Switzerland re-establishes its presence in North Korea, IS calls for terrorist attacks in many European cities, Republican congressmen submit a bill for the US to completely withdraw from the UN... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.
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| Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the US to send troops to Ukraine. (Source: DW) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.
Asia-Pacific
*Indonesia supports repatriation of hundreds of citizens from Myanmar: On February 21, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that it is implementing active support measures to repatriate 92 of its citizens believed to be victims of human trafficking in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Based on data and reports from the Indonesian Embassy and the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Indonesian Police, most of the Indonesian citizens who requested repatriation worked illegally and participated in online gambling rings. Some of them were involved in human trafficking rings.
According to Mr. Nugraha, as of February 2025, about 6,800 Indonesian citizens have been identified as being involved in human trafficking organizations and online gambling activities, with Myanmar being one of the 10 destination countries based on records from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Strait Times)
*China reassures about military exercises off Australia: On February 21, Beijing declared that the exercises that Australia described as "live-fire" off the country's east coast were "safe" and "in compliance with relevant international law".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) "organized a naval formation to conduct training and exercises in distant waters." He also stressed that the exercise "has always been conducted safely, according to standards and professionally, in accordance with relevant international laws and practices."
Earlier in the day, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed concern about a live-fire exercise conducted by three Chinese warships off the country's east coast. The official expressed concern about the lack of transparency surrounding "this live-fire exercise" and would raise the country's "concerns" with Beijing. (AFP)
*Switzerland re-establishes presence in North Korea: The Swiss Embassy in North Korea has officially resumed operations as new Ambassador Jurg Burri presented his credentials to Chairman of the Standing Committee of the North Korean Parliament Choe Ryong-hae. This event marks an important turning point in diplomatic relations between the two countries after a period of interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move comes as the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations at the North Korean Embassy in Switzerland last month. Switzerland became the third Western country to reopen an embassy in Pyongyang, after Sweden and Poland.
Since North Korea eased border controls in August 2023, only a handful of countries with close ties, including China, Russia, Mongolia and Cuba, have maintained limited embassy operations. According to South Korea's Unification Ministry, there are currently 16 foreign embassies operating in North Korea, including Brazil, Iran, India, Nigeria and Nicaragua. (Yonhap)
Europe
*US not imposing terms of deal with Russia on EU, Ukraine: The New York Times reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured European countries that President Donald Trump's administration has no plans to "impose the terms" of any bilateral deal with Russia on the European Union or Ukraine.
According to the source, Mr. Rubio explained to the European side that the talks with Russian officials focused on bilateral issues, including restrictions on the two countries' embassies, and were a test of the Kremlin's intentions.
The meeting in Riyadh on February 18 was initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. The Russian side was attended by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov. The US side was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. (RIA Novosti)
*Hungary strengthens resistance to foreign interference: On February 21, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that his government plans to develop additional protection mechanisms to combat foreign interference in domestic politics.
The Hungarian Prime Minister recalled that the new US administration has decided to stop using aid programs, including those through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to exert political influence on other countries. According to Prime Minister Orban, this money has been used by the US, especially in Hungary, to fund "ordinary people, media, journalists, politicians" who oppose the current government.
Hungary has enacted a law that makes foreign funding of Hungarian political parties a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison since December 2023. The Hungarian National Sovereignty Protection Agency is tasked with monitoring compliance with the ban and collecting information on potential violators. (DW)
*Sweden discovers submarine cable problem in Baltic Sea: On February 21, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the country is investigating information about the submarine cable problem in the Baltic Sea.
A new submarine cable incident has been detected off the Swedish island of Gotland, SVT television reported, citing the Swedish coast guard. “The coast guard has confirmed to SVT that a new cable break has occurred off the coast of Gotland and a preliminary investigation has been launched,” the statement said.
The cable connects Finland and Germany. The exact time of the incident is still unknown, according to the Swedish Coast Guard. The Coast Guard said it had sent a ship to the scene to assist in the investigation. The Swedish Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident. (AFP)
*Danish Prime Minister calls on the US to send troops to Ukraine: On February 21, European media quoted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen calling on the US to send troops to Ukraine under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Charter.
In an interview with Time , the Danish Prime Minister explained that Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which stipulates that any member state of the alliance that is under armed attack, would have to come into effect if Russia “took even one step” contrary to the agreements. Referring to sending European troops to Ukraine, Ms. Frederiksen noted that “many steps” would have to be taken before and even before specific discussions on the issue could begin.
Earlier, DR television and radio quoted Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen as saying that the Nordic country does not rule out sending peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, but believes it is too early to discuss. (Reuters)
Middle East – Africa
*EU summons Rwandan ambassador over attacks in DR Congo: The European Union (EU) on February 21 summoned the Rwandan ambassador to demand that Kigali withdraw its troops from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Congo and stop supporting the attack by the M23 armed group.
The security situation in eastern DRC has become tense since the resurgence of M23. According to reports from the United Nations and the Kinshasa government, Rwanda is believed to be supporting this armed group.
Since late 2021, M23 has expanded its control over several strategically important locations, including the trading hub of Bunagana on the Ugandan border and the mining town of Rubaya - famous for its coltan mines. (AFP)
*Iran holds naval drills in Gulf of Oman: Iranian military officials announced that the country will conduct naval drills on February 22 in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.
"The joint Zolfaghar 1403 exercise will begin tomorrow (February 22) on the Makran coast, the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean," Iran's deputy military coordinator Habibollah Sayyari said in a statement on state television.
Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, Tehran has stepped up its show of strength through large-scale military exercises, unveiling new military equipment and showcasing underground military bases.
Iran is also signaling to Western countries, especially the United States, that it is ready to resume talks on its nuclear program - a source of tension for decades. (AFP)
*Israel accuses Hamas of returning the wrong hostage's body: On February 20, Israel said the body handed over by Hamas was not that of female hostage Shiri Bibas as initially agreed, and confirmed the identity of the bodies of Bibas's two sons in this hostage handover.
According to an announcement from the National Institute of Forensic Medicine of Israel, one of the bodies handed over did not belong to any of the hostages listed as being held by Hamas. The Israeli military accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by failing to fulfill its commitment to return all four hostages' bodies. (THX)
*Hamas accuses Israel of “delaying” the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire: On February 20, the Hamas movement accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “delaying” negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after the Palestinian resistance group returned the bodies of four dead hostages to Israel.
A ceasefire in Gaza went into effect on January 19 after more than 15 months of fighting between Hamas and Israel. Since the first phase of the truce, 19 Israeli hostages have been freed in exchange for the release of more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on February 18 that negotiations would begin this week on the second phase of the ceasefire, aimed at finding a more lasting solution to the conflict. (Al Jazeera)
*IS calls for terrorist attacks in many European cities: According to Bild newspaper, the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization is said to have launched a German-language website, calling for terrorist attacks in many cities in Germany, Austria and Belgium.
Bild newspaper reported that security agencies in Germany, Austria and Belgium are taking the group's propaganda seriously, as terrorist attacks by radical Islamists have occurred repeatedly in all three countries, and law enforcement agencies regularly foil similar plots.
An anonymous source from one of the above countries told Bild that calls for terrorist attacks by IS are currently "spreading very quickly among radical Islamist groups." (TASS)
America - Latin America
*US to continue foreign aid despite USAID freeze: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Washington will continue to provide foreign aid even after the US Agency for International Development (USAID) programs were frozen pending review.
USAID-funded programs are under scrutiny as the Trump administration attempts to overhaul the U.S. foreign aid agency. Billionaire Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has called USAID a “criminal organization” that “needs to disappear.” USAID staff around the world have been placed on administrative leave and the agency’s website, including past financial reports, has been taken down. (RIA Novosti)
*Republican lawmakers introduce bill calling for US complete withdrawal from UN: Republican lawmakers in the US Senate have introduced a bill calling for the US complete withdrawal from the United Nations (UN). This is the main content of the related document published on the website of one of the co-sponsors, Senator Mike Lee.
"I have introduced the UN Disaster Complete Withdrawal (DEFUND) Act, which calls for the United States to withdraw completely from the UN. This legislation addresses the serious issues of national sovereignty and financial responsibility that have made US participation in the UN difficult," said Senator Mike Lee.
The bill calls for ending "all forms of US financial support to the UN, including mandatory and voluntary contributions," banning the US from participating in UN peacekeeping missions and "prohibiting the President from re-entering the UN system without the advice and consent of the Senate." (RIA Novosti)
*The US and Venezuela "break the ice" in relations through the issue of migration: In a move showing the improvement of diplomatic relations between the two countries, on February 20, the US transferred 177 Venezuelan migrants from the Guantanamo military base (Cuba) to Venezuela through a transit point in Honduras.
According to confirmation from both Washington and Caracas, the flight carrying the migrants departed from a US base to Honduras, where the Venezuelan government received them and then brought them back to Caracas by a plane operated by the national airline Conviasa.
Human rights groups in the US are filing a lawsuit to gain access to migrants detained at Guantanamo, after Mr Trump ordered the facility to be prepared to receive some 30,000 undocumented immigrants entering the US. (AFP)
*US "sets conditions" for summit with Russia: On February 20, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the possibility of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would "depend largely on whether we can make progress in ending the war in Ukraine".
According to the US Secretary of State, "No meeting will take place until we know clearly what the content of the meeting will be." He emphasized: "Normally, such meetings only take place when there are certain results or progress."
Secretary of State Rubio also expressed the view that if the meeting could take place and become a breakthrough to seal the peace deal, "everyone should celebrate President Trump as a peacemaker." (Reuters)
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