Conflict and Peace

In the lead-up to this year's NATO Summit in Washington D.C., it was uncertain whether Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov would meet. However, a last-minute announcement confirmed that they would, albeit not in a bilateral format, but with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Expectations were low, given disagreements over Azerbaijani demands for Armenia to change its constitution and the United States now apparently pushing its own vision for unblocking trade and communication in the region. Nonetheless, Blinken again emphasised that the two were close to reaching a deal. The foreign ministers issued identical scant three-paragraph statements which at least referred to a “historic agreement.”

The European Union has condemned several waves of large-scale attacks on several Ukrainian cities carried out by Russia on Monday (8 July). 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is in the Chinese capital Beijing. He is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing later today (8 Juli). What exactly they will talk about is not known.

In a statement issued on Tuesday (2 July), the European Union "strongly condemned" the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea on 1 July, in further violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Türkiye mediated talks between Somalia and Ethiopia on Monday (1 July) to ease diplomatic tensions between the two African neighbours, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Taye Atske Selassie and Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi held a frank and forward-looking discussion on their differences, mediated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The negotiations are the latest effort to mend diplomatic relations between the East African neighbours. Tensions arose after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland in January, which Somalia condemned as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russia's air defence systems intercepted 36 drones launched by Ukraine over three regions bordering Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said on Monday (1 July). Eighteen drones were shot down over the Bryansk region in western Russia, nine in the Kursk region south of Bryansk, and another nine over the Belgorod region further south, the ministry said via the Telegram messaging app.

At least 1,000 Yemeni pilgrims are stranded in Saudi Arabia after the Houthis seized Yemenia Airways flights that were to take them from the kingdom to Houthi-held Sanaa, the Yemeni government said on Saturday (29 June). Last week, the Houthis took control of three Yemenia planes at Sanaa airport, preventing them from returning to Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia to take Yemeni pilgrims home. The Yemeni government accused the Houthis of "hijacking" the planes and worsening the plight of the Yemeni people.