July 01 - 15, 2017
West Asia
Saudi-Led Bloc not Impressed with US Moves and Qatari Promises
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has announced an agreement with Qatar targeting the financing of extremist groups. Tillerson, who is in the Middle East in an effort to help resolve Qatar's diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, said on 11 July 2017 the Doha government had been "reasonable" in the ongoing dispute. Announcing a deal with Qatar to restrict terrorism financing that he said had been a year in the making, the US Secretary of State said similar deals could be signed with the other Arab countries as a step toward ending the diplomatic standoff.
In the joint press conference in Doha with Qatari Foreign Minister Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, it came out that "the memorandum lays out a series of steps the two countries will take over the coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter-terrorism activities globally."
However, this did not seem to impress the Saudi led bloc and they have described this as "insufficient" and warned that commitments made by Qatari authorities "cannot be trusted." A joint statement carried by the Saudi state news agency SPA said the four states would "carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating all forms of financing, supporting and harboring terrorism."
Earlier this month, President Trump said that the dispute between Qatar and its GCC neighbours have come to an impasse. On 3 July 2017, Qatar has responded to the list of demands places on it by the Saudi-led bloc, the details of which have not been made public.
Germany Intelligence Service to Aid in the Qatar Crisis
Germany's foreign minister says his country's intelligence service will participate in efforts to clear up accusations by Arab neighbors that Qatar supports terror groups. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and mediator Kuwait this week as the Saudis and others seek to isolate Qatar over its alleged support for extremists. Gabriel told Deutschlandfunk radio that there was an agreement for Qatar to "open all its books" to Germany's intelligence service "if we have questions about certain people or structures." The minister said he no longer sees the risk of a military escalation in the standoff despite an angry reaction Wednesday from the four Arab nations to Qatar's response to their demands. Gabriel said that, while the reaction sounded harsh, many demands were no longer mentioned.
General Haftar’s Forces take Control of Benghazi
Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar said his forces had taken full control of Libya's second city Benghazi from rival armed groups after a three-year campaign. The battle for Benghazi between Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) and an array of Islamist militants and other fighters has been part of a broader conflict since Libya slipped into turmoil following the 2011 fall of strongman Muammar Gaddafi. Victory would mark a major advance for the one-time commander in Gaddafi's army, who has slowly gained ground in eastern and southern Libya in defiance of a UN-backed government that is struggling to extend its influence from the capital, Tripoli.
Iraqi PM Declares Victory Near in Mosul
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Mosul on 9 July 2017 to declare that victory against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in the city is near after a military campaign of nearly nine months. Abadi's office first referred to Mosul as "liberated," but the prime minister later said he will only declare victory after all areas are cleared of militants. Close to a million residents have fled the city during the campaign, which saw thousands of people killed. Iraqi troops, who have fought alongside Kurdish, Sunni, and Shia fighters, and were backed by U.S. air strikes, may still face guerrilla attacks over the coming weeks.
France to Sign Iranian Gas Deal
Iran signed a formal contract with Total SA, France, to develop its share of the world’s biggest natural gas field -- the first investment in the country by an international energy company since sanctions were eased last year.
The 20-year deal with National Iranian Oil Co. and China National Petroleum Corp. to develop phase 11 of the South Pars offshore gas field represents the “first of many” projects for Total SA in Iran, Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said Monday at a signing ceremony in Tehran. Total will be operator of the project, with the first phase estimated to cost the partners about $2 billion. Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh put the overall value of the contract at about $5 billion.
The agreement is “a big deal” for Iran and “will open the door for more companies to sign contracts” with the country, said Robin Mills, the head of Dubai-based consultant Qamar Energy. It “also gains the Iranians some diplomatic cover from both France and China in the event of attempts to impose further sanctions,” he said, referring to antagonism to Iran expressed by some US government officials, including President Donald Trump.
PM Modi’s Visit to Israel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Israel from 4- 6 July 2017. This was the first such visit made by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel after 25 years of diplomatic relations. Seven Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) were signed ranging from science and technology, water conservation, state water utility reform, agriculture, atomic clocks, GEO-LEO link, electric propulsion for small satellite. PM Modi also marked the visit by paying homage to Indian soldiers who fought during first World War at the Haifa Memorial Cemetery. Later, he also paid visit to Israel’s most prestigious museum.
CAR
President of Afghanistan Visits Turkmenistan
President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, paid a State Visit to the neighboring country of Turkmenistan on 03 July 2017. During the visit, he held a one-on-one meeting with the President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov of Turkmenistan. The delegations from both countries also held 'talks in enlarged format’. They discussed issues relating to bilateral cooperation as well as regional security. After the meeting, the two Presidents signed a Joint Statement. Agreements for cooperation between foreign ministries, energy ministries, universities, carpet industry and international road transport were also signed.
Highlight of the visit was boosting of cooperation in transport, especially the railways. In November 2016, a rail link between Atamyrat-Imamnazar (Turkmenistan)-Akina (Afghanistan) was inaugurated by the two Heads. During current visit, agreement was signed on managing International Railway Checkpoint at the Turkmen-Afghan border. The aforementioned route is designed to be extended further up to the Tajik border. President Ghani expressed hopes for construction of more railway routes between the two friendly neighbors.
Turkmenistan is an energy rich country; therefore, can play a vital role in providing energy security to the region. The Presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan discussed, during their meeting, progress of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. They also talked about export of electricity from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, and to other regional countries via Afghanistan. Agreement was signed to supply power to Afghan regions of Badghis and Jawzjan.
Turkmenistan is one of the three Central Asian Republics that border Afghanistan. The two countries also have cross-border ethno-linguistic linkages. Security and stability of Afghanistan is important for overall regional stability. Turkmenistan has maintained cordial relations with Afghanistan, which are based on friendly neighborhood. The Afghan government, led by President Ashraf Ghani, is engaging with Turkmenistan in a big way. Their cooperation covers diverse fields including political relations, transport, trade, energy, counter-terrorism, border security, education and humanitarian cooperation.
The Ruling Party of Kyrgyzstan Nominates Prime Minister Zheenbekov for Presidency
The Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) announced, on 15 July, nomination of the current Prime Minister Sooronbai Zheenbekov as party’s Presidential candidate. The decision was taken by a majority vote amongst the delegates of the Party Congress. Although party has fielded Zheenbekov as its official candidate, another member of the SDPK, Chynybai Tursunbekov, currently the Parliamentary Speaker, has also announced his candidature. This signals at a possible split within the SDPK. Nevertheless, most of the party members have expressed support for Zheenbekov. Apart from these two candidates, 24 citizens of Kyrgyzstan have expressed, till date, their desire to contest for the post of presidency. The presidential elections of Kyrgyzstan are scheduled for15 October 2017.
The new Constitution adopted in 2010 calls Kyrgyzstan a Parliamentary Republic, making it a standalone case in Central Asia. The constitution divides powers between the President and the Prime Minister. In December 2016, a national referendum transferred some powers from the President to the Prime Minister. The 2010 Constitution sets the Presidential term at six years and debars the incumbent President from standing for re-election. Because of this rule, President Almazbek Atambayev of Kyrgyzstan is not eligible to contest the upcoming Presidential elections.
Africa
Focus on Africa Taken Forward at G-20 Summit
The G20 Leaders’ Summit held in Hamburg has recorded positive outcomes for global development, with significant benefits for the African continent. Africa was the center of discussion for the summit because of the issues relating to migration and terrorism. Despite disagreements on certain issues, the summit managed to discuss and agree on various developmental matters that would be of advantage to the African continent including the launch of the G-20 Africa Partnership. This programme was launched in recognition of the opportunities and challenges on the African continent, as well as the goals of the United Nations Social Development Agenda 2030. It was agreed that this initiative would be based on equal partnerships and will be in line with the African Union Agenda 2063. Jacob Zuma during the summit mentioned that the partnership will further serve national interest, as it will generate sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development, contribute to creating decent employment and economic advancement for women and youth as well as alleviate poverty and inequality. South Africa is the only country in Africa which is a member of G-20 group. Apart from this discussion focus was also on financial stability, climate change and protection, economic development and security issues related to Africa.
Israel - India Discussing Partnership to Help Africa
The Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is the first ever Indian head of state to visit Israel. His historic visit ushered in a deeper cooperation between the two nations. Evidently, it’s not enough to stop at just two countries getting closer. India and Israel want to make it thereby working together in Africa. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a plan to jointly assist Africa with India during Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel. Israel has long been active in Africa in a variety of areas of cooperation, especially water technology and agriculture, and has been looking to expand its partnership with the nearby continent. Netanyahu mentioned, “India is also already present in Africa, so by joining forces in various areas help can be provided to people of Africa”. While Asia provides Israel with the opportunity for trade, the cooperation with the African continent can possibly be transformed into a true and long-lasting friendship.
Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen Get Trump's $639 Million Aid
United States President, Mr. Donald Trump has promised $639 million in aid to feed people facing starvation because of drought and conflict in North-eastern part of Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. Of the funding, $121 million would go to Nigeria as confirmed by Rob Jenkins, Acting Head, Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). More than $191 million would go to Yemen, $199 million to South Sudan and nearly $126 million for Somalia. With this new assistance, the US is providing additional emergency food and nutrition assistance, life-saving medical care, improved sanitation, emergency shelter and protection for those who have been affected by conflict.
Ghana Successfully Launches its First Satellite into Space
The students of All Nations University in Koforidua developed GhanaSat-1 which was sent into orbit from the International Space Centre. It is the culmination of a two-year project, costing $50,000 (£40,000). It received support from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This satellite will be used to monitor Ghana's coastline for mapping purposes, to build capacity in space science and technology. The satellite has also opened the door to do a lot of activities from space, and would also help in training the upcoming generation on how to apply satellites in different activities around the region. For instance monitoring illegal mining is one of the things which is top on the agenda.
