Europe

15 Jan 2022; MEMO: Greece has received a strike from the US after freezing the excavation works of US-owned ExxonMobil and French company Total off the island of Crete in the East Mediterranean, CNN Turk reported on Friday.

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/: Russia knows how to ensure its security and is not going to endlessly wait for some changes and West’s promises, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at a press conference on Friday.

According to the top diplomat, NATO is trying to dictate its will to everyone. "We know and are able to safeguard our security in any case, and I can assure you that we are not going to endlessly wait for some changes and promises," Lavrov said.

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/: Preparations for the Russia-China summit which will take place in Beijing on February 4, on the opening day of the Winter Olympics, are at full speed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on the results of Russia’s diplomatic activities in 2021 on Friday.

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/: Dmitry Sotnikov’s crew from Russia’s Kamaz-Master Team won the 2022 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in the trucks category after winning Stage 12, the final round of the legendary rally race, on Friday.

The 44th Dakar Rally was held across the territory of Saudi Arabia between January 2 and 14, 2022 and consisted of 12 stages.

Defending Champion Sotnikov and his crew of Ruslan Akhmadeyev and Ilgiz Akhmetzyanov clocked the 164-kilometer stretch of the final stage in 1 hour 42 minutes and 41 seconds.

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/: A future Russian-Japanese peace treaty must reflect the outlook for cooperation, and not be confined to one phrase about the termination of the state of war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday while speaking at a news conference devoted to Russian diplomacy in 2021.

"We are certain that a peace treaty, since it is to be signed not in 1945, but in the 21st century, cannot be confined to just one phrase: ‘The war is over.’ It should demonstrate in reality the diversity of today’s relations and open up new prospects," he said.

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Boris Gryzlov as new Russian Ambassador to Belarus, according to the presidential order, published at the official legal information website Friday.

"Appoint Gryzlov Boris Vyacheslavovich as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus," the document says.

Another presidential order relieves Yevgeny Lukyanov of his duty as the ambassador, which he occupied since March 2021.

BRUSSELS, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Poorer nations last month rejected more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed by the global programme COVAX, mainly because of a rapidly approaching expiry date, a UNICEF official said on Thursday.

The big figure shows the difficulties of vaccinating the world's population, despite growing supplies of shots, with COVAX getting closer to delivering 1 billion doses to nearly 150 countries.

LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised for attending a "bring your own booze" gathering at his official residence during Britain's first coronavirus lockdown, and an internal inquiry is being carried out to establish the facts.

British media have reported that at least 11 gatherings took place at Johnson's 10 Downing Street residence or in other government departments between May 2020 and April 2021, when COVID-19 rules limited how many people could meet socially.

MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday spoke highly of the "unique architecture of Russia-China ties" and Russia's and China's joint efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation and solve international problems.

The annual summits of the national leaders, meetings of the heads of government, and sessions of various commissions at the level of deputy prime minister (premier) "have proved to be very efficient," Lavrov said during his press conference summarizing Russian diplomacy in 2021.

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has tested positive for COVID-19, her press secretary said on Friday.

Andersson's press secretary told local media that she is fine under the circumstances and will carry out her duties from home.

Following a debate session in the parliament earlier this week which the prime minister also attended, two other party leaders announced that they were infected.

Earlier this month, the Royal Court confirmed that King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden had tested positive for COVID-19.