Israel Cements Ties to Turkmenistan on Iran’s Border

Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Israel's Foreign minister Eli Cohen on Thursday met in Ashgabat (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan)
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Israel's Foreign minister Eli Cohen on Thursday met in Ashgabat (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan)
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Israel Cements Ties to Turkmenistan on Iran’s Border

Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Israel's Foreign minister Eli Cohen on Thursday met in Ashgabat (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan)
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Israel's Foreign minister Eli Cohen on Thursday met in Ashgabat (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan)

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen inaugurated a permanent embassy in the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan on Thursday, establishing his country’s closest diplomatic presence to Iran, as Israel seeks to strengthen ties with Tehran’s neighbours.

Although the countries established diplomatic ties 30 years ago, there has only been a temporary embassy in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, and the predominantly Muslim Turkmenistan still has no embassy in Israel.

“I came to open an Israeli embassy 17 kilometres from the border with Iran, and to hold a series of meetings with the president and other officials,” Cohen tweeted on Thursday.

In a video statement after his meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Cohen called his visit “historic” and said Israel’s ties with Central Asia’s “energy superpower” were of strategic importance.

“We intend to widen economic relations to include agriculture, water, technology and border defence,” he said, Reuters reported. “No doubt both countries will benefit from the closer cooperation.”

The gas-rich desert nation of six million has an official neutrality policy, avoiding membership in any political or military blocs. Its main economic partner is China which buys the bulk of Turkmen gas exports.

Turkmenistan’s trade with Iran is relatively small and the two countries had disputes about potentially large hydrocarbon deposits in the Caspian Sea.

Although all five Caspian littoral states signed a convention in 2018 settling such disputes, Tehran is yet to ratify the document - which also holds up Ashgabat’s plans to build a pipeline across the sea to ship gas to Europe.



Heavy Rains Spur Landslides in China’s Fujian, Killing Four; Two Missing

An aerial drone photo taken on 16 June 2024 shows a flooded area in Dongping Township of Zhenghe County, Nanping City, China's Fujian Province, 16 June 2024. (EPA/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on 16 June 2024 shows a flooded area in Dongping Township of Zhenghe County, Nanping City, China's Fujian Province, 16 June 2024. (EPA/Xinhua)
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Heavy Rains Spur Landslides in China’s Fujian, Killing Four; Two Missing

An aerial drone photo taken on 16 June 2024 shows a flooded area in Dongping Township of Zhenghe County, Nanping City, China's Fujian Province, 16 June 2024. (EPA/Xinhua)
An aerial drone photo taken on 16 June 2024 shows a flooded area in Dongping Township of Zhenghe County, Nanping City, China's Fujian Province, 16 June 2024. (EPA/Xinhua)

Torrential rain triggered landslides in China's Fujian province, killing four people and leaving two missing, state television CCTV reported on Monday.

Downpours in Wuping county since Sunday afternoon have caused 378 homes to collapse and prompted authorities to launch an emergency flood response. Fujian provincial meteorological bureau classified the storms as "extreme events," CCTV reported.

Over the past few days, heavy rain has inundated the province, breaking a historical record in Wuping county. Economic losses in the county totaled 415 million yuan ($57.19 million), state media reported.

Many parts of southern China have been impacted by rains over the past few days, with many localities issuing flood warnings and advisories.

In Jiangxi province from 8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday, the average rainfall was 24 mm, with 288 weather stations in 56 counties recording considerable precipitation, state media said.

In Chongqing, the torrential rain caused water levels of five rivers to rise by 1 to 3 meters, according to CCTV.