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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2018

Oct 2018

Dec 17, 2023

Hungary Blocks EU's $54.9 Billion Aid for Kyiv

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked the European Union's planned financial aid package for Ukraine, sending the debate into early next year as the EU struggles to counter concerns that Western support is faltering.
Kyiv notched a significant political victory when the EU unexpectedly agreed to open membership talks, but negotiations over a €50 billion ($54 billion) package remained stuck, even with 26 of the 27 members backing it.
The aid delay is likely to increase anxiety in Kyiv at a critical moment for the war-torn country.

Dec 16, 2023

EU to Open Membership Talks with Ukraine and Moldova

European leaders decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision, made at a summit in Brussels, as 'a victory' for his country and Europe.
Hungary has long opposed talks starting with Kyiv, but did not veto the move.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room momentarily in what officials described as a pre-agreed and constructive manner, while the other 26 leaders went ahead with the vote.

Dec 15, 2023

India's Uma Sekhar Triumphs over US, Russia, China Candidates in UNIDROIT Election

India's Uma Sekhar was elected to the governing council of the Rome-based International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in an election that saw 32 contestants in the fray including from the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and France.
The UNIDROIT is an independent intergovernmental organisation dealing with various legal issues including studying needs and methods for modernising commercial and private laws.
Uma Sekhar was elected to the Governing Council of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) with an impressive 45 votes out of 59 votes in the first round at the elections held in Rome.
India will be a member of the body for the period 2024-28.

Maldives Govt. Scraps Hydrographic Survey Agreement with India

As India-Maldives relations experience further strain following the demand for troop withdrawal, the Maldivian government led by President Mohamed Muizzu, chose to terminate the hydrographic survey agreement with India. The announcement came merely a month after President Muizzu requested the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives, aligning with his 'India Out' campaign platform.
The hydrographic survey agreement, inked on June 8, 2019, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives, permitted India to conduct a comprehensive study of the island nation's territorial waters, encompassing reefs, lagoons, coastlines, ocean currents, and tide levels.
The third Joint Hydrographic survey by the Indian Navy and the MNDF was carried out by Indian Naval Ship Investigator (INS Investigator) from January 19 to February 26, 2023. The ship surveyed Northern Maldives covering Ihavandhippolhu and Thiladhanmatee atolls and Gallandhu Kandu.

Next BRICS Summit in Russia will Establish a Fair World Order

President Vladimir Putin criticised the West for demanding a so-called 'rules-based world order' and said that the next BRICS summit under Russia's presidency in October 2024 will be dedicated to establishing a 'fair world order'.
Putin said the next BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, under Russia's chairmanship, will influence the current situation to move in the right direction.
He said the summit will demonstrate that there are enough forces in this world, powerful countries who want to live not by those unwritten rules, but rather by the rules enshrined in fundamental, cornerstone documents, which include the United Nations Charter.

Dec 13, 2023

UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali Officially Ends After 10 Years

The United Nations officially ended its decade-long peacekeeping mission in Mali after 10 years, responding to the government's claim that the force was inadequate in addressing the escalating threat of violent extremism. This move marked the conclusion of the deadliest peacekeeping mission globally, with over 300 personnel casualties. The withdrawal came as Mali grapples with persistent challenges from Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012.
Mali, a landlocked West African nation, has faced significant challenges in containing an Islamic extremist insurgency that emerged in 2012. Despite a French-led military operation that ousted extremist rebels from northern cities in 2013, the insurgents regrouped in the desert and resumed attacks on the Malian army and its allies, including the UN peacekeeping force.
Maj. Gen. Mamadou Gaye, the commander of the 13,000-strong force, acknowledged the vast and difficult terrain in Mali but expressed confidence in the country's security forces to handle the security crisis independently. Despite criticism from some quarters in Mali, Gaye highlighted the positive aspects of the mission, emphasizing its role in improving the capacity of Malian security forces.

Dec 12, 2023

Myanmar Overtakes Afghanistan as World's Biggest Opium Producer

Myanmar became the world's biggest producer of opium in 2023, overtaking Afghanistan after the Taliban government's crackdown on the trade, according to a United Nations.
Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium -- essential for producing heroin -- this year (2023).
In Myanmar, the main cultivating area is Shan state, the northern part of which has been convulsed by fighting in recent weeks after an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups launched an offensive against the junta and its allies.
Shan accounted for about 88 percent of the 41,300 hectares (102,054 acres) of opium poppy areas nationwide, as per the UN report.

Polish Prime Minister Loses Vote of Confidence, Clears Way for Donald Tusk

Poland's incumbent Prime Minister lost a vote of confidence making way for Donald Tusk's coalition of pro-European Union parties to take power.
The vote marked the conclusion of an eight-year-tenure of nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which as per the critics vandalised judicial independence, turned state-owned media into a propaganda outlet and instigated prejudice against minorities such as immigrants and the LGBT community.
Out of the 456 members of parliament who cast their votes, 266 voted no confidence in Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

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