Geography

Gaza, rivers and snake

by Richard Zimmermann

During the month of December 2025, so, with one year delay, Saudi Arabia also issued a stamp relative to the Solidarity with Gaza set. This new stamp has to be added to the [T20241129] stamp series of the same design that already included Algeria – Djibouti (November 11, 2024) – Jordan (November 28, 2024) – Libya (December 31, 2024) – Morocco – Oman – Qatar (November 28, 2024) – Syria (October 7, 2024) and Tunisia. Details (including exact date of issue) for this additional country are still missing.

Similarly, Sudan released three stamps at the occasion of the Arab Postal day, with the same design as the stamps proposed on August 3, 2025 [T20250803] by seven other countries (Algeria – Egypt – Iraq – Libya (2025) – Oman – Tunisia (August 4, 2025) and the United Arab Emirates). Exact date of issue remains unknown for these three new stamps (difference can be seen only at the level of the denomination).

Regarding the previously reported joint issue between Laos and Thailand [T20251219], the stamps from Laos had not been shown yet. Here is a first illustration showing clearly the twin character. However, it is still not clear if Laos issued a second stamp similar to the second stamp from Thailand.

Egypt and Portugal celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relationships on December 18, 2025 with souvenir sheets containing each a pair of stamps representing the Nile River and the Douro River. Details from the Egyptian souvenir sheet are missing. The Portuguese souvenir sheet, size 95×125 mm has been issued at 20,000 samples only.

We got also some information about a potential joint issue involving Jordan and India for stamps supposed to be issued on December 16, 2025, but so far nothing could be confirmed and no stamps have been seen. Also, we are still looking for the illustration and exact date of issue of the Uruguayan stamp produced jointly with Romania and showing horses. Similarly, there are no news so far, from the Vietnam stamps supposed to be issued in parallel of Cyprus on December 1, 2025. Latest information seems to confirm that the Cyprus stamps could remain unilateral.

Thanks to Kenneth Sequeira, Dubai, and Jaap Sarelse, the Netherlands, for providing a large part of the information described in this page.

Horses, map and traditions

by Richard Zimmermann

On December 5, 2025, Uruguay and Romania issued joint stamps at the occasion of the 90th anniversary of their diplomatic relations establishment. The commonly accepted topic was horse breeding illustrated by two stamps showing the Romanian Lipizzan horse and the South American Criollo horse. The Uruguayan stamps have not been seen so far, but their issue confirmed by an announcement describing a se-tenant pair of stamps printed at 2,500 samples in miniature sheets of 4 pairs (so, only 625 miniature sheets available). At the other end, Romania is still complicated in terms of proposing different sub-types and their limited number of prints. In this country the following items are available: the two stamps, issued in panes of 32, within which the next to last row is printed upside down to allow creating tête-bêche samples (printed 2×5,472 stamps, i.e., 2×171 sheets only – a part was taken to create first day covers), 2 miniature sheets with 3 stamps and one label at the top right position (122×91 mm – printed 2×1,550 miniature sheets), one illustrated souvenir sheet with a pair of non se-tenant stamps (120×164 mm – printed 3,150) and another illustrated souvenir sheet with the non-se-tenant stamps, same size, but imperforate and numbered, available only in a folder produced at 277 (!) samples.

The 40th anniversary of the relationship between Oman and Russia was finally released on December 10, 2025 (after 5 successive announcements of changes of issue dates). The issue initially intended to celebrate the Omani explorer Ahmed bin Majid and the Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin, led finally to a common stamp showing an old map, taken from the manuscript Kharīdat al-ʻAjāʼib wa Farīdat al-Gharāʼib, or ‘The Pearl of Wonders and the Uniqueness of Things Strange’ (written 1419), by Oman scientist Umar ibn Muẓaffar al-Wardī (died 1447). In both countries, the stamps have been released as miniature sheets [3×3], containing 9 stamps for Oman, but with central label for Russia, so, only 8 stamps in the Russian miniature sheet. Oman released another souvenir sheet, showing the two explorers, with a perforation centered over the portrait of the Omani traveler. This item shows a design which could have been used by Russia, simply by shifting the perforations, but this was not translated in a Russian product. The choice of the map as common design, may also explain the delays, probably upon reluctancy of the Russian post to use the Omani proposal (which is not a standard Russian stamp printing form).

On December 11, 2025, Indonesia and Serbia surprisingly issued stamps to celebrate relationship illustrated with typical local houses and a couple dressed in local costume. For both countries, the stamps are issued se-tenant, in miniature sheets of 4 pairs.

The first images of the December 19, 2025, Laos Thailand joint issue have been made available, but details for Laos are still missing. The Thailand stamps were issued in miniature sheets of 5 se-tenant pairs, chessboard ordered.

We are still missing information from Vietnam about the joint issue with Cyprus issued on December 1, 2025. So far we had only access to the FDC cover from Cyprus.

Most of this information was provided by Kenneth Sequeira (Dubai) and Enzo Cafaro (Italy). Thanks to both of them.

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