Putin Visits Ankara Monday for Talks on Syria, Jerusalem

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017 (Reuters/ Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017 (Reuters/ Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool)
TT
20

Putin Visits Ankara Monday for Talks on Syria, Jerusalem

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017 (Reuters/ Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 10, 2017 (Reuters/ Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey on Monday upon an invitation from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks on Syria and the recognition by the United States of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the Turkish presidency said on Friday.

Erdogan, who concluded a two-day visit to Greece on Friday - the first for Turkish president in 65 years - made a telephone call to Putin on Thursday evening, focusing on US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The Turkish president told his Russian counterpart that the international community and the United Nations have rejected Israel’s decision in 1980 to annex Jerusalem and stressed that the recent US decision on Jerusalem negatively affected the peace and stability of the region.

According to sources in the Turkish presidency, Putin said he shared Erdogan’s stance in this regard and assured that he would follow up on the related developments and maintain close talks between the two countries on bilateral and international issues.

The meeting between Erdogan and Putin on Monday will be the eighth between the two presidents this year. The last meeting was held in Sochi on November 23, with the participation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and was aimed to discuss the Syrian crisis.

Turkish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Turkish and Russian presidents would continue on Monday discussions over the de-escalation zones in Idlib and the situation in the city of Afrin, as well as the Syrian national dialogue conference, which will be held in the Russian city of Sochi in February.



Rubio Says US is Revoking all Visas Held by South Sudanese Passport Holders

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he addresses the audience during a statement as part of the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he addresses the audience during a statement as part of the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)
TT
20

Rubio Says US is Revoking all Visas Held by South Sudanese Passport Holders

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he addresses the audience during a statement as part of the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he addresses the audience during a statement as part of the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the United States was revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the African nation's government of “taking advantage of the United States.”
“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them,” Rubio said in a statement, adding that “South Sudan’s transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle."
Besides revoking visas, Rubio said the US would "prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.”
South Sudan’s political landscape is fragile and recent violence between government troops and armed opposition groups has escalated tensions, The Associated Press said.
Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged regional and international leaders to prevent South Sudan from falling “over the abyss” into another civil war.
Guterres warned that the world’s newest and one of its poorest countries is facing “a security emergency” with intensifying clashes and a “political upheaval” culminating with last week’s arrest by the government of First Vice President Riek Machar.