South Asia
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa expressed his gratitude to India for its “invaluable assistance” during its unprecedented and worsening economic crisis. Since January, India has extended $2.4 billion through currency swaps, loan deferments, and lines of credit to help the island nation purchase essential items. [The Hindu]
British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss is scheduled to visit India on March 31 to discuss the Ukraine war and secure India’s support in condemning Russia, including imposing sanctions against institutions and individuals. Reports also suggest that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also arriving in India for a visit this week. [Times of India]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Uzbekistan on March 29-30 to attend the second Turkey-Uzbekistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, which will be chaired by Erdoğan and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. [Presidency of the Republic of Turkey]
Ayaz Mutallibov, Azerbaijan’s first President, died in Baku on Monday. Mutallibov, 83, led the country from September 8, 1991 to March 6, 1992, when he was forced to submit his resignation by opposition forces and eventually fled to Moscow. In 2012, he returned to Azerbaijan after being granted permission by current President Ilham Aliyev. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Chinese drone-maker DJI dismissed accusations that the Russian military is using its drones in Ukraine. The rumours, which DJI called “utterly false,” began after German retailer MediaMarkt cited the information as the reason for removing DJI products off its shelves. [The Straits Times]
Bangladeshi officials said Monday that the largest private school for Rohingya refugees has been shut down by authorities due to a lack of proper paperwork. “Can anyone simply erect a school anywhere and start charging students for it? It has to be done with proper paperwork,” a government official said on Monday. The move is a further blow to the educational prospects of thousands of stateless Rohingya children living in camps. [Channel News Asia]
Europe
On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the European Union would come to Sweden’s defence in case of a Russian attack, even though Sweden is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Speaking at a press conference with his Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson, Scholz noted the Union’s “mutual assistance clause” and said, “When it comes down to it, it can be relied upon.” [Politico]
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that participants of the Ukraine-Russia peace talks that took place on March 3 developed symptoms of poisoning following the meeting. The suspected poisoning victims include Russian billionaire and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, Ukrainian lawmaker Rustem Umerov, and another unnamed negotiator. After a preliminary enquiry, investigators said, “It was not intended to kill, it was just a warning.” The trio reportedly experienced “red eyes, constant and painful tearing, and peeling skin on their faces and hands.” [The Wall Street Journal]
The United Kingdom joined six other Joint Expeditionary Force nations to aid NATO and enhance security in the Baltic Sea amid Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Apart from the British Royal Navy, naval forces from Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands also participated in the exercise. [UK Government]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo on Monday launched his defence in his impeachment trial. Having come into power only last July, opposition lawmakers now require a two-thirds majority, or 87 votes, in Peru’s 130-seat one-chamber Congress to unseat him. At present, they have gained the backing of 76 lawmakers. If ousted, it would represent yet another episode in the highly unstable political environment of Peru, which has seen five presidents since 2016. [Reuters]
The Honduran Supreme Court has approved the extradition of former President Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States to face drug trafficking and firearms possession charges. In fact, his brother Tony is currently serving a life sentence in the US for drug trafficking. [CNN]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Monday, Israel expressed support for Morocco’s plan to declare autonomy for the disputed Western Sahara region during the two-day Negev Summit in the Israeli city of Sde Boker, which was attended by the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stressed that Israel and Morocco will work together to counter “attempts to weaken Moroccan sovereignty and territorial integrity.” [The North Africa Post]
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday during a visit to Cairo that France is ready to supply Egypt with wheat in the coming months, as the Ukrainian war has threatened to put a halt to more than half of Egypt’s wheat imports. [Egypt Today]
North America
On Monday, a delegation representing the Canadian First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities met Pope Francis in the Vatican City as a part of reconciliation efforts to discuss the Church’s role in former residential schools in Canada, where tens of thousands of Indigenous children were abused, tortured, and killed. Later this week, the Pope is set to announce his trip to Canada where he is expected to formally apologise for the Church’s actions.. [CTV]
The United States (US) Navy on Monday confirmed that it is sending six EA-18G Growler fighter jets to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base in Germany. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the move will considerably strengthen NATO’s collective defence, emphasising that the jets are being sent strictly for defence and deterrence purposes. [US Department of Defence]
Oceania
On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked Fiji and Papua New Guinea to convince the Solomon Islands to abandon a possible security deal with China. Australia has reportedly been asked to do more to counter China’s growing influence in Papua New Guinea following a leak of a draft agreement between China and the Solomon Islands. Australia, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea aided the Solomon Islands in restoring peace after riots broke out late last year. [The Age]
On Monday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country would send more military aid to Ukraine as the latter fend off Russia’s “unprovoked and illegal invasion.” Ardern said, “We will deploy nine New Zealand Defence Force personnel to the United Kingdom and Belgium, to support our partners in intelligence and engagement work, over the next three months.” Apart from military support, the country has also pledged $6 million in humanitarian assistance and announced a new visa scheme for Ukrainian New Zealanders. [New Zealand Government]
Sub-Saharan Africa
On Monday, Ghana removed a number of COVID-19 restrictions by reopening its borders and declaring that face masks are no longer mandatory. President Nana Akufo-Addo also withdrew bans on in-person activities such as church services, mosque prayers, conferences, workshops, private parties, events, and cinema screenings on the condition that all attendees are fully vaccinated. Incoming fully-vaccinated travellers, too, will no longer have to present a negative PCR test upon arrival. [Africa Feeds]
At the Zimbabwe-Rwanda Trade and Investment Conference in Harare on Monday, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa sought to increase trade ties in the education, energy, agriculture, mineral resources, ICT, tourism, and political consultation sectors. [The New Times]