ROME: A memorandum of understanding on joint scientific research has been signed in Dubai by Maria Chiara Carrozza, president of the Italian National Council for Research, and Abdulla Al-Saleh, the UAE’s undersecretary for the economy.

Emirati Economy Minister Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri attended the signing ceremony.

The MoU aims to support joint scientific research programs in areas that serve the sectors of the future economy, most notably renewable energy, technology, food security, space and modern agricultural technology.

The MoU also aims to promote mutual visits by faculty members and academic bodies from both countries.

Al-Marri said Emirati-Italian relations are based “on solid foundations of friendship and cooperation in various fields.”

The two countries, he added, share many common visions for the future, which is reflected in the numerous partnerships that exist between them in areas of the new economy such as innovation and entrepreneurship.

“Today, we are making new progress through this memorandum, which aims to enhance the contribution of scientific research and modern science to sustainable economic development efforts based on knowledge, innovation and technology,” Al-Marri said.

“This memorandum comes as a continuation of the tireless efforts of the two countries to devote joint cooperation towards future sectors, and by employing scientific research tools, we will work to measure strengths in promising knowledge-based growth opportunities in the two countries’ markets, and provide a forward-looking scientific vision for the future directions of the economic sectors,” he added.

“We look forward during the coming period to achieving the maximum benefit from the outputs of this memorandum and its contribution to developing and diversifying the existing economic partnerships between the UAE and Italy.”

Carrozza said the MoU “will establish a framework for the development of joint programs and projects of mutual interest.”

She added that 8,000 experts from both countries “will be able to exchange their experiences and ideas in several activities that will support the goals of the transition towards a resilient and sustainable economy. We strongly believe in this cooperation.”

DUBAI: UAE President  Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the release of 540 prisoners in the country, ahead of Ramadan, state news agency WAM reported.

The annual move serves as part of President Khalifa’s initiative to give pardoned inmates an opportunity to start a new life and ease the suffering of their families, the report added.

LONDON: Western countries should not overlook Iran’s growing missile capabilities, a former Israeli representative to the UN has warned.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Dore Gold said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, has failed to prevent the country from building a stockpile of ballistic missiles.
As a result, Iran’s missile capacity has grown “both in number and quality, including the range and accuracy of its missile force,” he added.
Gold drew a comparison with the UN’s treatment of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, where resolutions required that ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 km be “removed or destroyed under international supervision.”
That condition has not been applied to Iran, meaning that it “is already altering the balance of power in the region,” he said.

This was demonstrated in the 2020 attack on the US-controlled Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and the activities of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, Gold added.
He noted comments by US Central Command Cmdr. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who said this month that Iran’s 3,000 ballistic missiles have become “the greatest threat to Middle Eastern security.”
Gold argued that rather than moderating Iran’s behavior, the JCPOA has had the opposite effect in licensing Tehran to “rapidly increase the number of Shiite militias” and making the Middle East “far more dangerous.”
He said the removal of Western economic sanctions on Iran “prepared the groundwork for funding militias across the region, especially in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.”
Tehran is using the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as “its chosen instrument for spreading the new militancy,” he added.
Under the JCPOA, Gold said, the IRGC was stripped of its terrorist label — a decision that was “morally and factually wrong” and likely to empower the network “to conduct more attacks,” referencing its rocket strike on the US Consulate in Irbil earlier this month.
“Without some major change in Iranian intentions towards Western states, European countries are not likely to remain merely political rivals,” Gold concluded. “They could soon become the very real targets of Iran’s increasingly robust missile forces.”

CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has held talks with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Cairo.

At a joint press conference, El-Sisi said the talks “dealt with the progress made in various aspects of bilateral relations,” adding that “there are still many opportunities to develop and advance these relations.”

He said: “We agreed to continue the political consultation and coordination that already exists between us, in order to advance bilateral cooperation and coordinate the two countries’ positions on regional issues of common interest.

“We also agreed on the need to raise the rates of trade exchange, which has grown significantly over the past two years despite the pandemic.”

El-Sisi and Kagame witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries after their talks.

El-Sisi said they also discussed issues of security and development in Africa, including the spread of terrorism.

He noted Egypt’s establishment of the Sahel and Sahara Counter-terrorism Centre, and praised Rwanda’s efforts in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa.

El-Sisi reiterated the need for a binding legal agreement on filling and operating Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam within an appropriate timeframe, and in a way that enhances regional security and stability based on international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

He stressed “the importance of joint cooperation between all Nile Basin countries out of concern for common interests, not harming any of the basin countries, and Egypt’s rejection of any unilateral measures.”

DOHA: Turkey and other nations must still talk to Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, Turkey’s presidential spokesman said on Sunday, adding that Kyiv needed more support to defend itself.
NATO member Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine and has sought to mediate in the month-long conflict.
“If everybody burns bridges with Russia then who is going to talk to them at the end of the day,” Ibrahim Kalin told the Doha international forum.
“Ukrainians need to be supported by every means possible so they can defend themselves … but the Russian case must be heard, one way or the other,” so that its grievances could be understood if not justified, Kalin added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the West to give his country tanks, planes and missiles to fend off Russian forces. The West has responded to Russia’s invasion by slapping sweeping economic sanctions on Moscow.
Ankara says Russia’s invasion is unacceptable but opposes the Western sanctions on principle and has not joined them.
Turkey’s economy, already strained by a December currency crisis, relies heavily on Russian energy, trade and tourism, and since the war began on Feb. 24 thousands of Russians have arrived in Turkey, seeing it as a safe haven from the sanctions.
Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, head of Turkey’s investment office, told the forum separately that some Russian companies were relocating operations to Turkey.
Asked on a panel about Turkey doing business with any people which could be of benefit to President Vladimir Putin, he said: “We are not targeting, we are not chasing, we are not pursuing any investment or capital that has a question mark on it.”
Two superyachts linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich have docked in Turkish resorts.
Western governments have targeted Abramovich and several other Russian oligarchs with sanctions as they seek to isolate Putin and his allies over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.