🇷🇺🇨🇳 A military band orchestra greets Chinese President Xi Jinping, Sputnik correspondent reports

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#USInvasionofIraq20🇮🇶 The National Museum of Iraq is the main attraction in Baghdad, and Iraq as a whole. It is the largest and oldest museum in the country.

In 2003, during the US invasion of Iraq, the National Museum, one of the largest museums in the world, was looted. In April 2003, unknown bandits plundered the museum.

About 15,000 items were stolen, including 5,000 valuable cylinder seals.

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❗️Statements by Chinese President Xi Jinping after his arrival in Moscow on state visit:

▪️Relations between Russia and China will receive a new impetus after the visit;

▪️China is ready to stand with Russia to protect the UN-centric international system and the world order based on international law;

▪️China and Russia are reliable partners, and the development of bilateral relations contributes significantly to world progress.

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❗️Russia initiates criminal case against ICC prosecutor and judges, Investigative Committee of Russia says

On Friday, the ICC issued "warrants of arrest" against two senior Russian officials, including President Putin, over the purported "unlawful transfer" of Ukrainian children from the conflict zone over the past year.

The arrest warrants issued by the The Hague against Russia's president and children's rights commissioner are null and void and carry no legal weight, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

💬 "We do not recognize this court, we do not recognize the jurisdiction of this court. This is how we treat this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier this week when asked by reporters about the ICC's imminent criminal cases.

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Russia and African countries are equal allies, relations have always been built on a disinterested basis, the head of Russia's State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin said at the Russia-Africa parliamentary conference.

The West, he added, continues the colonial policy. And the Russian lower house speaker stressed that it is certainly not for Washington to "teach" Moscow how to build partnerships and be friends with other countries

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🎬 Putin Addresses Second Russia-Africa International Parliamentary Conference

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes the podium at the Second Russia-Africa International Parliamentary Conference addressing the plenary session: 'Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World'.

Sputnik comes to you live as Moscow hosts the event, which is part of the groundwork for the second Russia-Africa Summit scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg on July 26-29, 2023.

👉 WATCH LIVE on website, or in Telegram!

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Depending on the full execution of the Black Sea "grain deal," the issue of whether to prolong it will be decided, Putin says

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❗️EU agrees €2 billion ammunition plan for Ukraine

❗️Latest statements by Vladimir Putin at the plenary session of the Russian-African parliamentary conference:

▪️ Cooperation between Russia and Africa has reached new levels;

▪️ Africa will be among the frontrunners who shape the world order;

▪️ Russia champions a strategic partnership with African countries and shaping the global agenda;

▪️ Russia has written off over $20 billion of African countries’ debt;

▪️ Russia will continue helping Africa with electricity and expanding energy systems there;

▪️ Moscow will bolster military-technical cooperation with African countries;

▪️ Medical cooperation with Africa will also be stepped up;

▪️ Russia insists that the grain deal be fully implemented; as of now, only 3% of goods go to Africa while the rest goes to developed countries;

▪️ Russia is ready to deliver the agreed upon amount of grain to Africa for free if the grain deal is not extended

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❗️ Putin, Xi begin informal meeting in Kremlin

🇨🇳 Xi Jinping left the Soluxe Hotel Moscow for a meeting with Vladimir Putin in a Chinese 'Rolls Royce' – the Hongqi N701.

The vehicle has been seen in use by the Chinese president repeatedly over the past year, including during a trip to Hong Kong in July. It is reported that just 50 copies of the N701 will be produced for official state duties over the coming decade.

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❗️LIVE NOW: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping hold meeting in Moscow
Join the live stream here or follow this link to Sputnik’s website

🇷🇺 Key statements by Vladimir Putin on meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping:

▪️Putin congratulates Xi on re-election;

▪️Xi Jinping’s work over past decade has been appreciated;

▪️Russia and China have many common goals;

▪️China has made breakthrough in recent years, arousing genuine interest all over world;

▪️Chinese economy is strong, governance more efficient than in other countries;

▪️Russia, China trade has more than doubled, now amounting to $185 billion;

▪️China takes fair, balanced position on most international issues;

▪️Putin was familiarized with China's plan to resolve situation in Ukraine;

▪️Russia always open to negotiations, respects China's plan on situation in Ukraine.

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