January, 2022

• 28 January

  NATO conveys written proposals to Russia

  In view of Russia’s continuing military build-up in and around Ukraine, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Wednesday (26 January 2022) that NATO has conveyed its written proposals to Russia, in parallel with the United States. He said that Allies see three main areas with room for progress: NATO-Russia relations; …

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• 28 January

  Analysis: Lebanon slips further into Iran’s orbit as Hariri bows out

  A decision by Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri to step away from Lebanese politics opens the way for Shi’ite Hezbollah to extend its already deep sway over the country, rendering it ever more a bastion of Iranian influence on the Mediterranean. Three times prime minister, Hariri declared on Monday he …

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• 27 January

  Bulgaria will not just be a ‘benefactor of security’ in Ukraine crisis

  

  While Bulgaria will not just benefit from other’s security, Sofia de facto refused an additional presence of NATO forces on the country’s territory in connection with the Ukraine crisis and committed to resolving it diplomatically. The position of the Bulgarian government is clear – Bulgaria will be a constructive ally …

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• 27 January

  Close to half the households of Czech seniors suffer from energy poverty

  

  Households of Czech seniors are highly vulnerable to current electricity and heating prices spikes. Up to 60% of them are at risk, and around 40% already suffer from energy poverty. However, the current situation related to high gas prices is not the only factor contributing to this negative trend. In …

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• 27 January

  We Must All Recognize That a War Over Ukraine Is Not the Answer

  

  As Russia threatens to move its forces across the Ukrainian border, the talk in Washington, D.C. is focused on how many weapons and troops the United States can send and how quickly, how to design the most crippling sanctions, and whether to impose them before or after an invasion occurs. …

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• 27 January

  Sudanese public widely rejects new UN initiative

  

  The popular rejection of UN efforts to help shows a deep distrust in the pro-democracy movement. Following the resignation of Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in early January, the head of the UN mission in the country, Volker Perthes, announced on Jan. 8. the launch of an intra-Sudanese political process …

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• 27 January

  Iran signals readiness for direct talks with US

  

  Amid reported piecemeal progress toward a potential deal, the Iranian government says it has been offered direct talks with the United States in the course of the ongoing multilateral nuclear negotiations in Vienna. Spokesperson for the Iranian government Ali Bahadori Jahromi said at a briefing in Tehran on Jan. 25 …

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• 27 January

  Syria’s Kurdish-led forces advance into Islamic State prison

  

  Syrian Kurdish-led fighters have advanced slowly into the Hasakah prison amid reports of hostages. Kurdish-led fighters freed nine hostages on Tuesday after entering northeast Syria’s largest prison holding Islamic State detainees the day prior. Fighters from the multi-ethnic Syrian Democratic Forces began clearing cell blocks on the fifth day of …

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• 27 January

  Idlib residents demand release of detainees in jihadist group’s prisons

  

  The families of detainees in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s prisons in Syria’s Idlib province organized a series of protests, demanding that the group free their relatives, amid rumors that some of them will be executed. The number of protests demanding the release of detainees from the prisons of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham …

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• 27 January

  Turkey’s central bank continues window dressing with currency swaps

  

  Hit by a foreign reserves drain, Turkey’s central bank eyes fresh currency swap deals, including with the central banks of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Libya. Creating and managing perceptions seems to have become a high priority for the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as it struggles to ease Turkey’s …

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