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☆ Russian, Turkish ministers talk after Turkey sends Ukrainian commanders home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 9 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey spoke by telephone on Sunday, a day after Ankara angered Moscow by sending five Ukrainian commanders home with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in what Russia called a violation of a prisoner exchange agreement. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries said Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as a Black Sea grain export agreement that lifted a Russian de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports last year. Russia captured the city last year after laying it to waste, killing thousands of civilians in a three-month siege. The captured Azov commanders, lionized as heroes in Ukraine and vilified in Russia, were released in a prisoner swap in September, under terms that required them to stay in Turkey until the war ends. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Turkey had violated agreements in permitting their release, and had failed to notify Russia in advance.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara's, Zelenskiy, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Marrow, Peter Graff Organizations: United Nations, Kremlin, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Turkey, Ankara, Moscow, Turkish, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Kyiv, Azov

☆ NATO allies agree to spend 'at least 2%' of their GDP on defence -diplomats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OLIVIER MATTHYS/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoBRUSSELS, July 7 (Reuters) - NATO allies have reached agreement to raise the alliance's target for military spending to at least 2% of national GDP, two diplomats told Reuters late on Friday. Agreement on the new spending target was one of the outstanding issues ahead of a two-day NATO summit on Tuesday and Wednesday next week in Vilnius. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg intended to make NATO's current military spending target of 2% of national GDP a minimum requirement rather than a goal to aim for. The goal was set in 2014, when NATO leaders agreed to increase spending towards 2% of their GDP on defence within a decade. Bringing up the rear are Canada, Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg, whose defence spending was under 1.4% of GDP.

Persons: OLIVIER MATTHYS, Jens Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Leslie Adler, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NATO, Alliance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Finland, BRUSSELS, Vilnius, United States, Britain, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia, Canada, Slovenia, Turkey, Spain, Luxembourg

☆ NATO allies to spend 'at least 2%' of GDP on defence, diplomats say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Putin used his moment to speak at the one-day summit to give his answer to that question. That event stretched over two in-person days in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and featured a number of sideline meetings between attending leaders. India announced last month that its leaders’ summit would be held virtually, without specifying why. At last year’s SCO summit, Modi told Putin in “today’s era is not an era of war.”And India has its own friction with neighboring China. In May, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became the most senior-level official to visit India in seven years, when he joined a SCO foreign ministers meeting.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Putin, Wagner, ”, ” Putin, China’s Xi, Belarus ’ Alexander Lukashenko, Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi, ” Modi, Modi, Joe Biden, Xi, ” Xi, Biden, “, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Indian, India, China’s Foreign Ministry, India’s Ministry, External, CNN, Pakistani, Belarus Locations: Hong Kong, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, spreadheaded, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Eurasia, Tuesday’s, Iran, Beijing, Samarkand, New Delhi, Pacific, ”

Putin spoke to Modi in a call last week to discuss the aftermath of the quashed mercenary mutiny. The summit on Tuesday will also see Modi sharing the virtual stage with Xi for the first time since November when the two leaders were present for the G20 summit in Indonesia. It will also bring Modi face to face online with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, 10 months after they both attended the SCO summit in Uzbekistan. New Delhi announced last month that the summit will be held virtually, without providing any justification. SCO member nations are expected to discuss Afghanistan, terrorism, regional security, climate change and digital inclusion, among other topics.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Putin, Modi, Uzbekistan Modi, Xi, Biden, Shehbaz Sharif, Krishn Kaushik, William Maclean Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Belarus, China’s, SCO, Indian, U.S, Foreign, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Iran, China, Russia, Soviet, Pakistan, Eurasia, Belarus, Moscow, Europe, Asia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, New Delhi, Indonesia, Uzbekistan . New Delhi, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Goa, Kashmir

☆ Putin expected to meet Xi and Modi at SCO Summit following Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —All eyes will be on Vladimir Putin this week, with the Russian president expected to make his first appearance on the world stage since the Wagner insurrection threatened his steel grip on power. In the brief, chaotic insurrection, Wagner – a private mercenary group led by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin – took control of key military facilities in two Russian cities. Participants of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022. By contrast, Putin managed to end the Wagner insurrection before it reached the capital, without bloodshed. Modi made headlines at last year’s in-person SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, when he told Putin that now is not the time for war, appearing to directly rebuff the invasion.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, Wagner –, Yevgeny Prigozhin –, Prigozhin, Xi, India’s Narendra Modi –, –, they’re, ”, Derek Grossman, Grossman, ” Grossman, Murat Kula, “, Yasuhiro Matsuda, Matsuda, ” Matsuda, “ Xi Jinping, Alexander Korolev, That’s, won’t, Korolev, India’s Modi, Modi, Joe Biden, RAND’s Grossman, India’s Organizations: CNN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Kremlin, RAND Corporation, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Russia, NATO, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Tokyo, “ Russia, China –, Kazakhstan, University of New Locations: Russian, Beijing, Moscow, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, US, Russia, China, Samarkand, Central Asia, Iran, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, University of New South Wales, Australia, India, Washington, Indian, Goa, Delhi

☆ UK, Australia and Canada want reversal of Israel approval of new West Bank settlement units
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Britain, Australia and Canada have called on Israel's government to reverse a decision to approve new settlement units in the West Bank, saying they are "deeply concerned" by an ongoing cycle of violence. This week, Israel approved over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank and earlier this month instituted changes to the settlement approval process which facilitate swifter approval of construction. "The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace and negatively impacts efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution. We call on the Government of Israel to reverse these decisions," the foreign ministers of Britain, Australia and Canada said in a joint statement. Violence has been surging in the West Bank, including deadly clashes in Jenin, a fatal shooting by Palestinians near a Jewish settlement, attacks on Palestinian villages by rampaging settlers, and rare use of Israeli air power against militants.

Persons: James Davey, Daniel Wallis Organizations: West Bank, Government, Britain, Thomson Locations: Britain, Australia, Canada, Israel, Jenin

☆ China's Xi to attend, deliver speech at SCO summit via video link - foreign ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, June 30 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping will attend and deliver a speech at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) via video link on July 4, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday. India, as the chair nation of this year's summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State, announced in May that it would hold the event in a virtual format. The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India and Russia. Kazakhstan will take over the presidency of the SCO after the July summit. Reporting by Ryan Woo and Ethan Wang; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Ryan Woo, Ethan Wang, Jacqueline Wong, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO Council, Heads, State, Defence, SCO, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, India, Eurasia, China, Russia, Soviet, Central Asia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan

PARIS/WASHINGTON/DUBAI, June 28 (Reuters) - European diplomats have told Iran they plan to retain European Union ballistic missile sanctions set to expire in October under the defunct 2015 Iran nuclear deal, four sources said, a step that could provoke Iranian retaliation. The EU sanctions are set to expire on Oct. 18 under a U.N. resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal. A second Iranian official brushed off the possibility of the sanctions remaining, saying Tehran had advanced its nuclear and missile programs for years despite Western sanctions. NUCLEAR DEAL 'NO LONGER EXISTS'Britain's foreign ministry did not comment on whether the E3 planned to keep the sanctions or had told Iran of any decision. Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, any party could trigger the "snapback" or return of all sanctions that it removed.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, Ali Bagheri Kani, Enrique Mora, Bagheri Kani, Mora, Nabila Massrali, Trump, Henry Rome, John Irish, Arshad Mohammed, Parisa, Andrew Gray, Sabine Siebold, Daniel Wallis Organizations: European Union, EU, . Security, Iranian, Reuters, Washington Institute for Near East, Thomson Locations: PARIS, WASHINGTON, DUBAI, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, Tehran, United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, Washington, Israel, Gulf, Western, Moscow, Abu Dhabi, EU, Doha, Iranian, British, European, U.S, Rome, Paris, Dubai, Brussels

☆ Live updates: Putin slams rebels as criminals; Zelenskyy lauds military advances 'in all directions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The eyes of the world remain on Russia after Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's attempted mutiny on Saturday posed what many regard as the greatest challenge yet to President Vladimir Putin's two-decade grip on power. In a televised address to the nation on Monday, Putin called the organizers of the uprising "criminals" and vowed to bring them to justice. The revolt raised questions about President Vladimir Putin's grip on power and what could be next for the country. Stateside, President Joe Biden clarified on Monday that the United States was not involved in the aborted weekend rebellion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, called for further support from Western leaders to repel the Russian invasion.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Prigozhin, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: Wagner Group, Kremlin, NATO Locations: Russia, Belarus, United States, Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ Wagner mutiny lays bare cracks in Moscow's military power -EU's Borrell
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters) - The aborted mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia shows cracks in Moscow's military power caused by the war on Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday. "The political system is showing fragilities, and the military power is cracking," he told reporters in Luxembourg ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "It's not a good thing to see that a nuclear power like Russia can go into a phase of political instability," Borrell said, adding this was the moment for the EU to continue supporting Ukraine more than ever. "The monster that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now, the monster is acting against his creator." Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray and Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wagner, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Vladimir, Putin, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Bart Meijer Organizations: EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Luxembourg

☆ EU says aborted Russia mutiny shows Moscow's military power is 'cracking'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 26 (Reuters) - European Union foreign ministers on Monday said an aborted mutiny in Russia at the weekend showed Moscow's war in Ukraine was causing domestic instability and undermining its military power, but stressed their focus remained on supporting Kyiv. "The political system is showing fragilities, and the military power is cracking," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Luxembourg as he arrived for a meeting with ministers from across the 27-member bloc. "The monster that Putin created with Wagner, the monster is biting him now, the monster is acting against his creator." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Putin was destroying his own country with his "brutal war of aggression" in Ukraine. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen suggested the weekend's events showed Putin's hold on power was not as strong as it seemed.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Putin, Annalena Baerbock, Yves Herman, Baerbock, Jean Asselborn, Alexander Schallenberg, Elina Valtonen, Sabine Siebold, Bart Meijer, Andrew Gray, Conor Humphries Organizations: Union, Kyiv, Moscow, EU, European Commission, REUTERS, Austrian, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Russia, Ukraine, EU, Luxembourg, Brussels, Belgium, Russia's, Europe, Finnish

☆ Europe has more Russian lessons to learn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The EU also isn’t remotely as threatening as China or even the United States, not to mention Russia. Over the same period, China’s share has risen to 18% from 7%, while the United States has stayed flat at 24%. The United States will carry most of the burden of deterring China. SECOND-BEST SOLUTIONSThe best solution to the EU’s lack of unity would be for it to use majority voting to determine foreign policy - as it already does for economic policy. But neither the EU nor its members should kid themselves that it’s in their interests to break with the United States.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Joe Biden’s, “, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, EU, Companies, U.S, Eurostat, Reuters Graphics, Trade, European Commission, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Ukraine, Russia, EU, China, United States, Russian, Kyiv, Germany, France, Poland, Taiwan, Lithuania, People’s Republic, U.S, Spain, Europe, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada

☆ Serbia releases three detained Kosovo policemen, easing crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The European Union welcomed the move and urged Kosovo and Serbia to take further steps to defuse the simmering crisis, including holding new local elections in northern Kosovo. [1/5]One of the released Kosovan policemen (L) arrives at the Kosovo-Serbia border crossing, in Merdare, Kosovo June 26, 2023. The ruling effectively allowed the Serb authorities to maintain the charges while letting the three return to Kosovo, beyond the reach of the Serb court. Albanian-majority Kosovo, formerly a southern province of Serbia, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008 with the backing of the West following a 1998-99 war. Violence flared in four northern Kosovo municipalities late last month after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Oliver Varhelyi, Aleksandar Vasovic, Fatos, Andrew Gray, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Prosecutors, REUTERS, Court, Kosovo's, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BELGRADE, Serbia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, United States, Merdare, Serbian, Kraljevo, Belgrade, Serbs, Brussels, Washington, EU, Pristina

☆ How mercenary revolt has gathered pace in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

- In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. SATURDAY- Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Reuters Wagner, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Naryshkin, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Pavel Krasheninnikov, Gavin Jones, Giles Elgood, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moscow, Russian's Defence Ministry, Reuters, TASS, Kremlin, European Union, Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia's, Voronezh, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Rostov, Russia's Rostov, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Belarus

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing the greatest threat to his authority in two decades after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner paramilitary group and Putin’s former ally, launched an apparent insurrection. Prigozhin has been highly critical of Russia’s military leadership and their handling of the war in Ukraine, but he had always stopped short of criticizing Putin directly. Wagner group also claimed to have seized Russian facilities in a second city, Voronezh, some 600 kilometers (372 miles) to the north of Rostov-on-Don. Alexander Gusev, the governor of the Voronezh region, said the Russian military was engaging in “combat measures” in the area. Stunning escalationSaturday’s dramatic events come off the back of Prigozhin’s very public and months-long feud with Russia’s military leadership.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Putin, ” Putin, Igor Artamonov, Sergei Sobyanin, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, “, ”, Don “, ” “, ” Prigozhin, Rostov, Don, Alexander Gusev, Shoigu, –, Gen, Vladimir Alekseev, Sergei Naryshkin, Naryshkin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Rogov, Rogov saif, ” Wagner, Stringer, Dmytro Kuleba, Serhii Cherevatyi Organizations: CNN, Prigozhin, Moscow, Terrorism, Security, Russian, RIA Novosti, Kremlin, Russian Southern Military Headquarters, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Historical Society, Telegram, Southern Military District, Reuters, Russian Foreign, European Union, US State Department, Britain’s Ministry of Defense, Russian National Guard, Ukrainian, Twitter, Ukrainian Armed Forces Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Russia, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Prigozhin’s, Prigozhin, Don, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, EU

☆ Blinken Visit Reveals Chasm in How U.S. and China Perceive Rivalry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( David Pierson | Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A seat looking up at the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, perched at the head of a long table. To international audiences, the optics of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s two-day visit to Beijing barely raised any eyebrows. But to nationalist-leaning audiences in China, especially on social media, the scenes tell a different story. And during his visit, he was schooled on respecting China’s interests and played supplicant to Mr. Xi. Chinese social media users gleefully noted that Mr. Blinken arrived on Father’s Day, the implication being — using the parlance of the internet — that Mr. Xi was America’s daddy.

Persons: Xi, Antony J, Blinken, supplicant Locations: Beijing, China

☆ Thais host Myanmar junta official for talks; key ASEAN members stay away
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister, Than Swe, is due to join the talks, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told Reuters. But some ASEAN members have declined to attend and others are only sending junior officials. ASEAN FRUSTRATIONThe military took over in Myanmar in 1962, isolating it for decades until a tentative opening up began in 2011. Malaysia's foreign minister has also declined to attend the Thai talks, saying it remained supportive of the efforts being undertaken by Indonesia. Cambodia on Monday said Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who last year served as an ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, would be represented by his deputy.

Persons: Aung, Athit, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Retno Marsudi, Suu Kyi, Prak Sokhonn, Panu, Ananda, Kanupriya Kapoor, Kay Johnson, Robert Birsel Organizations: Protesters, Embassy, REUTERS, Monday, Association of Southeast Nations, ASEAN, Myanmar's, Reuters, Thai PBS, Indonesian, Peace, Myanmar, ASEAN Chair, Malaysian, Cambodian, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK, ASEAN, Indonesia, Suu, Cambodia, Ananda Teresia, Jakarta, Rozanna, Kuala Lumpur

☆ Qatar and UAE embassies resume work on Monday, Qatar's foreign ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on July 14, 2017. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates' respective embassies reopened on Monday to resume work after the two Gulf states agreed to restore diplomatic ties, Qatar's foreign ministry said. The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation and more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha that had shattered the Western-allied Gulf Arab bloc. The Qatari ministry said in a statement that the two foreign ministers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, had held a phone call as the two embassies reopened on Monday. Reuters reported in April that the two Gulf states were in the process of restoring diplomatic relations.

Persons: Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Organizations: Turkish Foreign, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Doha Locations: Qatar, Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al, Thani, Doha, Arab, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Islam, Iran, Riyadh, Cairo, Saudi, Yemen

☆ Qatar and UAE embassies resume work on Monday -Qatar foreign ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DOHA, June 19 (Reuters) - Qatar and the United Arab Emirates' respective embassies reopened on Monday to resume work after the two Gulf states agreed to restore diplomatic ties, Qatar's foreign ministry said. The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation and more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha that had shattered the Western-allied Gulf Arab bloc. The Qatari ministry said in a statement that the two foreign ministers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, had held a phone call as the two embassies reopened on Monday. Reuters reported in April that the two Gulf states were in the process of restoring diplomatic relations. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Andrew Mills, writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by David Goodman and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Nayera Abdallah, Andrew Mills, Aziz El Yaakoubi, David Goodman, Gareth Jones Organizations: DOHA, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Doha, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Doha, Arab, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Thani, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Islam, Iran, Riyadh, Cairo, Saudi, Yemen

Only Cambodia has so far officially confirmed it intended to attend the talks. Myanmar's junta spokesman could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Thailand's foreign ministry was tight-lipped about exactly who was attending the two-day gathering in the resort town of Pattaya, for which outgoing Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai sent invitation letters just four days before its start. Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn was to attend the meeting, his government said in a statement on Friday. Vietnam's government said its foreign minister would not attend "due to a prior engagement".

Persons: Nobel, Aung, Myanmar's, Swe, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Prak Sokhonn, Vivian Balakrishnan, Nantiwat Samart, Suu Kyi's, Panu, Phuong Nguyen, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Poppy McPherson, Devjyot, Kay Johnson, William Mallard Organizations: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Reuters, Cambodian, Nation TV, National Unity Government, Thai, Ananda, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Cambodia, Suu, Thailand, Pattaya, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thai, ASEAN, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangkok, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Shoon

Two sources with knowledge of Sunday's meeting told Reuters that Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister had been invited. Myanmar's military spokesman did not respond to phone calls on Friday night. ASEAN chair Indonesia has declined to attend the proposed meeting, according to three sources. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the Thai foreign minister had shown "arrogance" by inviting his junta counterpart who other regional neighbours have shunned. Indonesia last month cited progress in its own behind-the-scenes efforts to engage multiple parties in Myanmar's conflict in a bid to advance a peace process agreed by ASEAN leaders and Myanmar's military in April 2021.

Persons: Don Pramudwinai, Nobel, Aung, hasn't, Myanmar's, Prayuth Chan, ocha, Don's, Don, Phil Robertson, Ananda Teresia, Devjyot Ghoshal, Kay Johnson, Stanley Widianto, Martin Petty, Devjyot, Angus MacSwan Organizations: ASEAN, of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand's Foreign, Reuters, Myanmar's, Foreign Ministry, Human Rights, Party, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Thailand BANGKOK, Suu, Jakarta, Asia, Bangkok, Shoon

☆ Honduras opens embassy in China after cutting ties to Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lintao Zhang/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoBEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) - Honduras opened an embassy in China on Sunday, Chinese state media reported, after the Central American nation cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan earlier this year. The embassy in Beijing was opened by foreign ministers from the two countries, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Tegucigalpa in March ended its decades-long relationship with Taipei and established diplomatic ties with Beijing. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations, a position Taipei strongly rejects. Taiwan now has formal diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, mostly poor and developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Persons: Qin Gang, Eduardo Enrique Reina, Lintao Zhang, Xiomara Castro, Xi, Ellen Zhang, Martin Quin Pollard, William Mallard Organizations: Foreign, Honduras Foreign, Central, CCTV, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China, BEIJING, Central American, Taiwan, Tegucigalpa, Taipei, Central America, Caribbean

[1/6] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on, as he attends a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 8, 2023. "And we’re also collaborating with countries in the region to widen and deepen the normalisation of relations with Israel." Saudi Arabia went the other way in April in restoring ties with Iran, its key regional rival and Israel's arch-enemy, in a Chinese-brokered deal. Other rows have simmered over the Saudi intervention in Yemen's devastating conflict, China ties and oil prices. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC states say the organisation is not politicised and only seeks to stabilise energy markets.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Faisal Bin Farhan, Ahmed Yosri, Jake Sullivan, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Karim Benzema, Blinken, we’re, Aziz Alghashian, Joe Biden's, Alghashian, Biden, Jamal Khashoggi, Blinken's, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Vladimir Putin, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Humeyra Pamuk, Maha El, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Saudi Foreign, Intercontinental, REUTERS, U.S, Saudi, White House, Crown, Gulf Cooperation Council, Al, Blinken, MbS, GCC, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Israel RIYADH, U.S, Iran, Washington's, Al, French, Jeddah, Al Ittihad, Yemen, Sudan, Israel, East, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Gulf, Israeli, Russia, China, Istanbul, OPEC, Ukraine

☆ NATO says reinforcements arriving in Kosovo after clashes last week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 5 (Reuters) - Reinforcements for NATO's peacekeeping force have begun to arrive in Kosovo following last week's unrest in the north of the country, the alliance said on Monday. The clashes injured 30 members of the NATO peacekeeping force known as KFOR as well as 52 Serb protesters. "Around 500 service members from Turkey's 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade will make up the bulk of the reinforcements," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a tweet. NATO decided to deploy 700 additional peacekeepers to Kosovo, reinforcing the 4,000-strong contingent, in response to the crisis and the alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday it was ready to send more. Kosovo won internationally recognised independence in 2008 but Serbia rejected it and Serbs in the country's north seek autonomy for their region under a 2013 deal that has not been implemented.

Persons: Oana Lungescu, Jens Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: NATO, KFOR, Turkey's 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Kosovo, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Kosovo, Oslo, Serbian, Serbia

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