Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for August 6, 2022
Newsline: Sudan summons Chadian ambassador over cross-border attack
Sudan summoned the Chadian ambassador to Sudan on Saturday to protest what it called a cross-border attack by Chadian armed groups that killed at least 18 Sudanese civilians, official SUNA news agency reported. During the meeting, Sudanese acting Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq demanded Chad arrest the assailants and return the hundreds of stolen camels as soon as possible, according to SUNA. (https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/272645486/sudan-summons-chadian-ambassador-over-allegedly-deadly-cross-border-attack) The Chadian ambassador said his country “will not allow whatever may disturb this relationship to happen.” A day earlier, Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council said Chadian armed groups killed 18 Sudanese civilians and stole 220 camels in an attack in a border village in Sudan’s West Darfur State on Thursday, the sovereign council said in a statement.
Newsline: Senegal accuses Canadian police of beating diplomat in Ottawa
The Republic of Senegal says one of its on-duty diplomats in Ottawa was beaten at her home by police earlier this week, while Quebec’s Gatineau Police Service says its members subdued and arrested a person who was violent toward officers. The Embassy of Senegal posted a French-language news release from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad about the Tuesday incident on the embassy’s Facebook page on Friday afternoon. The release did not cite the police agency involved. “During this operation, the Canadian police exercised humiliating physical and moral violence on the diplomat in front of witnesses and in the presence of her minor children,” according to the release. “Despite being reminded of the victim’s status as a diplomat and of the inviolability of her home, the Canadian police officers handcuffed her and savagely beat her to the point that she had difficulty breathing, which led to … evacuation by ambulance to the hospital.” (https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/senegals-government-accuses-canadian-police-of-savagely-beating-ottawa-embassy-diplomat/ar-AA10mt42) The ministry’s release did not name the diplomat or specify the location of the home. CBC has reached out to the embassy and the ministry for comment.
Newsline: China’s envoy on Afghanistan meets Indian counterpart
China’s special envoy on Afghan affairs Yue Xiaoyong made a low-key visit to New Delhi. During his visit, China’s special envoy held talks on Afghanistan matters with Joint Secretary JP Singh, who handles the Afghanistan division at the Ministry of External Affairs. This was the first such senior-level meeting between India and China after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year. (https://www.hindustantimes.com/videos/news/chinas-afghan-affairs-envoy-meets-indian-diplomat-handling-afghanistan-101659759631623.html) Both Xiaoyong and Singh agreed to encourage engagement, enhance dialogue for Afghan peace and stability.
Newsline: China’s ambassador to France pledges to re-educate Taiwanese population
Once China achieves its professed goal of establishing control over Taiwan, a process of “re-education” of the island’s population would follow, according to China’s Ambassador to France Lu Shaye. The ambassador was speaking on French television channel BFM TV, when he said a majority of the Taiwanese population actually wanted to be “re-unified” to China ten or twenty years ago, but that “anti-Chinese” propaganda from the local Democratic Progressive Party has indoctrinated the people of the island. “After the re-unification, we’ll do re-education,” Lu told the French TV channel, saying that this will make sure Taiwanese people will recover their sense of patriotism. “I am sure that at that time, the people of Taiwan will be in favor of reunification again. They will become patriotic again,” he said. He added that the process of re-education will be Beijing’s main tool to integrate the people of Taiwan into China—not the use of threat. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/newsworld/china-would-re-educate-taiwan-in-event-of-reunification-ambassador-says/ar-AA10l6cX) The concept of “re-educating” the population is far from reassuring, as the term is the same used by Beijing to label the practice in mass “re-education” camps for political indoctrination.
Newsline: Kyrgyzstan calls for probe into attack on Azerbaijani embassy in London
Kyrgyzstan calls for a thorough investigation into the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in the UK, Trend reports citing the press service of Foreign Ministry of Kyrgyzstan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic strongly condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the UK and the vandalism of its property on August 4, 2022, the statement said. (https://www.azernews.az/nation/197708.html) “We call for a thorough and objective investigation of the incident, bringing the perpetrators to justice,” it said. Eight men have been arrested after a gang of protesters stormed the Azerbaijani embassy in London.
Newsline: Bulgarian, Latvian embassies in Moscow suspend visa processing for Russian citizens
The Latvian Embassy in Moscow announced Friday the suspension for an indefinite period of visa processing for Russian citizens “due to the international situation”. According to the diplomatic mission’s statement, visas will only be issued to those Russians whose entry to the country is related to the funeral of a close relative. (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/latvian-embassy-in-moscow-suspends-visa-processing-for-russian-citizens/ar-AA10l0y2) Bulgaria will stop accepting documents for tourist visas for citizens of Russia, RIA Novosti reported. (https://www.novinite.com/articles/216192/Bulgaria+Suspends+Visas+for+Russians+with+Property+in+Bulgaria+and+for+Tourists+from+Russia) The measure applies to both tourists and property owners in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian consulate in Moscow explained to the Russians that the reason for the suspension of visas was the declaration on August 5 of 14 employees of the diplomatic missions and consular services of Bulgaria in Russia as persona non grata.
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