Category: Politics

S Jaishankar, the Minister for External Affairs, met with Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in Addu City on Sunday to discuss the special relationship between the two countries. He also conveyed personal greetings and good wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Solih.

He tweeted, “An honour to be received by President @ibusolih of Maldives. Conveyed the personal greeting and good wishes of PM @narendramodi. Discussed the special partnership between our two countries that has produced so many substantive outcomes during his tenure”.

Jaishankar said he was honoured to join President Solih in launching the National College of Police and Law Enforcement (NCPLE), which illustrates India’s strong support for law enforcement.

In another tweet, he said that likewise, the ground-breaking ceremony for Addu roads reinforces their partnership in development. They also signed an agreement regarding Addu reclamation and shore protection. The handover of the coastal radar system will enhance Maldives’ security.

Jaishankar also opened the Drug Detoxification and Rehabilitation Centre reflecting their P2P connection. He further added that the new eco-tourism zone is a statement of their shared environmental commitment and called it a good day for the two nations’ development cooperation.

On Sunday, The EU envoy visited Iran with an aim to bridge gaps in the talks on the nuclear deal. In Tehran, the EU coordinator met Iran’s Foreign Minister and its chief negotiator for a talk to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.

EU diplomat Enrique Mora tweeted ahead of the trip, “Working on closing the remaining gaps in the #ViennaTalk. We must conclude this negotiation. Much is at stake”.

Mr Mora looks after the indirect talks between Iran and the US, visited Tehran on late Saturday and met Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdoolahian on Sunday.

No further details regarding the meeting or earlier discussion between More and Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri were mentioned. Bagheri emphasised that the agreement can be reached if the US’s side is realistic.

Joseph Borrel, EU foreign policy chief, expressed hope for a renewed accord within “days” of Mr Mora’s visit. On the sideline of the Doha Forum in Qatar, Mr Borrell said, “We are very close but there are still some issues pending. I cannot tell you when or how, but it is a matter of days”.

Added to the 2015 deal was a curb on Iran’s nuclear programme that would ensure that it could not develop a nuclear weapon-something Iran has always denied wanting.

On Tuesday evening, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a telephonic conversation with the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi to discuss that the “UK and India should intensify efforts to promote peace and de-escalation in the region”.

Meanwhile Mr Modi “reiterated India’s appeal for cessation of hostilities and the return to dialogue and diplomacy” but did not make any reference to Russia.

The official statement said, “PM emphasized India’s belief in respect for international law and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, as the basis of the contemporary world order”,

However, UK’s PM office claimed that both leaders specifically agreed that “Russia needed to adhere to the UN Charter and agreed that Ukraine’s integrity and territorial sovereignty must be respected”.

Mr Modi did not condemn Putin’s action in Ukraine but updated the UK PM in India’s support for the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The nations also discussed issues of bilateral interests and agreed on the potential of further strengthening the cooperation in different areas including trade, technology, investment, security & defence, and people-to-people relations”.

The talk comes ahead of an expected visit of Mr Johnson to Delhi in April for a bilateral summit that was cancelled twice due to the Covid pandemic.

On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennet and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Nahyan hold talks with Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in Eygpt.

Keeping the Ukraine war in mind, the leaders are likely to discuss the repercussions of the Russian invasion. These meetings were initiated as Israel seeks to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, which were held without prior announcements.

Earlier, Egypt and UAE shared a strong relationship with Russia. However, both nations now had joined a UN General Assembly vote to end the Russian invasion.

Officials from Israel and Eypts have confirmed the development meeting between Bennett and el-Sissi in which a range of regional topics will be discussed- including Iran nuclear talks.

According to the reports, the de facto leader of UAE arrived at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh and met el-Sissi at the airport.

A new regional axis was created while the U.S. was uncertain of its commitment to its key security ally the UAE, Bahrain and Israel formed ties with Israel in 2020 due to shared concerns about Iran.

The Gulf states were excluded from talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a deal that they have criticized for not addressing Iran’s missile program and regional proxy operations, including in Yemen.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Special envoy Prak Sokhonn met Myanmar’s military rulers on a controversial first trip to the crisis-hit country.

On Monday, Sokhonn began his three-day visit by holding talks with armed forces chief Min Aung Hlaing. In February 2021 Hlaing seized power in a coup.

According to the junta’s information team, the two men discussed “the situation of protests and violence stemming from political disagreement” along with humanitarian cooperation. ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi was also present at the meeting with the military’s foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin. 

Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was removed by the military last year, triggering mass protests, nationwide strikes, and conflict with ethnic armies and rural groups. ASEAN has led diplomatic efforts to stop the chaos unleashed by last year’s coup.

Prak Sokhonn’s visit coincides with frustration in ASEAN over Min Aung Hlaing’s failure to honour the five-point “consensus” that ended hostilities and started a peace process, which he agreed to last year at an ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Hun Sen, Cambodia’s strongman leader who has ruled the country for more than three decades, is hoping that the unprecedented decision by ASEAN to bar the generals from its summits will reignite dialogue.

On Friday, Syria’s President Bashar Assad visited the United Arab Emirates, marking his first visit to an Arab country since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011.

An official statement was posted on social media page that said that Assad met the ruler of Dubai, and Vice President and prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the UAE. The statement said that they discussed bilateral relations between the nations.

After the conflict broke out in 2011, Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League and boycotted by its neighbours. Assad was blamed by Arab and West for the deadly crackdown on the 2011 protest that evolved into a civil war.

The leader has recovered control of most of the country, thanks to military assistance from his two allies-Russia and Iran; Arab countries have begun to restore ties with the Syrian leader in recent years after the war fell to a stalemate.

A major Arab overture to the Assad government was made by the UAE in late 2018 through the reopening of its embassy in Syria, but relations remained chilly.

Assad’s visit to the Arab world sends its strongest signal yet that it is willing to reengage with Syria’s once widely shunned president.

On Tuesday, Tunisian President Kais Saied met Italian defence minister Lorenzo Guerini. During the 23rd session of the Tunisian-Italian Military Commission, the two countries discussed the military cooperation at Carthage Palace.

The talks between Tunisian Defence Minister Imed Memmich and Italian Ambassador Lorenzo Fanara followed military discussions in which the latter said Rome is willing to help Tunisia in developing its military capabilities.

Some major topics like migration and regional, international issues of common interest were also discussed in the meeting. Saied reaffirmed Tunisia’s keenness to enhance ties with Italy, which have been demonstrated through cooperation against COVID-19 and at various other governmental levels.

Italy reiterated its willingness to continue assisting Tunisia in implementing social projects, mentioning, in particular, the Center for professional training in scuba diving and underwater activities in Zarzis, Governorate of Medenine, and the two development projects in Rjim Maatoug and El Mohdeth in the delegation of El Faouar, Governorate of Kebili.

A senior military official from each country attended the meeting.

Guerini praised the solidity of bilateral relations, saying Rome is prepared to support Tunisia at the regional and European levels, as well as promote its causes with international organizations and donors.

On Wednesday, the need to work together to stabilise the global energy markets was stressed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in talk with the United Arab Emirate’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Ahead of the meeting, Johnson said, “The world must wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons and strive Putin’s addiction to oil and gas. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are key international partners in that effort”.

As part of his Gulf visit, Johnson met the prince on his first stop in an effort to secure more oil supplies and put more pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.

Like much of the West, Britain faces spiralling energy prices, and Johnson wants to encourage producers to increase output and secure others to try to help consumers and reduce reliance on Russian exports. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have strained relations with Washington, have resisted U.S. pleas for more oil production to tame soaring crude prices and avert a global recession.

UAE and Saudi Arabia are among few OPEC oil exporters with spare oil capacity to raise output and potentially offset supply losses from Russia.

As part of an initiative aimed at supporting the United Nations-led peace process, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is considering inviting the Houthi movement and other Yemeni parties to Riyadh for consultations this month.

Two gulf officials confirmed that the formal invitation will be sent within the next few days for the talks on military, political, and economic aspects of the war between the Iran-aligned Houthis and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, the conflict will enter its eight-year. In return for an invitation to the talks, GCC Secretary-General Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf will offer security guarantees at the body’s Riyadh headquarters if Houthi officials accept the invitation. The talks will take place from March 29-April 7.

However, according to the Houthi official, the group might not agree to travel to Saudi Arabia, which backs the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Hadi was ousted from the capital, Sanna, by the movement in late 2014. Houthis claim to fight against a corrupt system and foreign aggression.

Head of the movement’s supreme revolutionary committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi posted on Twitter, “Riyadh is a party in the war, not a mediator”.

Efforts are being made by the US and UK to coordinate the implementation of their respective Indo-Pacific strategies by focusing on enhancing their ties with India.

This week, officials from both governments held high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific in which they resolved to broaden and deepen their alignment and cooperation. During the meeting, which is one of many being held amid the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, preparations were also discussed for responding to the “challenge of the systemic competition with China.”

The consultations released a joint statement on Friday which stated, “In the coming months, the US and the UK will work together to invest in partnerships with the Pacific Islands; to support the centrality of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and to advance concrete cooperation with ASEAN and its member states, and to enhance ties with India”.

On Monday and Tuesday, the US delegation talks were led by Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell and included representatives from the Department of State, National Security Council and Department of Defence.

Deputy National Security Advisor David Quarrey led the UK delegation which included representatives from all over the British government.