NEW YORK, 25 January 2022, (TON): The Council approved conclusions today endorsing the new priorities for the 2022-2024 period under the UN-EU strategic partnership on peace operations and crisis management.

The Council reiterates the firm commitment made by the EU and its member states to uphold the multilateral rules-based global order with the United Nations at its core and it commends the achievements and recognises the mutually beneficial nature of the longstanding UN-EU cooperation on peacekeeping and civilian, police and military crisis management.

The Council welcomes the extended scope of the priorities, which aim to respond more effectively to the evolving threat landscape and cross-cutting challenges such as climate change, disruptive technologies and misinformation, and the consequences of the global pandemic.

Additionally, the Council welcomes the inclusion of the matter of children and armed conflict as a cross-cutting priority, as well as the increased attention to the Youth, Peace and Security agenda and the enhanced joint UN-EU efforts on the Women, Peace and Security agenda and gender equality.

BRUSSELS, 25 January 2022, (TON): High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell met with Foreign Minister of Kuwait Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah in Brussels to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.

The meeting offered an opportunity to underline the EU’s appreciation for Kuwait’s traditional moderating and mediating role in the region, including the Foreign Minister’s latest visit to Lebanon, and the intention to further reinforce bilateral relations between the EU and Kuwait.

High Representative Borrell informed Minister Al-Sabah about EU’s steps towards strengthening the partnership with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and invited him to attend the upcoming EU-GCC Joint Cooperation Council at the ministerial level scheduled for 21 February in Brussels.

The EU is interested to build a broader, more strategic partnership with Kuwait and other GCC countries, on key global issues such as climate change and the green and digital transition, energy security and renewable energy, trade, investment and security.

TEHRAN, 25 January 2022, (TON): Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said “Tehran can negotiate directly with Washington if necessary to reach a good agreement on the nuclear deal.”

He said “if in the course of the negotiation process we reach a situation where we need to talk to the Americans in order to reach a good agreement at a high level, we will not give up on this.”

At the same time, the diplomat stressed that information about the existence of direct negotiations with US at the moment does not correspond to reality.

The politician’s speech was broadcast by Iranian state television.

According to Amir Abdollahian “the American side informed Tehran in various ways that it wants direct negotiations with Iran.”

He added “now we are negotiating with the 4+1 group, Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Germany.”

In Vienna on January 3, after the New Year’s break, the eighth round of negotiations resumed with the aim of restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program in its original form and returning the United States to this multilateral agreement.

BRUSSELS, 25 January 2022, (TON): NATO Allies are putting forces on standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to NATO deployments in eastern Europe, reinforcing Allied deterrence and defence as Russia continues its military build-up in and around Ukraine.

In the past days, a number of Allies have made announcements regarding current or upcoming deployments. Denmark is sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea and is set to deploy four F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania in support of NATO’s long-standing air-policing mission in the region.

Spain is sending ships to join NATO naval forces and is considering sending fighter jets to Bulgaria.

France has expressed its readiness to send troops to Romania under NATO command.

The Netherlands is sending two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria from April to support NATO’s air-policing activities in the region, and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby for NATO’s Response Force.

The United States has also made clear that it is considering increasing its military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance.

Stoltenberg said “I welcome Allies contributing additional forces to NATO. NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance.

RIYADH, 25 January 2022, (TON): Saudi state TV reported “the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said on Monday that it had began military operations against legitimate targets in the capital, Sanaa.”

The coalition said the operation is in response to threats and out of military necessity to protect civilians from hostile attacks.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia launched missiles toward Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier on Monday, sparking widespread condemnation from the international community.

Meanwhile, the coalition said that it carried out 14 operations targeting the Houthi militia in Marib.

WARSAW, 25 January 2022, (TON): The press secretary of the chief commandant of the Polish Border Guard, told media “the construction of the barrier on the Belarusian-Polish border will begin on Tuesday, Anna Mikhalskaya.”

Michalska said “we hand over the site for construction to contractors and the construction of the barrier begins.”

She clarified that the work will begin with the installation of piles and their concreting.

The representative of the Border Guard added that in parallel, steel spans of the future barrier are being produced in Sedlice.

Against the backdrop of the migration crisis, Poland decided to build a protective structure on the border with Belarus. It is planned to build a five-meter high engineering barrier. The design will be equipped with night vision cameras, motion sensors, day vision cameras.

CAIRO, 25 January 2022, (TON): The Saudi authorities condemned the recent attacks by the Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen on the Saudi cities of Dhahran and Jizan, as well as on the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abu Dhabi, and called on the UN Security Council (SC) to put an end to their aggressive actions.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns the attacks by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists (from the Ansar Allah movement approx. on civilian and vital facilities located in the south of the kingdom and (in the capital of the United Arab Emirates) Abu Dhabi.

The statement, published on the page of the Kingdom’s Foreign Office, said “in the last such attack, [carried out] on the city of Zahran in the south of the country and an industrial zone in the city of Jizan in the southwest of the kingdom, two citizens from Bangladesh and Sudan were slightly injured.”

Riyadh stressed that the persistence with which Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists commit repeated attacks is a challenge to the international community and a clear violation of international humanitarian law.”

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense informed about the interception and destruction of two ballistic missiles that were sent by the Houthis in the direction of Abu Dhabi.

NEW DELHI, 25 January 2022, (TON): The Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of the United Nations has expressed concerns to India over its failure to adhere to the human trafficking laws laid out by the global body.

In its communication, the OHCHR expressed concerns at the state's failure to comply with the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill 2021.

The law aims at preventing trafficking, assisting and protecting trafficked persons without discrimination, ensuring gender equality and promoting the rights of trafficked persons.

According to the complaints procedure of the organisation, the report would be published in the next session of the UN office.

It will also be highlighted during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) scheduled for July 2022 which will be discussed in the 54th Session of UNHRC.

The OHCHR stressed that trafficked persons should not be held in detention facilities or any other forms of custody under any circumstances and led to violation of the right to be free from arbitrary arrest and detention, protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

RIYADH, 25 January 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a meeting with Dr. Salem Al-Malik, the director-general of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in the capital, Riyadh.

The Kingdom’s foreign ministry said “during the meeting, they reviewed the Kingdom’s efforts to support culture and science regionally and internationally, in order to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

LONDON, 25 January 2022, (TON): Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic held talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol and UK-EU relations.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic held their second meeting in Brussels on 24 January.

The meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere with the aim to advance the talks.

They agreed that officials would meet again this week, with the Principals taking stock at political level next week. The also agreed that the EU-UK Joint Committee would meet in the course of February.