At the 12th edition of the MILAN Exercise in Visakhapatnam, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that proactive collaboration is the key to shared peace and prosperity. He urged the global community to collectively aspire for peace in this age of democratic and rules-based world order. Singh highlighted that it was India’s resolve to be the first responder and preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean Region. He remarked that India will continue to play the role of a Vishwa Mitra (Friend of the World) in forging meaningful partnerships that make the world a genuinely connected and equitable habitat.
The Indian government has issued executive orders to microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) to act on specific accounts and posts. The Elon Musk-owned platform said that while it will withhold the accounts and posts in India, it does not agree with these actions. Highlighting the need to uphold freedom of expression, X said that a writ appeal challenging the Indian government’s blocking orders remains pending. The platform has provided the impacted users with notice of these actions. In a social media post, the platform informed that it was unable to publish the executive orders due to legal restrictions, but it believes that making them public is essential for transparency.
Switzerland’s government announced on Wednesday that it plans to ban Hamas after the Palestinian militant group’s attacks in Israel on 7 October, which killed almost 1,200 people. The Swiss government added that under the new legislation, Hamas and “cover or successor organisations,” as well as organisations or groups working on its behalf or in its name, will be banned. The law, which is currently in the consultation phase, will be limited to five years.
Russia urged Israel to end hostilities in the Gaza Strip and called on global agencies to promote talks between Palestine and Israel. “The situation is only getting worse for Israel. So, I hope that in the near future, the Israeli leadership will make a decision on an immediate ceasefire after all,” Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said in an interview.
Lithuania’s government declared on Wednesday that it will close two of its border crossings with Belarus starting 1 March. Earlier in August 2023, Lithuania closed two of its six border crossings. According to the new announcement, only two checkpoints on the Lithuanian-Belarusian border will remain open - Myadininkai and Shalchyninkai. Agne Bilotaite, the country’s Interior Minister, described the decision as “timely and necessary.” “Large resources are needed to control flows, prevent smuggling, ensure international sanctions, and reduce traffic safety risks,” he clarified.
On Wednesday, the US State Department greenlit the sale of military gear to Taiwan worth approximately $75 million. The sale includes advanced tactical data link system upgrade planning. This approval coincides with escalated tensions between Taiwan and China, with Beijing asserting territorial claims over the island and not ruling out military action. The package encompasses Cross Domain Solutions, High Assurance devices, Global Positioning System receivers, communications equipment, technical services, and other logistical and program support components.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China perceives Europe as adopting a more “rational perspective” towards the country and emphasised that Europe should not fear China. “I feel that Europe’s rational perception of China is increasing, believing that China’s development is in line with the logic of history and that Europe should not be afraid of it, let alone reject it,” Wang said in an interview transcript released late on Wednesday.