South Asia
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it will be shutting down its embassies in Iraq and Norway and its consulate in Sydney on March 31 due to a lack of foreign reserves. The government was forced to make this decision and urged nationals to use the embassies in nearby cities. [Colombo Page]
On Wednesday, India successfully test-fired its Brahmos surface-to-surface supersonic missile in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Air Force officials reported that the missile was able to hit the intended target with “pinpoint efficiency.” [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Kazakh Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev met with his Uzbek counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) foreign ministers’ conference in Islamabad on Wednesday. Both envoys emphasised the need to set up “topographic working groups” for delimitation and demarcation talks to resolve the decades-long border dispute over numerous patches of land scattered along the boundary, including the fertile Ferghana Valley. [Azer News]
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind is set to visit Turkmenistan from April 1-4. Kovind’s visit to Turkmenistan follows an invitation by Turkmenistan’s new President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Moreover, the visit will be the first time an Indian head of state is visiting the Central Asian country. [Ministry of External Affairs]
East and Southeast Asia
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India on Friday, where he will meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The senior diplomats are expected to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and their own border conflict. [The Straits Times]
As the Ukraine war has renewed the discussion on responding to China’s military threats, Taiwan is considering extending compulsory military service beyond the current four months, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Wednesday. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
The United Kingdom has assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that it will work with its allies to “substantively increase defence lethal aid to Ukraine.” The spokesperson for British Prime Minister (PM) Boris Johnson’s office said that the PM also assured Zelensky that he would ensure that Ukraine is in “the strongest possible position” in the ongoing negotiations with Russia. [Reuters]
The European Commission on Wednesday announced a series of measures aimed at easing education and child-related problems faced by Ukrainian refugees arriving in Europe. The measures would make it possible for Ukrainian students fleeing the war to continue their education in the country of arrival without hassles. [Politico]
On Wednesday, the governments of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US), also known as the Quint, expressed their shared disapproval over the Kosovan government’s decision to not hold the upcoming Serbian elections in its territory. The Quint and the US warned that such behaviour could “undermine Pristina’s European aspirations.” [B92]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Organization of American States, Arturo McFields, resigned from his post by condemning his country's President, Daniel Ortega, as a dictator, saying, “to continue remaining silent and defending the indefensible, is impossible.” At least 46 opposition figures have been arrested over the last few months, particularly in the lead-up to the presidential election in November, when Ortega controversially secured re-election by jailing a number of would-be opponents and amid allegations of vote tampering. [NBC News]
While hosting Prince William and Duchess Kate on Wednesday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed that his country plans to become a fully independent republic, following in the footsteps of Barbados, which removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state back in November. Although Jamaica secured independence in August 1962, it has remained a member of the British commonwealth. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Wednesday, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels destroyed two explosive-laden vessels in the Red Sea that the Houthis were planning to use in attacks on oil tankers. [Reuters]
Israel and Morocco signed an agreement to cooperate in civilian aerospace projects, Moroccan Industry Minister Ryad Mezzour announced on Wednesday. This follows a deal they signed in November that allows for direct cooperation between their intelligence agencies and gives Rabat the ability to purchase Israeli drones and weapons. [Reuters]
North America
On Wednesday, the United States (US) Department of State officially stated that the Russian military has committed multiple “war crimes” in Ukraine. Washington criticised Moscow for its “unprovoked” war in which Russian forces have “indiscriminate[ly]” and “deliberately” attacked civilians, schools, and hospitals, killing and wounding thousands. The US also highlighted Russia’s history of similar crimes in Chechnya and Syria. [US Department of State]
Evan Neumann, who is wanted in the United States (US) on more than a dozen charges related to the January 6 insurrection on the US Capitol, has attained refugee status in Belarus. In a video posted by Belarusian state media Belta, Neumann said he is “very happy and very sad at the same time,” as he talked about his now protected status. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has indicted Neumann of assaulting police officers using a metal barricade during violent protests wherein Trump supporters and other right-wing extremists stormed the parliament building to support the now-former president’s unfounded claims of voter fraud. [NPR]
Oceania
Fiji signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the United Kingdom that will help secure and police its maritime borders. The agreement allows Fijian sailors to board Royal Navy vessels and vice versa, and will also allow both sides to jointly combat illegal maritime activity in the Pacific. [The Fiji Times]
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday that allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to participate in this year’s G-20 summit along with other world leaders would be “a step too far.” “I think we need to have people in the room that aren’t invading other countries,” he said. [The Straits Times]
Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated a $2.5 billion fertiliser plant, the largest in Africa, as both Nigeria and the continent at large aim to tackle high global prices and shortages caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine, which are both major fertiliser suppliers. Aliko Dangote, the owner of the plant and Africa’s richest man, said that the new plant will "make Nigeria self-sufficient in fertiliser production, with excess capacity to export to other African markets and the rest of the world," including the United States, Brazil, India, and Mexico. [Africanews]
Rwandan President was hosted by Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in Aqaba on Wednesday. He is in the country to attend the Aqaba Process conference, which was launched back in 2015 by the King as a means to facilitate regional cooperation in tackling terrorist and violent extremist threats through “prevention, coordination, and filling in the gaps.” [The New Times]