Russian President Reaches Out to African Countries; Beijing Says US Should Not Contain China; Hezbollah Attacks Israel

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable international events in the past 24 hours.

Russia is looking to boost ties with African countries, which see Moscow as a friendly nation without colonial roots on the continent. (Source: ABC News)

Africa

* Russian President holds phone talks with leaders of 3 African countries: On March 26, the head of Niger's military government Abdourahamane Tiani had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders discussed the need to strengthen security cooperation to face current threats. They also discussed "global and multi-sectoral strategic cooperation projects".

General Tiani thanked President Putin for Russia's current "support" for Niger and its struggle for national sovereignty.

On March 27, the Kremlin announced that President Putin also had phone calls with the leaders of the Republic of Congo and Mali.

During a phone call with Malian military leader Assimi Goita - the interim leader during the West African country's transition period, the two sides agreed to strengthen closer bilateral relations, especially in the areas of counter-terrorism, agriculture, energy and mining.

Mr Goita said he thanked Mr Putin for providing free wheat, fertilizer and fuel to Mali.

During a phone call with the leader of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, the two sides agreed to strengthen political, economic and humanitarian ties between the two countries. (Reuters, Sputnik)

* The United States is pushing for the resumption of Sudan peace talks between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), expressing hope that discussions can be held after the Muslim month of Ramadan, on April 18.

“Anyone who thinks that either side has a chance of absolute victory at this point should understand clearly that is not the case,” noted US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello.

“A war of attrition is not only disastrous for civilians, it can easily degenerate into a regional and sectarian war,” he added. (AFP)

Asia-Pacific

* The US should not "contain" China , according to Mr. Liu Jianchao, member of the Party Central Committee, Head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, on March 27.

Liu Jianchao, 60, is widely seen as the leading candidate to be China's next foreign minister.

Speaking at a forum in Singapore, he called for efforts to promote economic globalization, noting: "Asia must be vigilant not to become a testing ground for parallel systems. If so, the region's long-standing industrial supply chains could be disrupted and Asia's prosperity would be further undermined."

Assessing US-China relations, Liu Jianchao said that one of the reasons why the two countries are still facing difficulties is because “the US has not given up its policy of suppressing and containing China”, emphasizing that the best way to mend the relationship is to promote dialogue and communication, which can improve the US's perception of China. (SCMP)

* China-Nepal discuss bilateral cooperation: On March 26, in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held discussions with Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China has always considered Nepal an important direction in its neighborly diplomacy, and is willing to work with Kathmandu to promote high-quality cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and bring the strategic cooperative partnership to a new level.

Nepal's new government attaches importance to its relations with China and is willing to work with Beijing to promote Belt and Road Initiative cooperation and has decided to join the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said. (THX)

* India is holding live-fire exercises in the Indian Ocean, around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, near the strategically important Strait of Malacca, scheduled to take place from March 29-30 in an area stretching 380 km.

The timing of the exercise coincides with the arrival of China’s space surveillance ship Vien Vong 3 in the area. Experts predict that during the exercise, India may test-launch the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which is deployed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. (VNA)

* US-South Korea to strengthen cooperation to respond to North Korea: On March 27, a South Korean defense official said that the country and the United States are seeking to establish a high-level advisory body on defense technology cooperation as part of efforts to strengthen ties in this field.

If the advisory body is established, technologies expected to be discussed include robots designed to eliminate weapons of mass destruction and improvised explosive device (IED) disposal equipment, which are expected to help counter threats from North Korea.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said that the country and the United States have established a task force to effectively prevent North Korea from funding its illegal nuclear and missile programs (Yonhap).

* Five Chinese citizens were killed in Pakistan in a suicide bombing targeting them on March 26.

China has asked Pakistan to investigate and punish the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for "a thorough joint investigation using all state resources".

He also asked military officials to review security arrangements to protect Chinese citizens and their interests. (THX)

Middle East

* Hezbollah-Israel retaliate against each other: On March 26, Hezbollah announced that three members of this movement were killed in Israeli attacks on Hebbariyeh in southern Lebanon.

On March 27, Hezbollah said it had launched dozens of rockets at Kiryet Shmona, an Israeli town near the border with Lebanon, in response to the attack.

Israel did not immediately respond to the incident or provide details of any casualties or damage. (Reuters)

* A local authority should be established to govern the Gaza Strip after military operations end, according to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

According to him, at that time, the Gaza Strip will not be under the control of Israel or the Palestinian Hamas movement, but local government agencies will need to be established to carry out this work.

The Israeli defense minister also stated that one goal of his visit to the US is to "emphasize the importance of the bilateral relationship because Israel shares "100% of values ​​and 99% of interests with the US". (Sputnik)

* Israel said it killed Hamas's deputy armed wing leader Marwan Issa in an air strike earlier this month.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari described Issa as “one of the organizers of the October 7 massacre” and the highest-ranking Hamas member to be killed since the Gaza war began. (AFP)

* Countries called for the implementation of the resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza , which was passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on March 25.

The Arab League (AL) and the Arab Parliament on March 26 welcomed the UNSC resolution. AL Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed the need to implement the resolution on the ground, immediately and completely halting Israeli military activities and aggression.

The AL assessed that this resolution “signals a notable change in the international stance” on the conflict in Gaza, including the US stance.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani also called for effective implementation of the UNSC resolution on the same day. (Anadolu, THX)

Russia-Ukraine

* Russia launched an attack with Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Ukraine overnight on March 26, 10 of which were shot down in the Kharkov, Sumy and Kiev regions, according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola O Meatchuk.

"Air defense missile units, mobile fire groups, electronic warfare equipment... participated in repelling this air attack," Mr. Meatchuk said. (Reuters)

* Russia rejects Switzerland's role in promoting peace in Ukraine: On March 26, Head of the Russian delegation in Geneva (Switzerland) Gennady Gatilov affirmed that Moscow does not oppose any negotiations to end the conflict.

However, Russia will not participate in the peace conference for Ukraine that Bern plans to host, stating: “At the moment, we see no opportunity for Switzerland to lead and organize such activities. We believe that at the moment, they have lost their neutrality.” (Anadolu)

* The European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are not prepared for conflict with Russia, according to Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on March 26.

According to the diplomat, "none of the alliances that Spain has joined is an offensive alliance, they are all defensive alliances." (Euromaidan Press)

Europe

* Russia declares Ukrainian military intelligence chief a legitimate target: On March 26, Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov said that the Director of the Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) Kirill Budanov is a legitimate target of the Russian Armed Forces (VS RF).

Mr. Bortnikov accused Ukrainian intelligence of facilitating the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall theater. (Reuters)

* Russia has amended its laws regarding foreigners after the bloody terrorist attack on March 22 that killed at least 139 people in a Moscow suburb.

The main content of the new law is to reduce the term of labor contracts with foreigners to 2 years for one employer. If the labor contract expires, the worker will have to leave the country on time.

A law firm will be established to monitor the stay of foreigners in Russia, act as a recruitment coordinator and serve as a staffing center for Russian companies. (TASS)

* NATO could shoot down a Russian missile if it flies into alliance territory, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said on March 26. According to him, NATO is analyzing a series of different ideas, including the possibility of shooting down the missile.

However, this possibility only happens with Ukraine's consent and takes into account the international consequences, as NATO missiles could hit Russian missiles outside the alliance's territory.

The Polish diplomat also said that Russia cannot impose any rules on NATO and that Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to get used to the fact that "on the side of NATO, on the side of democratic countries, the EU will start to have a certain tone when resolving the conflict in Ukraine". (The Kyiv Independent)

* The 3rd Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN) was held in Geneva (Switzerland), bringing together 53 delegations representing member parliaments and international organizations.

In her opening speech, Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova - whose country is holding the NAM Chair - expressed hope that the conference will make a significant contribution to the further development of the Network and cooperation between member countries.

Praising the number of participants in the NAM Parliamentary Network conferences, which has been continuously increasing since the inaugural conference in Madrid in 2021, Gafarova said, “this demonstrates our intention to strengthen solidarity and cooperation between our parliaments.” (Azernews)

* Ukraine and Sweden strengthen nuclear cooperation: On March 26, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko met with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch in Kiev.

“Cooperation in the nuclear sphere between our countries is a top priority. We have shown other countries that the nuclear industry can have a future without Russia,” said the Ukrainian Energy Minister.

The two sides discussed the prospects of deeper cooperation between Ukraine and Sweden aimed at pushing Russia out of the European market for nuclear fuel and atomic technology. (Ukrinform)

America

* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio prepares to visit the US: On March 26, the top national security advisors of the US and Japan discussed measures to strengthen the deterrence capability of the US-Japan alliance in preparation for Mr. Kishida's visit to Washington next month.

The White House said the two discussed logistical steps to “ensure the historic success” of the visit and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining cooperation, with an alliance “regarded as the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”

The two countries' advisers also discussed ways to deepen cooperation with like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region and other regions. (Kyodo)

* US imposes sanctions on Houthi, Hezbollah and Quds: On March 26, the US Treasury Department imposed counterterrorism sanctions on cases it described as providing financial and commercial support to the Houthi forces in Yemen, Iran's Quds Force and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The sanctions target six entities, one individual and two tankers for their involvement in facilitating the movement of goods and financial transactions, according to a statement from the US Treasury Department. (Reuters)

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