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☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Kyiv says it retains Bakhmut 'road of life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Local resident Nikolai Danko, 63, clears the rubble at the site of his house destroyed by recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the settlement of Panteleimonivka in the Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, April 27, 2023. * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy carries a pistol and would have fought to the death with his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war, he said in an interview shown on Saturday. * Two civilians died as a result of Ukrainian shelling on a village in Russia's Bryansk region on Saturday evening, Governor Alexander Bogomaz said. * Dividends of as much as $400 million to four Indian companies for their stakes in Russian oil assets are stuck due to problems in payments triggered by Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a government source said on Saturday. Compiled by Reuters editorsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia to lodge official protest over 'seizure' of embassy school in Warsaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 29 (Reuters) - Russia will lodge an official diplomatic protest over what it says is the illegal seizure by the Polish authorities of its embassy school in Warsaw, Moscow's ambassador to Poland told Russian state news agencies on Saturday. "This is an illegal action and a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. Polish state-run news channel TVP Info reported that police were present outside the school on Kieleckiej street in Warsaw on Saturday morning. The two countries' already fraught relations have soured further over the war in Ukraine with Warsaw helping arm Kyiv. Reporting by Reuters Additional reporting by Alan Charlish in Warsaw Editing by Andrew OsbornOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Saudi Arabia, Iran to reopen embassies 'within days'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, April 28 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and Iran will reopen embassies in each other's capitals "within days," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Friday in a sign of warming relations after the two countries closed their missions seven years ago. "During the last phone call between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia on Eid al-Fitr, we agreed to work in the next coming days on the reopening of the Iranian and Saudi embassies in Tehran and Riyadh," Amirabdollahian said, according to an official Arabic translation. Their relationship started deteriorating in 2015 following the intervention of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the Yemen war, after the Iran-aligned Houthi movement toppled the Saudi-backed government and seized control of the capital Sanaa. The Iranian foreign minister confirmed President Ebrahim Raisi would visit Syria in "the near future" without providing details. The visit would be the first by an Iranian president to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since war broke out in Syria in 2011.

The ruling Colorado Party has dominated Paraguayan politics for the last three-quarters of a century, in power for all but five years. "We never talked about politics before, because a win for the Colorado Party was a done deal," 40-year-old bank worker Gustavo Vera told Reuters in the capital. "There's more corruption in Paraguay than work... All I know is we have to work much harder to make ends meet." The U.S. Treasury earlier this year imposed sanctions on party chief Horacio Cartes and Vice President Hugo Velazquez, citing "rampant corruption." Alegre, on his third presidential campaign, has pulled together a broad alliance of independent parties to challenge the powerful Colorado political machine.

Zelensky, who has long expressed interest in speaking with Xi, said he had “a long and meaningful phone call” with the Chinese leader. Wednesday’s phone call is the first time Xi has spoken to Zelensky since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. China’s positioning as a mediator was also viewed critically as Xi visited Moscow but had still yet to speak with Zelensky. “Xi Jinping doesn’t want to put political capital behind an effort that then blows up in his face. In this case, this could mean Putin indicated to Xi that he was willing to talk to Kyiv, Menon added.

But Pena, who has powerful party backing, is able to keep a cool head amid the tumult, his supporters say. "I think what characterizes him is that he has infinite tranquility," said Lea Gimenez, who served as Pena's deputy when he was finance minister and was later finance minister herself. Opinion polls suggest either Pena or center-left opposition leader Efrain Alegre could triumph and most analysts predict a close race. "He matured very quickly, being a young father... he became an adult very quickly," a former colleague told Reuters. He became finance minister in 2015.

☆ Taiwan or China? Paraguay's dilemma puts election race in the spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lucindaalice Elliott | Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Paraguayan presidential candidate Santiago Pena from ruling Colorado Party, attends his campaign rally, in Asuncion, Paraguay April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Cesar OlmedoASUNCION, April 24 (Reuters) - From Paraguayan capital Asuncion to Taipei and Washington, diplomats, officials - and farmers - are closely watching a tight election race that could determine Paraguay's future ties with Taiwan. "How can I deny a relationship that is beneficial for all Paraguayans, a people that need development, need investment, need industry?" China has long argued that democratically-ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. 'WHEN, NOT IF'Among diplomatic circles in Asuncion there is a sense a switch is inevitable - regardless of the election outcome.

☆ China respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations - foreign ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters) - China respects the status of the independent sovereign nations that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, after Beijing's envoy to Paris sparked a diplomatic storm by questioning their sovereignty. "The Chinese side respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the collapse of the Soviet Union," Mao said, adding that China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with those countries. China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, Mao said. And only sovereign states can become official members of the United Nations, she said. "The country you mentioned is a full member of the United Nations."

☆ Factbox: What's on the agenda at the South Korea-US summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ju-Min Park | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yoon has been pushing to increase South Korea's say in operating "extended deterrence" while calls are growing in South Korea for it to develop its own nuclear weapons. At the summit, Biden will pledge "substantial" steps to underscore the U.S. commitment to deter a North Korean nuclear attack, a senior U.S. official said. South Korea's defence ministry said the allies have been exploring ways to support Ukraine but declined to confirm specific discussions. His comments prompted an angry exchange of words between Beijing and Seoul with South Korea summoning the Chinese ambassador. South Korea's comment on Taiwan was "the worst" since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992, China's state-run Global Times said on Sunday.

☆ Chinese ambassador sparks European blowback over post-Soviet states comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several leaders in former Soviet states, including Ukraine, were quick to hit back following the interview, which aired Friday on French station LCI. Beijing has formal diplomatic relations with post-Soviet states, which include Russia. Ties have soured as Europe has uneasily watched China’s tightening relationship with Russia and its refusal to condemn Putin’s invasion. Voices in former Soviet states, where many remember being under Communist authoritarian rule, have been among those in Europe critical of such an approach. For Russia, giving up control of Crimea is widely seen as a non-starter in any potential peace settlement on Ukraine.

☆ Analysis: Australia prepares more assertive military stance to deter conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The review examined how Australia could better integrate with its AUKUS partners the United States and Britain, as well as other allies, the government has said. Changing that equation is crucial to the future of Australia's military, they said. Campbell said Australia's defence forces would enhance how they could operate alongside partners, but has ruled out foreign bases on its soil and will always retain control of its forces. Even as it beefs up its military, Australia says China will remain an important trade partner. One of the world's top LNG exporters, Australia's top gas customers last year were Japan, China and South Korea.

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Pakistan’s Foreign Minister will travel to India next month, the most senior-level visit in seven years in what is a major diplomatic breakthrough between two nuclear-armed neighbors with a long history of fractious relations. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) foreign ministers meeting on May 4-5 in the western Indian coastal state of Goa, Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Thursday. This is the first time that the most senior Pakistani foreign office representative has visited India since 2016. Diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan have been beset by decades of distrust and occasional bouts of open conflict. The SCO and China’s growing hand in diplomacyThe SCO is an eight-member regional security and economic grouping led by China, and its members include India, Pakistan and Russia.

☆ Israel cements ties to Turkmenistan on Iran's border
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Although the countries established diplomatic relations 30 years ago, there had only been a temporary Israeli mission in Ashgabat and predominantly Muslim Turkmenistan still has no embassy in Israel. "I came to open an Israeli embassy 17 kilometres from the border with Iran, and to hold a series of meetings with the president and other officials," Cohen tweeted on Thursday. In English remarks to Israeli reporters accompanying Cohen, his Turkmen counterpart, Rashid Meredov, described the embassy inauguration as "a very shining example of our friendship". Cohen, who also met Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, called his visit "historic" and said Israel's ties with Central Asia's "energy superpower" were of strategic importance. "We intend to widen economic relations to include agriculture, water, technology and border defence," Cohen said in a video issued by Israel's Foreign Ministry.

☆ Taiwan 'perplexed' by Paraguay candidate questioning of ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Alegre's public comments "certainly have caused some perplexity". We will do our best to maintain diplomatic relations with Paraguay." Paraguay is one of only 13 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, and China has been stepping up efforts to win over the island's remaining allies. China has long argued that democratically ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. China demands that countries it has ties with must adopt its position that Taiwan is Chinese territory.

☆ Israel PM cautions Saudi Arabia about Iran after China-brokered deal, urges greater U.S. presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The China-brokered March 10 détente between long-term rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has dealt a blow to Netanyahu's diplomatic crusade of pursuing Tehran's political isolation. I think that Saudi Arabia, the leadership there, has no illusions about who are their adversaries, and who are their friends." Before that, footage of Israeli forces beating worshippers in Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque during the Arabic holy month of Ramadan drew international condemnations, including from Saudi Arabia. "We'd like very much to have peace with Saudi Arabia. watch nowNarrowing down to just the potential of a relationship with Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu said, "I think the sky's the limit.

☆ Scolding Isn’t a Foreign Policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Walter Russell Mead | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Internationally, it was another grim week for the Biden administration, the United States of America, and world peace. Indian officials reported that China is supporting the development of a military listening post on Myanmar’s strategic Great Coco Island in the Bay of Bengal. Farther south, a Sudanese military faction backed by Russia’s Wagner Group battles for control of Africa’s third-largest nation. The usual spinners and makeup artists are doing their best to make the disorderly unraveling of the American-led world order look like a visionary triumph of enlightened foreign policy, but former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers expressed a more cogent view. What we get from the United States is a lecture.’ ”

☆ Exclusive: Paraguay opposition leader plans state 'austerity' vs tax hikes on farmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Soy exports currently face no levies, boosting competitiveness, but the country's diplomatic ties with Taiwan have closed doors to China. Peña, the ruling party candidate, has said publicly he wants to crack down on tax evasion and have more people working in the formal economy. Alegre has criticized Paraguay's current diplomatic relations with Taiwan going back over 60 years, which have made it hard to sell soy and beef to China, a major global buyer. "We are going to solve this based on national interests and of course also based on our alliances in international politics. The current relationship is insufficient, we have a critical position to what we have today," he said.

CNN —The Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies stressed their solidarity against Russia’s assault on Ukraine, and called on China to “abstain from threats,” in a communique Tuesday following talks in Japan. The G7 foreign ministers said, however, that they “recognized the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China” and working together with Beijing on global challenges, according to the statement. He pointed to the language referring to “one China policies” or agreements by which governments have established diplomatic relations with Beijing and not Taipei. The communique was released as the foreign ministers wrapped up three days of talks in the central Japanese town of Karuizawa in Nagano prefecture. The minister also urged fighting parties in the recent outbreak of violence in Sudan to “end hostilities immediately,” and return to negotiations.

☆ Iran Invites Saudi Arabia’s King to Visit as Bitter Rivalry Recedes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( David S. Cloud | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—Iran has invited Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz to visit the country, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday, a sign of the rapidly improving ties between two longtime regional rivals. The invitation comes after the two governments agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations last month in a deal brokered by China, which ended seven years of estrangement and jolted the geopolitics of the oil-rich region.

☆ Israeli PM: Peace with Saudi Arabia would be 'giant leap' towards ending Arab-Israeli conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, April 17 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia would be a "giant leap" towards ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. "We want normalization and peace with Saudi Arabia. We view that as perhaps a giant leap towards ending the Arab-Israeli conflict," Netanyahu said, speaking during a meeting in Jerusalem with U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. "This agreement could have monumental consequences, historic consequences both for Israel, for Saudi Arabia, for the region and for the world," Netanyahu said. A huge setback for Netanyahu's efforts came last month when a China-brokered deal saw Israel's major regional foe, Iran, mend its ties with Saudi Arabia.

☆ Xi is trying to humiliate Biden by driving a wedge between him and his European allies as part of a global power play
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's president is seeking to exploit differences among Western allies, analysts say. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Grand Hall in Beijing in 2022. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, are among the European leaders Xi has hosted. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast following their talks in Moscow on March 21, 2023. But Freudenstein cautioned European leaders against the belief that Xi can act as a mediator with Putin.

OSLO, April 13 (Reuters) - Norway is expelling 15 Russian embassy officials that the foreign ministry said on Thursday were intelligence officers operating under the cover of diplomatic positions, a move which Moscow said it would respond to. The expulsions amount to a quarter of Russian diplomats currently accredited in Oslo, the Norwegian government said. It is the latest instance of a Western nation expelling Russian diplomats since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. So far this year, Estonia, the Netherlands and Austria have also expelled Russian diplomats. The Nordic country still seeks to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway, Huitfeldt said.

☆ Changing Middle East pushes G7 to discuss waning influence, diplomats say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"A reconfiguration is under way," said a French diplomatic source who was officially briefing reporters but required anonymity as is standard policy. The ministers of the G7 – France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, the U.S. and Japan, meet in Japan between April 16 to 18. "The region is going through serious upheaval, be it the Iranian nuclear crisis aspect, but also the recomposition of the geopolitical balances with the Iran, Saudi, China deal. "The G7 must be able to preserve its security interests, which incidentally are also in the interest of regional security, but also global security," the diplomat said. "The G7 will only remain credible if it is able to handle the world’s problems," he said.

☆ Macron comments leave senior Taiwanese official 'puzzled'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, April 12 (Reuters) - Comments by French President Emmanuel Macron on Taiwan are puzzling, a senior Taiwanese politician said, wondering whether France's founding ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity are now out of fashion. He also called for the European Union to reduce its dependence on the United States and to become a "third pole" in world affairs alongside Washington and Beijing. Taiwan parliament speaker You Si-kun, writing on Facebook late Tuesday above a screengrab of a report about Macron's comments on Taiwan, questioned the French commitment to freedom. "Are 'liberté, égalité, fraternité' out of fashion?," he wrote, referring to the official French motto of "liberty, equality, fraternity". "The actions of President Macron, a leading international democracy, leave me puzzled."

☆ Qatar and Bahrain say they will resume diplomatic ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, April 12 (Reuters) - Qatar and Bahrain will resume their diplomatic ties, both Bahrain news agency (BNA) and the Qatari foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The move comes over two years after an Arab boycott of Qatar was lifted. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in January 2021 ended a 3-1/2-year embargo of Qatar but all but Bahrain restored travel and trade links in 2021. Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has led efforts to rebuild ties with Qatar and, along with Egypt, re-established diplomatic relations. Bahrain, a Sunni Muslim-ruled monarchy with a restive Shi'ite population, has deep unease over Qatar's relations with Iran.

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