January, 2021

• 30 January

  Turkey and Greece: Still More Peace Talks

  

  Ankara and Athens, starting in 2002, held 60 rounds of talks before their exploratory efforts came to a halt in 2016. After a five-year-long pause the rivals agreed to resume talks on January 25, starting the 61st round. “The idea that a strategic — so-called strategic — partner of ours …

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• 30 January

  Germany: Meet Angela Merkel’s Second Successor

  “You get the impression that Armin Laschet still believes in a partnership with Putin’s Russia. He ignores the fact that there simultaneously is both a geopolitical and a value conflict with Moscow. This conflict requires a certain degree of severity, a policy of deterrence and also a policy of sanctions. …

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• 30 January

  G7 Foreign Ministers Condemn Russia Over Navalny Detention, ‘Violent Suppression’ Of Protests

  Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major industrial nations have condemned Russia for the “politically motivated” detention of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny and the “violent suppression” of protesters demanding his release over the weekend.

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• 30 January

  Saab Signs Two Contracts for Next Generation Corvettes for Sweden

  Saab and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, (FMV), have signed two agreements concerning the next generation of surface ships and corvettes. A Product Definition Phase for the Mid-Life Upgrades (MLU) of five Visby-class corvettes, as well as a Product Definition Phase for the next generation; Visby Generation 2 corvettes. The …

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• 30 January

  In First Phone Call, Biden Warns Putin On Navalny, Ukraine, Agrees On Treaty Extension

  U.S. President Joe Biden has spoken with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the first time since his inauguration last week, raising concerns about some of the Kremlin’s activities, including the treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny and the seizure of the Crimean peninsula.

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• 30 January

  Greece, France Finalize $2.8 Billion Fighter Jet Deal

  Greece and France have sealed a $2.8 billion deal for the purchase of 18 Rafale fighter jets for the Greek air force. The deal is part of a larger weapons purchase program that Greece is carrying out as it sits down to negotiate a solution to a growing dispute with …

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• 30 January

  China Consolidates Its Commercial Foothold in Djibouti

  China’s presence in Africa’s smallest country is far more extensive than just a military base. Djibouti, located at the far end of the Horn of Africa, is the country with the smallest acreage on the African continent. But its proximity to the Middle East, its location on the energy transit …

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• 30 January

  Biden Administration increases B-52 bombers in region as deterrent to Iran

  

  The United States Air Force has sent a sixth sortie of nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over the Middle East. The US Air Force dispatched another pair of long-range, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over the Middle East on Tuesday as the presidential administration of Joe Biden looks to approach negotiations with Iran.

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• 30 January

  Iran hosts Taliban delegation to discuss US presence in Afghanistan

  Both Iranian and Taliban officials criticized the United States’ role in Afghanistan during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, amid peace talks in Qatar. An Iranian official accused the United States of prolonging the war in Afghanistan during a visit by the Taliban to Iran. A Taliban leader also told the …

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• 30 January

  Russia uses regime-SDF tensions to expand presence in northeast Syria

  

  Syrian Democratic Forces continue to besiege the Syrian regime in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, amid fears of an escalation between the two parties.

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