Category: Politics

On Wednesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on a two day-trip for the first time after a decade. The meeting will address potential areas of cooperation and explore ways to deepen bilateral relations.

Turkey and Israel will seek ways to mend once close relations and overcome years of strained ties and discuss steps to improve cooperation. Trade links between the countries remained high throughout the years of tension and even reached a record level last year despite the tension.

The two leaders are expected to review all aspects of Turkish-Israeli relations and discuss ways to enhance cooperation, notably in energy, trade, and security. Both presidents will discuss recent international and regional developments, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where both nations have intensified diplomatic efforts to mediate and end the conflict.

According to official data, trade between Turkey and Israel reached a record $8.4 billion last year, up from $6.2 billion in 2020. Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reports that exports to Israel increased 35% over the previous year to $6.4 billion, an all-time high. Imports jumped nearly 37% to $2.1 billion.

On Tuesday, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Riyadh on an official visit.

He was welcomed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the King Khalid International Airport.

King Salman later hosted the president at the Al-Yamamah Palace where a luncheon was held in his honor. The King praised bilateral relations and Egypt’s pivotal role in maintaining security and stability in the Arab world along with its unremitting efforts to support Arab Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia.

The bilateral relations, regional and international developments were also discussed between Prince Mohamed and El-Sisi during the meeting post in which Prince took the president on a tour of Driryah’s historic At-Turaif district.

According to the Saudi ambassador to Egypt, Osama Nugali, the visit occurred within the context of continued consultations and the growing relationship between the two countries. The Egyptian spokesman Bassam Rady, the meeting between the president and the king included delegations from both nations in their talks.

A large number of agreements, memorandum of understanding, and protocols between the nation will provide with strategic dimension to the historic and religious, and Arab dimensions.

Meanwhile, the depth and strength of these nations have translated into frequent visits and uninterrupted contact among the officials.

Towards strengthening regional trade and connectivity, India, Bangladesh, and Nepal signed an enabling Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday to implement the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA).

The connectivity faced hindrance in 2017 when Bhutan temporarily opted out of it as it could not get parliament’s approval for the MVA. Meanwhile, the other three nations decided to move ahead with the agreement. On March 7-8, the implementation of BBIN MVA was finalized in the meeting held at New Delhi which enabled MoU to be signed by India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

In a statement, the ministry said, “Recalling the commitments made at the highest level for implementation of the BBN MVA, the delegations expressed their desire to sign the MoU at the earliest to give momentum to the implementation”.

When the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) failed to agree on a regional MVA at a summit in Nepal, the BBIN connectivity project was conceived in 2014. This connectivity was formed mainly due to the opposition from Pakistan.

The nations are emphasizing the need for speedy operation of the MVA to “enable seamless movement between them for a facilitating trade and people-to-people contact”.

The parliaments of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar will become full members of the Mediterranean Parliamentary Meeting, a worldwide debate board made up of representatives from the Euro-Mediterranean region’s national legislatures.

At PAM’s sixteenth plenary session on March 9-10, the admission of the UAE’s Federal National Council and Qatar’s Shoura Council will be finalized. PAM supports the efforts of many international organizations tasked with promoting security, stability, and peace in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Hosted by the FNC, the event will be probably held in Dubai under the presidency of Italian MP Gennaro Migliore. Before traveling from Rome to Dubai, Migliore said, “Our vision is that peace, dialogue, and cooperation in our Mediterranean region isn’t divisible. And the Gulf region isn’t far away from us”.

PAM will meet for the first time in the Arabian Peninsula since its inception in 2005 when it was granted observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.

Migliore added that the role of parliament is considered as very crucial every day for Mediterranean stability and cooperation as they can help to overcome issues and points of friction paralyzing the government in conflict or by limiting their scope of action.

Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi appointed a new Prime Minister for the nation along with several other ministers as part of a cabinet reshuffle.

On Wednesday, Nyusi had fired six ministers which included four holding the key portfolios of Finance, Mineral Resources, Industry, and Public Works without prior notice or a reason. It is considered a major cabinet reshuffle.

On Thursday, Adriano Afonso Maleiane was named as the replacement for Carlos Agostinho do Rosario who was the prime minister since 2015. The statement from the presidency also named Ernesto Max Tonela as the minister of economy and finance Charlos Zacairas as mineral resources and energy minister. Zacarias is currently the chairman of the National Petroleum Instituto (INP) who is responsible for licensing oil and gas projects.

This reshuffle appears to have been designed to limit the political damage resulting from the ongoing trial of 19 high-ranking officials over a $2 billion corruption scandal that has knocked the country’s economy into a deep recession.

Armando Guebuza, former president of the republic, charged former defense minister Filipe Nyusi with incurring a $2 billion debt, hiding responsibility from parliament, and buying ships that were largely docked when they were purchased

On Thursday, India’s Prime Minister will participate in a virtual meeting of the Quad leaders along with the US President and Japan, and Australia’s Prime Minister. On March 3, Mr. Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Scott Morrison, and Fumio Kishida will be attending the virtual meet.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the leaders are scheduled to exchange views regarding the Indo-Pacific. It said, “The leaders will have an opportunity to continue their dialogue after the September 2021 Summit in Washington DC. They will exchange views and assessments about an important development in the Indo-Pacific”. Last year in September, the quad leaders held an in-person summit in Washington.

The MEA further added that the Quad leader will be reviewing the ongoing efforts on implementing the leader’s initiatives announced as part of the Quad’s contemporary and positive agenda.

The meeting was called at the request of a party that wasn’t immediately clear. There had been no indication of this from any of the Quad countries.

Only India is among the four-member who has declined to condemn the invasion of its old friend Russia but have called for an end to the violence.

On Tuesday, Libyan lawmakers approved a new transitional government where the cabinet was submitted by Prime Minister Fathi Basgsha to the east-based House of Representatives.

92 of 101 lawmakers confirmed it via vote broadcast live from the city of Tobruk. The move fuels division in a country where there are two legitimate Prime Ministers. Bashagha is set to face embattlement from PM Abdul Hamid Dbeibah who has refused to cede power until presidential and parliamentary elections are held in the month of June.

The proposal was made earlier this month by Dbeibah. It consists of a four-point plan for holding a simultaneous referendum and parliamentary vote on constitutional changes late in June.

Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said after the vote that he wanted to build a unified Libya. He said, “I didn’t come for revenge or to settle accounts, but I came to build, build this homeland, which requires everyone’s involvement. We reach out to everyone, including the opposition, the other side that does not want us”.

Libyans protested in various cities after the appointment of Bashagha as his nomination raised fears. UN deal that rival Libyan factions signed 2-15 to form a unity government would be shattered.

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed issues of mutual interest and ways to step up bilateral engagement in a meeting with his counterparts from Bangladesh, South Korea, the Czech Republic along the European Union in Paris.

On Monday, Bangladesh External Affairs Minister met Jaishankar on the eve of the EU Ministerial Forum on cooperation with the Indo-Pacific, in Paris.

Mr. Jaishankar tweeted post-meeting, “Good meeting with Bangladesh FM Dr. AK Abdul Momen. Appropriate that it should be on International Mother Language Day. Noted that 2021 was a great year for the relationship. Committed to taking it to an even higher level in 2022”.

Bangladesh’s EAM also agreed and recalled the successful event of “Mujib Chironton” held in 18 cities around the world to observe the “Moitri Dibosh” or Friendship Day on December 6, 2021.

Regarding the meeting with South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-Yong, Mr. Jaishankar tweeted, “Met with FM Chung Eui-Yong of the Republic of Korea. Agreed to strengthen our bilateral cooperation. Facilitating ease of travel is a shared priority. Also discussed regional issues of common concern”.

On a three-day visit, Mr. Jaishankar arrived in Paris from Germany. He was scheduled with a series of meetings with his counterparts from other Indo-Pacific countries that are participating in the EU Indo-Pacific Forum.

On Sunday, witnesses and officials said that protesters opposed to the proposed funds clashed with police after Nepal’s parliament approved a U.S. infrastructure grant of $500 million. Critics say the grant undermines Nepal’s sovereignty.

According to Parliament Speaker Agni Sapkota, the aid agreement was agreed upon by a majority vote of the Nepali lawmakers.

Washington said that the aid does not need to be repaid and it comes without conditions. Several of the major political parties, including the coalition government, disagreed about accepting the grant.

Concerned about U.S. influence, opponents claimed the aid would undermine Nepal’s laws and sovereignty since the country will have insufficient control over the projects.

A member of the opposition Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Bhim Rawal told parliament, “The agreement will bring Nepal under the security umbrella of the United States and should be rejected”.

Janardan Sharma, the Finance Minister, assured members of parliament that the aid would not undermine Nepal’s constitution or laws, it was not part of Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, and it had no military purpose.

In 2007, a U.S. government aid agency, the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreed to provide the aid in a grant to fund road improvement projects and electricity transmission lines.

On Sunday, an official statement was released by the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka stating that Sri Lanka has successfully completed the trials of an AC train that was supplied by India.

The statement said, “Officials from the High Commission of India accompanied by representatives of India accompanied by representatives from Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) and the Sri Lankan Railways traveled aboard an air-conditioned train [AC Diesel Multiple Unit(DMU)] on its successful trial run in Sri Lanka on February 18, 2022”

India supplied the train under a USD 318 million line of credit (LoC) finalized in 2014-15 for the supply of railway rolling stock, up-gradation of railway tracks. It included other mutually agreed projects in accordance with Sri Lanka’s request and requirements.

In a tweet by the India High Commission in Sri Lanka, pictures were posted of the trial run of the train and tweeted, “Proud of India-Sri Lanka cooperation for providing people with dependable and world-class railway facilities”.

Recently, financial assistance worth 2.4 billion USD was also provided by India to Sri Lank following the two-day visit of GL Peiris, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister to India from February 6 to 8.