South Asia
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced its decision to move its diplomatic mission from Ukraine to Poland over the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country. While the Indian government has successfully repatriated 20,000 Indian nationals from Ukraine, several others continue to wait to be evacuated. [Reuters]
Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping evacuate four Nepalese students through Operation Ganga, through which India repatriated thousands of Indian students stranded in Ukraine. In total, 580 Nepalese students have been evacuated from the war-torn country, out of which six were brought back by India. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on Saturday. They agreed to establish formal diplomatic relations “without conditions” and continue negotiations between their respective delegations. Both sides have recently expressed a willingness to normalise ties, which broke down in 1991 after Turkey backed Armenia’s arch-enemy Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. [Associated Press]
Turkmen citizens voted on Saturday in a snap presidential election called by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov last month. Although the results are not out, Berdimuhamedov’s son, Serdar, is widely expected to win the election. [Al Jazeera]
East and Southeast Asia
Strong earthquakes hit western Indonesia and the Philippines’ main island early on Monday. While the 6.7-magnitude and 6.4-magnitude earthquakes left buildings rattling, they caused no casualties or damage. [Channel News Asia]
Mainland China reported 1,807 new local symptomatic COVID-19 cases on Sunday, triple the caseload of the previous day. The current infection rate is the highest in two years. [The Straits Times]
Europe
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine with United States President Joe Biden. Both sides reiterated their commitment to holding Russia ‘accountable.’ [Reuters]
The United Kingdom’s Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak, warned British companies and investors to refrain from making new investments in Russia in light of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. He also offered the government’s support to any individuals or entities that wish to bring an end to their financial investments in Russia. [Reuters]
On Friday, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić met German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as the two exchanged views on Serbia’s path to becoming a full-fledged member of the European Union (EU). After the meeting, Vučić raised concerns over secessionist threats in Bosnia-Herzegovina and said that Belgrade’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity is strictly in accordance with international laws. Baerbock, meanwhile, affirmed that Germany plans to increase its presence in the Western Balkans. [B92]
Latin America and the Caribbean
On Friday, Gabriel Boric was sworn in as Chile’s new president, taking over from Sebastián Piñera, who was in office from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The left-wing politician defeated right-wing lawyer and former legislator José Antonio Kast back in December. He has been an outspoken critic of the country’s neoliberal, free-market economic model, which has driven growth but widened inequality. At 36, he is the country’s youngest-ever leader and enters office as it aims to rewrite its Pinochet-era constitution. [MercoPress]
As Peruvian lawmakers attempt to impeach President Pedro Castillo, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States voiced its “concern” and stressed on the “need to respect the democratic order and the will of the people expressed in favour of President Castillo.” [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Istanbul on Sunday to discuss their ongoing maritime disputes in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine and said in a joint statement that “Turkey and Greece have a special responsibility in the European security architecture which has changed with Russia’s attack on Ukraine.” [Associated Press]
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital Erbil on Sunday. Over a dozen ballistic missiles fell near the American consulate in Erbil. The United States has said that no officials were hurt and that there was no damage to any infrastructure. The IRGC claimed that the strikes were conducted against Israeli “strategic centres” in Erbil. [Reuters]
North America
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday concluded his tour of Europe, during which met leaders from the United Kingdom (UK), Latvia, Poland, and Germany. Trudeau affirmed his support for Ukraine against Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustifiable” military aggression. In addition to humanitarian and immigration assistance to Ukrainian refugees, Trudeau said Canada will increase its military presence in the region. [PM Office Canada]
On Sunday, critically-acclaimed American journalist Brent Renaud was “shot dead” in Irpin, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv, amid heavy firing and shelling between Russian and Ukrainian forces. His death was confirmed by regional police chief Andriy Nebitov. At the time of his death, Renaud was working on a project focused on the global refugee crisis for Time Studios, a subsidiary of Time Media Group. [The Washington Post]
Oceania
On Monday, the Australian government joined Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States in announcing new sanctions that target 33 Russian oligarchs and famous business families. In the last few weeks, Australia has announced a series of sanctions against Russia’s central bank, Direct Investment Fund, national sovereign wealth fund, armed personnel, individuals and entities associated with the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign, and oligarchs, including the owner of Chelsea Football Club and the CEO of state-owned gas company Gazprom. [Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia]
On Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed he has countered Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific islands and thwarted its aspirations to build a military base in the Pacific islands. Morrison said, “I talk to Pacific leaders every single week, and that is what ensures that we can block the incursion into our region because we share values with the Pacific.” Morrison’s comments come after China provided the Solomon Islands with police and riot equipment during violent protests in November. [Reuters]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Friday, the United States and African Union Commission held their eighth High-Level Dialogue in Washington DC; the delegations of the two sides were represented by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and AUC Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat. They signed an agreement to broaden cooperation between the US and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in order to better “prevent, detect, and respond to future infectious disease threats” such as HIV, TB, and malaria. [US Department of State]
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa dismissed the concerns of Western countries about the politically-motivated violence against the main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change, ahead of the country’s election next year. The President criticised the “blatant interference” in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, which he said is part of their “decades-old regime change agenda.” Recently, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga warned that he will destroy the CCC “like lice.” [The East African]