South Asia
The Taliban’s second deputy prime minister, Mulla Abdul Salam Hanafi, reassured that Afghanistan would not become a breeding ground for activities that threaten other countries. Speaking to a representative of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Tuesday, he also said that the Taliban was abiding by the Doha Agreement, which requires it to prevent terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda and ISIS from using Afghanistan as a safe haven. [Khaama Press News Agency]
The Pakistani Supreme Court dismissed a petition calling for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party chair Imran Khan’s long march to be stopped. Justice Athar Minallah said on Thursday that the responsibility lies with the executive government to ensure that the protest does not “disturb a commoner’s life.” [Geo TV]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a phone talk with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Thursday amid rising bilateral tensions. Amirabdollahian said misunderstandings can be resolved through dialogue, stressing that “respect for countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as non-interference in their domestic affairs” are fundamental aspects of bilateral ties. The two neighbours have recently accused each other of making hostile rhetoric against each other. Earlier this month, Azerbaijan arrested five people for spying for Iran. [Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Thursday thanked Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for supporting the territorial integrity of countries, in a reference to the Ukraine war. “Together we are committed to ensuring security and stability in our regions,” Borrell said after his meeting with Tokayev in Astana. Kazakhstan, a longtime Russian ally, has opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last week, Tokayev said that he “supports the UN Charter” and as a result respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries. [Fergana News, RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
During their meeting in Bangkok, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed to “deepen the synergy” between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Philippines’ “Build, Better, More” programme. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in the sectors of clean energy, education, and public health. Marcos Jr. stressed that bilateral relations should not be defined by their maritime issues. [Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China]
North Korea on Friday fired a suspected long-range missile from its western coast that flew toward its eastern waters. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that it was possibly an intercontinental ballistic missile. [Japan Today]
Europe
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday that Europe is “too dependent on Taiwan” for chips and semiconductors. She warned the bloc against making the same mistake with technology that it made in the energy sector with its over-reliance on Russia. [Politico]
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Thursday that she will push for a global commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius during ongoing COP27 talks. She stated that she would use the meeting to set up a mechanism to finance the losses and damages to countries impacted by climate change, a key demand of several developing countries like India and Pakistan. [Reuters]
The Turkey and the United Nations (UN)-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative has been extended by another 120 days. However, the supply of Russian ammonia through a pipeline to the Black Sea has not been agreed upon. In this respect, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed that they remain “fully committed to removing the remaining obstacles to exporting food and fertilisers from (Russia).” [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed on Thursday that the country has the “largest economic growth” across Latin America and the Caribbean despite the pressure of Western sanctions. The International Monetary Fund has projected that Venezuela’s GDP will grow by 6% this year, while the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has said this figure could be as high as 12%. Year-on-year inflation, however, stands at over 150%, which could contribute to such statistics. [teleSUR]
Colombian President Gustavo Petro revealed that the government will begin peace talks with the left-wing guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN) next week in order to achieve “total peace.” Arrest warrants for the group's negotiating team have been removed in the spirit of negotiations. [Reuters]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Thursday to discuss cooperation in a wide range of areas, including energy, space technology, infrastructure, and the Kingdom’s NEOM project. The two leaders signed investment deals worth $30 billion, including a $7 billion plan by Saudi Aramco to build more petrochemical refineries in South Korea. [Arab News]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday told Israel’s next prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Turkey is ready to start a “new era” in ties with Israel, in their first phone call since 2013. “It is in the shared interest of Turkey and Israel to maintain the relations by respecting sensitivities on the basis of mutual interests, and to strengthen them on a sustainable basis,” Erdoğan said. [Times of Israel]
North America
A day after the Republicans won a slim majority in the United States (US) House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she will step aside “for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.” However, the 82-year-old lawmaker, who was the first woman to become a Democrat Speaker, will not retire and continue to represent San Francisco. She is likely to be replaced by New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries at the leadership elections on 30 November. [Reuters]
During a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha discussed how a Canada-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) free trade agreement would “help drive prosperity and create good middle-class jobs in both countries, and across the region.” The pair also talked about elevating Ottawa’s status as a Strategic Partner to ASEAN. [Prime Minister of Canada]
Oceania
Ahead of her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that Wellington must “create an environment” where it can raise its concerns with Beijing without prompting retaliation. “We need to make sure we have an environment where we can do that without us seeing retaliatory acts, because in my mind that doesn’t further the relationship,” Ardern said. [The Guardian]
During a press conference in Bangkok, where the APEC Summit is being held, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that he has spoken to economist Sean Turnell, who was released by the Myanmar junta this week after 650 days in prison. Albanese said that Turnell had safely landed in Bangkok, is “well,” and will “travel overnight to Australia to be with his family.” [Prime Minister of Australia]
Sub-Saharan Africa
The M23 rebel group has gained ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, despite the deployment of the East African Community regional military force to aid Congolese troops. The Rwanda-backed rebels are reportedly plotting to seize the eastern province’s capital, Goma, in order to force the government onto the backfoot and offer concessions. [AFP]
Germany has begun deliberations on whether to withdraw its troops from the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, after both the United Kingdom and Côte d’Ivoire announced that they would be pulling their troops out of the junta-ruled country by the end of next year. Egypt withdrew its troops earlier this year and Sweden, too, will pull its troops out by next June. France, which made up the largest contingent of foreign forces in the country, officially withdrew all its troops from the country this year as well. Germany reportedly plans to keep its troops in Mali no later than the end of next year. [Deutsche Welle]