European Union meeting week

In a week of meeting of EU members, and with the 2021-2027 budget unlocked, Brexit is the next topic on the European agenda that is making its members worried, but united. The European Commission President Ursola Von der Leyen and the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met on Wednesday to negotiate a deal but were at an impasse and postponed the decision until Sunday. A no-deal possibility is feared on both sides, and the EU and the UK have already warned of the possibility that on January 1^st a deal has not been reached, leaving several markets in despair and without knowing what to do. Also, in the European agenda, new sanctions will be applied to Turkish officials, due to drilling activities by Turkey in contested waters in the Mediterranean.

Israeli-Arab relations

After Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates had normalized relations with Israel, this week Morocco is the fourth to join this list of Arab countries. With mediation by the United States, weaving a path towards the attempt to stabilize the Middle East, it was possible to reach an agreement and establish new basis for the realization of commercial, financial and transportation agreements between the two countries. In return, the United States of America will support Morocco in its claim of sovereignty over the contested Western Sahara against the Polissario Front independence movement.

• The Unites States of America want to establish a new fleet for the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.
• In response to the increase of NATO forces in the Baltic, Russia will also strengthen its forces in the Kaliningrad region.
• The Australian Parliament voted to grant veto power to the Foreign Minister over the relations between foreign government with Australian states, local authorities and universities. The vote follows the State of Victoria’s entry into the Belt and Road Initiative last year.
• Chinese companies continue to go into bond default. This week the Tsinghua Group announced that it will fail to pay 450 million dollars, as well as a 40 million dollars interest rate.
• Members of NATO and Russia, as well as other countries, will participate in anti-piracy exercises off the coast of Pakistan, in relation to AMAN-2021 to be held in February. However, a NATO official has said that NATO will enter into exercises with Russia.
• The USA has stablished a new plan for space plane to deter adversaries.
• Pakistan accused Indian troops of killing two soldiers in the Kashmir region, overnight, with Pakistani troops firing back. India responded by accusing Pakistan of having started.
• Turkey has proposed a new relationship for stabilization and peace in the Caucasus, involving Armenia, Azerbaijan Georgia, Turkey, Russia and Iran.