Damascus (ST): The scandals of the Turkish regime and its involvement in issues of corruption and association with terrorist organizations in the region continue, with secret recordings revealing that the so-called Bilal, son of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, received from a Saudi businessman internationally classified as a financier of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, an amount of half a million dollars within the framework of a suspicious scheme.

The leaked recordings from a court in Istanbul and published by the Swedish Nordic Monitor website included transcripts of a phone conversation between Bilal Erdogan and the Saudi businessman who fled to Turkey Yassin al-Qadi, currently being pursued internationally on charges of financing al-Qaeda.

In the first recording, Al-Qadi requested the bank account number of Erdogan's son and confirmed that the amount to be sent was half a million dollars. Bilal answered the call, saying that he was on his way to Washington and that he would send the bank details as soon as possible.

The recordings indicate that the conversation took place on May 14, 2013, while another recording of the phone calls on November 30, 2012, shows how Al-Qadi transferred his money through Turkey. 

K.Q.

Moscow (ST): Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed today that Britain and France are using the refugee issue to implement a misleading media campaign against the Syrian government and to promote their geopolitical interests, criticizing their "hypocritical" stance on this issue. 

Zakharova pointed out, according to what the Novosti news agency reported, to the displaced who have fallen victim to the criminal acts of the West in the Middle East and North Africa, explaining that the countries that currently refuse to accept migrants have "mercilessly" used pictures of some of the displaced's victims to promote their geopolitical interests, which made the tragedy a weapon for the media war against Syria.

K.Q.

Beijing (ST): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the need for the five permanent members of the Security Council to play a greater role in establishing peace and stability in the world, and to stay away from sanctions and the arbitrary use of force against others.

Xinhua quoted Wang as saying yesterday during a video conference held by the foreign ministers of the permanent members and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: "In the face of suspicion and instability in the international community, there are great aspirations in the five countries, especially in strengthening solidarity and coordination to bring confidence and stability to the world.”

He explained that the five countries bear the responsibility of maintaining world peace and dealing with hot issues by strengthening the United Nations Charter and peacekeeping operations and refraining from the use of coercive measures and the arbitrary use of force.

Wang stressed that all permanent members should exercise true pluralism by handling international affairs through consultation, jointly formulating international rules, adhering to dialogue and inclusiveness, and establishing a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and cooperation rather than confrontation and exclusivity. 

K.Q.

Occupied Jerusalem (ST):  The Israeli occupation forces arrested four Palestinians in separate areas of the West Bank.

Palestinian media reported that the occupation forces stormed the Al-Naqar neighborhood in Qalqilya and the towns of Biddu and Qatna in occupied Jerusalem, and arrested four Palestinians.

Yesterday, the occupation forces arrested ten Palestinians, including a child, in the West Bank.

K.Q.

New York (ST): Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Faisal Mikdad, discussed in New York with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Felix Placencia Gonzalez, ways to develop bilateral relations. 

During the meeting, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the two ministers also discussed ways to support the steadfastness of the peoples of the two countries in the face of the economic blockade they are subjected to and attempts of external interference in their affairs.

The two sides discussed in detail the practical steps that can be taken to activate the work of the Friends of Defense Group of the United Nations Charter to be an effective group that stands in the face of all attempts to violate the provisions of the Charter. 

Minister Mikdad also met with Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ruslan Kazakbayev, where they discussed ways to open prospects for bilateral cooperation in light of the historical relations and ties that unite the two friendly countries.

The two ministers discussed the issue of coordination on combating terrorism and extremism in light of what Syria has been subjected to during the past ten years from the influx of dozens of foreign terrorists.

Minister Mikdad also met with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, where the two sides stressed the importance of the distinguished relations between the two friendly countries and the need to develop them in various fields in the interest of their peoples. 

The views of the two sides were identical regarding the rejection of all attempts of external interference in their internal affairs and the necessity of coordinating positions in various international forums to defend the interests of the two countries. The two ministers condemned the unilateral coercive measures targeting the Syrian and Belarusian peoples and agreed on the need to work together and coordinate with other friendly countries to overcome their effects. 

Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths visited the headquarters of the permanent delegation of Syria to the United Nations, where Minister Mikdad discussed with him the activities carried out by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid “OCHA” and international organizations working in humanitarian affairs in Syria and ways to develop the existing cooperation between them and the Syrian government.

Minister Al-Mikdad stressed the need not to politicize the issue of providing humanitarian aid from some countries that exploit their funding for such assistance to achieve political purposes, stressing the need to focus on early recovery projects and support resilience.

Minister Mikdad met with Minister Leonardo Santos Simao, the special envoy of the President of the Republic of Mozambique, who conveyed his country's request for Syria’s support for Mozambique's candidacy for membership in the Security Council for the period 2023-2024, especially since it has not obtained this membership since its accession to the United Nations. 

Minister Miqdad pointed to the importance of the participation of African countries in the membership of the Security Council, especially as they have long suffered from the scourge of colonialism and fought a long march to achieve independence and national liberation, pointing out that African countries are among the countries most exposed to economic exploitation and political pressure.

K.Q.