Nigeria is considering the possibility of joining BRICS – according to the statement made by the head of Nigerian diplomacy. What are the prospects of this orientation for one of the main forces of the African continent and for the BRICS themselves, in their updated composition? If on the one hand, there are a number of factors that contribute in favor of Nigeria’s candidacy, a number of other points need to be resolved first as well…

For the last few years, Pakistan has shifted its foreign policy from the one based on geopolitics to the one based on geo-economics. A long history of terrorism, political turbulence, and economic instability, caused by Pakistan’s involvement in regional conflicts, were the key drivers behind this shift in the foreign policy outlook of the nation. The decision was announced in Pakistan’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) document in December 2021…

In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times, the deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Pejman Shirmardi, rejected claims that his country’s nuclear program is not fully transparent. “From day one, we have made it clear that our nuclear activities are exclusively peaceful. Every time the IAEA has asked us for clarification, we have given them answers. Nothing has changed. Tell us what part of our nuclear program isn’t transparent, and we will prove that it is. As the leader of the Islamic Revolution once said…

Expanding Chinese influence across three continents through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has perturbed its regional and global rivals, India and the United States. The Western bloc – led by the United States – launched the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) at the G20 summit held in New Delhi on 10^th September 2023. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, the European Union, Italy, the United States, France, and Germany are part of this project and have signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for building this 4800 km long trade route…

In 2023, Afghanistan experienced a limited return to economic growth and infrastructure development after several years of severing most existing ties. During the year, several significant international events occurred in Central Asia, resulting in increased global attention to the region, and a number of projects of Eurasian scale were initiated. At the end of 2023, it appears that there is a long-term interest from Afghanistan in participating in these projects…

In today’s world, tensions in international relations have risen sharply, with the US and its allies doing all they can to maintain their dominance and gain positions in the economy. Neo-colonial exploitation has led to the accumulation of enormous wealth in the West at the expense of developing countries. The world has faced several crises. First a pandemic hit our wallets, then a geopolitical conflict, natural disasters…

Many specialists believe that, as a result of anti-Russian sanctions and US pressure on business, and particularly on the Turkish financial system, starting from January this year Turkish banks have had to stop or freeze bank payments to Russian partners and refuse to service transactions involving Russian legal entities. If this situation persists it will naturally have a negative impact on the overall trade balance between the two countries. But there is always a solution – it is just a matter of price. The development of trade and economic relations between Russia and Turkey is closely dependent on the availability of financial support…

On January 19, 2024 the President of Kazakhstan ended his official visit to Italy. During his visit to Italy Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as well as Italian President Sergio Mattarella. During his meetings with his hosts, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the dynamic development of trade between the two countries, which reached $14.5 billion by the end of 2023. He expressed the hope that the figure would increase to $20 billion in the coming years. If that happens, then Italy will account for about 1/6 of all of Kazakhstan’s foreign trade, compared to its present level…

Do you think 51 years is a long time or a short time? It is, for example, two and a half life cycles of lemurs or three lives of predatory mammalian fossils. I chose these rare animals as an example for a reason. If my readers are familiar with the masterpiece of animated cinema “Madagascar”, they will easily remember that these animals acted in the cartoon as indigenous inhabitants of this mysterious island. Where did I get the number from? It’s simple: that’s how many years have passed since the establishment of Russian-Malagasy diplomatic relations…

On 22 January 2024, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon concluded his state visit to Qatar. On that day, he held talks with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and the Qatari Minister of Trade and Industry, after which Rahmon held talks with representatives of Qatari business. The Tajik President proposed to his Qatari counterparts the establishment of a joint investment fund as a new mechanism to ensure economic partnership between the two countries. Such bilateral funds are active in Central Asia: examples include the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund, the Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan Fund, as well as the investment fund of Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia…

On 13-15 February this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to the Middle East on the formal occasion of attending the regular “World Government Summit”, which is one of the many international forum platforms that have emerged in recent years. Launched in 2015 at the initiative of the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, the World Government Summit is held annually with a different composition of participants in the capital Abu Dhabi. After addressing the forum and holding a number of meetings “on occasion”…

On December 25, 2023, a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council was held in St. Petersburg. As one of the significant successes of the union last year, the meeting participants noted the conclusion of a free trade zone agreement with Iran on the eve of the meeting. Further development of EAEU ties with this country is expected to play an important role in promoting the continental North-South transport routes: they will play an important role in developing the export potential of the union’s member states, since, apart from the Russian Federation…