WASHINGTON, 01 February 2022, (TON): US President Joe Biden promised Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, that he will soon designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, granting special status to a key friend in a turbulent region.

During a meeting in the Oval Office, Biden said he planned to notify the US Congress soon of the designation, which is granted by the US to close, non-NATO allies that have strategic working relationships with the US military.

Biden told reporters with the emir sitting at his side “Qatar is a good friend and reliable and capable partner. And I’m notifying Congress that I will designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally to reflect the importance of our relationship. I think it’s long overdue.”

Qatar is the 18th country to receive this designation, the last being Brazil in 2019. The designation provides international partners with benefits in defense trade and security cooperation, including eligibility for loan programs and priority delivery for certain military sales.

LONDON, 01 February 2022, (TON): The UAE’s foreign minister received the British minister for Middle East and North Africa in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Emirates News Agency reported.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and James Cleverly discussed the strategic partnership between their countries, issues of mutual interest, and the latest developments in the region so as to enhance its security and stability.

Cleverly expressed his strong condemnation of the Houthi militia's terrorist attacks on civil areas and facilities in the UAE.

The minister also stressed the significance of working to boost security and stability in the region.

Sheikh Abdullah welcomed Cleverly’s visit and emphasised the solid and strategic relations between the UAE and the UK, which are based on a long history of fruitful work, joint coordination, and keenness to promote security and stability in the region.

The minister for Middle East and North Africa also visited the UK’s pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 during his visit to the UAE.

“It showcases the creativity and innovation that global Britain offers. (It also writes poetry using artificial intelligence!)” Cleverly posted on Twitter.

BAMAKO, 01 February 2022, (TON): Mali gave the French ambassador 72 hours to leave the country after hostile and outrageous comments by former colonial power France about its transitional government, it said in a statement read on national television.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday that Mali’s junta was “out of control” amid escalating tensions between the West African state and its European partners following two coups.

He also called the junta illegitimate. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said “French troops would not stay in Mali if the price was too high.”

The government statement said “the French ambassador to Bamako was summoned and notified of a decision by the government inviting him to leave the national territory within 72 hours following hostile and outrageous comments by the French foreign affairs minister recently.”

There was no immediate comment from Paris.

France has had troops in Mali since 2013, when it intervened to drive back militants who were advancing on the capital. The extremists have since regrouped and are waging an increasingly bloody insurgency across the Sahel region.

RIYADH, 01 February 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia strongly condemned continued attempts by the Houthi militia to attack civilian areas and objects in the UAE, the latest of which was the launch of a ballistic missile at Abu Dhabi.

The UAE said “it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed militia as the UAE hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his first visit to the country.”

Nobody was hurt in the attack, the third in recent weeks on the UAE.

The foreign ministry said “the Kingdom affirmed its full support for the UAE against everything that threatens the country’s security and stability.”

The ministry added “the Kingdom continues to confront Houthi terrorist attempts and practices through its leadership of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.”

The Kingdom also said it supports any measures taken by the UAE to preserve its security and the safety of its citizens and residents.

LONDON, 01 February 2022, (TON): Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and James Kariuk I am grateful to USG Di Carlo for her briefing. And I welcome the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council.

Madam President, first of all, the UN Charter defines our purpose here “to take collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace.”

Today, over 100,000 Russian troops are massed on Ukraine’s borders. They are equipped with tanks, armoured vehicles, rocket artillery, and short-range ballistic missiles.

They are supported by Russian air and maritime long-range strike capabilities. This is not a routine deployment.

WASHINGTON , 01 February 2022, (TON): US President Joe Biden called on the Taliban to immediately release the man believed to be its last American hostage, withholding any hope of recognizing the militants rule in Afghanistan until he is free.

The announcement came on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the kidnapping of Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran who had spent a decade in Afghanistan working as a civil engineer.

Biden said in a statement “the Taliban must immediately release Mark before it can expect any consideration of its aspirations for legitimacy. This is not negotiable.”

He added “threatening the safety of Americans or any innocent civilians is always unacceptable, and hostage-taking is an act of particular cruelty and cowardice.”

The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, closing more than two decades of war that began with the US-led invasion following the September 11, 2001 attacks and ended with the Taliban back in power.

Washington has repeatedly told the Taliban it will have to “earn” legitimacy before being recognized by the international community.

NAIROBI, 01 February 2022, (TON): A local official in northeastern Kenya says at least 10 people are dead after their vehicle ran over an explosive device on a highway.

North Eastern regional commander George Seda said the blast occurred outside Mandera town. It was not clear how many people were in the vehicle.

Witnesses said “the toll could rise because others had serious injuries.”

Police suspect the explosive device was placed by Al-Shabab extremists operating in the area after crossing from nearby Somalia. The extremists are often blamed for such attacks in the border region, targeting both security forces and civilians.

PARIS , 01 February 2022, (TON): French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will discuss the issue of sending French troops to Romania as part of a possible expansion of the NATO mission during a trip to Bucharest on February 2-3.

This was stated by the official representative of the French diplomatic department, answering questions from journalists.

The diplomat recalled “French President Emm-anuel Macron declared our readiness to contribute to ensuring new measures in Romania within the framework of NATO.”

He said “we will determine these measures collectively with our allies. This issue is also the subject of consultations with NATO and the Romanian authorities.”

VIENNA, 01 February 2022, (TON): The Russian side handed over to the Austrian Foreign Ministry a message from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg outlining Moscow’s approaches to the European security architecture and is awaiting a prompt response from partners.

Dmitry Lyubinsky, Russian Ambassador to Vienna, announced this.

The diplomat noted “during a personal meeting, we handed over to our colleagues at the Austrian Foreign Ministry a message from S. Lavrov addressed to A. Schallenberg with a detailed statement of our fundamental approaches to the principle of ensuring equal and indivisible security, which is fundamental for the entire European security architecture.”

“We expect a prompt response from Austrian partners and a clear answer in their national capacity to the question of how they understand the obligation not to strengthen their own security at the expense of the security of other states based on the principle of the indivisibility of security, enshrined, in particular, in the documents of the OSCE summits in Istanbul in November 1999 and in Astana in December 2010″.

TEL AVIV , 01 February 2022, (TON): Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog accused Iran of destabilizing the situation in the region and using satellites for terrorist purposes. He made the corresponding statement, completing the first ever two-day visit to UAE.

The Duke’s office circulated “I am ending my historic visit to the UAE at the invitation of Crown Prince [A-bu Dhabi] Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his government.

There are only two paths for this region. First, peace, prosperity, cooperation, joint investment and beauty future. The alternative is what Iran is doing, which is destabilizing the region and using its satellites for terror.