South Asia
Addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue, Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that it was time to “bury the past” with India and “move forward”, and went on to call for a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue. This follows a similar statement made by the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the inauguration ceremony of the event, in which he called upon India to take the first step towards establishing friendly bilateral relations. [Indian Express]
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed French diplomat Jean Arnault as a personal envoy for Afghanistan to assist Guterres in securing a “political solution” to the conflict in the country. This follows a meeting between representatives of Russia, China, the United States, Pakistan, the Afghan government, and the Taliban in Moscow to discuss the stalled peace process. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
In order to minimise the effects of the political crisis triggered by the war with Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has agreed to hold early elections in June. “Taking into account my discussions with President [Armen Sarkisian], the My Step faction, the leader of the Bright Armenia faction Edmon Marukian, early parliamentary elections will be held in the Republic of Armenia on June 20,” Pashinian said in a Facebook post yesterday. [RFE/RL]
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan held a meeting in Guliston in the Sughd region of Tajikistan on March 16-17 on the “delimitation and demarcation of the state border”. The delegation of Tajikistan was led by State National Security Committee Chairman Saimumin Yatimov, while the Kyrgyz delegation was led by State National Security Committee Chairman Kamchibek Tashiev. Both sides agreed to work towards resolving the longstanding conflict over the disputed Unkur-Too territory, which both claim as an integral part of their respective territories due to the presence of a television broadcasting station in the region. [AKI Press]
East and Southeast Asia
Ousted civilian lawmakers in Myanmar are pushing the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into possible crimes against humanity following the military coup on February 1. However, Myanmar is not a member of the ICC. “We are not a state party to the ICC, but we need to... explore the ways and means to bring the case to the ICC,” said Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. [The Straits times]
North Korea has threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Malaysia after a Malaysian court ruled that a North Korean man could be extradited to the United States on money laundering charges. The statement released by the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that Malaysia had “committed an unpardonable crime ... of forcibly delivering the innocent citizen (of North Korea) to the United States.” [Channel News Asia]
Europe
The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US and the EU on Thursday slammed Russia’s “illegitimate and illegal annexation” of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, and offered their “unwavering support for and commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.” The group also condemned Moscow’s aggression in Eastern Ukraine and said that Russia was a party to the conflict, not a mediator. [Global Affairs Canada]
Following US President Joe Biden’s comments about Vladimir Putin being a “killer,” the Russian president responded by saying, “It takes one to know one.” At a live televised meeting on Thursday, Putin added, “When we judge other people or evaluate other states, nations, we always seem to look in the mirror, we always see ourselves there. We always see our essence in the other person.” He also said that Moscow is not planning to completely sever ties with Washington, but would work bilaterally on issues that Russia considered beneficial. [The Moscow Times]
Several European countries, including Germany and France, have resumed the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This comes following a statement by the European Medicines Agency that aimed to “clear” the confusion surrounding the vaccine and reaffirm its safety and efficacy. [Reuters]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexican customs officials intercepted what were determined to be fake vials of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine that were headed to Honduras. They discovered 1,155 vials with more than 5,700 doses. The Mexican customs agents and soldiers did not make the conclusion that the vials were fake, but their suspicions were confirmed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. [Associated Press]
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, against whom all corruption charges were recently annulled, urged US President Joe Biden to convene a meeting of G20 leaders “urgently” in order to address the growing issue of vaccine inequity. He said, “I am aware that the United States has extra vaccines and that they will not use all of this vaccine. And that vaccine, who knows, could be donated to Brazil, or to other countries, even poorer ones, that can not afford it.” [CNN, Folha de S.Paulo]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Despite ongoing talks with Sudan and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy Dr. Sileshi Bekele said that the country plans to go ahead with a second round of ‘water filling’ next summer, regardless of how the talks with the other two nations progress. Sudan and Egypt have in recent weeks been pushing for international mediation of the Nile dam dispute. However, Ethiopia has rejected any form of what it sees as foreign interference in the tripartite discussions. [The East African]
Ahead of the European Union (EU) Summit with Turkish officials next week, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kallin called on EU leaders to “show leadership” in “address[ing] this migration issue in a serious manner”. Turkey signed a migration deal with the EU in 2016 to manage the influx of migrants into the EU. However, the agreement was suspended over accusations of improper implementation from both sides. [Middle East Monitor]
North America
The US government on Thursday announced an additional $52 million for the unfolding humanitarian situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. Washington has provided nearly $153 million to response efforts since the crisis began in November 2020. [US Department of State]
Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said on Wednesday that the cases of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig—who have been arbitrarily detained in China since 2018 and indicted on espionage charges—remain a top priority for Ottawa, who is “working tirelessly” to secure their immediate release. Garneau also said that court hearings for both individuals are scheduled to take place on March 19 and March 22, respectively. [Global Affairs Canada]
Oceania
Amid a rapidly spreading outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Papua New Guinea, two Australian virologists, Robert Booy and Peter Collington, have urged the nation to accept the Chinese vaccine if offered. PNG doctors have said that the medical system is at a “breaking point”, as hospitals have become inundated with patients and a number of healthcare workers have contracted the virus as well. With the European Union threatening to withhold vaccine deliveries until its own needs are met, and COVAX deliveries still lagging, Booy said, “The Chinese vaccines are becoming better understood and the information coming out suggests that they are safe and effective.” He added, “Provided the confirmation of their safety by the WHO, their use in southeast Asia and the Pacific seems reasonable to me.” [Sydney Morning Herald]
A Fijian court will rule on Chinese company Freesoul Real Estate for their role in the environmental destruction of Fiji’s Malolo Island, where they took out part of a reef, dumped waste, and disturbed fisheries. [Newsroom]
Sub-Saharan Africa
A spokesperson from the Nigerian Police said that they are working with the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), the International Police (INTERPOL), and other regional security forces to curb the entry of arms and ammunition into the country. He said that they have already intercepted a number of firearms, live ammunition, live cartridges, drugs, computers, and mobile phones. They have also arrested multiple suspects. [Leadership]
In the face of a number of African countries deciding to suspend their use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, John Nkengasong, said that the “benefits still outweigh the risks”. Likewise, the World Health Organization’s Africa director, Matshidiso Moeti, urged countries to not “pause” their vaccination campaigns as “we are in a race against time”. [Africa News]
World News Monitor: 19 March, 2021
A quick look at events from around the globe.
March 19, 2021
US President Joe Biden (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin SOURCE: THE AUSTRALIAN