NEW DELHI, 31 March 2022, (TON): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit New Delhi for a two-day trip, the Indian foreign ministry said “as the two countries look for ways to maintain trade and other relations despite the Ukraine crisis.”

It will only be Lavrov's third visit overseas since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, after a trip to Turkey for talks with his Ukrainian counterpart earlier this month and meetings in China.

While both India and China have called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine they have refused to explicitly condemn Russia's invasion.

They have also continued to buy commodities from Russia hard hit by sweeping Western sanctions.

An Indian government source said foreign ministry officials could discuss setting up a payment mechanism with Russia, whose banks have been sanctioned by Western countries.

The source was not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be named.

DHAKA, 31 March 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said “Bangladesh didn't vote against any country, but it stood for humanity in the United Nations General Assembly, clearing Bangladesh's stance regarding the issue.

She said "When there was a vote against Russia we didn't go for it, but when, the issue of human rights appeared in the second proposal of UNGA, Bangladesh voted in favour of it.”

The premier said this at the parliament while replying to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party lawmaker Md Mujibul Haque of Kishoreganj-3 regarding the vote against Russia in UNGA's second proposal.

She said “the Ukrainian people are facing distress, becoming refugees and children are also suffering due to the war.”

She added "as the issue of human rights was involved, Bangladesh stood for it. It is very clear and no one should have confusion about it.”

DHAKA, 31 March 2022, (TON): State minister for foreign affairs M Shahriar Alam said “constructive India-Bangladesh ties ‘could be a major stabilising factor’ for the South Asian region as a whole.”

He said this at a seminar on Bangladesh-India relations organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies which was attended by local and Indian experts.

Mentioning the rising turmoil around borders of India, he said “a stable and moderate Bangladesh as a partner ‘is India’s natural choice for its long-lasting interests.”

Regarding the economic interdependence between the two countries, he said that thousands of Indians ‘are working in various sectors in Bangladesh, which ‘is the fourth remittance earning country for India.

India received the highest number of tourists from Bangladesh and Indian hospitals treated the highest number of Bangladeshi patients.

From ‘neighbourhood first’ to ‘act east,’ from connectivity to trade, from security to development, Dhaka’s centrality to India’s regional outlook ‘is key’ not only to India realising its own interests but also for larger regional imperatives, said the state minister.

WASHINGTON, 30 March 2022, (TON): Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with Israeli Speaker of the Knesset Mickey Levy earlier today in Washington.

They discussed global security challenges, including Iran and President Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship and offered condolences on the murder of two Israeli border police officers in a terrorist attack on March 27. 

Deputy Secretary Sherman and Speaker Levy discussed the Knesset’s work to create stronger societal cohesion and ease intercommunal relations.

ISTANBUL, 30 March 2022, (TON): Turkey’s foreign minister says Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have reached a consensus and common understanding on some issues.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said “the two sides made the most meaningful progress since the start of the negotiations at a meeting in Istanbul.”

He said “the meeting would be followed by a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers.”

Cavusoglu said “a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders was also on the agenda.”

He said that difficult issues will be taken up at a higher level.

Cavusoglu added that Turkey encouraged the two sides to secure a cease-fire and an agreement on the issue of the opening of humanitarian corridors.

Key Developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, “the Ukrainian delegation to talks with Russia has laid out a possible framework for a future peace deal based on legally binding security guarantees that would provide for other countries to intervene if it is attacked.”

LONDON, 30 March 2022, (TON): International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has announced a new UK programme to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area trading bloc.

Through the AfCFTA Support Programme, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office will provide up to £35m to provide trade facilitation and trade policy support to the AfCFTA Secretariat and Member States through TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and other regional partners.

Announcement of the programme comes as AfCFTA Secretariat Secretary General Wamkele Mene visits London to discuss how the UK can continue its work as a strategic partner to the AfCFTA.

As the world’s largest free trade area, the AfCFTA has the potential to boost Africa’s economic growth by driving industrialisation, generating jobs and delivering prosperity across the continent.

BAKU, 30 March 2022, (TON): Azerbaijan said “it was ready for peace talks with Armenia, after Yerevan urged Baku to negotiate a comprehensive peace treaty amid new tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The foreign ministry in Baku said in a statement “if Armenia is serious about a peace agreement, then concrete steps have to be made. We repeat that Azerbaijan is ready for this.”

The ministry pointed out that Azerbaijan had proposed that the two countries hold peace talks a year ago.

In 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over the long-contested enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh which claimed more than 6,500 lives.

A cease-fire deal brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin saw Armenia cede swathes of territory to Azerbaijan, and Moscow deploy a peacekeeping contingent to the mountainous region.

LONDON, 30 March 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with President Biden, President Macron, Chancellor Scholz and Prime Minister Draghi.

The Prime Minister spoke to the leaders of the United States, France, Germany and Italy this afternoon about the situation in Ukraine.

The leaders agreed on the ongoing need to support and sustain the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russian barbarism.

The Prime Minister highlighted the appalling attacks being carried out in cities such as Mariupol, which have already suffered weeks of bombardment.

The Prime Minister underscored that we must judge Putin’s regime by their actions not their words. Putin is twisting the knife in the open wound of Ukraine in an attempt to force the country and its allies to capitulate.

BRUSSELS, 30 March 2022, (TON): The planned meeting of the foreign ministers of the NATO member countries will be held in Brussels on April 6-7. This was announced by the press service of the alliance.

“The meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Foreign Ministers will be held at NATO Headquarters on Wednesday and Thursday.

The message says “the meeting will be held in person under the chairmanship of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.”

RIYADH, 30 March 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center on Tuesday signed a $7 million joint cooperation agreement with the UN aid organization UNICEF to support Yemeni children’s access to quality education.

Almost 600,000 children and 7,000 teachers, as well as 54,000 Yemeni people, will benefit from services provided under the agreement.

KSrelief so far has implemented 26 educational projects worth almost $122 million in Yemen, in addition to implementing several joint projects with the UN and international organizations to support the country’s educational sector.

Under the agreement, an educational strategy is expected to be developed for displaced children in the conflict-racked country to ensure they receive quality education in safe environments.

Children will receive support for their psychological and physical well-being, while training programs will help teachers deal with those affected by the war.