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Former Estonian PM: Compared to Ukraine, Estonia 'got off easy'
The pattern of events in Ukraine is similar to those of Estonia around the statue of the Soviet soldier—the so-called “bronze night”—several years before it was dismantled. However, the price that the Estonian community had to pay was relatively low. Former Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip expressed these sentiments to DELFI.
“This tension lasted for years. It has been stoked deliberately for many years and this is a culmination. If we had not solved this problem in 2007, the price that …
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Russia to stop using Iranian airbase
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has announced that Russia has stopped using the Hamedan airbase for the time being, Reuters reported.
Last week, Russian Tu-22M3 and Su-34 bombers took off from the Iranian airbase to carry out airstrikes in Syria, drawing condemnation from Washington and some lawmakers in Tehran. Critics claim the arrangement violates Iran’s constitution which forbids "the establishment of any kind of foreign military base in Iran, even for peaceful purposes".
Hossein Dehghan, …
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Moscow is ready to engage the leaders of Israel and Palestine in direct negotiations
The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him of Moscow’s readiness to hold direct negotiations with the leader of Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report on Al Watan’s online portal.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin informed me that he is ready to meet with Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow to hold direct negotiations,” El-Sisi said. The …
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Iranian Defense Minister: Iran will not purchase S-400 air defense systems from Russia
The Minister of Defense of Iran, Hossein Dehghan, stated that Iran isn’t going to buy Russian S-400 air defense systems, although Moscow offered such weapons to Tehran, Tasnim reported. According to Dehghan, Russia offered S-400s and other air defense systems to Iran but Tehran declined.
The Minister reported that Iran has voluntarily withdrawn a lawsuit against Russia over undelivered S-300 systems.
“However, Iran retains the right to legally reopen the case if the S-300 air defense systems …
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Ukraine may sue Gazprom for up to $50 billion
Ukraine can be awarded approximately 50 billion dollars from the Russian gas company, Gazprom, in the Stockholm arbitration, as was stated during an interview with Andriy Kobolyev, the Chief Executive Officer of Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz, on TV Channel 5, Ukrinform reports.
"In September of this year we will have a final hearing of the case on the gas purchase and sale contract in Stockholm. After that, within six months of the completion of all procedures, we will have a …