Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who previously expressed his admiration for Türkiye by taking photographs of it from space, celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye on the International Space Station. Sharing a video of the Turkish flag hanging on the station’s window, Artemyev said, “I congratulate Türkiye’s national holiday, Republic Day, on October 29.”
To date, Artemyev has stayed in space for a total of 955 days and performed a 53-hour spacewalk mission.
The US flag has been hoisted once more at the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria, for the first time since its closure in 2012.
US Special Representative for Syria Thomas Barrack made his first official visit to Damascus and personally raised the flag during a ceremony attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan Shaybani. The embassy had suspended operations amid the outbreak of civil conflict following anti-government protests.
No official statement has been issued regarding the resumption of embassy operations.
The move follows a surprise meeting earlier this month between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara in Riyadh, where a decision was made to lift sanctions imposed during the Assad era, signaling a potential shift in Washington-Damascus relations.
TR