Connectivity

A large Iranian navy ship caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Oman today according to Iran's news sources. The circumstances of the accident are unclear. 

Washington is against Nord Stream 2, but sanctions against the company are not in the national interest, The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The Georgian prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, was in Yerevan on Wednesday (12 May) for talks with his Armenian counterpart and other officials. It is a tradition that a new Georgian leader, on taking office, visits the two neighbouring countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Garibashvili was in Baku a week before. Armenia and Georgia renewed their commitment to working together to develop bilateral relations in many fields, but there was also considerable emphasis put on regional co-operation.

Assavbayev briefed the Azerbaijani minister on new initiatives being considered, as well as plans on expanding the geography of activities, cooperation with the EU and other issues.

Welcoming the Georgian prime minister at the presidential complex in Baku, President Ilham Aliyev said, "Relations between our peoples are based on a long history, a history of good neighborliness and friendship that has lasted for centuries."

Referring to the 1936 agreement on the Turkish straits, known as the Montreux Convention, president Erdogan said "the Kanal Istanbul project, which has nothing to do with the Montreux Convention, will bring Turkey greater comfort and peace".

A high-level delegation led by the Libyan prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, visited Turkey on Monday (12 April) to participate in the joint high-level Strategic Cooperation Council. The two sides signed several new Memoranda of Understanding and renewed a commitment to the 2019 maritime boundaries agreement between the two countries.