United States’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center top, participates in a trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi, third from left at tabel, and South Korea’s foreign minister Chung Eui-yong, second from right at table, on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in London on May 5. (AP Photo)
LONDON Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy industrialized nations on Wednesday accused China of human rights abuses and economic mischief, but offered little concrete action to deal with an increasingly forceful Beijing.
The top G-7 diplomats meeting in London said they were “deeply concerned” by China’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population and other minorities, which includes mass internment in “re-education” camps, forced labor and forced sterilization.
(Last Updated On: May 5, 2021)
Following Saturday’s official launch of the US troops withdrawal process, military officials have said 60 planeloads of equipment has already been moved out of Afghanistan and a further 1,300 pieces of equipment had been identified for destruction by Tuesday.
The drawdown effort to remove US forces and the equipment spread across Afghanistan was roughly 2% to 6% completed by Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
Stars and Stripes reported the formal retrograde process began Saturday as the Pentagon works to remove more than 3,000 troops, thousands of US contractors and their equipment by September 11, the date that President Joe Biden decided he wanted all American forces to be out of the country.
(Last Updated On: May 5, 2021)
The European Union and India have both called for an immediate ceasefire in Afghanistan and said an effective and unconditional cessation of hostilities is essential for creating the appropriate conditions for meaningful peace talks to continue.
Following a meeting between the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in London, the two diplomats said in a joint statement that “a successful peace process requires the Taliban to engage in good faith, with a serious commitment towards finding a political solution. Both sides reiterated the importance of ensuring that the soil of Afghanistan should not be used by terrorist groups to threaten the security of India and the EU”.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, attends a news conference with India s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar following a bilateral meeting in London on May 3. (Pool Photo via AP)
LONDON India’s foreign minister pulled out of in-person meetings at a Group of Seven gathering in London on Wednesday because of possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Diplomats from the G-7 group of wealthy nations are holding their first face-to-face gathering in two years, with social distancing and other measures in place to curb the spread of the virus.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tweeted that he was “made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases. As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode.”
LONDON – India’s foreign minister has pulled out of in-person meetings at a Group of Seven gathering in London because of possible exposure to the coronavirus.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tweeted that he was “made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases. As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode.”
Britain’s Foreign Office, which organized the meeting, did not immediately confirm whether any delegates had tested positive.
Diplomats from the G-7 group of wealthy nations are meeting in London for their first face-to-face gathering in two years. Delegates have been observing social distancing and are separated by transparent screens in meetings, and delegates are tested daily for the virus.