Category: Politics

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.

On Monday, the military-dominated parliament of Mali sanctioned a five-year democratic transition plan. The plan allowed the military government of Colonel Assimi Goita to continue on his post and rule the country up for more than five years.

Additionally, the legislature declared that the president, who serves in an interim capacity, would not be permitted to run for office at that time – theoretically, it is preventing Goita from taking office. The restriction, however, would not apply if Goita resigned and ran for president as a private citizen rather than as an official candidate.

However, the bill did not specify what date the elections would be held, which could allow Goita to rule uninterrupted until February 2027. Mali’s interim parliament voted for the bill almost unanimously, with 120 of its 121 members in favor.

Following the first coup in February 2022, the government promised democratic elections. Nevertheless, the junta in December 2021 indicated that the transition would take place between mid-2022 and late 2026, suggesting that it will be held at an unspecified time.

Mali’s transitional president initially was Goita, the leader of the military junta that deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in 2020.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to strengthen ties with African countries while in Dakar, Senegal as part of a four-day trip to West and Central Africa.

On Tuesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall said during a joint press conference, “We will continue to enhance our relations with African countires on the basis of sincerity and solidarity. We exchanged ideas on how we can further advance our relations in every area, we once again gladly observed that we share the same determination to deepen our cooperation”.

Turkey and Senegal exchanged $540 million in bilateral trade in 2021. Erdogan said he is targeting $1 billion in trade by 2022.

Since 2007, The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has completed 186 projects in Senegal. The total value of which was $12m, is determined to maintain its activities.

Erdogan is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the Dakar Olympic Stadium and visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea-Bissau. President noted that the 3rd Turkey-African Partnership Summit was held in December in Istanbul and set out a roadmap with Africa in relation to Turkey for 2022-2026.

On Tuesday, the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi expresses gratitude to India for proving the first consignment of humanitarian air of 50,000 tonnes of wheat. India has provided wheat to the war-ravaged country at a time when the nation is facing major food insecurity.

Foreign Minister of India Harsh V Shringla along with Afghan Ambassador Farid Mamundzay and World Food Program Country Director Bishaw Parajuli was present at the ceremony held at Amritsar to flag off the first convey of 50 trucks carrying 25000 MT of wheat assistance from India to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

Afghan embassy said in a statement, “The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi expresses its gratitude to the government and people of India for the timely assistance of 50,000 MT of wheat to the people of Afghanistan at a time when the country is facing a major food insecurity”.

In the statement issued, it was said that the remaining amount is expected to be shipped within a month as per the agreement between the government of India and the World Food Program (WEP). WFP will be distributing the wheat within Afghanistan.