Archives International politics - Page 33 of 74 - New Eastern Outlook

My conversation with the Acting Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Bishop Constantine (Ostrovsky) of Zaraisk, took place shortly after the decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria to remove him from archpastoral ministry. But we talked mainly about other things: about how the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa live and what problems the clergy face on the ground; the humanitarian charitable projects jointly organized with Maria Lvova-Belova, the Children’s Rights Commissioner…

A joint Saudi-Iranian-Chinese trilateral statement was signed in Beijing on 10 March last year. In the statement, Riyadh and Tehran agreed to resume diplomatic relations and open their official missions. They were suspended in 2016 following attacks on Saudi institutions in Iran during protests against Riyadh’s execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr on terrorism charges. The terms of the agreement also included the unblocking of cooperation in various fields, which was signed 20 years ago. The March agreement came as a surprise, with a number of Middle East experts describing it as “historic”…

Ethiopia is a country that is one of the largest economies in Africa and the second largest in terms of population (1st Nigeria). Ethiopia has recently found itself at the centre of a geopolitical confrontation between the world’s leading powers, the US and China, and regional powers in the Horn of Africa. This confrontation is linked to the struggle for control of the strategic sea route from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Over the past three decades, Ethiopia has been not only one of the closest US allies in Africa, but also the main recipient of American aid on the continent and a pillar…