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The fate of Central Asia may be decided on the steppes and in the forests of Ukraine

The fate of Central Asia may be decided on the steppes and in the forests of Ukraine

Vladimir Putin was sworn in for another six-year term as the President of Russia on Tuesday, 7 May. With Putin having been the undisputed leader of Russia for decades, continuity, one would have thought, was assured. Yet Putin himself, on Monday (13 May) speaking at a meeting of the Security Council spoke of “a new political cycle” in Russia. Some of the first decisions of the re-elected president give us a sense of what is to come. First, there was the surprise dismissal of Sergei Shoigu as Minister of Defence, and his transfer to be the Secretary of the Security Council. There had been speculation for some time that Shoigu’s time at the Ministry of Defence was up. But what was surprising was the appointment of Andrei Belousov, former Deputy Prime Minister – an efficient technocrat with an economic background to replace him. That the Russian Ministry of Defence has needed a shake-up for some time has been abundantly clear, but Andrei Belousov’s mission seems to be more ambitious than that: He is tasked with transforming the Russian Defence Ministry into a modern institution that can embrace new ideas and techniques, and that has enough flexibility to conduct the sort of hybrid warfare that is likely to be the order of the day going forward. So despite all of Putin’s bravados about the Russian nuclear arsenal, it seems he is putting his faith in a more innovative, agile, and versatile force. Then on Monday, 13 May, Putin held his first meeting of the Security Council since his inauguration. The Kremlin website only referred to one item out of apparently several that were discussed, namely relations with the post-Soviet Republics, a subject much close to the heart of the president. Putin reiterated that this was a priority in foreign policy. Putin said, “we should pay even more attention to this area in the new political cycle in Russia and discuss the way we will organise this work from all points of view, including organisational”. So it appears that there is new thinking in this sphere, details of which is not yet known.
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A new era of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean

A new era of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean

A ground breaking meeting between the President of Turkiye, Recip Tayip Erdogan, and Greek Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Monday (13 May) is being hailed as the dawn of a new era of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. Mitsotakis was in Ankara as the guest of the Turkish leader. There are no unsolvable problems between Athens and Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, as he and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis praised the state of relations between the two neighbors while pledging to further enhance bilateral ties. "We had a constructive and positive meeting and discussed problems in Türkiye-Greece relations; We will solve problems through dialogue," Erdoğan said at a joint news conference with Mitsotakis. Erdoğan said that Ankara and Athens are committed to resolving issues via "cordial dialogue, good neighborly ties, and international law" as outlined in last year's Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighborliness. Improvement of bilateral relations with Türkiye is yielding concrete and positive results, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said "I can only begin by thanking you for the warm hospitality today in Ankara, it was a fourth meeting in the last 10 months, which I believe proves that the two neighbors can now establish this approach of mutual understanding, no longer as some exception, but as a productive normality that is not negated by the known differences in our positions," Mitsotakis said. He said bilateral relations have been progressing, as agreed by the parties, on three levels: political dialogue, positive agenda and confidence-building measures. "I believe that it is a positive development in a difficult time for international peace, but also for the broader stability in our region," the Greek leader said.

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Iran looms large on Biden's Middle East agenda

Iran looms large on Biden's Middle East agenda

A new nuclear deal could address Iran’s aggressive policies in the Middle East, Antony Blinken the Secretary of State designate told his senate confirmation hearings on Tuesday. Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the administration of President-elect Joe Biden would seek a “longer and stronger deal.”
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Qatar says GCC countries should have dialogue with Iran

Qatar says GCC countries should have dialogue with Iran

Qatar is urging Gulf Arab nations to initiate dialogue with Iran stating Doha's willingness to broker dialogue. The Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has been calling for such dialogue for a long time. Sheikh Mohammed said that the government was “hopeful that this would happen and we still believe this should happen.”
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Lavrov explains Russia's role in Karabakh

Lavrov explains Russia's role in Karabakh

Sergei Lavrov dismissed suggestions that Nagorno-Karabakh be annexed to Russia and said that the status issue needs to be resolved between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Lavrov indicated that there will be a role for the OSCE Minsk Group in resolving the status problem. Lavrov was speaking at the annual marathon new year press conference where he reviewed the work of his ministry in 2020.
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Borrell reaffirms EU support for Moldova

Borrell reaffirms EU support for Moldova

A statement posted on the EEAS website said that Josep Borrell reaffirmed the commitment of the EU to strengthen political association and economic integration with the Republic of Moldova by working in close partnership, on the basis of the ambitious Association Agreement.
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Saudi Arabia and Russia express different positions on Iran during Moscow talks

Saudi Arabia and Russia express different positions on Iran during Moscow talks

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday (14 January) met in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Whilst the two sides emphasised positive trends in their bilateral relations, it was also obvious that there were important differences, not least on Iran.
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US plans to open consulate in Western Sahara

US plans to open consulate in Western Sahara

The US is planning to open a consulate in Western Sahara. The consulate will be located in Dakhla, a fishing port located in southern Western Sahara, intended to become a “regional maritime hub” serving Africa and the Canary Islands through a large development project launched by Rabat. Last Saturday, the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, David Schenker, visited Western Sahara. He is considered to be the highest-ranking US diplomat for North Africa and the Middle East.