Iran Thanks Türkiye for Assistance in Opening an Interests Section in Albania

An Albanian policeman in front of the Iranian embassy in Tirana last September. (AFP)
An Albanian policeman in front of the Iranian embassy in Tirana last September. (AFP)
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Iran Thanks Türkiye for Assistance in Opening an Interests Section in Albania

An Albanian policeman in front of the Iranian embassy in Tirana last September. (AFP)
An Albanian policeman in front of the Iranian embassy in Tirana last September. (AFP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian announced that Tehran has agreed to open an interests section through Türkiye in Albania, six months after severing diplomatic relations with Tirana.

During a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Amirabdollahian said the Foreign Ministry would open a section of Iranian interests in Albania, thanking Ankara for its assistance regard.

Last September, the Albanian government expelled the Iranian embassy staff from the country over a major cyberattack that the government blamed on Iran. It is the first known case of a country cutting diplomatic relations over a cyberattack.

Relations between Tehran and Tirana had been strained in recent years after the Balkan country agreed to receive 3,000 members of the People's Mojahedin Organization, the Iranian opposition group in exile, at the request of the US and the UN in 2013.

In July, the Mojahedin postponed the "Free Iran World Summit" global conference in Albania that was dedicated to advocating regime change, due to security threats, upon recommendations by the Albanian government.

Before canceling the conference, the US embassy in Tirana separately warned of a "potential threat" targeting the summit and warned its citizens in Albania to avoid the event and keep a low profile.



Erdogan: Lebanon Has Become New Target of Israeli Policy of ‘Genocide, Occupation, Invasion’

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 29, 2021. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 29, 2021. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS
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Erdogan: Lebanon Has Become New Target of Israeli Policy of ‘Genocide, Occupation, Invasion’

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 29, 2021. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia September 29, 2021. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday condemned Israel's recent attacks in Lebanon as part of what he called an Israeli policy of "genocide, occupation, and invasion", urging the UN Security Council and other bodies to stop Israel.

In a post on X without naming Nasrallah, Erdogan said that Türkiye stood with the Lebanese people and government, offering his condolences for those killed in the Israeli strikes, while saying the Muslim world should show a more "determined" stance.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said on Saturday its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, confirming his death after the Israeli military said it had eliminated him in an airstrike in Beirut the day before.