Chinese FM meets former British PM on bilateral ties, Israel-Iran conflict

Chinese Foreign Minster Wang Yi on Monday met with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries in the world, China and Britain must fulfill their international obligations, demonstrate responsibility and commitment, and contribute to global peace and development.

Last year, the leaders of the two countries talked over phone and held talks, steering bilateral relations onto a trajectory of improvement and development, Wang said, noting that China welcomes Britain's commitment to a consistent, long-term China policy grounded in mutual respect.

China stands ready to work with Britain to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, enhance exchanges across sectors, deepen mutual understanding, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-Britain relations, Wang said.

Blair said that attempts to isolate China are doomed to fail as the world needs greater understanding of China, noting that the two sides should strengthen dialogue at government levels and across social sectors, while conducting extensive mutually beneficial cooperation to achieve sustained and sound bilateral development.

On the Israel-Iran conflict, Wang said that differences between countries should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation, noting that Israel's preemptive strike on Iran on the grounds of "potential future threats" and U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency sent a wrong signal to the world by advocating force over dialogue in resolving disputes, and set a dangerous precedent with significant consequences.

All parties to the conflict are urged to take measures to de-escalate tensions and return to negotiations for political settlement to restore peace and stability in the Middle East, Wang added.

Blair said that Britain is deeply concerned about the Israel-Iran conflict and calls for diplomatic engagement through dialogue to swiftly return to negotiations, achieving a prompt recovery to the regional peace, security, and stability.

Chinese FM meets former British PM on bilateral ties, Israel-Iran conflict

Chinese FM meets former British PM on bilateral ties, Israel-Iran conflict

Axis powers during World War II should offer sincere reflection and apology, a Greek mayor said after Greece successfully repatriated a rare collection of 262 World War II-era photographs.

Greek officials traveled to Belgium to negotiate with the seller and brought the photographs back to Greece, after they were put up for sale online by a Belgian collector, said the Greek Culture Ministry.

The images were taken by Wehrmacht lieutenant Hermann Heuer, who served in Greece from 1943 to 1944, during World War II, and part of the collection documents the mass execution of Greek communists by Nazi troops in Kaisariani, east of Athens.

During World War II, German occupation in Greece met with fierce resistance. On May 1, 1944, German forces executed 200 Greeks at the Kaisariani firing range in retaliation for the killing of a German general by resistance fighters.

A memorial and a museum were set up after the war in Kaisariani to commemorate those who died in the mass execution.

"The photos really shocked us all because they were real documents from the day of the execution. We are shocked for many reasons. An important reason is that the 200 communists were singing with their heads held high before the execution in the photos, and they were not mourning because they were fighters," said Ilias Stamelos, mayor of Kaisariani.

The newly recovered photographs have drawn renewed attention to the historical trauma still felt in the community, as the images provide a direct visual record of the final moments of those executed.

In 1987, then German President Richard von Weizsaecker visited Greece and made a special stop in Kaisariani, reflecting on the profound suffering inflicted on the Greek people by Germany during World War II.

Ilias said that, like Germany, Japan, another Axis power during the war, should also be held accountable for the massive harm it caused to multiple countries and should offer sincere reflection and apology for its wartime aggression.

"And I think it's a common demand, because those responsible for the deaths in the World War II need to pay for what happened. It's known to all that back then it was Germany, Japan and Italy, the allies in this war, that each played different roles in the war, yet they do have common responsibilities," said the mayor.

Historic photos of Nazi mass execution of Greeks returned to Greece, mayor calls for historical accountability