Moscow, Russia | AFP | Tuesday 4/18/2023 Moscow said on Tuesday it had summoned the US, British and Canadian ambassadors for “gross interference” in Russia’s domestic affairs. Russia’s foreign ministry did not say precisely why the envoys were called in, but Moscow already blasted them for their statement denouncing a 25-year sentence against Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza on Monday. The ambassadors were summoned for “gross interference in Russia’s internal affairs and activities that do not […]
Tag: diplomacy
Philippines ex-foreign minister who stood up to China dies at 83
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Tuesday 4/18/2023 Albert del Rosario, the Philippines’ former foreign minister who stood up to Beijing in the South China Sea, has died at the age of 83, Manila said Tuesday. Del Rosario, who served under Philippine president Benigno Aquino from 2011 to 2016, died while en route to the United States, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement that did not specify the cause of death. Born […]
Brazil rejects US criticism, defends Russia ties
BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil rejected US criticism that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda on the Ukraine war as he held talks with Moscow’s top diplomat on Monday. Lula’s meeting with Sergei Lavrov in Brasilia follows state visits to China and the Middle East, during which he said the United States should “stop encouraging war and start talking about peace” in Ukraine. He also claimed that Kyiv shares […]
Russia’s Lavrov meets Lula as Brazil, US trade barbs on Ukraine war
BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Russia’s foreign minister met in Brazil on Monday with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as Washington criticized the South American leader’s recent remarks on US defense support for Ukraine. Lula is fresh off a trip to China and the United Arab Emirates, during which he raised eyebrows in the West by accusing the United States of “encouraging the war” in Ukraine. He also said the United States and Europe “need […]
White House says Brazil ‘parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda’ on Ukraine
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House on Monday sharply criticized Brazil after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on a trip to China that the United States is encouraging war in Ukraine. “In this case, Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Lula said Saturday during a visit to Beijing, where he met Chinese leader Xi Jinping, […]
Iran invites Saudi king to visit amid thaw in ties
Tehran, Iran | AFP | Monday 4/17/2023 Iran said Monday it has formally invited Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, following a reconciliation agreement reached last month between the two sides. Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The two Middle East powerhouses had held several rounds of dialogue […]
‘United’: G7 diplomats offer common front on China
Karuizawa, Japan | AFP | Monday 4/17/2023 by Sara HUSSEIN / Tomohiro OSAKI For G7 diplomats meeting in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, unity was the name of the game on Monday, with ministers lining up to insist there is no daylight between them on China policy. The two days of talks are taking place under the long shadow cast by controversial remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron, who last week suggested Europe should […]
G7 top diplomats seek unity on China after Macron remarks
by Sara HUSSEIN / Mathias CENA Agence France-Presse KARUIZAWA, Japan (AFP) — The G7’s top diplomats began talks in Japan on Monday, looking to project a unified message on concerns about China after controversial remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron. The foreign ministers are keen to move past the firestorm created by Macron’s assertion, following a trip to Beijing, that Europe should avoid “crises that aren’t ours”, and China was on the agenda even before […]
US and Vietnam pledge to boost ties during Blinken visit to Hanoi
The United States and Vietnam said Saturday they hoped to upgrade diplomatic ties, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, passing through Hanoi on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan, met Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to pave the way for a potential diplomatic upgrade to a “strategic partnership”. The two countries have increasingly close trade links, while both […]
Blinken arrives in Hanoi seeking upgrade in US-Vietnam ties
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Vietnam Friday looking to expand diplomatic ties with Hanoi, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan. Blinken — who is passing through Hanoi on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Japan — will meet top Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to pave the way for a potential diplomatic upgrade with the country. The two countries have increasingly close trade […]
Norway expels 15 ‘intel officers’ at Russian embassy
Oslo, Norway | AFP | Thursday 4/13/2023 Norway on Thursday announced the expulsion of 15 “intelligence officers” working at the Russian embassy in Oslo. “The 15 intelligence officers have been engaging in activities that are not compatible with their diplomatic status,” Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement. According to the statement the “officers” had been declared “personae non gratae,” and that they must leave “shortly.” Contacted by AFP, the Russian embassy in Oslo […]
US, Philippines troops fire Javelins in largest joint war games
PALAYAN, Philippines | AFP | Thursday 4/13/2023 by Mikhail FLORES US and Philippine troops held anti-tank missile exercises on Thursday, as the allies stepped up their largest war games, which have already drawn China’s ire. Under a plume of black smoke, three cars parked on scrubland were crushed by missiles fired from about 600 metres (0.37 miles) away by three soldiers at a military base in the north of the Philippines. The annual Balikatan manoeuvres […]
