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Uzbekistan and Qatar expand bilateral relations, embassy opened in Tashkent
8 May 2023
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- Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza in international waters
- Opinion: Genocide Law or Political Weapon? Armenia History Debate Again Turns Toxic
- US and Ukraine sign deal giving US access to country’s valuable mineral wealth
- Georgian NGOs call for international support following intimidation
- How Armenia is trying to build a Silicon Valley in the South Caucasus
- US threatens to give up mediation efforts unless Russia and Ukraine put forward "concrete proposals”
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Syria readmitted to the Arab League 11 years after suspension
8 May 2023
Syria has been readmitted to the Arab League 11 years after its membership was suspended over the government's violent crackdown of pro-democracy protests in 2011 that led to the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.
In a meeting of 13 out of 22 foreign ministers at the Arab League's headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday (7 May), they agreed to "resume the participation of the delegations of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic in the meetings of the Council of the League of Arab States", according to a statement.
The Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also told journalists on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could participate in the upcoming Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia if he is invited and if he wants to attend.
In the statement released after the vote to readmit Syria, which was reportedly not unanimous, the Arab League said that the "resolution of the Syria conflict is a step-by-step matter", of which Syria's readmission to the group was only a first step. The statement added that the Arab League supports Syria's territorial integrity and the "withdrawal of all foreign forces" from the country.
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Biden calls Sudan violence a "betrayal", 17,000 tonnes of food aid looted
5 May 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden has called the ongoing violence in Sudan an "unconscionable betrayal" in a statement made at the White House on Thursday (4 May).
The fighting, which will enter its fourth week this weekend, broke out on Saturday 15 April after the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, failed to reach an agreement over a transition to a civilian government.
“The violence taking place in Sudan is a tragedy — and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy,” President Biden said.
“I join the peace-loving people of Sudan and leaders around the world in calling for a durable ceasefire between the belligerent parties.”
Meanwhile, also on Thursday, the U.S. state department announced that it had completed its evacuation of at least 1,300 U.S. citizens in Sudan, as well as evacuating at least 700 more from other countries. Air strikes and heavy shelling returned to the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum on Thursday as a fragile and frequently violated ceasefire lapsed.
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Editorial: the moment of truth
4 May 2023
"The signing of an agreement – it is still not clear if it will be called a Peace Agreement, or something else – will certainly not mean that all issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan are resolved," writes commonspace.eu in this editorial. "There is also much that still needs to be done to build enough trust and confidence for any agreement to not simply be a piece of paper. But an agreement will certainly be the sign of the end of an era of war and hostilities which has also poisoned the atmosphere between the two neighbouring nations." The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, accompanied by large delegations, were in Washington this week for face to face negotiations on the future relations between their countries. After a hiatus of several months, during which contact was relegated to exchange of emails, the two sides, with some US prodding, on Monday engaged in what many consider to be the most detailed exercise yet in trying to chart the future relations between the two countries.
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Zelensky visits the international city of peace and justice
4 May 2023
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is paying a visit to the international city of peace and justice on Thursday (4 May).
President Zelensky is understood to have arrived in The Hague, The Netherlands, at 7am on Thursday after having met with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland in Helsinki the day before.
Zelensky's first engagement on Thursday was to give a speech to the first and second chambers of the Dutch parliament. The Dutch public broadcaster NOS reports that some 75 MPs were present for the speech in which Zelensky thanked The Netherlands for its support for Ukraine, and noted that he found it special that his visit coincides with the Dutch national Remembrance of the Dead day.
The Netherlands' Nationale Dodenherdenking commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the beginning of the Second World War. Zelensky also visited the International Criminal Court, and gave a speech on "No Peace without Justice for Ukraine".
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Ten days to go until Turkish presidential election with opposition leader ahead in polls
4 May 2023
There are now ten days to go until Turkey heads to the polls for the first round of the Turkish presidential election on 14 May.
The main race is being fought between incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has served as either Prime Minister or President since 2003, and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, a former bureaucrat from the country's social security authority who is leading a coalition of six parties from across the political spectrum.
The election is expected to be tight. Over the weekend, Istanbul-based opinion pollster TEAM released its April report, according to Al-Monitor, which put challenger Kilicdaroglu at 47.4% and Erdogan at 44.4%.
If no candidate reaches a majority in the first round of voting, the election will head to a second round. If it were to reach this stage, Kilicdaroglu is predicted to beat Erdogan by a 5% margin, according to TEAM.
Turkey is currently experiencing major challenges that have dented Erdogan's hopes of winning May's election.
