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 honoure
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 mee
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 con
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 Eyp
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 fo
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
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
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
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 Muba
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 st