Latest news with #diplomaticRelations
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
David Lammy to pledge £94.5 million aid package in support of Syria's new government in first trip by UK minister for 14 years
Foreign Secretary David Lammy flew to Damascus yesterday to pledge a £94.5 million package in support of Syria 's new government. It was the first visit by a British minister to the war-ravaged country in 14 years and signalled the re-establishment of formal diplomatic relations. The funds will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syria and support the country's longer-term recovery through the development of areas such as education, the Government said. 'There is renewed hope for the Syrian people,' Mr Lammy said. 'It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.' The West has been slowly resetting its approach to Syria since insurgent forces – led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December following more than 13 years of war. Mr Lammy's visit came days after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a sanctions program on the country. Britain also eased its sanctions in March, unfreezing the assets of Syria's central bank as well 23 other entities. A stable Syria will 'reduce the risk of irregular migration', ensure chemical weapons are destroyed and tackle the threat of terrorism, the Foreign Secretary said after meeting Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and president Ahmed al-Sharaa. Mr Lammy is also due to travel to Kuwait, where he is expected to announce a new partnership with the Gulf monarchy.
The National
05-07-2025
- Business
- The National
UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria as Lammy visits Damascus
Britain said it was re-establishing diplomatic relations with Syria on Saturday as Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Damascus. 'There is renewed hope for the Syrian people,' said Mr Lammy. 'It is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians.' Mr Lammy met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al Shibani and President Ahmad Al Shara. It was the first time a British government minister had visited the country in 14 years. The visit by the British politician included a pledge of financial support of £94.5 million ($129 million) to provide urgent humanitarian aid and support Syria's long-term recovery through developing areas such as education. The West has been slowly resetting its approach to Syria since insurgent forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham ousted Bashar Assad as president in December, following more than 13 years of civil war. Mr Lammy's visit comes days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, ending its isolation from the international financial system and helping it rebuild after the war. Britain also eased its sanctions in April, unfreezing the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities, including banks and oil companies, to encourage investment, though it kept in place those targeting members of the former regime. Mr Lammy said that a stable Syria will reduce the risk of 'irregular migration', ensure chemical weapons are destroyed and tackle the threat of terrorism. During his meetings in the Syrian capital, Mr Lammy reiterated the importance of an 'inclusive and representative political transition' and offered Britain's continued support. Mr Lammy is also due to travel to Kuwait, where regional security and strengthening bilateral relations will be top of the agenda. He is expected to announce a new partnership with the Gulf monarchy to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Russia Today
05-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Moscow explains recognition of Taliban
Russia officially recognized the Taliban government in Afghanistan to formalize expanding cooperation between the two countries and move toward full-scale political engagement, Russia's presidential envoy to the Central Asian country, Zamir Kabulov, told RT on Friday. Moscow became the first major power to establish formal diplomatic ties with the Islamist government this week following the presentation of credentials by a new Afghan ambassador in the Russian capital. Kabulov said maintaining a close partnership had become important after it became clear that the current government in Kabul was 'doing its best to cope' with terrorism and drug trafficking. He noted that economic cooperation with Afghanistan had already begun, but to make it 'legally complete' Moscow needed to recognize the government de jure. 'Now it's time for our political interaction in full-fledged terms and conditions,' he stated. Kabulov, who previously served as Russia's ambassador to Kabul, said the Taliban have undergone a transformation since first taking power in the 1990s, when the group stood for global jihad. 'This time, Taliban came into power as a national [movement],' which is focused all its efforts on domestic interests, he said. The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following a chaotic withdrawal by US and NATO forces from Afghanistan. It renamed the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In April, the Russian Supreme Court removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations. On Thursday, Kabulov confirmed to the media that Moscow now officially recognized the Taliban government. The envoy noted that Taliban representatives have attended economic forums in Russia as the two sides explore cooperation in investment and natural resource development. Afghanistan's geographic position offers potential as an 'important economic and logistic hub for the big Eurasian continent,' Kabulov said. Although the Taliban government remains unrecognized by most of the international community, several regional powers have renewed contacts with it. Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi welcomed Moscow's move, writing on X that 'Russia was ahead of everyone.'
Al Jazeera
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia recognises the Taliban: Which other countries may follow?
Russia has become the first country to accept the Taliban government in Afghanistan since the group took power in 2021, building on years of quieter engagement and marking a dramatic about-turn from the deep hostilities that marked their ties during the group's first stint in power. Since the Taliban stormed Kabul in August four years ago, taking over from the government of then-President Ashraf Ghani, several nations – including some that have historically viewed the group as enemies – have reached out to them. Yet until Thursday, no one has formally recognised the Taliban. So what exactly did Russia do, and will Moscow's move pave the way for others to also start full-fledged diplomatic relations with the Taliban? What did Russia say? The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that Moscow's recognition of the Taliban government will pave the way for bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan. 'We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields,' the statement said. The Foreign Ministry said it would seek cooperation in energy, transport, agriculture and infrastructure. How did the Taliban respond? Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in an X post on Thursday that Russian ambassador to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and conveyed the Kremlin's decision to recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Mr. Dmitry Zhirnov, called on IEA-Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. During the meeting, the Ambassador of Russian Federation officially conveyed his government's decision to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, — Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Afghanistan (@MoFA_Afg) July 3, 2025 Muttaqi said in a video posted on X: 'We value this courageous step taken by Russia, and, God willing, it will serve as an example for others as well.' What is the history between Russia and Afghanistan? In 1979, troops from the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to establish a communist government. This triggered a 10-year war with the Afghan mujahideen fighters backed by US forces. About 15,000 Soviet soldiers died in this war. In 1992, after rockets launched by rebel groups hit the Russian embassy in Kabul, Moscow closed its diplomatic mission to Afghanistan. The Russian-backed former president, Mohammad Najibullah, who had been seeking refuge in a United Nations compound in Kabul since 1992, was killed by the Taliban in 1996, when the group first came to power. During the late 1990s, Russia backed anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan, including the Northern Alliance led by former mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Then, on September 11, 2001, suicide attackers, affiliated with the armed group al-Qaeda, seized United States passenger planes and crashed into two skyscrapers in New York City, killing nearly 3,000 people. This triggered the so-called 'war on terror' by then-US President George W Bush. In the aftermath of the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the first foreign leaders to call Bush and express his sympathy and pledge support. Putin provided the US with assistance to attack Afghanistan. Russia cooperated with the US by sharing intelligence, opening Russian airspace for US flights and collaborating with Russia's Central Asian allies to establish bases and provide airspace access to flights from the US. In 2003, after the Taliban had been ousted from power by the US-led coalition, Russia designated the group as a terrorist movement. But in recent years, as Russia has increasingly grown concerned about the rise of the ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) group – a regional branch of the ISIS/ISIL armed group – it has warmed to the Taliban. The Taliban view ISIS-K as a rival and enemy. Since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, accompanied by the withdrawal of US forces supporting the Ghani government, Russia's relations with the group have become more open. A Taliban delegation attended Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg in 2022 and 2024. With the ISIS-K's threat growing (the group claimed a March 2024 attack at a concert hall in Moscow in which gunmen killed 149 people), Russia has grown only closer to the Taliban. In July 2024, Russian President Putin called the Taliban 'allies in the fight against terrorism'. Muttaqi met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow in October 2024. In April 2025, Russia lifted the 'terrorist' designation from the Taliban. Lavrov said at the time that 'the new authorities in Kabul are a reality,' adding Moscow should adopt a 'pragmatic, not ideologised policy' towards the Taliban. How has the rest of the world engaged with the Taliban? The international community does not officially recognise the Taliban. The United Nations refers to the administration as the 'Taliban de facto authorities'. Despite not officially recognising the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, several countries have recently engaged diplomatically with the group. China: Even before the US pulled out of Afghanistan, Beijing was building its relations with the Taliban, hosting its leaders in 2019 for peace negotiations. But relations have picked up further since the group returned to power, including through major investments. In 2023, a subsidiary of the state-owned China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) signed a 25-year contract with the Taliban to extract oil from the basin of the Amu Darya river, which spans Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. This marked the first major foreign investment since the Taliban's takeover. In 2024, Beijing recognised former Taliban spokesperson Bilal Karim as an official envoy to China during an official ceremony, though it made clear that it was not recognising the Taliban government itself. And in May this year, China hosted the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the Taliban for a trilateral conclave. Pakistan: Once the Taliban's chief international supporter, Pakistan's relations with the group have frayed significantly since 2021. Islamabad now accuses the Taliban government of allowing armed groups sheltering on Afghan soil, in particular the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to target Pakistan. TTP, also called the Pakistani Taliban, operates on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and is responsible for many of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan in recent years. Afghanistan denies Pakistan's allegation. In December 2024, the Pakistani military launched air strikes in Afghanistan's Paktia province, which borders Pakistan's tribal district of South Waziristan. While Pakistan said it had targeted sites where TTP fighters had sought refuge, the Taliban government said that 46 civilians in Afghanistan were killed in the air strikes. This year, Pakistan also ramped up the deportation of Afghan refugees, further stressing ties. Early this year, Pakistan said it wants three million Afghans to leave the country. Tensions over armed fighters from Afghanistan in Pakistan continue. On Friday, the Pakistani military said it killed 30 fighters who tried to cross the border from Afghanistan. The Pakistani military said all the fighters killed belonged to the TTP or its affiliates. Still, Pakistan has tried to manage its complex relationship with Afghanistan. In April this year, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Muttaqi and other Afghan officials in Kabul. Dar and Muttaqi spoke again in May. India: New Delhi had shut its Kabul embassy in 1996 after the Taliban took over. India refused to recognise the group, which it viewed as a proxy of Pakistan's intelligence agencies. New Delhi reopened its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban was removed from power in 2001. But the embassy and India's consulates came under repeated attacks in the subsequent years from the Taliban and its allies, including the Haqqani group. Yet since the Taliban's return to Kabul, and amid mounting tensions between Pakistan and the group, India's approach has changed. It reopened its embassy, shut temporarily in 2021, and sent diplomats to meet Taliban officials. Then, in January 2025, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri flew to Dubai for a meeting with Muttaqi. And in May, India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar spoke to Muttaqi over the phone, their first publicly acknowledged conversation. Iran: As with Russia and India, Iran viewed the Taliban with antagonism during the group's rule in the late 1990s. In 1998, Taliban fighters killed Iranian diplomats in Mazar-i-Sharif, further damaging relations. But it views ISIS-K as a much bigger threat. Since the Taliban's return to Kabul, and behind closed doors, even earlier, Tehran has been engaging with the group. On May 17, Muttaqi visited Iran to attend the Tehran Dialogue Forum. He also met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Massoud Pezeshkian. After Russia, will others recognise the Taliban? While each country will likely decide when and if to formally recognise the Taliban government, many already work with the group in a capacity that amounts, almost, to recognition. 'Afghanistan's neighbouring countries don't necessarily have much of an option but to engage with the Taliban for both strategic and security purposes,' Kabir Taneja, a deputy director at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, told Al Jazeera. 'Most would not be doing so out of choice, but enforced realities that the Taliban will be in Afghanistan for some time to come at least.' Taneja said that other countries which could follow suit after Russia's recognition of the Taliban include some countries in Central Asia, as well as China. 'Russia's recognition of the Taliban is a geopolitical play,' Taneja said. 'It solidifies Moscow's position in Kabul, but more importantly, gives the Taliban itself a big win. For the Taliban, international recognition has been a core aim for their outreach regionally and beyond.'
Zawya
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Assistant Minister Gbaa Engages United States (U.S.) Embassy Over Potential Visa Restrictions
In a bid to prevent potential U.S. visa restrictions on Liberian nationals, the Assistant Minister for Public Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Saywhar Nana Gbaa, led an engagement with U.S. Embassy officials in Monrovia. The meeting was held with Mr. Nicolas Worden, Acting Consular Chief, and Mr. Raymond Stephens, Public Affairs Officer, to address concerns raised by the U.S. government that could result in stringent visa limitations within the next 50 days. The bilateral discussion, held at the U.S. Embassy, was part of a broader effort by the Government of Liberia to maintain strong diplomatic relations with the United States and ensure continued access to various categories of U.S. visas, including those for tourism, business, education, and immigration. During the meeting, U.S. officials expressed growing concern over multiple visa-related challenges originating from Liberia. These include the overstay of non-immigrant visitors and tourists, the submission of fraudulent documentation, and increasing incidents of misrepresentation such as falsified identities, family relationships, and travel purposes by visa applicants. According to Mr. Worden, approximately 20% of Liberians granted non-immigrant visas to the United States do not return at the end of their authorized stay. This statistic has triggered heightened scrutiny of visa applications from Liberia and has contributed to increased denial rates across multiple visa categories. The U.S. representatives acknowledged the proactive steps already being taken by the Government of Liberia, notably the formation of a high-level presidential task force spearheaded by H.E. President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., and co-led by Mme. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs. This task force was launched to diplomatically address and resolve the U.S. concerns in a timely and effective manner. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that collaborative public affairs and communication strategies will be key in addressing the crisis. Hon. Saywhar Nana Gbaa and her team committed to spearheading comprehensive public awareness campaigns, including media outreach and community engagement, to educate citizens on the importance of compliance with visa terms and U.S. immigration policies. 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs views this issue as a matter of national urgency,' said Hon. Gbaa. 'We remain fully committed to working in concert with the United States to address these concerns through transparency, diplomacy, and strategic public engagement. We urge all Liberians to adhere strictly to the rules governing their stay in the United States.' The potential restrictions outlined by the U.S. government cover a wide range of visa categories, including tourist (B-2), business (B-1), student visas (F-1), fiancée visas (K-1), non-immigrant visas, and the popular Diversity Visa (DV) program. The restrictions would not apply to lawful permanent residents but would significantly impact ordinary Liberians seeking temporary or permanent travel opportunities to the United States. Liberia is among 36 countries reportedly under review by the U.S. government for potential visa sanctions. These concerns date back to assessments conducted during the Trump administration, which highlighted weaknesses in identity verification, passport security, overstay rates, and inadequate cooperation in repatriation of deportees. The U.S. maintains that countries failing to meet specified benchmarks within 60 days of the proclamation may face far-reaching visa restrictions. With only 50 days remaining, both governments agreed that immediate and consistent action is needed to address the outlined issues. The Ministry is calling on all relevant Liberian stakeholders, including travel agencies, immigration officers, and community leaders, to support this national endeavor. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms its commitment to safeguarding Liberia's global mobility and fostering strong bilateral ties with the United States. Further updates will be provided as diplomatic and public affairs efforts continue in the days ahead. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia.
