Egypt, Tajikistan Agree to Boost Cooperation, Combat Terrorism

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Tajikistan Agree to Boost Cooperation, Combat Terrorism

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon (Egyptian Presidency)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon agreed to enhance security cooperation, especially in fighting terrorism.

This came during their meeting at the al-Ittihadiya Palace on Thursday.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed cooperation in training and technical support programs that Egypt provides to Tajik cadres.

Sisi stressed Egypt's interest in developing bilateral relations and exchanging experience with Tajikistan in various fields to achieve the common interest of both countries, and the Tajik President expressed his appreciation for the warm reception and hospitality.

He stressed his country's pride in the distinguished bilateral relations with Egypt and Tajikistan's interest in benefiting from the mega-national projects and the pioneering development experience that Egypt is witnessing, which enhances its position as a pillar of security and stability at the regional level.

Egyptian Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said the presidents discussed recent regional and international developments, especially in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

They addressed ways to enhance cooperation and coordination in security and intelligence and the exchange of information and expertise, especially concerning combating terrorism, extremist ideology, and organized crime.

After the talks, the Tajik President invited Sisi to visit his country, which the latter welcomed.

The two presidents witnessed the signing ceremony of several memoranda of understanding (MoU) and cooperation agreements between the two countries in agriculture, youth and sports, and higher education.

The Governorate of South Sinai and the Khatlon region in Tajikistan signed an agreement of friendship and cooperation, and the National Library and Archives and the National Library of Tajikistan signed an MoU.

During a joint press conference, Sisi announced that he agreed with Rahmon to step up coordination in security and concerning sharing information and expertise between the two countries to combat terrorism and organized crime as a global menace that threatens most world countries.

"We have also agreed to examine the possibility of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of irrigation development and concerning making greater use of water resources, hydropower, mining, agriculture, tourism, health, and pharmaceutical manufacturing," said the President.

Sisi expressed his appreciation for the commitment of the Tajik President to cultivate closer bilateral cooperation between the two countries across an array of fields.

"I would also like to confirm that we value the profound relations between Egypt and Tajikistan, which have been growing over the past years, and underscore the importance of working toward activating the ongoing frameworks of cooperation to be commensurate with the two countries' capabilities and potential, to achieve the interests of the two peoples."

The Egyptian leader announced that they discussed ways to promote consultation between the two countries' foreign ministries and agreed to follow up on implementing the positive results of the second session of the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, which was held in Cairo in November 2019.

They also discussed Egypt's hosting and presidency of the 27th session of the UN Climate Change Conference in November 2022 (UNFCCC COP 27).

"We stressed our keenness to mobilize the efforts of the international community to make it a success to make a real breakthrough in global climate action," said Sisi.

The Tajik President said the agreements signed would provide a basis for boosting relations between the two countries in all fields.

He indicated that the meeting addressed important issues of bilateral and multilateral relations between Egypt and Tajikistan.



Italy Arrests 7 Accused of Raising Millions for Hamas

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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Italy Arrests 7 Accused of Raising Millions for Hamas

Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
Palestinian Hamas members secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Italian police said Saturday that they have arrested seven people suspected of raising millions of euros for Palestinian group Hamas.

Police also issued international arrests for two others outside the country, said AFP.

Three associations, officially supporting Palestinian civilians but allegedly serving as a front for funding Hamas, are implicated in the investigation, said a police statement.

The nine individuals are accused of having financed approximately seven million euros ($8 million) to "associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled, or linked to Hamas."

While the official objective of the three associations was to collect donations "for humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian people," more than 71 percent was earmarked for the direct financing of Hamas" or entities affiliated with the movement, according to police.

Some of the money went to "family members implicated in terrorist attacks," the statement said.

Among those arrested was Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, according to media reports.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi posted on X that the operation "lifted the veil on behavior and activities which, pretending to be initiatives in favor of the Palestinian population, concealed support for and participation in terrorist organizations."


Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash

The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
The Libyan national flag flies at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

Türkiye held a military funeral ceremony Saturday morning for five Libyan officers, including western Libya’s military chief, who died in a plane crash earlier this week.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, Türkiye’s capital, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

Saturday's ceremony was held at 8:00 a.m. local time at the Murted Airfield base, near Ankara, and attended by the Turkish military chief and the defense minister. The five caskets, each wrapped in a Libyan national flag, were then loaded onto a plane to be returned to their home country.

Türkiye’s military chief, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, was also on the plane headed to Libya, state-run news agency TRT reported.

The bodies recovered from the crash site were kept at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute for identification. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc told reporters their DNA was compared to family members who joined a 22-person delegation that arrived from Libya after the crash.

Tunc also said Germany was asked to help examine the jet's black boxes as an impartial third party.


Syrian Foreign Ministry: Talks with SDF Have Not Yielded Tangible Results

SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
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Syrian Foreign Ministry: Talks with SDF Have Not Yielded Tangible Results

SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)
SDF fighters are seen at a military parade in Qamishli. (Reuters file)

A source from the Syrian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the talks with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over their integration into state institutions “have not yielded tangible results.”

Discussions about merging the northeastern institutions into the state remain “hypothetical statements without execution,” it told Syria’s state news agency SANA.

Repeated assertions over Syria’s unity are being contradicted by the reality on the ground in the northeast, where the Kurds hold sway and where administrative, security and military institutions continue to be run separately from the state, it added.

The situation “consolidates the division” instead of addressing it, it warned.

It noted that despite the SDF’s continued highlighting of its dialogue with the Syrian state, these discussions have not led to tangible results.

It seems that the SDF is using this approach to absorb the political pressure on it, said the source. The truth is that there is little actual will to move from discussion to application of the March 10 agreement.

This raises doubts over the SDF’s commitment to the deal, it stressed.

Talk about rapprochement between the state and SDF remains meaningless if the agreement is not implemented on the ground within a specific timeframe, the source remarked.

Furthermore, the continued deployment of armed formations on the ground that are not affiliated with the Syrian army are evidence that progress is not being made.

The persistence of the situation undermines Syria’s sovereignty and hampers efforts to restore stability, it warned.