Latest news with #military cooperation
NHK
a day ago
- Business
- NHK
US, Philippines reach trade deal with 19% tariff on Philippine exports
The United States and the Philippines reached a trade deal after their leaders met in Washington on Tuesday. It includes major concessions by Manila. US President Donald Trump shared details of the agreement on social media. He said the Philippines will open its market to the US and impose no tariffs. Meanwhile, there will be a 19 percent tariff on Philippine exports to America. Trump also said they will work together militarily. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters he had to make concessions. These include scrapping tariffs on US automobiles and increasing imports of soy, wheat and pharmaceutical products from the country. President Marcos said they tried very hard to see what they could do. He added, "That's part of the new regime that we will be following in terms of trade with the United States." But Marcos also emphasized that he managed to confirm cooperation on security with Washington. The Philippines has been locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea. "Our strongest, closest, most reliable ally has always been the United States," he said during the meeting. The US State Department later announced at least 60 million dollars in foreign assistance funding to support energy, maritime, and economic growth programs in the Philippines.
LBCI
3 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Russian and Iranian Defense Ministers discuss boosting cooperation
Russia's defense minister Andrey Belousov and his Iranian counterpart Aziz Nasirzadeh discussed strengthening military cooperation during a meeting in Moscow on Monday, according to Russia's state-run RIA news agency. The meeting took place a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Their discussions focused on the situation in the Middle East and issues related to Iran's nuclear program. A strategic partnership agreement binds Russia and Iran. Moscow has condemned Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites that took place in June. Reuters
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Russian, Iranian defense ministers discuss strengthening military cooperation, RIA reports
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his Iranian counterpart Aziz Nasirzadeh discussed strengthening military cooperation at a meeting in Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA reported on Monday, citing the Iranian ambassador. The meeting followed talks on Sunday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on the situation in the Middle East and issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program. Russia has a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, and condemned the Israeli and US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in June.
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
El Sisi meets Centcom chief in Cairo and reaffirms strong US-Egypt ties
US Central Command (Centcom) chief Gen Michael Kurilla met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Cairo on Sunday, with both reaffirming the strategic partnership between their countries despite recent strained relations. A statement from the Egyptian presidency underscored the 'strategic depth' of US-Egyptian relations and highlighted that President Donald Trump's attitude towards Cairo was well-intentioned. Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral military and security co-operation, and addressing regional challenges, including efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and to allow sustained humanitarian aid to the enclave, the presidency said. The meeting, attended by Egypt's Defence Minister Abdel Meguid Saqr and US ambassador Herro Mustafa, also touched on broader regional issues, with Mr El Sisi discussing Egypt's water security and developments in the Horn of Africa. The high-level visit comes after months of uncertainty over US-Egypt relations, exacerbated by disagreements over Israel's war on Gaza. Mr Trump's controversial demand for Egypt to resettle Palestinians from Gaza in its Sinai Peninsula was met with a firm rejection from Cairo, which called the proposal a threat to national security and the Palestinian cause. The US President then ruffled feathers again in April with a demand that American vessels should transit the Suez Canal free of charge. Pro-government Egyptian media dismissed the idea as 'preposterous' and it fuelled speculation over Cairo's growing frustration with Washington's policies. At the same time, Egypt has deepened its ties with other global powers, particularly China, with which it conducted a joint military exhibition at the Giza pyramids in April and May. Cairo also purchased a number of Chinese military hardware. Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang visited Cairo this month to expand economic and military co-operation, including infrastructure investment and joint military drills. He met government officials, including Mr El Sisi, and business leaders. Egypt's involvement in the Brics bloc and growing reliance on Chinese and Russian arms have signalled a broader shift in its foreign policy. Despite the apparent political discord, US-Egypt economic ties remain significant. In May, the US-Egypt Policy Leaders' Forum highlighted Cairo's efforts to attract American investment, including a proposed US industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. US companies have invested more than $47 billion in Egypt in the past 20 years and the two sides continue to prioritise trade and investment, even as political tension persists. Gen Kurilla's visit may also indicate Washington's intent to preserve its $1.3 billion annual military aid package to Egypt, a cornerstone of their relationship since the 1970s. Following the perceived row, questions were raised over the continuation of the military aid package, especially in light of larger funding cuts introduced by Mr Trump's administration since he came to power again in January. His predecessor Joe Biden had halted 10 per cent of the annual aid package to Cairo over Egypt's failure to comply with human rights standards set by the aid agreement. The aid was restored the following year.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kim renews North Korea's support for Russia over Ukraine, state media reports
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has reassured Russia of 'unconditional support' from Pyongyang to Moscow in its every effort to resolve the war in Ukraine, its state media reported on Sunday. Mr Kim's continued diplomatic help from North Korea came as he met with Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who was on a three-day visit to North Korea and described the two countries' relations as 'an invincible fighting brotherhood'. The two leaders met in North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Saturday, where both countries held their high-level strategic dialogue, for the second time this year, pledging mutual cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang under a partnership treaty signed last year. Russian media said Mr Lavrov also thanked the North Korean leader for the troops deployed to Russia. The Russian foreign minister also passed on a message from Putin to Mr Kim, hoping for more direct contacts in future, reported Tass news agency. Russia and North Korea have also signed a mutual defence treaty, which obliges them to immediately provide military assistance using 'all means' if either is attacked – marking the strongest military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. "Kim Jong Un reaffirmed that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis," KCNA said, using the acronym for North Korea's formal name. Mr Kim told the Russian foreign minister that the steps taken by the allies in response to radically evolving global geopolitics will contribute greatly to securing peace and security around the world, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported. Mr Lavrov also met his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan on Saturday where the two signed a joint statement offering support to safeguard each other's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Alienated on the world stage and facing crunching financial sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has extended its diplomatic ties with the hermit kingdom North Korea and sought military assistance in soldiers and ammunition. The ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have soared to their historic best during the last two years, with North Korea deploying more than 10,000 of its troops and arms to Russia to help with Vladimir Putin's invasion of its smaller neighbour. This comes as on Sunday, South Korean defence ministry's intelligence arm reported to the parliament that North continued to supply artillery ammunition to Russia and has so far shipped about 12 million rounds. In another display of their growing bilateral ties, North Korea last month agreed to dispatch 6,000 military engineers and builders for reconstruction in Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine launched an audacious cross-border incursion in August.
