Diplomacy Archives - Page 111 of 120

10 Mar

Sweden, Finland discuss NATO accession with Turkey

Brussels, March 10 (IANS) Representatives of Sweden, Finland and Turkey held talks in Brussels to discuss progress on fulfilling Turkey's conditions for agreeing to the Nordic countries' accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the military bloc said in a statement. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in 2022 but faced objections from NATO-member Turkey on the grounds that the two countries harbour members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by Ankara. The accession needs a unanimous agreement by all members of NATO. According to NATO's statement, "the participants welcomed the progress that had…

09 Mar

EU considers sending more military support to Ukraine

Stockholm, March 9 (IANS) European Union (EU) defence ministers discussed the idea of sending further military support to Ukraine, at an informal meeting in the Swedish capital Stockholm. "There was increasing consensus around the table that the EU needs to act in order to provide the Ukrainians with more ammunition," Sweden's Minister for Defence Pal Jonson said in a video released after the meeting, Xinhua news agency reported. The defence ministers discussed a plan by Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, for the EU to reimburse member states who immediately send more artillery ammunition to…

09 Mar

Garcetti one step closer to US ambassadorship in New Delhi

Washington, March 9 (IANS) Eric Garcetti may soon, and finally, be on his way to New Delhi to take office as the US Ambassador to India, nearly two years after his nomination was announced by the White House. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-8 to approve his nomination on Wednesday, setting up a vote by the full 100-member Senate, which may not prove as difficult as it has been for him to get this far. Two Republican senators voted with all 11 Democrats on the committee to clear Garcetti, who may get the full Senate's approval with similar bipartisanship.…

07 Mar

Canada to probe Chinese interference in recent polls

Ottawa, March 7 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that an independent special rapporteur will probe alleged Chinese interference in their recent elections. The appointed investigator will review classified reports about the 2019 and 2021 federal elections and will make recommendations for future contests, the BBC reported. Rival political party leaders have called for a public inquiry. China has denied any election interference, calling the claims "purely baseless and defamatory". Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, Trudeau said the reports challenging Canada's "sovereignty" are alarming, and "strike us to our very core as Canadians",…

07 Mar

Israeli oppn leaders urge PM to halt judicial overhaul plan, open talks

Jerusalem, March 7 (IANS) Israel's former Prime Minister Yair Lapid and former Defence Minister Benny Gantz urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt his judicial overhaul plan, which sparked massive protests, and open a dialogue. "In order to have honest and effective dialogue that will lead to preserving democracy and national unity, Netanyahu must announce a complete, comprehensive, and actual halt to the legislative process," Lapid and Gantz, leaders of two centrist opposition parties, said in a joint statement. "Israel stands at the threshold of a national emergency and Netanyahu refuses to stop," the two former leaders warned, adding that…

03 Mar

China blames ‘certain developed country’ for Pakistan’s financial crisis

Beijing, March 3 (IANS) In an apparent reference to the US, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the financial policies of a "certain developed country" were the main reason behind the financial difficulties of a large number of developing nations, including Pakistan. The spokesperson called on concerted efforts of all parties to play a constructive role in the economic and social development of the country, The Express Tribune reported. "It must be pointed out that the financial policy of a certain developed country is the main reason behind the financial difficulties of a large number of developing countries including Pakistan,"…

01 Mar

S.Korean Prez calls Japan ‘partner’ in tackling economic, security challenges

Seoul, March 1 (IANS) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday called Japan a "partner" in tackling security and economic challenges as he marked the anniversary of the nation's 1919 independence movement against Japanese colonial rule. Yoon made the remark in his first address marking the March 1 Independence Movement at the Memorial Hall of Yu Gwan-sun in Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported. "Now, a century after the March 1 Independence Movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares the same universal values with us," he said. "Today Korea and Japan cooperate…

01 Mar

Putin symptoms regulation to droop Russia’s participation in fingers treaty with US

Moscow, March 1 (IANS) Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law officially suspending his country's participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the US. The law came into force immediately after the signing on Tuesday and the decision to resume Russia's participation in the treaty is up to the head of state, reports Xinhua news agency. In his annual State of the Nation to the Federal Assembly on February 21, Putin said Russia was suspending its participation in, rather than withdrawing from, the New START treaty. He also pointed out the combined strike potential of NATO…

27 Feb

UML pulls out of Nepal govt

Kathmandu, Feb 27 (IANS) The CPN-UML has decided to quit the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government in Nepal. A secretariat meeting of the party held on Monday morning decided to quit the government after withdrawing its support. The decision comes in the wake of a changed political equation in the run-up to the March 9 presidential election. The party's decision also came after Dahal decided to join hands with the Nepali Congress, the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Janata Samajbadi Party in a bid to revive the then ruling alliance formed under the leadership of former Prime Minister and President of Nepali…

25 Feb

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives in India on two-day visit

New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in India on Saturday on a two-day visit during which he is scheduled to discuss a range of bilateral and geo-political issues including new technologies, clean energy and trade and investment. "Welcome to India! German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit. This is his first visit to India after assuming office. Chancellor Scholz was received by MoS @FinMinIndia @mppchaudhary at the airport," Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet. According to officials, Scholz is accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation,…