Syria. Russian and Turkish military training

1 Syria

The deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria, Rear-Admiral Alexander Grinkevich, announced that on Tuesday the Russian and Turkish military held a second joint training session. «During the training, the issues of the coordination of actions of the scout and strike UAVs, as well as the issues of the engaging of the targets, found on the joint patrol route, were worked out» — he explained. The first joint training of the Russian military police and the Turkish troops took place on Monday.

2 Russia — Syria
Gennady Gatilov, The Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Office and other international organizations in Geneva, told to the ‘TASS’ news agency that on 3rd of September the UN Secretary General’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, will hold talks in Moscow with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The diplomat reminded that at the end of August an in-person meeting of the drafting group of the Syrian Constitutional Committee was held with the participation of the delegations from the Syrian government and the opposition, which took place in the UN HQ in Geneva. “In our assessment, the negotiation round was generally positive and constructive” — Gatilov said and added that after the meeting of the drafting group of the constitutional committee — some progress took place. However, the movement towards the future structure of Syria has only started.

3 Lebanon

Protests took place in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The ‘TASS’ news agency reported that the riot police used tear gas against the activists in the downtown Beirut. The protesters tried to reach the parliamentary palace at Place Etoile. There were casualties on both sides during the clashes — the wounded were taken by the Lebanese Red Cross vehicles. Earlier, the protesters peacefully gathered at the Place de Martír to demand early parliamentary elections and the democratization of the Lebanese system of the confessional governance. The protesters expressed their opposition to the appointment of Mustafa Adeeb as the prime minister, who was tasked by the president, Michel Aoun, to form a new government on Monday. The police clashed with the demonstrators on Tuesday in the ‘Ras al Nabaa’ district, near the residence of the French ambassador. The police used batons to move the activists out from the road.

4 India — Pakistan

The newspaper ‘Pioneer’ reported that the Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire and fired at the Indian positions in the Keri sector, on the line of control that serves as the border line between the two countries. It was reported that during the shelling, an Indian army officer was mortally wounded and later died in hospital. It was the 2nd shelling of the Indian territory in Kashmir by the Pakistani troops over the past 4 days. Earlier on 30th of August 1 Indian serviceman was killed during a shelling.

5 Bulgaria

A massive protest action, «the great people’s uprising», took place in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. The protest actions took place on the first day of the work of the Bulgarian parliament, after the summer holidays. The TASS news agency reported that the protesters pelted the police, placed around the parliament building, with various objects. There were 3 casualties reported, including 2 policemen. A random young man was also injured — a bottle thrown at the police hit him. An ambulance took him away. The police used tear gas and started to arrest people. It was noted that several thousand people gathered for the protest. For the 56th day they demand the resignation of the government, headed by the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and the chief prosecutor, Ivan Geshev. It was reported that a nightly police blockade was placed around the new parliament building. The building was once a party house, now it is being used by the MPs to gather for the first time after the extensive renovation. It was underlined that the President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, and the Vice-President, Iliyana Yotova, freely passed through the protesters — they were greeted with cheers.