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President Bashar al-Assad considered that translating the depth of the political relationship between Syria and Iran into a similar situation in the economic relationship is a necessary issue, and the governments of the two countries must continue to work on it to strengthen it and increase its growth.

During his meeting yesterday with the Iranian Minister of Roads and Cities Building, Mehrdad Bazaarbash, and the accompanying delegation, President al-Assad discussed the new prospects for economic cooperation between Syria and Iran and how to take advantage of the available opportunities to develop relations in various economic fields, whether at the level of investment, trade exchange or in the field of energy.

Minister Badrbash conveyed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s emphasis on supporting bilateral economic relations between Tehran and Damascus, as well as his emphasis on Iran’s utmost efforts to strengthen them for the benefit and benefit of the two peoples.

During the meeting, which was attended by the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Muhammad Samer Al-Khalil, Minister Badrbash referred to a set of economic addresses that the Syrian-Iranian specialized committees will work on in the next stage, especially in the field of investment, energy and electricity.

Yesterday, the Syrian-Iranian Joint Economic Committee concluded its technical discussions, as the minutes of the meetings held between the two parties during the past two days were signed.

In his statements following signing the minutes of the meetings, Badrbash indicated that President al-Assad stressed, during his meeting with the Iranian delegation, the need to develop economic relations between the two countries at a faster pace.

The Iranian minister pointed out that the political relations between the two countries are at their highest levels, but the volume of economic relations is not appropriate for the two countries, indicating that the minutes of the meeting that were signed stipulate what was agreed upon by the specialized committees, where it was emphasized to support the private sector and give it some incentives for the development of Economic relations between the two countries. In the field of energy, electricity and oil, discussions were held with Syrian officials and good agreements were concluded in this field. The minutes also stipulated the development of religious tourism between the two countries, as there will soon be Iranian tourists in Syria, and the same applies to Syrian tourists in Iran. Considering that this requires developing aviation and increasing the number of flights between the two countries.

He continued, “The minutes also touched on the maritime and railway sectors to enhance capacities in these areas, and we also agreed on some cultural issues between libraries and the media, and an agreement will be signed on this matter,” referring to the agreement of the two sides to gradually zero customs duties for goods, and to make investments in The field of oil and gas, details of which will be announced in the future.

In a related context, Badrbash revealed the agreement to establish a joint insurance company and a joint bank in order for funds to be transferred directly and smoothly between the two countries, pointing out that these agreements need a practical and executive program.

The Iranian delegation, which includes representatives of the ministries and concerned authorities in the economy, trade, industry, finance, transport, urban development, agriculture, energy and tourism, in addition to representatives of the private sector, started the day before yesterday a visit to Damascus and held talks with the Syrian side, during which the steps taken were reviewed in terms of what was agreed upon. Within the framework of the previous meetings of the Syrian-Iranian joint committee, and coordination on future steps that would raise bilateral cooperation relations to the required level.

Two moderate earthquakes shake Big Island Hawaii

Date 4/27/23 | Time: 02:30:54 UTC | 19.19 N ; 155.38 W | Depth: 35 km | ML 4.5

Tonight there were 2 moderate earthquakes on Big Island Hawaii, which were clearly felt by the local residents. According to the EMSC, the stronger earthquake had a magnitude of 4.5 and manifested itself near the south-east coast not far from Pahala. The epicenter was localized 10 km east of the town. The hypocenter was at a depth of 35 km, which suggests that the quake is connected to magma rise, which has been happening in this region for a long time. As one study shows, Pahala appears to lie directly over the mantle plume, which supplies fresh melt to the volcanic system.

According to the EMSC, the second quake had a ML 4.2 and was also 35 kilometers deep. However, the EMSC located the epicenter under the western flank of Mauna Loa volcano. According to the HVO, the quake was weaker and had a magnitude of 3.9 at a depth of 26 kilometers. The scientists issued a statement that the quake was not directly related to the region’s volcanism, but was triggered by the island’s ballast and the resulting stress in the ocean plate.

There were other small tremors at shallow depths under Mauna Loa’s eastern flank, as well as other tremors manifested east of the Kilauea caldera. Nearly 120 tremors hit Kilauea yesterday. The ground uplift due to magma inflation remains comparatively high on both volcanoes, which is an indication that the fire mountains are already preparing for the next eruption. It’s hard to predict exactly when that will happen, but especially in the case of Kilauea, I suspect it won’t be too long.

Kilauea and Mauna Loa are active hotspot-type shield volcanoes that are among the most active volcanoes in the world. New studies show that the volcanoes are fed by a mantle plume that supplies melt to a branching conveyor system with multiple magma bodies.

The 15 Departmental Commissions, the highest institutional authority in their respective regions, had previously expressed their support for this candidacy, so all that remained was for the extraordinary council to officially endorse this decision.