Briefly

AZERBAIJAN

Two French diplomats to be expelled: FM

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that two French diplomats had been ordered to leave over actions "incompatible with their diplomatic status". The ministry said in a statement it had summoned French Ambassador Anne Boillon to express "strong protest over the actions of two employees of the French embassy". Without providing further details, it said the two had been declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.

TURKIYE

Key committee OKs Sweden's NATO bid

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee on Tuesday approved Sweden's NATO bid following deliberations, a first step necessary for putting it to a full parliament vote. Fuat Oktay, the committee's chairman, said Sweden has taken steps, especially regarding the financing of terrorism, but added that Turkiye has "not yet seen the expected results in the fight against terrorism". The parliament might debate the bid at the general assembly later this week for the final vote.

CIS

Members back use of national currencies

Members of the Commonwealth of Independence States support the further expansion of the use of national currencies in mutual settlements, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. Russia will continue to promote this work during its presidency of the CIS in 2024, Putin said during an informal meeting of leaders of the CIS countries in Saint Petersburg. Data showed that in the first 10 months of this year, trade turnover among CIS countries increased by 2 percent to $83.7 billion.

Agencies - Xinhua