Tag Archives: Diplomacy

  Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP |  With the anticipated transfer of football phenomenon Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, Qatar is hitting back at its Gulf rivals with a high-profile soft power play. Paris Saint-Germain — owned by sanctions-hit Qatar — are poised to sign Brazilian forward Neymar from Barcelona …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that new US sanctions, signed into law by President Donald Trump, are a “dangerous” and “short-sighted” policy. In a statement, the ministry said the sanctions against Russia had put global stability at risk, a matter Moscow said it and the United …

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar announced on Wednesday a five-billion-euro order for seven warships from Italy in the midst of a nearly two-month diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Saudi Arabia and its allies. “We have signed a contract on behalf of the Qatari navy to acquire seven warships from Italy for …

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey and its main regional ally Qatar on Tuesday launched military exercises in the emirate that will involve some 250 Turkish troops and 30 armoured vehicles, reports said. The exercises come as Ankara presses on with its unequivocal backing of Doha in the crisis triggered by …

Washington, United States | AFP |  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday he will meet with his Russian opposite number Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over the weekend, but warned US-Russia ties could still get worse. Some in Moscow and Washington had hoped relations between the former Cold War …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin. Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to …

Benghazi, Libya | AFP |  Authorities in eastern Libya backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar on Thursday ordered the closure of a Sudanese consulate and the expulsion of 12 diplomats, a pro-Haftar news agency announced. It said the order to shut down the mission in Kufra, an oasis in southern …

United Nations, United States | AFP | A new bout of violence in the Central African Republic that has killed nine peacekeepers this year risks derailing years of efforts to restore a fragile stability, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday. Guterres condemned the killing of two Moroccan peacekeepers who were …

Pyongyang, North Korea | AFP | Washington’s ban on US citizens travelling to North Korea will have no effect on the country’s tourism industry and Pyongyang does not care about it “at all”, a senior development official insisted Tuesday. The measure is due to be enacted this week and once it …

Pyongyang, North Korea | AFP | The Westerners lined up on Sunday before giant statues of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il and, on command from their guide, bowed deeply. It is a ritual that the Trump administration intends to stop US tourists performing, with …