Category: Politics

United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed greetings for India on Republic Day as he focused his message on the launch of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks along with the India-UK partnership over vaccines.

The FTA between India-UK is billed in the UK as creating huge benefits for both the nations as they have the potential to boost bilateral trade up to GBP 28 billion by 2035. It also aims to increase the wages to GBP 3 billion across the UK.

Johnson said that he feels proud of the friendship shared between the two “diverse democracies” and is looking forward to fortifying the strong bond of 75 years and beyond.

Mr. Johnson said, “As two diverse democracies, I am proud of our strong friendship, demonstrated by the launch of free trade negotiations this month and our partnership manufacturing the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine. I look forward to fortifying those bonds as we bring our ambitions, people, and economies together to prosper for the next 75 years and beyond”.

Covishield, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, is a joint venture of Anglo-Swedish biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Serum Institute India (SII).

Officials from the US and Europe are coordinating with natural gas suppliers worldwide to cushion the impact of the Russian government cutting off energy supplies amid the conflict over Ukraine.

As a result of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine, the US and European allies have threatened harsh economic and political sanctions for the country. However, the European nations are worried about the repercussions of any such sanction as Russia can potentially cut off delivery of its natural gas to Europe amid the peak winter season.

Europe is likely to look for natural gas supplies in Middle East Asia, North America, and the United States. According to one of the officials, the Russian cutoff will require “much smaller volumes” from a variety of sources.

Approximately 100,000 Russian troops are deployed near Ukraine’s border for weeks which has sparked a diplomatic crisis for Europe and US.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “There’s a cost imposed on everyone, but we have done a tremendous amount of work to mitigate any effects of sanctions on those imposing them as well as any retaliatory action that Russia might take”

on Wednesday, in a meeting in Paris, Moscow and Kyiv committed to observing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine after an eight-hour-long discussion where a French diplomat sent a “good signal.”

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the condition of anonymity and stressed that the talks in Paris had been regarding the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014. He further added that the question was if the Russians wanted to signal a thaw”. According to him the “difficult” discussions had finally resulted in something positive.

As Moscow presses demands over NATO’s presence in eastern Europe, a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine’s border has fueled fears of military intervention in its pro-EU neighbor.

Since 2019, Ukraine and Russia agreed to sign a joint statement with France and Germany for the first time regarding the ongoing conflicts between the Ukrainian army and separatists in the eastern part of the country.

Since 2014, the four nations are working towards having a peace deal for eastern Ukraine and are collectively known as the Normandy Group.

The French aide said, “However difficult the discussions have been since December 2019, the Normandy Group has been able to agree on several key points”.

Iran’s southeastern port of Chabahar and two western Indian ports of Nhava Sheva and Kandla have established a direct container shipping route to bypass Pakistan. Jalil Eslami, Deputy Head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation (PMO), has announced that the first container service will arrive in Shahid Beheshti port on February 16.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) container services are performed with a traffic schedule of 10 to 15 days. The shipping line between CHabahar and the Indian ports of Mumbai and Mundra was previously launched by India in 2017. The second direct shipping route was launched in January 2019 that passed through Mumbai, Mundra, Kandla, Chabahr, and finally to Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

In addition to Afghanistan and Persian Gulf nations, India uses these shipping routes to transport goods to Central Asia, reports Iranian media. India can bypass Pakistan, while Afghanistan can reach India by sea, thanks to the Chabahar port.

It had been difficult to transform the age-old ties of commerce and blood between the nation-states of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan into an enduring post-modern relationship due to Pakistan’s refusal to grant transit to India to Afghanistan and Central Asia.

With Prime Minister Marion Draghi as the most prominent candidate in a wide-open market, Italy’s parliament will begin voting on Monday for a new head of state which will be closely monitored by financial markets.

Italian politicians are concerned about the election result might spark new uncertainty in the third-largest economy in the eurozone, which is grappling with a resurgence of COVID-19 infections and deaths.

At 1400 GMT, more than 1,000 parliamentarians and regional representatives will convene for the first of several rounds of secret voting to replace outgoing Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

To win, two-thirds of the vote must be obtained in the first three rounds, with an absolute majority enough thereafter.

Draghi, a leader of a national unity administration, has said he would like the job of a seven-year term. However, some parties are reluctant to support him for fear of stirring up political turmoil and an early election. Matteo Salvini, who is the rightist League leader said on Sunday, “At this difficult moment, it would be dangerous to remove Draghi from the post of Prime Minister”. His remarks were similar to those of his coalition partner Berlusconi.

On Friday, the World Economic Forum has announced that for May 22-26, the Davos summit will be held in person for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Annual meetings of the world’s political, economic, and business elite are held in Davos, a resort in the Swiss Alps, in January. However, the forum did not take place in 2020’s January despite repeated postponements along with a proposed one-off shift to Singapore.

The WEF founder Klaus Schwab said, “After all the virtual meetings taking place in the last two years, leaders from politics, business, and civil society have to convene finally in person again. We need to establish the atmosphere of trust that is truly needed to accelerate collaborative action and to address the multiple challenges we face”.

The WEF also said that the gathering will be held under the theme of “Working Together, Restoring Trust”. Leaders will have an opportunity to take stock of the global situation and outline policies for the coming period.

During the online series of round-table events this week, the world and business leaders have shared their views on the global economic outlook.

The Central Asian summit will be held in a virtual format on January 27 by the Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the leader of five central Asian visits was canceled due to a rise in the COVID-19 cases.

Mr. Modi will host the first meeting with the participation of the presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

The foreign ministry said, “The first India-Central Asia summit is a reflection of India’s growing engagement with the central Asian countries, which are a part of India’s ‘extended neighborhood ‘. PM Modi paid a historic visit to all central Asian countries in 2015. Subsequently, there have been the exchanges at high levels at bilateral and multilateral forums”.

During the summit, the leader will exchange views on regional and international issues of interest focusing mainly on evolving regional security situations. The nations are expected to exchange discuss steps to take forward India-Central Asia relation to a newer height.

New Delhi recently hosted the third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue at the Foreign Ministers’ level, which has “provided a new impetus to India-Central Asia relations”.

On Tuesday, the Indonesian parliament approved a bill giving the green light for Kalimantan to be the new national capital. The capital will be given a new name “Nusantara”.

In 2019, President Joko Widodo announced a planned relocation of the nation’s capital from Jakarta metropolitan to East Kalimantan. According to the government official, the new capital was required due to the congestion of the current capital and to accelerate the economic development of Kalimantan. COVID-19 has caused the project, estimated to cost over $30 billion, to be put on hold.

The city of Nusantara was designated a regional city. The capital administration would be responsible for managing the new capital. An administration head and his deputy will be appointed and dismissed by the president every five years.

According to the first article of the bill, the new capital will be named Nusantara, and its status will be that of a political center, with all embassies and diplomatic missions, and foreign offices moving there.

Minister of National Development Planning, Suharso Monoarfa said, “The relocation of the capital city to Kalimantan is based on several considerations, regional advantages, and welfare. With the vision of the birth of a new economic center of gravity in the middle of the archipelago”.

On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi delivers a special address at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Davos Agenda. Every year the WEF is held at the Swiss ski resort of Davos. However, this year it has been postponed.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event is being held virtually from January 12-21. A week-long online event is held instead to decide on the talking points for the annual meeting scheduled in the summer. According to the WEF website, at 1600 hours Central European Time (CET) or 8:30 pm IST the address is scheduled to take place.

Along with PM Modi, various other world leaders will deliver “State of the World” special addresses including Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and US Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen.

The summit will include many other governments and business leaders, international organizations, and civil society together to share their insight, outlook, and plants related to the most urgent global issues like climate change, vaccine equality, and social contacts.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien has emphasized the need for the ASEAN chairman to engage with all parties to the Myanmar crisis.

On Friday, after receiving a video call from his Cambodian counterpart, Mr. Hun Sen, Mr. Lee made the statement.  Under the bloc’s rotating arrangement, Cambodia is currently the ASEAN chair and Mr. Hun Sen just returned from talks with Myanmar’s junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

During the meeting, Mr. Lee reaffirmed Singapore’s support for Cambodia’s Asean chairmanship and thanked Mr. Hun Sen for the briefing on his recent trip, noting that “no significant progress” had been made in implementing the ASEAN roadmap on Myanmar adopted in April.

Mr. Lee said, “Until there was significant progress, ASEAN should stick to the decision by its leaders in October last year to only invite a “non-political representative”. In a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) statement released on Saturday, he added that any discussion to revise the ASEAN leader’s decision should be based on new facts.

“Five-Point Consensus”, Asean’s roadmap for Myanmar, calls for the cessation of violence, humanitarian assistance, and the facilitation of constructive dialogue among all parties concerned, which an ASEAN special envoy would help facilitate.