Afghan future depends on inclusive government

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tehran, Rahim Hayat Qureshi, met Vahid Jalalzadeh, Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament. 

Jalalzadeh said religious, historical and cultural commonalities between the two nations and good neighborliness are important factors in deepening relations between the two neighbors in various areas.

The senior legislator stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy to help remove obstacles to development of economic and trade relations and said, “Continuous consultation and positive and growing dialogue between government officials, military officials, and parliamentarians are a sign of the depth of friendship and brotherhood of the two nations.”

These will help “strengthen and consolidate cooperation between each other in various fields, especially in the field of economics,” he remarked.

He added that Iranian businessmen are looking to increase the level of their economic relations with Pakistan. 

“We know this is a reciprocal feeling. We expect the officials of the relevant departments to try to pave this way.” 

In another part of his remarks, the MP reiterated the important of security cooperation in border areas to counter the actions of terrorist groups, saying the terrorist groups are not aware of the very strong relations between the officials of the two countries. 

Jalalzadeh added, “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, there is a strong consensus among the country's top officials to increase interactions with neighbors, especially the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the legislator emphasized the establishment of peace and stability in the region, especially in Afghanistan, and said that the Afghan people have been suffering from occupation and war for four decades. 

“There should be lasting stability and security, as well as formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan. Iran and Pakistan, as two key players in Afghanistan, can work together to alleviate the suffering of the people of this country,” Jalalzadeh pointed out.

In conclusion, Jalalzadeh emphasized the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities and added that in the last two years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has visited Iran's nuclear sites 15 times and confirmed the peaceful nature of nuclear activities, yet Iran is under unilateral pressure from the United States.

The US and the Zionist regime continue to claim that they are concerned over Iran's nuclear activities, he noted.

For his part, Ambassador Qureshi referred to the 70th anniversary of Pakistan's independence and said Iran was the first country to recognize Pakistan’s independence.
He also considered religious, historical and cultural affinities as important in strengthening relations between Pakistan and Iran.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Qureshi said relevant Pakistani officials are moving to establish border markets with Iran.

Pointing to the high economic potential of the two countries to develop cooperation, he said, “Agreements have been signed between the officials of the two sides, which we hope will be able to increase and strengthen the level of economic and trade exchanges more than before.”

The Pakistani envoy also stressed the important and effective position and role of Iran in resolving the crisis in Afghanistan, saying the difficult situation in Afghanistan is a matter of concern for Pakistan. 

“Establishing lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan is important for the region and neighboring countries. We hope that this will be achieved with the help of the Islamic Republic of Iran in forming an inclusive government,” he concluded. 

OPEC plus decides fate of energy market in 16 minutes

The Ministers of the OPEC plus, who met via video conference, rubber-stamped in just 16 minutes the monthly production hike by 400,000 bpd. In the shortest meeting so far in its history, OPEC+ decided on Wednesday to increase the collective production by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March 2002. 

This left production plan unchanged and pushed Brent price above US$90/barrel.

Some analysts, and traders, had expected a higher production increase, considering the recent rally that has frustrated major oil-consuming nations, including the United States.

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs had expressed the view that OPEC plus might decide to announce a larger production increase for March than the usual 400,000 bpd, keeping in view the recent oil rally to and the potential for renewed discontent from major oil importers at these high price levels.

OPEC plus confirmed the 400,000-bpd increase in record time and didn’t even plan a press conference after the meeting. 

Brent Crude prices returned to US$90 per barrel just after news of the modest production increase and the record-short meeting broke.

While the nominal increase is modest, as in the previous seven months, many producers within the OPEC+ group are struggling to pump to their quotas, leaving an increasingly large gap between production increase on paper and actual growth in output, which leaves the market tighter than many analysts and forecasters, had anticipated just a few months ago.

Going forward, the market will be closely looking at how much of that increase OPEC plus can actually deliver, considering that half of its members have lagged in ramping up output to their quotas so far, while more producers­—with few exceptions such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE—will be struggling to raise production.

According to the production table provided by OPEC, Saudi Arabia and Russia will each have a quota of 10.331 million bpd in March 2022.

The next OPEC plus meeting is scheduled for March 02, 2022.

Awami League accused of hiding its misdeeds and repressive acts

Turning down the allegation of hiring any lobbyist in the USA, BNP on Thursday categorically said it is Awami League that spent huge public money by appointing lobbyists abroad to hush up its misdeeds and repressive acts.

Addressing a press conference, BNP Standing Committee Member, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain demanded a transparent investigation to dig out how much money of taxpayers have been spent on lobbying firms by the ruling party and its sources.

BNP Standing Committee arranged the press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office to give the party’s formal reaction to the government’s allegation of recruiting lobbyists abroad to campaign against Bangladesh.

Mosharraf said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam claimed that they did never appoint any lobbyist but engaged a company purely on the media front in 2015, but the evidence doesn’t support it.

On behalf of US Chapter Awami League, he said Sajeeb Wazed Joy hired Alcalde & Fay lobbyist firm in the United States on November 29, 2004 with effect from January 1, 2005.

As a signatory to the contract, the BNP leader said he (Joy) paid US$1.250 million, US$30,000 each month, to the lobbyist firm in between 2005 and 2007.

“This is a bad luck of people that this illegal repressive regime has been spending the money of oppressed people on lobbyist firms to cover up the crimes it has committed by resorting to brutal repression, killing, enforced disappearance and snatching human and democratic rights,” he said.

Mosharraf said it is necessary to present a report before people on how much money the public have been spent in the name of engaging lobbyists.

The BNP leader also presented some documents on Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s agreement with two US firms Alcade & Fay and Friedlander.

He said Joy has been working with another lobbyist firm, BGR, on a regular basis for many years. “Friedlander, another lobbyist firm, was hired in September last year for a fee of US$40,000 for a month to arrange a high-level meeting and exchange visits between the two countries. “If you go to dig worms in this regard, bigger snakes will come out.”

Earlier, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam alleged that BNP spent at least US$ 3.75 million on lobbyists to campaign against Bangladesh, and he shared relevant documents with the media which are also available in the public domain.

He also claimed that the Awami League government never appointed any lobbyist in its last three tenures but engaged a company purely on the media front in 2015 to help the world know Bangladesh based on facts and counter-propaganda against the country and its people.

 

Abu Dhabi to invest US$10 billion in Israel

The biggest news from Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to the United Arab Emirates was not to do with diplomacy or defense but the huge amount Abu Dhabi plans to invest in Israel.

According to the sources privy to the details, UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed has decided to unfreeze US$10 billion in Israeli companies that he had promised to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The UAE's large sovereign funds will divide the investments between them, including the ADIA Fund and the Mubadala Fund, although the first fund that will enter the Israeli market is the ADG (Abu Dhabi Growth) Fund, part of the ADQ Group. This fund plans investing US$200 million in Israeli companies during the year 2022, and a similar sum each year over 10 years.

A senior source, Abu Dhabi has been waiting patiently for the Israeli political scene to stabilize before renewing the process of fulfilling bin Zayed's promise. Herzog's visit, personal, diplomatic but not political, meant that he was the right person at the right time to officially initiate the investment process.

ADG Fund Chairman Faris Mohammed Al Mazrouei met with several members of the small Israeli delegation that accompanied President Herzog. At meetings in Abu Dhabi, the Israelis and Emiratis spoke about the mechanisms for the investment and how organizations like the Manufacturers Association of Israel and the Israel Export Institute would help direct the investments.

Another important link in the chain will be Start-Up National Central, which in recent years has specialized in matching up Israeli startups with investors. Start-Up National Central CEO Avi Hasson, who traveled to the UAE as part of President Herzog's delegation, informed that the unfreezing of the US$10 billion by the UAE for investment in Israel was highly significant for both the countries. He said that the Emirati use the investment funds as a strategic tool and are expressing through the funds the importance with which they see relations with Israel.

Hasson thinks that Israel is perceived by the Emirati as a symbol of innovation and progress due to the companies located here, and therefore it represents a good investment. "This is not philanthropy or a political investment fund," he said. "The Emirati are seeking profits from their investments. We do not have a commercial agenda but extensive knowhow of the abilities in the advanced technology sector and the ability to connect Israeli companies with the precise needs of investors."

Hasson stressed there has to be a match between the Israeli ‘here and now’ approach and the slower UAE approach of first building trust through a genuine connection between the parties and only then moving forward.

Pentagon deploying 3,000 troops to allies in Europe

According to a report, the Pentagon is deploying over 3,000 troops to bolster European allies, the first such movement as the United States looks to bolster NATO’s capabilities in the region amid growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

“At the President’s direction and Secretary Austin’s recommendation, the Department of Defense will reposition certain Europe-based units further east, forward deploy additional US-based units to Europe, and maintain the heightened state of readiness of response forces to meet these commitments,” a senior administration official said in a statement to The Hill.

“These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions,” the official added.

News of the deployment was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper, the troops will be deployed to Germany and Poland.

Russia has amassed upward of 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, and the Biden administration is now warning that a military incursion of Ukraine is imminent.

The Pentagon last month put 8,500 troops on high alert to deploy, largely to bolster NATO’s response force. However, President Biden has been clear that no US forces will be deployed directly to Ukraine.

 

Israel getting new laser defense system ready

Israel is getting itself surrounded with a defensive laser wall, with new missile interception technology, which will be ready within a year, announced Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

The IDF will begin using the laser interception system in the next year, first experimentally and later operationally, starting in the South.

“This will allow us, in the medium to long-term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that will defend us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats that will essentially take away the strongest card our enemies have against us,” Bennett said.

The Defense Ministry successfully intercepted drones with the powerful airborne laser system installed on light aircraft in June last year. The system downed several UAVs at a range of one kilometer with a 100% success rate. The ministry intends to build a laser with a power of 100 kilowatts that will have an effective range of 20 km.

Bennett explained that today a terrorist in Gaza can launch a rocket into Israel that costs hundreds of dollars to make, while the Iron Dome battery shooting down the rocket costs tens of thousands of dollars.

“This equation doesn’t make sense,” the prime minister stated. “It allows [the terrorists] to launch more and more Kassams and for us to shed many millions on a ‘lightning strike’ and billions during a campaign. We decided to break the equation, and it will be broken in only a few years.”

At that point, Bennett said, Israel’s enemies “will invest a lot, and we will invest a little. If you can intercept a missile or rocket with an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we are weakening the ring of fire that Iran has built on our borders.”

Israel will offer the laser technology to its regional allies that are also facing threats from Iran and its proxies, the prime minister said.

Bennett repeated his comparison of Iran to an octopus, sending its tentacles – proxies – to wreak havoc throughout the Middle East, and growing stronger all the time.

“The campaign to weaken Iran has begun,” he said. “This campaign is in all dimensions: nuclear, economic, cyber, open and secret actions, alone and in cooperation with others. The weaker Iran is, the weaker its proxies are. The hungrier the octopus is, the more its tentacles shrivel.”

Bennett expressed hope that the nuclear talks between world powers and Iran “will end without an agreement, because that agreement is bad for Israel.”

“Removing sanctions and flooding the Iranian regime with billions of dollars means more rockets, more UAVs, more terrorist cells, more cyber attacks and propaganda operations,” he said.

The prime minister pointed out that the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies have been actively attacking the United Arab Emirates and other countries while the Vienna talks are ongoing.

“That is the definition of negotiations under fire. That’s blackmail,” he said.

Israel’s strategy to fight back against Iran will stand regardless of the results in Vienna, because “even with an agreement, we think the Iranians will continue to be the Iranians,” he added.

“If an agreement is signed and the flow of dollars is renewed, we all understand Iranian aggression will only increase in the region.”

In addition, Bennett pointed out that the sunset clauses in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the delegations in Vienna are seeking to revive, expires in a short time, at the end of 2030.

With US Ambassador Tom Nides in the audience, Bennett said that Washington’s interests and Jerusalem’s “do not always overlap.”

“Their interest in our region is lessening,” Bennett said of the Americans. “Their eyes are currently focused on the border of Russia and Ukraine, and in the long term, they are in a strategic conflict with China.”

There is “no longer one global policeman,” he said.

“There are no vacuums in the geopolitical arena,” Bennett stated. “Any place that is cleared is immediately taken. The United States’ place in the region can be filled – God forbid – by forces of terror and hate, and it could be filled by Israel.”

Israel’s allies in the region could be part of a “multidimensional alliance” against forces that seek to destabilize the Middle East, he said.

India trying to win over hearts of its neighbors

According to The Bangladesh Chronicle, India has announced substantial assistance for all the SAARC member countries, except Pakistan. The announcement was made by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the 2022-23 budget in the parliament.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and political organization of eight countries in South Asia. It was established in 1985 when the Heads of State of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka formally adopted the charter. Afghanistan joined as the 8th member of SAARC in 2007. To date, 18th Summits have been held and Nepal’s former Foreign Secretary is the current Secretary General of SAARC. The 19th Summit was to be hosted by Pakistan in 2016, which never happened.

India announced Rs 300 crore annual budgetary financial assistance for Bangladesh, up from Rs 200 crore in the outgoing fiscal 2021-22. The allocation of the financial assistance has been provided for the Ministry of External Affairs.

Myanmar will get Rs 600 crore, Rs 200 crore more than last financial year, and Nepal will get Rs 750 crore from India in the coming fiscal.

India has allocated Rs 200 crore as aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in for 2022-23 even though New Delhi does not have diplomatic presence in Kabul where its embassy has remained closed since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last.

The government of Ashraf Ghani in Afghanistan had in the last fiscal received around Rs 348 crore from India.

The Maldives at Rs 360 crore (as against Rs 250 crore in 2021-22) also saw an increase in India’s annual aid provision in today’s budget document.

At Rs 2,266.24 crore in 2022-23, Bhutan is once again be the highest recipient of India’s annual financial aid. But this is lower than Rs 3,004.95 crore in 2021-22 fiscal.

The second highest recipient in the coming financial year of the allocation will be the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius — Rs 900 crore.