooperating for a long time and we highly appreciate Minister Safadi’s visit, as Syria suffered during the past days from the quake catastrophe, and it was normal for Jordan, king, government, and people, to stand by their brothers in Syria”Mikdad told reporters during farewell of Mr. Ayman Safadi, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates at Damascus International Airport.
Mikdad thanked the generous aid sent by the Jordanian kingdom to Syria, and wished the Jordanian people all happiness and prosperity.
Safadi, for his part, said he conveyed to President al-Assad the condolence of His Majesty King Abdullah II over the victims of the earthquake and his keenness and assurance that Jordan will provide everything it can to help the brotherly Syrian people to face the aftermath of this earthquake.
“His Majesty’s instructions from the beginning were to provide everything we can to our brothers so that they can face and overcome the repercussions of this crisis,” he said.
Safadi affirmed that in the coming days more aid will be sent from Jordan to the Syrian people.
He stressed that this visit was also an occasion to discuss bilateral relations and the efforts made to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria that preserves its unity and sovereignty and restores its security, stability and role, and helps create favorable conditions for the return of refugees.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency
Damascus, A phone call was made between Dr. Fayssal Mikdad, Foreign and Expatriates Minister, and UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in which Guterres offered his condolences to Syria and to the families of the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the region.
Guterres welcomed the Syrian government’s decision to send international aid through two border crossings with Turkey into Idleb Governorate for three months.
He stressed that the UN will make every effort to bring aid into all affected areas in Syria in response to the repercussions of the earthquake.
Guterres briefed Minister Mikdad on the efforts made in this regard and the appeal he made to collect aid for Syria and mobilize the necessary funding to support the Syrians affected by the quake.
Minister Mikdad, for his part, appreciated the personal efforts of the UN Secretary-General to mobilize support for Syria in responding to the impacts of the quake.
Mikdad stressed the Syrian government’s keenness to help all Syrians affected by the earthquake on all Syrian soil.
Mikdad affirmed the importance of the role of the UN Secretary-General in highlighting these difficult humanitarian conditions facing Syria and calling on Western countries to lift the illegal coercive measures.
The two sides agreed to continue communication and coordination to overcome all obstacles and continue to support the affected Syrians.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency
Kut, Detachments of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control Department in Wasit Police arrested two suspects of trafficking and drug abuse in the city of Kut, the center of the governorate.
A source in Wasit Police told the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: “114 narcotic pills of Tramadol were seized in the possession of one of the accused, and a plastic bag containing the narcotic crystal was in the possession of the other. They were referred to the judiciary.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
Al-Amarah, The security forces found the body of a young man, in Al-Teeb border area, east of Maysan.
A security source told the correspondent of the National Iraqi News Agency / NINA /: “The body bore traces of a gunshot wound in the head, and it was transferred to the forensic medicine department.”
The source indicated: “The victim was reported missing a few days ago.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad, The Joint Operations Command announced the killing of 12 terrorists with preemptive strikes to secure the visit of Imam Al-Kadhim “PBUH”.
The spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Major General Tahsin Al-Khafaji, said in a televised statement: “The security forces carried out in the past hours preemptive air strikes and specific operations to secure the visit in the north, west and southwest of Baghdad , which resulted in the killing of 12 terrorists.”
He added: “There may be operations outside Baghdad, but they are related to the plan to secure the visit, because it is linked to securing the security cordons on the way to the capital.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad, Lieutenant General Qais Al-Muhammadawi, Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, discussed today, Wednesday, with Lieutenant General Bernd Schott, the German Joint Operations Commander, the latest operations carried out by the security forces in pursuit of ISIS elements.
The Joint Operations Command stated in a press statement today: “The two sides discussed during the meeting the continuation of the partnership between the Iraqi armed forces and the international coalition forces in accordance with the outcomes of the strategic dialogue, in a way that secures building Iraqi capabilities and enabling them to confront challenges, and stresses the importance of strategic planning to train, prepare and build Iraqi security institutions.”
The statement added: “A detailed briefing was provided on the operations leadership by the intelligence, operations and planning bodies in Iraq, and a number of files on the latest operations carried out by the security sectors in the pursuit of ISIS elements.”
According to the statement, the activities of the Iraqi forces in the field of drug control, border control operations and other important challenges were presented, the vision and plans of the joint operations command to confront them, and the continuation of effective and fruitful cooperation and coordination between all security sectors, the unity of command and control and work in a team spirit.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad, The head of Al-Nasr coalition, Haider Al-Abadi, discussed with the Ambassador of the United States of America, Alina Romanowski, the promotion of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
A statement from the office of the head of the coalition stated: “Al-Abadi received Ambassador Romanowski and her accompanying delegation, and during the meeting, they discussed strengthening cooperation between the two countries in various fields, and the many challenges that Iraq is going through that require appropriate solutions to it, in addition to the financial situation and Iraqi-American coordination regarding the dollar, the government’s actions regarding this file, and the results of the Iraqi delegation’s visit to Washington.
It was also stressed the importance of uniting everyone’s efforts to develop plans to confront many backlogs, and for the next stage to be reform, fight corruption, and provide international support to Iraq in these files.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria from last week’s powerful earthquake has now risen above 41,000, but a handful of people are still being rescued from the rubble.
On Wednesday, two women were pulled from the debris in Turkey’s southern city of Kahramanmaras, and a mother and two children were rescued in Antakya nine days after the earthquake. The rescue in Antakya came 228 hours after the earthquake, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.
Millions of people who survived the quake need humanitarian aid, authorities say, with many survivors left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures. Rescues are now few and far between.
With much of the region’s sanitation infrastructure damaged or rendered inoperable by the earthquakes, health authorities are facing a daunting task in trying to ensure that people now remain disease-free.
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said people in war-torn Syria also face new challenges.
After visiting Syria in the last few days, she said in a statement, “For more than a decade, people across Syria have experienced the devastation of armed conflict. When the 6 February earthquake struck the region, communities suffered dramatic levels of devastation no matter what side of the frontline they were on. Family and friends were killed, homes were destroyed, and people were displaced yet again. Medical care, safe drinking water, and reliable food supply sources immediately became crucial to survival.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that 35,418 people were killed in the 7.8 magnitude quake that struck near the southeastern city of Kahramanmaras on February 6, making it the deadliest earthquake in Turkish history.
The quake, which Erdogan called “the disaster of the century,” destroyed tens of thousands of buildings and rendered an equal number uninhabitable, leaving scores of residents without shelter from bitter winter temperatures. Authorities have arrested several building contractors and charged them with violating Turkey’s building codes.
The United Nations confirmed on Wednesday that three of their Turkish staff died in the earthquake.
Meanwhile, more than 5,500 deaths have been confirmed in neighboring Syria, according to figures compiled by the United Nations humanitarian agency and Syria’s state-run news agency. At least 1,400 people were killed in areas under government control, while another 4,400 are dead in Syria’s rebel-held northwest.
Relief effort scales up across Syria
Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations are trying to scale up operations in Syria to meet the massive needs.
The U.N. Population Fund’s regional director said that across Syria there are 40,000 women who are pregnant and due to give birth in the next three months.
“Many of the facilities that we visited are already depleted or damaged or both,” Laila Baker, UNFPA’s Arab States Regional Director told reporters by video from Aleppo. “There are stock outs of medications for treating very basic things like the flu, much less something as complicated as having a C[esarean]-section.”
She had just visited a maternity hospital in Aleppo, once a thriving metropolis, now scarred from 12 years of civil war and the earthquake. She said all the wards were full and the facility lacked basics, such as bed sheets. Exhausted staff were working 18-hour shifts trying to assist as many women as they could.
At makeshift shelters, many in mosques and schools, Baker said there are no toilets.
“For a woman, many of whom are pregnant, they are facing dire circumstances,” she said.
UNFPA launched an appeal on Tuesday for $24 million to cover immediate needs for the next three months.
Separately, 22 trucks from the World Food Program carrying canned food and mattresses, crossed Wednesday into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border point from Turkey. WFP has also been distributing ready-to-eat meals and other food items in government-controlled areas, including Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces. Also Wednesday, the International Organization for Migration delivered shelter and non-food items through the newly reopened Bab al-Salam crossing.
The United Nations says 117 trucks have crossed into the opposition-controlled northwest since aid started rolling on February 9.
On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a $397 million appeal for the earthquake response in Syria, adding that a similar appeal is being drawn up for Turkey.
Source: Voice of America
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to Germany, Turkey and Greece February 16-22 ahead of the February 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, and as Turkey continues its rescue operations after powerful quakes brought devastation to the NATO country last week.
Blinken is attending the Munich Security Conference that begins this Friday. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi will be among those at the three-day annual gathering.
In Munich, Blinken will participate in a series of meetings to discuss continued support for Ukraine, and assistance to Turkey and the Syrian people after the powerful earthquakes, said the State Department.
As Ukraine prepares for a new major offensive from Russia, Western leaders at the gathering are likely to renew their commitment to support Kyiv.
A senior State Department official said the United States is working on a large security assistance package that will be announced around the one-year mark of Russia’s invasion. Another new sanctions package targeting Russia and its proxies can also be expected.
The senior State Department official told reporters there is no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about diplomatic talks, but the U.S. will continue to put pressure on Russia’s economy to force Putin to the negotiation table.
Blinken’s trip to Turkey comes as rescuers race to reach people trapped under rubble more than a week after a 7.8 magnitude quake caused severe damage both in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. The quake has killed more than 41,000 people.
“Secretary Blinken will visit Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye on February 19 to see firsthand U.S. efforts to assist the Turkish authorities responding to the devastation caused by the February 6 earthquakes,” said the State Department on Wednesday.
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s urban search and rescue teams arrived at Incirlik Air Base last week to help with recovery efforts. Meanwhile, the U.S. military continues its mission to deliver humanitarian aid.
The top U.S. diplomat’s meetings in Ankara follow a visit to Washington by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on January 18. The two NATO allies have tried to mend fences over disagreements on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and NATO expansion but there is no immediate sign of progress.
Some analysts and former U.S. officials say a U.S. green light to Turkey’s request for F-16 jets would depend on two issues: Turkey not blocking the admission of Finland and Sweden into NATO, and no military incursion into northern Syria.
Blinken then heads to Greece where he will hold a strategic dialogue with senior officials in Athens.
“In Athens, Greece, Secretary Blinken will meet with Greek Prime Minister [Kyriakos] Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister [Nikos] Dendias, and Leader of the Opposition Alexis Tsipras to discuss defense cooperation, energy security, and our shared commitment to defend democracy. Secretary Blinken will launch the fourth round of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue on February 21,” according to the State Department.
Blinken last held a strategic dialogue with Dendias in October 2021 at the State Department where the two renewed a U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement.
Greece, Turkey’s regional rival and NATO ally, is seeking F-35 jets from the United States. Some analysts said the outcome of the proposed sale of F-16s to Ankara and F-35s to Athens would impact the air defense capabilities of the two neighbors and the power balance in the region.
Source: Voice of America
Riyadh– Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah met here today with United Kingdom Ambassador Neil Crompton.
During the meeting, they discussed issues related to humanitarian and relief affairs and the strategic relations between the two sides as well as ways to strengthen them.
The UK ambassador praised the Saudi humanitarian efforts exerted through KSrelief to support humanitarian work and help those affected around the world, hailing the good international reputation enjoyed by KSrelief.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Amman– Jordanian House of Representatives Speaker Ahmed Al-Safadi received here today a delegation of the Saudi-Jordanian Parliamentary Friendship Committee of the Shura Council, led by Dr. Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Qannas, during its official visit to Jordan.
During the meeting, which was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi, Al-Safadi commended Saudi-Jordanian relations, stressing the need for enhanced legislative cooperation between the two countries.
For his part, Al-Qannas underlined the importance of bolstering the relations between the two countries in various fields.
The two sides also stressed the importance of maintaining cooperation and coordination between the two countries at all levels and on all issues of mutual concern to serve the interests of the two brotherly peoples and countries.
Source: Saudi Press Agency