Germany

MUNICH, February 17. /TASS/: Russia has so far seen no progress in complying with the decisions of the Normandy Four summit held in Paris, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Monday following the Munich Security Conference.

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) closed on Sunday as attendees didn't share consensus on "Westlessness," the theme of this year's conference.

The debates on "Westlessness," which refers to the loss of common standing of what it means to be part of the West, would likely continue.

In his closing remarks, MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said that there're differences of views among partners from the European Union (EU) and the United States, stressing that "if we don't listen to each other, we would have problems."

Washington, Feb 17 (AFP/PTI) The United States' ambassador to Germany said Sunday that President Donald Trump had threatened to cut off intelligence-sharing with countries that dealt with Chinese tech firm Huawei.

Washington has been pressing allies to ban Huawei, one of the world's largest tech firms, from next-generation 5G mobile data networks, saying it is a security risk.

MUNICH, February 15. /TASS/: Disagreements between Moscow and Ankara over Syria’s Idlib will have no impact on the deliveries of S-400 air defense systems, nor on the two countries’ ties in general, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday after his talks with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

"We cannot change our principled positions and policies due to occasional disagreements with one country or another. We must not allow the problems in Syria to undermine our cooperation and relationship," he said.

MUNICH, February 16. /TASS/: Russia will continue searching for ways to resolve crises in the Middle East, North Africa and the Persian Gulf area in cooperation with partners in different formats, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the Munich Security Conference.

MUNICH, February 16. /TASS/: Talks between Japan and Russia are making a transition to another phase, when parties discuss key issues in a more positive way, Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

MUNICH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Saturday that Riyadh was still committed to back-channel peace talks with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, despite a recent increase in violence in the five-year conflict.

Yemen has been mired in fighting since the Iran-backed Houthi movement ousted the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi from the capital in late 2014.

A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore him. The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and its regional foe, Shi’ite Muslim Iran.

MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia appeared no closer to bridging their differences on Saturday with both sides sticking to their positions and regional facilitator Oman seeing no breakthrough before U.S. elections in November.

Tensions in the Gulf region stepped up after the killing in early January of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by the United States in Iraq. European and Arab states have since scrambled to avert a full-fledged conflict between the two sides.

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Saturday expressed his belief that European countries will make wise choices on Huawei's 5G at their own discretion.

"Huawei's 5G is an old issue," Wang said in the Q&A session after his speech at the ongoing 56th Munich Security Conference which kicked off here on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Many European countries, including Britain and Germany, have adopted a calm, objective and scientific attitude towards the issue, he noted.

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday called for solidarity in fighting the epidemics here at the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"We must be guided by solidarity, not stigma," he reiterated, adding that the greatest enemy is not the virus itself but the stigma "that turns us against each other."

"We must stop stigma and hate," he stressed.