Sri Lanka became the 178th country to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as it deposited the instrument of ratification with the UN Office of Legal Affairs (UNOLA) on 25 July at the UN Headquarters in New York. The ratification elevates Sri Lanka’s status as a signatory to a complete State Party to the treaty. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the treaty’s ratification shows Colombo’s long-standing commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.
The 8th India-Australia Defence Policy Talks was held in Canberra on 24-25 July. The two sides reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and explored new initiatives to strengthen and deepen bilateral defence engagements during the talks. During the talks, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Indian side highlighted its capability to cooperate with the Australian Armed Forces in its shipbuilding and maintenance plans. The two countries also agreed to the early finalisation of the hydrography agreement and exchanged views on different geo-political issues.
On Tuesday, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida addressed his government coalition to find an acceptable way around unwritten rules that restrict the country’s defence exports, despite many citizens being opposed to the overseas sale of weapons. The panel had previously concluded that Tokyo can export vehicles and vessels that are fitted with lethal weapons systems to countries, as long as the equipment is not used in combat.
Cambodian PM Hun Sen — one of the world’s longest-ruling leaders — announced on Wednesday that he will step down from power next month and pass on his office to his son, Hun Manet, ending a near four-decade reign. Hun Sen’s announcement comes days after his Cambodian People’s Party won 120 of 125 parliamentary seats in a general election that all serious opponents were barred from contesting.
Following a coup d'état by soldiers in Niger, President Mohamed Bazoum has been removed from power. Reading from a statement on the West African country’s national television late on Wednesday, Colonel Amadou Abdramane, flanked by nine other officers, said defence and security forces had decided to: “Put an end to the regime that you know due to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance.”
Sweden’s Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said Wednesday that the European country is the subject of a misinformation campaign by “Russia-backed actors” aimed at harming the country’s image by saying it supported recent Quran burnings. He added, “We can see how Russia-backed actors are amplifying incorrect statements such as that the Swedish state is behind the desecration of holy scriptures.” The controversy comes against the backdrop of Sweden’s bid to join NATO in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un received a Russian military delegation led by Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday, as reported by media sources. According to the media, Shoigu handed a personal letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kim Jong-un. Media sources confirmed that both parties discussed national, regional, and global security challenges.