NATO Officer Messes Up & more– 22nd Aug 2023

Saluton from Tibidabo! This is Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 22nd of August twenty twenty-three A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions

NATO had to clean up a mess after one of its top officials suggested that Ukraine might give land to Russia in exchange for joining the organization.

Stian Jenssen, an aide to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, put forward the idea during a panel discussion, triggering outrage in Ukraine and causing diplomatic repercussions.

After the event, an adviser to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy dismissed the idea as "ludicrous", while a spokesperson from the foreign ministry deemed discussions of a land-NATO exchange as "completely unacceptable." Additionally, people from other countries who work with NATO were surprised by what Jenssen said.

On the other hand, Russia took advantage of the situation to reiterate that they don't want Ukraine to join NATO.

After the repercussions, Jensen later took his words back and said he made a mistake, and that Ukraine can make its own choices.

NATO stated they still support Ukraine and want to help them stay safe, but they also want to avoid more fights.

A World Trade Organization (or WTO) panel ruled that China violated WTO commitments by imposing 15% to 25% additional duties on certain U.S. imports in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.

For context, in twenty eighteen, the U.S. imposed a 25% duty on steel and a 10% tax on aluminum imports, based on national security concerns. The WTO had previously ruled against the U.S. tariffs, but the country challenged that decision.

The panel advised China to align its actions with WTO rules. However, if China appeals, a legal impasse could result due to the U.S. blocking appointments to the WTO Appellate Body.

The U.S. Trade Representative criticized China's use of "safeguard" tariffs as retaliation.

On Thursday the 17th of August, several UN Security Council members criticized North Korea's worsening human rights record.

This was the first Security Council open meeting on human rights in North Korea since twenty seventeen.

The regime under Kim Jong Un faces economic hardships, limiting access to basic necessities, while at the same time it’s allocating resources to its nuclear program.

Volker Türk, The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted state surveillance, and forced labor for military aims, among other violations such as child labor.

China and Russia said the meeting was unproductive in alleviating regional tensions.

During the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in Semarang, Central Java, Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan announced some agreements.

One of them is the successful development of the ASEAN Services Facilitation Framework which allows architects and medical professionals to work across ASEAN nations, and the signing of the Second Protocol to Amend the ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand Framework.

The meeting also ratified the Study on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement and agreed on the Ratification of the Ministerial Declaration regarding the Project-Based Industry Initiative Framework in ASEAN.

Additionally, Indonesia targeted seven priority agreements at the meeting, with two more slated for completion by the year's end.

Former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, departed for Harare on Saturday, the 19th of August, as he leads a joint observer mission of the African Union (or AU) and Common Market for East and Southern Africa (or COMESA) to monitor Zimbabwe's general elections scheduled for Wednesday the 23rd of August.

The mission includes seventy-three short-term observers and three core teams of electoral experts who will engage in observation activities from the 16th until the 29th of August.

The aim is to provide an impartial assessment of the elections' quality and adherence to regional, continental, and international standards for democratic elections.

This marks Jonathan's fourth time leading an AU election observation mission since twenty sixteen. The mission's preliminary statement will be released after the election.

The mission aligns with AU and COMESA statutes promoting democratic governance and good governance principles.

Mali and Burkina Faso, both governed by military leadership, demonstrated solidarity with the coup led by Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niger, by dispatching Super Tucano fighter jets to the recently military-ruled country.

While the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS withheld the military intervention date during a meeting, they confirmed preparedness for prompt action.

Both Burkina Faso and Mali said that if ECOWAS carries a counter-coup operation, it would be considered a declaration of war.

Niger's state TV reported this joint effort, emphasizing their support.

This situation underscores regional tensions and highlights concerns about internal governance and stability in the broader context of West African relations.

The International Monetary Fund or IMF experts conducted separate video conferences with Argentina's main party contenders for the presidential elections, La Libertad Avanza and Juntos por el Cambio, on Friday the 18th of August.

La Libertad Avanza’s candidate Javier Milei, an economist, outlined a plan more extensive than IMF's request, including fiscal adjustment, exchange rate unification, expense reduction, economic liberalization, state reform, labor law modernization, and monetary reform leading to closing the Central Bank. Milei also emphasized avoiding default.

The discussions addressed Argentina's economic outlook and policy priorities.

Juntos por el Cambio, Patricia Bullrich's team, discussed fiscal deficit reduction and strengthening Central Bank reserves, noting the need to negotiate the final twenty twenty-three IMF disbursement with the incoming president.

Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who is also running for president on the Peronist front, is set to discuss disbursements and reserves with the IMF in Washington, DC.

Western Balkan leaders and EU officials gathered in Athens on Monday the 21st of August for an informal dinner hosted by the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and talked about EU enlargement and the region's European future.

Attendees included the presidents of Serbia, Montenegro, the prime ministers of North Macedonia and Kosovo, and the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ministers Council.

The EU was represented by European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.

Albania’s leader did not attend, amidst tensions between Athens and Tirana, after the imprisonment of the Greek mayor of Chimara in Albania. According to Greece, this constitutes a violation of human rights and has political motives.

The dinner at Maximos Mansion commemorated the 20th anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans Summit's Declaration of Thessaloniki, which facilitated the region's integration into the EU.

Bankin Rikani, Iraq's Construction, and Housing Minister, as well as the Ministries of Planning and Finance, are currently in discussions with the World Bank for a $700 million loan earmarked for road projects within the country.

Rikani emphasized a strategic initiative spanning a decade, focusing on the construction of new cities in suburban areas.

This initiative seeks to address both urban congestion and the pressing housing shortage.

Currently, seven projects aimed at mitigating traffic congestion are underway, with an additional thirteen projects in the pipeline. Notably, three of these projects are slated to receive awards within the next two weeks.

In a step towards orangutan conservation, World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF Malaysia is harnessing artificial intelligence to analyze drone images, streamlining the tracking of Bornean orangutan populations in Sabah.

Traditional methods involving helicopters were labor-intensive and costly. Drones provided an alternative, but image processing remained time-consuming.

WWF Malaysia, in collaboration with University Malaysia Sabah, is now developing an AI system to swiftly identify key features of orangutan nests, aiming to detect, classify, and analyze aerial nest images, aiding scientists in understanding behavioral changes and habitat interactions.

The initiative holds the prospect of not only safeguarding orangutans but also contributing to the protection of other endangered species globally.

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