Diplomatic Briefing
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Newsline: Iran appoints first UAE ambassador since 2016
Iran said it had appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates for the first time since 2016, amid a realignment of relations between Gulf states and Iran. Iran’s newly appointed ambassador Reza Ameri had served as the director general of the Iranian expatriates office in the foreign ministry, Iranian state media said. (https://neuters.de/world/middle-east/iran-appoints-first-uae-ambassador-since-2016-gulf-relations-improve-2023-04-05/) The move comes after the UAE in August moved to upgrade ties and said it was returning its ambassador to Tehran. The UAE downgraded relations with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric. In a step change to years of hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria, Riyadh last month said it would re-establish relations with Tehran in a China-brokered deal. The UAE’s Dubai emirate has long being one of Iran’s main links to the outside world.
Newsline: Pakistan’s embassy in Abu Dhabi confirms that former president died on Sunday
Pakistani former President Pervez Musharraf died on Sunday following a prolonged illness at a hospital in Dubai, after years in self-imposed exile. “I can confirm that he passed away this morning,” Shazia Siraj, spokesperson for Pakistan’s embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulate in Dubai, told Reuters. (https://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-former-president-pervez-musharraf-061451098.html) Pakistan’s military and the country’s mission in the United Arab Emirates announced the death of the former army chief, 79, who was pushed from power in 2008. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Arif Alvi and the chiefs of Pakistan’s army, navy and air force each expressed condolences on his death. A special flight will be made to Dubai on Monday to bring Musharraf’s body back to Pakistan for burial, local TV channel Geo News reported.
Newsline: UAE extends visa ban on Pakistan
In what comes as another embarrassment for Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where a large number of Pakistanis migrate for work opportunities, has now extended an existing travel ban to 24 cities of Pakistan. The visa ban was earlier on 22 cities, and it has now been increased to 24, East Coast Daily reported. The UAE government had to resort to this action in order to curb the menace of begging on the streets of UAE. (https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/uae-extends-visa-ban-on-pakistan-embarrassed-pakistan-says-no-visa-ban-in-place/) It was noted that a large number of migrants from these Pakistani cities, who visit the UAE for work, ultimately end up begging on the streets when they fail to find employment. This increases the workload of the UAE administration, as begging is a crime in Dubai and the people are strictly ordered to not entertain beggars. Most of the migrant workers from Pakistan are deceived by agents who send them to UAE on a visit visa, while telling them that they were being sent on a work visa.
Newsline: UAE urges diplomacy to end Russia-Ukraine crisis
Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs, in a statement has said “since the beginning of the crisis, the UAE has called for de-escalation and dialogue, and has supported all diplomatic initiatives in this regard.” “The UAE firmly believes that diplomacy remains the only viable way to end the crisis, and shares the international community’s deep concerns about the repercussions of the current situation on civilians in and out of Ukraine, and regional and international peace, security and stability,” the statement said further. (https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2022/11/24/diplomacy-only-way-out-of-russia-ukraine-crisis-says-uae) In times of conflict, our collective responsibility is to leave no stone unturned towards identifying and pursuing paths that bring about a peaceful and swift resolution of crises. As such, the UAE remains firmly committed to help keep channels of communication open, encourage dialogue, support diplomacy, leveraging all the tools at our disposal to alleviate suffering and find a peaceful and sustainable solution that enhances international peace and security and ends the humanitarian impact on civilians.
Newsline: UAE summons Dutch ambassador to support Jordan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) has summoned the Ambassador of Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates to inform him of the UAE’s strong protest and denunciation of the interference of his country’s ambassador to Jordan in Kingdom’s internal affairs. (https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-summons-dutch-ambassador-to-protest-about-interference-in-jordans-internal-affairs) The Ministry affirmed the UAE’s solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and expressed its strong protest against the irresponsible statement breaching diplomatic norms that was made by the Dutch ambassador on October 19, 2022. The Ministry noted the statement is considered a blatant interference in the internal affairs of Jordan.
Newsline: UAE bid to get ex-congressman named U.S. ambassador dropped with lawmaker’s arrest
An effort by the United Arab Emirates to convince the United States with the help of a wealthy real estate investor to name former congressman Stephen #Stockman as U.S. #ambassador to that country during Donald #Trump’s presidency unraveled with the lawmaker’s 2017 arrest on fraud charges, prosecutors said. U.S. prosecutors made the statement in a filing in Brooklyn federal court ahead of next month’s scheduled criminal trial of Tom #Barrack, a billionaire real estate investor and fundraiser for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Barrack, charged with acting as a UAE agent without notifying the U.S. attorney general as required, has pleaded not guilty. The filing, partially redacted, stated that the UAE in early 2017 asked Barrack, who had chaired Trump’s inaugural committee and has described the former president as a close friend, to advocate for Stockman’s appointment as American ambassador. Stockman, a Republican who represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives, was arrested in March 2017, convicted the following year of using charitable donations for campaign and personal spending and sentenced to 10 years in prison. #Trump, who took office in January 2017, commuted Stockman’s sentence in the final weeks of his presidency in December 2020. Prosecutors indicated in Thursday’s filing that they want to introduce evidence at Barrack’s trial about Stockman’s arrest to explain why Barrack was “not able to fulfill this request, despite agreeing to do so.” An amended version of the filing made on Friday redacted Stockman’s name. (https://news.yahoo.com/ex-congressmans-arrest-ended-uae-182722759.html) The UAE’s #embassy in Washington, Barrack’s lawyers, Stockman and his lawyers all did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Newsline: UAE Ambassador to Iran to Resume Duties in Coming Days
The United Arab Emirates ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, will resume his duties at the embassy in Tehran in the coming days, the UAE’s foreign ministry said on Sunday. (https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-08-21/uae-ambassador-to-iran-to-resume-duties-in-coming-days-foreign-ministry) The decision came “in line with UAE efforts to strengthen relations with Iran and as part of a previous decision to increase diplomatic representation to the rank of ambassador”, the ministry said.
Newsline: US, Emirati ambassadors discuss efforts for holding elections in Libya
The US Ambassador/Envoy to Libya, Richard Norland, met with the UAE Ambassador to Libya, Muhammad Al Shamsi for talks that focused on efforts to hold elections in Libya as soon as possible. “I thanked him for the role the UAE is playing on the UN SC and in its engagements with key Libyan leaders to stabilize Libya,” Norland wrote on Twitter. (https://www.libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/norland-emirati-ambassador-libya-discuss-efforts-holding-elections-libya) In a phone call with the Presidential Council Vice President Abdullah Al-Lafi, last Monday, ambassador Norland called on the Government of National Unity to continue engagement with Libyan institutions to pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
Newsline: UAE summons Iranian diplomat
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi in response to a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over its agreement to normalise ties with Israel, according to state media. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/uae-summons-iranian-diplomat-unacceptable-rouhani-speech-200816141002205.html) Rouhani said in a speech on Saturday the UAE had made a “huge mistake” in reaching a deal to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and called it a betrayal by the Gulf state. “They [the UAE] better be mindful. They have committed a huge mistake, a treacherous act,” Rouhani said of the agreement announced on Thursday. Emirati state news agency WAM reported on Sunday that the UAE’s foreign ministry summoned the charge d’affaires and gave him a “strongly worded memo”. The UAE foreign ministry said the speech was “unacceptable and inflammatory and had serious implications for security and stability in the Gulf region”.
Newsline: UAE embassy condemns misuse of diplomatic channels to smuggle gold to India
The UAE has condemned the misuse of diplomatic channels to smuggle gold to India and denied having any role after customs authorities in Kerala on Sunday seized 30kg of the precious metal that was marked to the UAE consulate in the south Indian state. Indian media reported on Sunday that customs officials at the Thiruvanathapuram international airport had foiled a gold smuggling attempt after they seized a parcel that was sent as air cargo from Dubai to the UAE consulate. “The Embassy of the UAE in India condemns the attempted misuse of diplomatic channels by an individual engaged in smuggling activity. The embassy firmly rejects such acts and unequivocally affirms that the mission and its diplomatic staff had no role in this matter,” the mission said in a statement. (https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/uae-embassy-condemns-misuse-of-diplomatic-channels-to-smuggle-gold-to-india-) Diplomatic packages are swiftly cleared at airports. But customs officials got suspicious and checked the packet. The officials are investigating the case. “Initial inquiries conducted by the mission revealed that a former locally hired employee of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram was responsible for this act. The employee in question was fired for misconduct long preceding this incident,” read the embassy statement. The mission said the employee in question must have exploited his knowledge of the mission’s channels to commit the crime.
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