Category: General

Cyprus MFA has expressed its condolences to the people of Iran following the tragic death of the President and the Foreign Minister who lost their lives at a helicopter crash Sunday. ''Deepest condolences to the people of Iran for the loss of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian and members of their delegation following yesterday's tragic helicopter crash'', the MFA posted on X. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Eurasian countries on Monday sent their condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior government officials, who were killed in a helicopter crash in the mountainous East Azerbaijan province. Tehran confirmed on Monday morning that Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials, died in a helicopter crash that took place on Sunday. In a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his country's 'deep shock' on the news regarding the death of Raisi and accompanying officials. 'In the person of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian people lost a prominent statesman who served his country with dedication and loyalty all his life. His cherished memory will forever live in our hearts,' Aliyev said in the letter published by the Azerbaijani presidency. He went on to express that they share the Iranian people's grief and extended their deepest condolences to him, his country, a nd the families and loved ones of those who were killed. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also conveyed his shock over those killed in the crash. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also sent his condolences to Khamenei, saying that Raisi will 'remain in history as a wise leader who devoted his entire life to selfless service to the Iranian people.' 'I will forever retain my warmest memories of meetings and conversations with Mr. President, who was a true friend of Belarus and cared a lot about the development of Belarusian-Iranian cooperation. His name is forever included in the chronicle of relations between our countries,' he said, according to a statement by the Belarusian presidency. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his condolences over Raisi's death in a telegram published by the country's presidential press service Akorda. He described Raisi as an 'outstanding statesman who worked selflessly all his life to serve the interests of the Iranian state, improve the well-being of his people, and maintain stability in the region.' 'In Kazakhstan, Ibrahim Raisi will always be remembered as a responsible leader, an authoritative politician of international level, a person who made a significant contribution to strengthening bilateral cooperation,' he said. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev sent Khamenei a letter conveying his condolences over Raisi's death, his press secretary Sherzod Asadov said on Telegram. He added that the letter particularly notes the late president's contribution to the development of mutually beneficial and long-term partnership between Uzbekistan and Iran. Elsewhere, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan also expressed his condolences and support to Khamenei, the Iranian government and people over the death of Raisi and accompanying officials in a telegram shared by the country's presidency. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan Tajik President Emomali Rahmon also expressed condolences over the death of Raisi, who he des cribed as an 'outstanding statesman,' and conveyed his appreciation of him for his contribution to the development of Tajik-Iranian relations. According to a statement by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and the chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow sent their condolences to the Iranian leadership over Raisi's death. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: The 10th World Water Forum officially opened in Indonesia's tourist resort of Bali on Monday under the theme, Water for Shared Prosperity. Indonesian President Joko Widodo attended the opening ceremony and introduced Prabowo Subianto as his successor on the occasion. Organized by the World Water Council, the largest water-related international event is running from May 18-25 with participants from more than 70 countries, including scholars, civil society organizations and the private sector. Among the global leaders in attendance are Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof and Fiji President Wiliame Katonivere, as well as billionaire technology mogul Elon Musk. The main topics to be focused on by the forum include water conservation, clean water and sanitation, food and energy security, and mitigation of natural disasters. Jokowi in his opening remarks said by 2050, some 500 million small farmers who contribute 80% of the world's food are predicted to be most vulnerable to drought. "By gat hering all of us in Bali today, Indonesia hopes that the world can join hands on an ongoing basis to strengthen the commitment to collaboration in overcoming global challenges related to water," he added. "Let's preserve our water today for shared prosperity tomorrow," he said. World Water Council President Loic Fauchon said water unites people, but the planet earth has been damaged by the people. "And we are here because, aware of this tragedy, we want to repair it and give future generations hope, desire and serenity," he added. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Search and rescue teams detected the smell of fuel oil at one point of interest concerning the helicopter that crashed while carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his delegation, and the region in question was one of the places where the accident was likely to have occurred, the president of the Iranian Red Crescent Society told reporters early Monday. "We are sending search and rescue teams to the place where they say they smell fuel oil. The place where the smell of fuel is detected is the same as one of the places where the accident is likely to have occurred," Pir Hossein Kolivand was quoted as saying by the Iranian Workers' News Agency (ILNA). President Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony for a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on Sunday by helicopter. Iranian state television reported that the accident occurred when Raisi's helicopter made a hard landing while returning from the region. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Malik Rahmeti, the governor o f East Azerbaijan Province, and Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim of Tabriz province were also on board the helicopter. Search and rescue teams are reporting that work continues with difficulty due to adverse weather conditions. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: The Iranian government early Monday morning held an emergency meeting following the announcement of the death of the country's head of the state in a helicopter crash, the state-run news agency reported. 'The Iranian government has held an emergency meeting following the news that the wreckage of a helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi was found in a remote region in Iran's northwest,' the IRNA news agency said. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other top officials were pronounced dead on Monday morning after a nightlong search operation hampered by bad weather. Dozens of emergency rescue teams were dispatched to the mountainous area in northwestern Iran's East Azerbaijan province, where the incident took place on Sunday afternoon. *Writing by Mohammad Sio Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: The Friends of Trkiye Association, based in the capital of Mauritius, organized an exhibition, titled The Effendis of the Indian Ocean, focusing on Ottoman, Trkiye-Mauritius relations. The exhibition was attended by Vice-Prime Minister of Mauritius Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, former Vice President Abdool Raouf Bundhun, Trkiye's Ambassador to Madagascar and accredited representative to Mauritius Ishak Ebrar Cubukcu, Mauritius' Honorary Consul to Trkiye and Founding Honorary President of the Friends of Trkiye Association Ahmet Kemal Oncu, Egypt's Ambassador to Port Louis Abir Alam Eldin, Turkish Airlines' Mauritius Director Ahmet Tursun, academics, and NGO representatives. Also present were the descendants of Mauritian families who, through aid campaigns, sent help to the Ottomans during difficult times, such as the 1911-12 Italo-Turkish War, the 1912-13 Balkan Wars, the 1919 Turkish War of Independence, and the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. At the opening of the program, Abdool Saboor Mahomed Saleh, the pres ident of the Friends of Trkiye Association, stated that the exhibition was organized with the support of Ahmet Kemal Oncu and his wife, Gulbahar Oncu. He said: "Thanks to the personal efforts of the Oncu family, this exhibition allows us to go back in time exactly 111 years and learn about the story of Mauritians who had very strong ties with Ottoman Trkiye in 1913. Many of you present here today are the descendants of those brave men and women who sold their possessions and sacrificed their money to join Trkiye's struggle for freedom and independence." For his part, Mohammad Anwar Husnoo expressed his honor and pleasure in attending the opening of the exhibition. He commended Ahmet Kemal Oncu and his wife Gulbahar for their initiative, noting Ahmet Kemal's longstanding efforts, including bringing a Turkish television crew to produce a documentary about Mauritius. Husnoo highlighted the extensive research undertaken to uncover historical relations between the Ottoman Empire and Mauritius, stating that thes e past memories will serve as a strong foundation for future bilateral relations. Ahmet Kemal Oncu stressed that he spent seven years researching Trkiye-Mauritius relations, uncovering significant historical information. He honored Mauritian heroes who donated to the Ottomans during crises and expressed Turkish gratitude for their ancestors' sacrifices. Oncu decided to visit Mauritius after reading an article about local Muslims needing help. Despite initial concerns, he found a thriving and influential Muslim community. His growing interest in Mauritius led him to discover the deep historical ties between the island and the Ottoman Empire, dating back to the early 1800s. Oncu explained that the decision of the Muslims in Mauritius to open a second mosque in 1850 initiated the process of establishing contact with the Ottomans. "The island's people decided to build a large mosque. They conveyed this request to the British governor. The governor said 'You can't open a mosque at your discretion; you need to bring us a letter from your caliph.' In other words, they needed to get permission from Istanbul. The association members prepared a petition and sent it to the caliph of the time, Abdulmejid. Abdulmejid granted permission for the mosque to be opened and appointed someone from there to the mosque. From then on, sermons on the island began to be delivered in the name of Abdulmejid and Abdulhamid II. On holidays and religious nights, they always hoisted the Turkish flag," he said. Speaking at the program, Trkiye's Ambassador to Madagascar Ishak Ebrar Cubukcu said: "Although our diplomatic relations with Mauritius were established in 1976, 48 years ago, our cultural relations date back to the 19th century. Indeed, this exhibition is a true reflection of our friendship depicted by photographs and historical documents." "I shall confess that our relations with Mauritius excel in many areas. The opening of our Embassy in Antananarivo in April 2010, which is also accredited to Mauritius and the Comores, contribute s to the development of our bilateral relations. Especially our commercial ties are growing further, thanks to the Free Trade Agreement, the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation, and the Agreement on the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments that we signed years ago. We also expect to sign the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Fisheries, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism, and the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement in the near future," he said. Cubukcu highlighted the significant increase in trade volume between the two countries, reaching $89 million in 2023, and expressed belief in the potential for further collaboration and learning opportunities. He also noted the devastating earthquakes in Trkiye on Feb. 6, 2023, which resulted in significant loss of life and infrastructure damage. Despite ongoing challenges, Trkiye demonstrated resilience and national solidarity, particularly in housing construction efforts for the earthquake victims. He extended gratitude to the Mauritian government, its people, and the Friends of Turkey for their support and contributions to earthquake recovery efforts. Cubukcu said that Turkish Airlines' positive impact also reaches out to Madagascar via Mauritius with two frequencies per week plus one cargo, and soon to be three as of July 2024. "Thanks to Turkish Airlines, our volume trade with Madagascar literally doubled to $203 million in 2023. In this regard, we expect Turkish Airlines to increase the momentum it generated in our relations with Madagascar with more and direct frequencies just like it did in the example of Mauritius. The personal efforts of our Regional Manager Mr. Ahmet Tursun and his dynamic team made all this possible. Heartfelt thanks," he added. Source: Anadolu Agency

UNIC ranks #115 worldwide in the 2024 THE Young University Rankings This year's rankings place UNIC 1st and 2nd in Cyprus and Greece in the two important areas of International Outlook and Research Quality The 2024 edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings places the University of Nicosia (UNIC) at #115 worldwide, jointly with the University of Toulouse in France, among institutions 50 years old or younger. It is worth noting that the 2024 ranking includes 673 universities, up from 605 in 2023. UNIC excels in the Young University Rankings, securing top positions in Cyprus and Greece in the areas of assessment. Specifically, UNIC ranks 1st and 2nd in Cyprus and Greece in the two important areas of International Outlook and Research Quality, highlighting the University's strong research portfolio and international recognition. UNIC's consistent placement in the Top 101-150 band in this ranking reflects its sustained global standing. The University was also ranked among the Top 50 1-600 universities in the world by THE World University Rankings for 2024, and #1 in Cyprus and Greece (alongside the University of Cyprus, the University of Crete, and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens). 'The University has demonstrated a consistent upward trajectory in the face of intense international academic competition. Our current ranking reflects the effectiveness of our efforts in enhancing teaching methodologies, conducting impactful research, fostering knowledge exchange, and promoting international collaboration. We are committed to sustaining academic distinction and tackling global issues through our initiatives,' noted Professor Dimitris Drikakis, Vice President of Global Partnerships. The Rector of the University of Nicosia, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, noted: 'The University of Nicosia has firmly established itself among the top universities globally, offering a diverse range of programmes and providing prospective students from Cyprus, the rest of Europe, and beyond wi th excellent opportunities to study either on campus or online. I extend my heartfelt thanks to our teaching, research, and administrative staff, as well as our students and alumni, for their collective efforts in reaching such impressive achievements.' The University of Nicosia would like to congratulate the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus University of Technology for their continued placements in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings. Source: Cyprus News Agency