Briefly

IRAN

Albania's decision to cut ties condemned

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the Albanian government's move to cut diplomatic ties with Iran, saying it has been made under the influence of "third parties". Albania's decision based on "unfounded allegations" to sever political ties with Iran was a "miscalculated and shortsighted move" in international relations, the ministry said in a statement on its website. On Wednesday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the decision to terminate diplomatic ties with Iran after authorities found that Iran was behind the July 15 cyberattack on Albania's government websites.

SERBIA

Plan to boost relations with Turkiye agreed

Serbia and Turkiye plan to enhance their economic cooperation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed at their meeting on Wednesday. On a two-day visit to Serbia, Erdogan and his host also signed a protocol on passport-free travel for nationals of both countries, and agreements on investment protection, forest fire risk management, and on supporting innovation in advanced technologies. At a news conference, Vucic said he had asked Erdogan for Turkiye's help in supplying electricity to Serbia during the winter. Erdogan said he expected the new passport-free protocol to give tourism a further boost.

KOREAN PENINSULA

ROK proposes talks with DPRK on reunions

The Republic of Korea on Thursday proposed talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. ROK Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said in a statement that the ROK government publicly offers to hold talks with the DPRK to discuss the issue of separated families. Kwon said the ROK government hopes for responsible officials from the two sides to meet in person as soon as possible for a candid discussion on humanitarian matters, including the issue of separated families.

UNITED STATES

New York returns antiquities to Egypt

Authorities in New York announced on Wednesday the return of 16 antiquities to Egypt, including five works that were seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of a probe into international art trafficking. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the 16 works were worth more than $16 million. He spoke a day after announcing a similar return of 58 artworks to Italy.

Xinhua - Agencies