Latest news with #conflict resolution
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Zelensky announces date for next round of Russia-Ukraine talks
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that the next round of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia will be held in Turkiye on Wednesday, according to a video statement released on Telegram, as reported by RT. Moscow and Kyiv have already conducted two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul earlier this year. During their last meeting, both sides exchanged draft memorandums outlining potential roadmaps toward resolving the conflict and also agreed on fresh prisoner-of-war exchanges, RT stated. "I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation of the [POW] exchange and another meeting in Turkiye with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is planned for Wednesday," Zelensky said in the statement. Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, who also led Kyiv's delegation at the previous rounds of talks, was cited by Zelensky as the official coordinating the preparations for the upcoming meeting. RT noted that earlier reports from TASS, citing an insider source, had indicated the talks would take place on Thursday. However, Zelensky confirmed Wednesday as the planned date for the dialogue, according to the latest update. The upcoming discussions mark a continuation of the diplomatic engagement between the two countries amid ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict through negotiation, RT added. In line with this, the Russian leadership is preparing a response to Kiev's proposal for a new round of negotiations if the Ukrainian side has approached Russia with such an initiative, Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia. "If there really was a statement (about Ukraine's readiness for negotiations), I am convinced that it is being seriously considered by the Russian leadership. And, apparently, we will find out the decision in the coming days. If the proposal is accepted, we need to prepare for contacts," he said. On July 17, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said that during the third round, the parties would discuss the draft memoranda that they exchanged at the previous meeting. They set out the specific conditions for each side to cease fire and establish peace. Grigory Karasin commented with scepticism on the possible positive results of the discussion of the memoranda. "If we talk from a position of optimism, which is typical for us, then yes, it can bring results. But this optimism is peculiar, in my opinion, only to us, and everyone else is playing some kind of game. I mean the participants in the process, first of all, the Kiev authorities," he clarified.
NHK
a day ago
- Politics
- NHK
25 countries including Japan, EU call for ceasefire in Gaza
Twenty-five countries, including Japan, as well as the European Union, have issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The statement calls on Israel to "immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life saving work safely and effectively." It says, "We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end." It added, "Further bloodshed serves no purpose." This comes amid growing civilian casualties in Gaza. A local media outlet reported on Monday that Israeli ground forces are operating in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza for the first time since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out in October 2023. A US-led foundation launched a food distribution campaign in Gaza in May, as the enclave faces severe food shortages. But there have been reports of Israeli forces opening fire near food distribution sites, resulting in civilian casualties. Local health authorities said 1,021 people have been killed. Hamas issued a statement welcoming the appeal. Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement that the country rejects the joint statement. It said all such claims should be directed at Hamas, which "started this war and is prolonging it."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Hope for peace as DR Congo and M23 rebels sign peace deal in Qatar
The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels have signed ceasefire deal in Qatar to end fighting between the warring sides. Dubbed the Declaration of Principles, Saturday's agreement seen by the BBC, says includes that both sides must refrain from attacks, "hate propaganda" and "any attempt to seize by force new positions on the ground".The declaration is intended as a roadmap towards a permanent settlement. The two sides agreed to implement the deal's terms by July 29. A final peace deal is due by 18 August and must align with last month's US-brokered deal between DR Congo and Rwanda, which denies accusations it backs M23. Decades of conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two UN says thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes following since. The M23 disputes the figures, saying fewer than 1,000 people have Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the deal took the government's "red line" into account - including the "non-negotiable withdrawal" of the M23 from occupied areas. But in a video posted on X, M23 negotiator Benjamin Mbonimpa said the deal did not mention such a pull-out. It is the first direct accord between the two sides since the rebels launched their offensive at the turn of the said negotiations were set to continue. The African Union Commission called the declaration a "milestone" in lasting peace efforts and security in the declaration also outlines a commitment to reinstating state authority in eastern DR Congo. This is the latest in a long line of failed peace deals in the region. One of the main players in today's conflict - the M23 rebels - emerged from a failed peace deal 16 years ago that never delivered on March, DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Qatar and both called for an immediate following month, DR Congo and M23 group agreed to a ceasefire facilitated by Qatar, but fighting continued on the ground. The Washington deal, which came about in June, has been met with widespread criticism as a key incentive for the US' intervention is access to the DR Congo's vast mineral wealth. President Trump boasted of this feat. There has been talk of Tshisekedi and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been reporting by Emery Makumeno Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia reach no breakthrough on decades-long conflict
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met Thursday in Abu Dhabi for the latest round of talks on ending their almost four decades of a conflict in the South Caucasus but reached no immediate breakthrough. The two nations are working toward a peace treaty after Azerbaijan regained full control of the Karabakh province that had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia, since the 1990s. Despite both sides agreeing on the wording of a potential bilateral peace treaty in March, the talks on Thursday brought about little clarity on when the treaty could be finalized. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev instead both pledged to continue work on sensitive issues such as border demarcation. In a joint statement published Thursday, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral negotiations and said the two sides would continue 'confidence building measures.' Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over territory since the early 1990s, when ethnic Armenian forces took control over the Karabakh province and nearby territories. A six-week war in 2020 resulted in Azerbaijan retaking large parts of the breakaway region. In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched a lightning blitz to retake remaining portions, forcing Karabakh's Armenian authorities to capitulate in negotiations mediated by Russian forces. Armenia later also handed over several border villages to Azerbaijan. Both sides also have struggled to resolve a dispute over opening a land corridor to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan exclave, passing through Armenia's Syunik region. Last year, Pashinyan said that Armenia needs to quickly define the border with Azerbaijan to avoid a new round of hostilities. Many residents of Armenia's border regions have resisted the demarcation effort, seeing it as Azerbaijan's encroachment on areas they consider their own. A series of demonstrations last year protested against the transfer of villages to Azerbaijani control and called for Pashinyan's resignation. Pashinyan has responded to the growing tension by cracking down on protest leaders. Two leaders of the opposition group Sacred Struggle, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan — senior leaders in the country's influential Apostolic Church — were placed in pre-trial detention in recent weeks after being accused of taking part in an alleged plot to overthrow the government.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia reach no breakthrough on decades-long conflict
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met Thursday in Abu Dhabi for the latest round of talks on ending their almost four decades of a conflict in the South Caucasus but reached no immediate breakthrough. The two nations are working toward a peace treaty after Azerbaijan regained full control of the Karabakh province that had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia, since the 1990s. Despite both sides agreeing on the wording of a potential bilateral peace treaty in March, the talks on Thursday brought about little clarity on when the treaty could be finalized. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev instead both pledged to continue work on sensitive issues such as border demarcation. In a joint statement published Thursday, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral negotiations and said the two sides would continue 'confidence building measures.' Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over territory since the early 1990s, when ethnic Armenian forces took control over the Karabakh province and nearby territories. A six-week war in 2020 resulted in Azerbaijan retaking large parts of the breakaway region. In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched a lightning blitz to retake remaining portions, forcing Karabakh's Armenian authorities to capitulate in negotiations mediated by Russian forces. Armenia later also handed over several border villages to Azerbaijan. Both sides also have struggled to resolve a dispute over opening a land corridor to Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan exclave, passing through Armenia's Syunik region. Last year, Pashinyan said that Armenia needs to quickly define the border with Azerbaijan to avoid a new round of hostilities. Many residents of Armenia's border regions have resisted the demarcation effort, seeing it as Azerbaijan's encroachment on areas they consider their own. A series of demonstrations last year protested against the transfer of villages to Azerbaijani control and called for Pashinyan's resignation. Pashinyan has responded to the growing tension by cracking down on protest leaders. Two leaders of the opposition group Sacred Struggle, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan — senior leaders in the country's influential Apostolic Church — were placed in pre-trial detention in recent weeks after being accused of taking part in an alleged plot to overthrow the government.
