Diplomacy

A US Department of Defence official said that the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will assure Gulf countries of the US commitment to security in the region. Austin will also stress the need to refrain from normalisation with the Assad regime in Syria. The United States is committed to diplomatic means and sanctions to counter Iran’s nuclear file. 

The foreign ministers of the EU27 and the Eastern Partnership countries met in Brussels this week to take stock of the progress to date and actively prepare for the upcoming Summit. Various sources told commonspace.eu that it was a positive meeting.

The recent visit of the head of the CIA to Moscow had two objectives: first to renew the contacts between the CIA and the FIS on operational issues related to countering international terrorism; the second to pave the way for further high level contacts including possible meetings between Biden and Putin. Professor Lieutenant General (ret.) Hayk Kotanjian in this op-ed says the importance of the visit should not be underestimated.

Iranian foreign ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh in his weekly press conference announced that border issues and management of shared water resources will be on the agenda of the talks with the Turkish side.

France is hosting a conference of leaders and diplomats today (12 November) in Paris to support and ensure that Libya can hold its planned elections in December. Countries previously at odds on the Libyan file will be represented. A final communique is likely to issue sanctions on any parties who spoil the process. All fingers are crossed as the international community hopes Libya can get out of a decade long chaos. There are, however, fears that certain Libyan factions may not accept the result of the elections and could possibly plunge Libya back to crisis. 

Despite strong warnings from China of possible consequences, the first official delegation of European Parliament arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday (3 November). The group MPs from the special committee on foreign interference will meet high-level political leaders, including President Tsai Ing-wen and Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang, during the three-day visit in Taiwan.

The presidents of the United States and Turkey met in Rome on Sunday (31 October), on the margins of the G20 summit which took place in the Italian capital over the weekend. The two countries are important allies in NATO, but differences have marred relations in recent years, particularly as Turkey has pursued a more assertive foreign policy.