Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed an alternative to the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) that was announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi. Erdogan remarked that there could not be a trade corridor between the East, the Middle East, and Europe without Ankara’s inclusion, as it is one of the largest trade hubs in the world. According to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Ankara is now making ‘intensive negotiations’ over its proposed alternative.
In an interview with FirstPost, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the dialogue between India and Canada has been “paused to make sure that geopolitically and economically, we are all on the same page.” Goyal remarked that while the two countries are on good terms, India has had certain issues which are of serious concern, including the rise in anti-India, separatist violence and protests, highlighted in the bilateral meeting between Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Malta on Saturday and Sunday, during which Sullivan raised Washington’s concerns regarding China’s “provision of different types of assistance to Russia,” a senior US official told reporters. They also spoke about “the upgrading of the US-Vietnam relationship” and concerns surrounding Chinese actions in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and the EU should continue to maintain an “open attitude, firmly support free trade, [and] reject protectionism.” He added that their “cooperation outweighs differences,” as they are “partners instead of rivals.” Wang’s comments come days after the European Commission launched an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect EU automakers against Chinese electric vehicle imports.
Three West African Sahel nations governed by military regimes, namely, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, entered a security agreement on Saturday. This pact signifies their commitment to providing mutual support in the event of any internal uprising or external aggression. These nations are currently grappling with the challenge of combating Islamic extremist groups associated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Their recent military coups have also strained their relationships with neighbouring countries and international allies.
Saudi Arabia has suspended normalisation talks with Israel, Saudi news website Elaph reported on Saturday. The report quoted an unnamed Israeli official, who said that Riyadh informed Washington that it was halting negotiations because of the Israeli government’s refusal to make concessions to the Palestinians. Moreover, the monarchy has also expressed concerns over the presence of extremist members like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in the government.
On Sunday, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen vowed to help Italy deal with its surge of illegal immigrants during her visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa. At a press conference with Italian PM Georgia Meloni, the EC chief outlined a 10-point EU action plan to assist Italy. “Irregular migration is a European challenge and it needs a European response, we are in this together,” she affirmed. Almost 126,000 migrants have landed on Italian shores this year alone, almost double the number of arrivals in 2022.