Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for May 3, 2022
Newsline: Diplomatic recognition for Taliban regime remains elusive
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, its spokespersons have commuted to several neighbouring nations but failed to establish effective diplomatic ties. Politicians and political analysts said that the Islamic Emirate has not engaged in effective diplomacy over the past eight months toward gaining international recognition. (https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/international-recognition-for-taliban-regime-remains-elusive/ar-AAWRpWE) Dealing with the issue of international recognition, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, has made numerous trips to nations, failing terribly at establishing ties. Diplomats from the Islamic Emirate in Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and Kazakhstan have officially begun their work but it is not yet clear which of these countries will take the lead in recognizing the Islamic Emirate.
Newsline: India’s Modi calls for diplomacy in Ukraine
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. (https://news.yahoo.com/indias-modi-calls-ceasefire-ukraine-122349023.html) “We appealed for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for the adoption of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the problem,” Modi said at a press briefing in Copenhagen.
Newsline: Ukrainian Ambassador Dubs German Chancellor an ‘Offended Liver Sausage’
Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany has accused the German chancellor of behaving like an “offended liver sausage” by declining to visit Kyiv. In comments to the German Press Agency published Tuesday, Andriy Melnyk suggested Olaf Scholz was being childish for opting out of a visit after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky snubbed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier last month, declining his offer to meet because he said Steinmeier had cultivated close ties with Moscow. “Playing an offended liverwurst doesn’t sound very statesmanlike,” Melnyk said of Scholz’s decision, using a German colloquialism commonly employed to describe someone as a prima donna. (https://www.thedailybeast.com/ukrainian-ambassador-andriy-melnyk-dubs-german-chancellor-olaf-scholz-an-offended-liver-sausage) He went on to say that what Ukraine needs more than “symbolic visits” is for Germany to follow through on a proposal to supply more heavy weapons. Scholz, in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Monday, had scoffed at Steinmeier’s visit being rejected, calling it a “remarkable event.”
Newsline: Haiti gang holding kidnapped diplomat for ransom
The Dominican Republic has urged Haiti to do everything in its power to ensure the safe release of one of its diplomats who was kidnapped on Friday. The trade attaché at the Dominican embassy in Port-au-Prince, Carlos Guillén, was seized by gang members while he was travelling to neighbouring Dominican Republic. (https://news.yahoo.com/haiti-gang-holding-kidnapped-diplomat-114241342.html) Dominican officials said that the 400 Mawozo gang was behind the kidnapping. The gang is infamous for kidnapping foreigners and demanding high ransoms. In October, 400 Mawozo abducted 16 US citizens and a Canadian who were in Haiti for the NGO Christian Aid Ministries. The gang demanded a ransom of $1m (£795,000) for each of them. The missionaries and their families all managed to regain their freedom two months later. Christian Aid Ministries said 12 of them had escaped their captors and that five others had been released earlier. It was not clear if any ransom was paid.
Newsline: Sweden to Re-Open Embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday
Sweden will on Wednesday re-open its embassy in Kyiv after it closed temporarily following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish foreign minister said on Twitter. (https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-02/sweden-to-re-open-embassy-in-kyiv-on-wednesday) “Sweden will continue to #StandWithUkraine, and is delighted that @SwedeninUA ‘s diplomatic presence will be back where it belongs,” Foreign Minister Ann Linde wrote on the social media platform.
Diplomatic Briefing 