Diplomacy

Fighting between pro-government forces and Houthi fighters intensified over the weekend across multiple fronts in the governorate of Marib in Yemen. Reports indicate that around 70 have been killed in the past few days. Officials losses and the changes in the frontlines are difficult to determine as figures and news are often concealed. 

Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky visited Istanbul over the weekend for talks with the Turkish president Recip Tayip Erdogan. Erdogan told the media after the talks that Turkey strongly defended Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” stressing, “We reaffirmed our principled stance of not recognizing the [Russian] annexation of Crimea.”

France and the European Union are preparing proposals that could result in a freeze of assets and a travel ban on Lebanese politicians, according to Reuters. The move aims to push politicians to agree on forming a government that addresses the multitude of challenges that have rocked Lebanon in the past few months.  

There finally seems to be hope of preserving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), after the United States announced that it was prepared to lift some sanctions on Iran. 

A blunt statement issued by the spokesperson of the European Union on Wednesday (7 April) called on Georgia to revise the selection process of Supreme Court judges in line with Venice Commission recommendations, warning that this was also "a condition for the disbursement of the second tranche of macro-financial assistance to Georgia under its current programme".

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, The EU Envoy for Ethiopia emphasised the importance of international co-operation to bring the conflict in the Tigray region to an end. Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s foreign minister, said it is important that the EU works with Saudi Arabia, given it has “good relations with all parties in the whole of Africa”.

European Council President Charles Michel offered the EU's support to Libya during a visit on Sunday to Tripoli. Michel met with officials from the interim government and discussed various political and developmental issues.

Seven Members of the European Parliament have published a joint statement in response to Georgian politicians' inability to reach an agreement to resolve the country's political crisis this week under the mediation of the President of the European Council’s Personal Envoy, Christian Danielsson.

The new United States Administration has finally clarified its position on the conflict in Western Sahara between Morocco and the Sahrawi movement, the Polisario Front. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this week emphasised US support for political negotiations between Morocco and the Polisario over the future of the territory.