Albanian president tours Petra as cooperation with Jordan strengthens

Albanian President Bajram Begaj (2-L) and first lady, Armanda Begaj (3-L), take a tour of the ancient city of Petra in southern Jordan. (Petra)
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Updated 23 February 2026
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Albanian president tours Petra as cooperation with Jordan strengthens

  • President Bajram Begaj praised Jordan for promoting security and stability in the region

LONDON: Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan and Albanian President Bajram Begaj discussed ways to expand cooperation in the health, education, information technology, and tourism sectors.

Begaj praised Jordan for promoting security and stability in the region during the meeting with Hassan in Amman on Monday. Both parties emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to prevent escalation in the region and to support peace and stability initiatives, according to the Petra news agency.

The president visited the ancient city of Petra on Monday as part of an official visit to Jordan, accompanied by Albania’s first lady, Armanda Begaj. They toured key landmarks in the city, including the siq and the treasury. They also met with Adnan Sawaier, chief commissioner of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, and Yazan Mahadin, commissioner for the Reserve and Tourism.

The visit aims to strengthen Jordanian-Albanian ties and highlight the role of cultural tourism in promoting dialogue and the ancient city’s global tourism status, the Petra news agency added.


Red Cross transfers 8 Palestinians from Israeli detention to Gaza

Updated 23 February 2026
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Red Cross transfers 8 Palestinians from Israeli detention to Gaza

  • They were taken across the Karm Abu Salem border crossing to Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, where they were reunited with their families

LONDON: The International Committee of the Red Cross transferred eight Palestinians from Israeli detention to the Gaza Strip on Monday.

The organization took them across the Karm Abu Salem border crossing to Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah and helped reunite them with their families.

The Red Cross has been unable to visit Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centers since October 2023, as a result of which the fate and location of many detainees from Gaza were unknown, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.

The Red Cross said that according to the principles of international humanitarian law, detainees must be treated humanely, held in proper conditions and allowed to have contact with their families.

Israel is holding about 9,245 Palestinian prisoners in jails, including 358 held without charge or trial under administrative detention, according to Jerusalem-based rights group HaMoked.