Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana

At the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana from June 16 to 18, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.

The first China-Central Asia Summit was held in Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi in northwest China, in May 2023. It concluded with the Xi'an Declaration, saying that a mechanism for meetings among the heads of state of China and Central Asian countries has been officially established.

The declaration stated that the summit is held every two years alternately in China on the one side, and in one of the Central Asian countries in alphabetical order on the other side.

Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana

Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana

Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana

Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest