
Japan, OIC discuss Afghan humanitarian cooperation
JEDDAH: Leading officials from Japan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held talks here Wednesday on bolstering joint humanitarian programs in Afghanistan.
The OIC officials included Tarig Ali Bakheet, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian, social and cultural Affairs, and special envoy of the OIC secretary-general for Afghanistan.
The Japanese delegation included Masayuki Kameda, principal deputy director of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Daisuke Yamamoto, the consul general in Jeddah.
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Saudi Gazette
6 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
South Korea's new president vows to restart talks with North Korea
SEOUL — South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung has promised to recommence talks with North Korea with the aim of securing peace on the Korean Peninsula. Lee, who was sworn in early on Wednesday following his victory in a snap election, outlined key policy goals for his five-year term, from foreign and economic policy to healing the country's political divide. In his inaugural address to the country's National Assembly, Lee pledged to deal with North Korean nuclear and other military threats with 'strong deterrence' bolstered by the South Korea-US military alliance. However, he also said he would restart talks with Pyongyang, which have not taken place in years, vowing to 'open a communication channel with North Korea and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula through talks and cooperation'. How this will be received remains unclear, as Pyongyang has rejected talks with Seoul since 2019. While critics of the liberal have previously accused Lee of looking toward China and North Korea and away from the US and Japan, the leader also stressed that he wanted to grow the trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo cooperation. "Through pragmatic diplomacy based on national interests, we will turn the crisis posed by the major shift in global economic and security landscapes into an opportunity to maximise our national interests,' Lee said. Lee's government will be forced to reckon with myriad challenges, including a slowing domestic economy, US tariff hike and a volatile international context. Lee, whose election victory came after a snap election was triggered in April by the removal of former conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol following his failed attempt to impose martial law last year, has repeatedly emphasized Seoul's alliance with Washington as the cornerstone of its foreign policy. Congratulating Lee on his election, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he wants to hold summit talks with Lee 'as early as possible' to further promote bilateral ties, while the US State Department said that Seoul and Washington share 'an ironclad commitment' to the alliance based on their 'mutual defence treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties'. As well as foreign policy, the new president, who won 49.3% of the votes cast in Tuesday's election against the main conservative contender Kim Moon-soo's 41.3%, pledged to wage a 'head-on battle' against the threats of recession in the country and boost government spending. Addressing the historic constitutional crisis that led to his presidency, Lee promised an in-depth investigation into Yoon's imposition of martial law, while calling for the country to come together and heal the divisions that followed the shocking incident last December. Alongside US tariffs, North Korea's growing military deals with Russia will pose an undeniable challenge. North Korea has been providing Russia with weapons and soldiers as it wages its war against Ukraine, with Pyongyang acknowledging for the first time in April that it has sent troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has also expressed his unwavering support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine South Korea, the US and allies fear that Russia may give Pyongyang technologies to aid its development of its nuclear weapons programme. Following North Korea's launch of the country's first naval destroyer last month, South Korean officials said the Choe Hyon warship was likely built with the aid of Russia. State media reported that the ship is designed to carry modern weapons including nuclear missiles, with Dr Edward Howell telling Euronews last month that North Korea's development of warships is central to the regime's aims. 'The nuclear ambitions are inextricably linked with Kim's desire for regime survival, but also to his desire for North Korea to be seen as an equal power, of equal status, to the United States," he said. "The development of these warships is intertwined with this nuclear recognition.' — Euronews


Arab News
03-06-2025
- Arab News
Pakistani delegation urges US, OIC states to play role for ‘comprehensive dialogue' with India
ISLAMABAD: A high-level Pakistani delegation, set up by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has urged the United States (US) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) envoys at the United Nations to play their role for the resumption of a 'comprehensive dialogue' between Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute and other issues, Pakistan's mission to the UN and state media said on Tuesday. Led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the nine-member parliamentary delegation arrived in New York on Monday as the first stop in a diplomatic mission to present Pakistan's position in world capitals following Islamabad's recent military conflict with India. The group headed by Bhutto-Zardari will visit New York, Washington DC, London and Brussels. Another delegation, led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, will also visit Moscow. Tensions between Pakistan and India are high after they struck a ceasefire on May 10 following the most intense military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades. Both countries accuse the other of supporting militancy on each other's soil — a charge both capitals deny. The latest escalation last month took place following weeks of tensions after India blamed Pakistan for supporting an April 22 attack on the Kashmir territory it governs that killed 26 tourists. Pakistan denied involvement in the incident and called for an international probe. Both countries traded missiles, artillery fire and drone strikes before Washington brokered a ceasefire on May 10. ' Bhutto-Zardari has urged the US to play its role in ensuring comprehensive dialogue between Pakistan and India to address all outstanding issues,' the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported after the Pakistani delegates' meeting with US Acting Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Dorothy Shea in New York. Bhutto-Zardari briefed Ambassador Shea on the developments following the April 22 attack, expressing deep concern over India's immediate attribution of blame to Pakistan without any 'credible investigation or verifiable evidence.' 'Such premature and baseless allegations exacerbate tensions and undermine prospects for constructive dialogue and peace,' he was quoted as saying. On Monday, the Pakistani delegates held a meeting with OIC envoys at the UN, wherein they reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to peace, restraint, and diplomacy, and called for the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty by India, full respect for the ceasefire, and the resumption of a 'comprehensive dialogue, with the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute at its core,' Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN said. India suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan a day after the attack at the Pahalgam resort town. The move drew a sharp response from Islamabad, which said any attempts to divert or stop the flow of its waters by India would be considered an 'act of war.' About 80 percent of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. 'Bhutto-Zardari expressed grave concern at the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — a move that Pakistan considers a blatant act of weaponizing water and a violation of international and treaty obligations,' the Pakistani mission said. The former Pakistani foreign minister thanked OIC countries for their efforts and role aimed at de-escalation, mediation and ceasefire during the conflict. He highlighted that the only path to peace was in dialogue, engagement and diplomacy. 'OIC has emerged as the moral conscience of the world in these difficult times,' Bhutto-Zardari said, thanking the OIC member states for their steadfast support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The statement said that the OIC's permanent representatives appreciated Pakistan's briefing and reaffirmed their solidarity with the country. 'They reiterated their concern over the worsening security situation in South Asia and stressed the importance of upholding the principles of the UN Charter and international law and in this regard, the sanctity of treaties, including the Indus Waters Treaty,' Pakistan's UN mission said. The Pakistani delegation also met Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, president of the UN Security Council for June, according to a statement issued by Bhutto-Zardari party. 'The Pakistani delegation stressed that in the face of a growing trend of unilateralism and escalation, the Security Council must play its crucial role to ensure peace and conflict resolution,' it said. The delegation urged the Security Council to play a 'proactive role' in promoting de-escalation, ensuring respect for international law and treaties and facilitating peaceful resolution of disputes. The statement said Birkett reaffirmed the Security Council's commitment to upholding international peace and security in line with its mandate. Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part.


Arab News
03-06-2025
- Arab News
Pakistani delegation demands resumption of ‘comprehensive' dialogue with India in briefing to OIC envoys
ISLAMABAD: A high-level Pakistani delegation set up by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week briefed members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the United Nations, calling for the resumption of a 'comprehensive dialogue' with India to resolve the Kashmir dispute and other issues, Pakistan's mission to the UN said. Led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the nine-member parliamentary delegation arrived in New York on Monday as the first stop in a diplomatic mission to present Pakistan's position in world capitals following Islamabad's recent military conflict with India. The group headed by Bhutto Zardari will visit New York, Washington DC, London and Brussels. Another delegation, led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, will also visit Moscow. Tensions between Pakistan and India are high after they struck a ceasefire on May 10 following the most intense military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades. Both countries accuse the other of supporting militancy on each other's soil — a charge both capitals deny. The latest escalation last month took place following weeks of tensions after India blamed Pakistan for supporting an April 22 attack on the Kashmir territory it governs that killed 26 tourists. Pakistan denied involvement in the incident and called for an international probe. Both countries traded missiles, artillery fire and drone strikes before Washington brokered a ceasefire on May 10. 'He [Bhutto Zardari] reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to peace, restraint, and diplomacy, and called for the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty, full respect for the ceasefire, and the resumption of a comprehensive dialogue with India, with the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute at its core,' Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Monday. Following the attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in April, India suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The move drew a sharp response from Islamabad, which said any attempts to divert or stop the flow of its waters by India would be considered an 'act of war.' About 80 percent of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. 'Mr. Bhutto expressed grave concern at the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty — a move that Pakistan considers a blatant act of weaponizing water and a violation of international and treaty obligations,' the statement said. The former Pakistani foreign minister thanked OIC countries for their efforts and role aimed at de-escalation, mediation and ceasefire during the conflict. He highlighted that the only path to peace was in dialogue, engagement and diplomacy. 'Mr. Bilawal Bhutto underlined that OIC has emerged as the moral conscience of the world in these difficult times and thanked the OIC member states for their steadfast support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,' the statement said. The statement said that the OIC's permanent representatives appreciated Pakistan's briefing and reaffirmed their solidarity with the country. 'They reiterated their concern over the worsening security situation in South Asia and stressed the importance of upholding the principles of the UN Charter and international law and in this regard, the sanctity of treaties, including the Indus Waters Treaty,' Pakistan's permanent mission to the UN said.