Day: July 5, 2022

Dear friends and colleagues, Ioannis and Enrico,

Dear Ambassador,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It’s always a great pleasure for me to attend an Economist conference. Let me say that I first read the Economist when I was 18 years old, and I’ve kept every issue ever since; a thought-provoking companion, always providing insightful analysis. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree – reading it always has something to offer.

But today, my dear Daniel, the Economist calls us to provide the solution to an equation that is both difficult and intriguing for our region: how to conduct effective diplomacy in a highly unstable environment. Because, let us not bury our heads in the sand, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a turning point for European security. What we previously took for granted has been overthrown: fundamental principles of European and global affairs, respect for territorial integrity, national sovereignty and the fundamental rules of International Law, all of these things are no longer taken for granted in Europe.

What is our response? I believe we have a response, however grey the reality may be. Our response is to safeguard and promote an international community based on rules. The questioning of these rules constituted a painful and sudden awakening for many Western countries.

At this point I have to say that this awakening is not new for Cyprus and Greece. Greece and Cyprus have learned to live with the questioning of these rules for many years, at least since 1974. We have learned to live with an existential threat. We, the Hellenic Republic, are the only country on planet Earth that lives under a constant, explicit threat of war. And, recently, we have witnessed an upsurge of aggressive rhetoric and an increase in provocations on the ground as well.

And I must also say that until recently a very large part of the International Community considered this questioning of rules and legality in our region as a somewhat peripheral, perhaps sometimes unimportant problem.

Now, however, the entire International Community is experiencing the revival of revisionism both as a theory and, worse, as a practice, wearing either the neo-Tsarist or the neo-Ottoman “cloak”.

But, I would like to point out that the means used by the revisionist countries have a lot in common:

• The threat of the use of force, the use of force itself, the occupation of foreign territories

• Hybrid attacks, with an emphasis on propaganda and disinformation, the well-known fake news.

• And more recently, the new tool, the instrumentalization of migration, of peoples’ desire for a better life.

And as we said before, the question is how we will respond, how our societies will respond to these challenges. And to be really honest with you, despite how complicated and challenging it may seem for our continent, we believe that the answer can be summed up in three key words for Europe: Deepening of European Integration.

Many have criticized, deplored and questioned the European project. But you will allow me to tell you something that I have been saying quite often: the European project is very, very young. In its present form, it is only 70 years old. In reality, it resembles the monotheistic religions that require hundreds of years to consolidate – with the exception of Islam. The European project is still evolving, not to say it’s still in its infancy. And it needs to evolve through integration and enlargement.

The European Union is a union of values and principles. And I am very proud to say that it is the most successful example of close cooperation between states in the history of mankind. The Principles that our country embraces are at the same time the Holy Gospel of our foreign policy: Respect for International Law, for the International Law of the Sea, which, let us not forget, is a component of our European acquis. Respect for human dignity, for the right of the personality, women’s rights. Within such a framework of understanding, all issues, even issues that currently appear to be extremely challenging and inaccessible, can be resolved. But all actors need to accept this acquis. And, I am sorry to say, we are still far from that.

The European Union, therefore, in order to react to this unstable environment, has now one response: to become much more stable itself; and then to project this stability beyond its own borders. In other words, it needs to project its soft power on the international stage. The great challenge it faces in this difficult moment – and incidentally the Economist sets it out in its latest issue – is to remain united in this great effort, to overcome the challenges: the challenges of energy crisis, of inflation, of contestation. And to take joint decisions that are needed to protect its own external borders and to continue to impose sanctions on those who violate International Law.

In other words, it must use this practice to demonstrate how fundamentally different it is from other powers’ archaic revisionisms and to convince itself of the need to support its members when they are threatened.

This, I think, will be perhaps the only beneficial result of this extreme anachronism that is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And I want to say that, in our judgment, this is the only choice. And all member states have an obligation to encourage it. We, Greece, a small to medium-sized country located on the borders of Europe, are making every effort in this direction.

We are building bridges with the countries of our wider region, in the Middle East, in the Gulf. But also further afield, with China, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Vietnam. And we hope that all countries will embrace our perception.

And on the other hand, we rely on our excellent relations with the United States, our historical ally across the Atlantic, which this year has done us a great honour: it has entrusted the representation of its interests in Greece to a Greek-American, the new US Ambassador, Mr. Tsounis. I think both the choice and the person deserve your warm applause. But Greece would like something more, Mr. Ambassador: that your presence here will mark a permanent decision, ensuring that the United States will always be represented in Greece by a Greek-American.

Again, the challenges we face are multiple and incredible. They are challenges that point us back to a past from which humanity thought it had escaped forever. However, despite their complexity, the path is straight, clear, specific and, let me say, one and only: the faithful, unwavering, exportable implementation of International Law. And this is the path that Greek foreign policy consistently follows.

Thank you so much.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

The World Food Program warns the Central African Republic is facing unprecedented levels of food insecurity due to conflict, population displacement, widespread poverty, and underemployment.

WFP officials say they anticipate a sharp increase in commodity prices this year and extending well into 2023. They say the price of rice is expected to rise by 30%, wheat flour by 67%, and vegetable oil by a staggering 70%.

That, they note, will make staple food products unaffordable for millions of people, leading to more hunger and more distress as people are forced to resort to extreme measures to put food on the table.

WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri says 2.2 million people are food insecure in C.A.R.

“The figure might not shock you out of your seats but when you look at the population size, that is nearly half the population of the Central African Republic,” said Phiri. “And the country now joins the league of nations, such as Afghanistan, Yemen, South Sudan with the highest proportion of acutely food insecure.”

As less food becomes available, Phiri says more children will suffer from malnutrition.

UNICEF says the number of severely acutely malnourished children under age five is expected to rise in the country by 10% this year to 69,000. Children suffering from the condition are at risk of dying if they do not get the right medical and nutritional care.

Phiri says the WFP is struggling to provide the food and specialized treatment needed by children, women, and other vulnerable people in the C.A.R. and a lack of money is hindering those efforts.

“Our costs of operating are skyrocketing,” said Phiri. “The United Nations World Food Program is appealing urgently for $68.4 million. Without immediate funding, food and nutrition insecurity will only increase for millions of people.”

Phiri says the challenges facing the C.A.R. are well documented and pre-date the crisis in Ukraine. But noting the impact of the war on rising commodity and fuel prices, he says humanitarian assistance will be required well beyond this year and into 2023.

Source: Voice of America

Southern European states including Italy and Spain are urging NATO allies to address threats from North Africa, after the alliance agreed on a new “strategic concept” at its summit last week in Madrid.

‘Hostile actors’

While the war in Ukraine dominates NATO’s agenda, member states bordering the Mediterranean want the alliance to prepare for other potential flashpoints from the south, including a rapid increase in irregular migration. Spain warned it could be used as a pressure tactic by what it called “hostile actors.”

Hundreds of migrants attempted to breach the border fence separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco last month. At least 23 people died during the attempted crossing. The migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, are desperate to reach Europe to claim asylum and find a better life.

Many migrants also arrive by boat on the Spanish Canary Islands, 100 kilometers off the African coast. The numbers arriving in the first six months of the year have more than doubled since 2021 — and Spain fears the pressure on its borders could be about to worsen.

Ukraine war

Ukraine is one of the world’s top suppliers of grain, but the Russian invasion has cut its exports by around two-thirds. The United Nations has warned that the situation will exacerbate an already worsening hunger crisis in Africa. Europe is readying for an increase in migration.

“We have been looking at whether there is more movement of people linked to the increase in prices, to the difficulty of these countries in accessing grain and wheat,” Txema Santana, a migration advisor to the government of the Canary Islands, told the Reuters news agency. “What we have been told is that for the moment there is not, but it is a matter of time.”

Russian mercenaries

A resurgent Islamist militancy in parts of the Sahel is also driving migrant flows. Europe also says Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group are exacerbating the conflict. The European Union has imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, which it says works for the Kremlin. Moscow denies any links but says it is providing “military assistance” through state channels.

“It is very clear that the Wagner company is there and that there are foreign troops in several countries of the Sahel,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told the Reuters news agency last month. “And definitely it is not foreign troops that the Sahel needs. What the Sahel needs is development and stability,” he added.

Morocco deal

Spain is seeking international help. In March it struck a deal with Morocco to secure a clampdown on irregular migration.

“What the war in Ukraine meant for this migratory route is that Morocco changed its international relations profile, accentuated it, and proposed a change in relations with Spain to ensure that at this time of conflict the arrival of people would be lower. In return, Spain was asked, among other things, to change its diplomatic relations with Western Sahara.

“Spain has accepted this and this is leading to many geopolitical changes and will lead to many changes in the borders and the situation of migrants in Western Sahara and Morocco,” explained government adviser Txema Santana.

Critics accuse Madrid of outsourcing migration policy to a country with a history of human rights abuses.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, along with the Spanish migration charity Walking Borders, cited the incident at the Morocco-Melilla border in June, describing it as a “tragic symbol of European policies of externalizing borders of the EU.”

A Moroccan official told Reuters that security personnel “had not used undue force.”

NATO

At last week’s NATO summit, Spain secured official recognition by the alliance of the threats emanating from North Africa. At a press conference at the close of the summit, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had achieved his aims for the meeting.

“We are really glad to have included the southern flank in the strategic concept … especially about the African sub-Saharan and Sahel area, which is one of the major concerns for Europe and particularly for our country as a consequence of instability and risks coming from the irregular flux of migrants, terrorism, food crisis, energy crisis and the climate emergency too,” Sanchez said.

Meanwhile, NATO forces held exercises in recent days just off the Spanish and North African coasts. The FLOTEX-22 drills included forces from Spain, Britain, Belgium and the United States, along with other European units integrated into the EU’s maritime force.

Residents of the Spanish town of Tarifa had a front-row view of the drills. One resident, who asked not to be named, welcomed the focus on North Africa.

“It is a very unstable area; it is a ticking time bomb, you know what the Maghreb is, anything can come of it, a war, conflict,” he told VOA. He was referring to northwestern Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Spain maintains it is not calling for any NATO intervention in North Africa, but instead recognition of what it calls hybrid threats.

Source: Voice of America

At least two U.N. peacekeepers from Egypt are dead and more are wounded after their convoy hit an improvised explosive device Tuesday, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) said Tuesday.

The explosion happened between the town of Tessalit and the city of Gao, MINUSMA said.

The conflict dates back over a decade when Islamist insurgents began operating in the northern part of the country. Some of the militants are believed to have ties to al-Qaida and Islamic State.

Reuters reports the militants have made gains despite the presence of the peacekeepers.

The conflict has left thousands of people dead and millions displaced, Reuters reported.

Ten peacekeepers have been killed in the first six months of 2022.

Source: Voice of America

Malawi’s National Organization for Nurses and Midwives says about 2,000 nurses will leave the country this year for jobs in Saudi Arabia and the United States. The group says the nurses were forced to take jobs abroad due to high unemployment in Malawi. Health rights campaigners say the brain drain is alarming as more than half of nursing positions in Malawi’s public hospitals are vacant, which the government blames on lack of funding.

Malawi’s National Organization for Nurses and Midwives said that currently more than 3,000 trained nurses in Malawi are unemployed.

“We feel the pinch that unemployed nurses and midwives have gone through and are going through,” said Shouts Simeza, president of the organization. “Having graduated with a qualification and having been licensed to practice for five years without being recruited is not an easy way of doing things.”

Simeza said the first group of 1,000 nurses is expected to leave for Saudi Arabia in August. The plan is to send 1,000 each year for a five-year project.

George Jobe, executive director of the Malawi Health Equity Network, said he is concerned the nurses going abroad do not know enough about the jobs they are taking.

“Who else has gone to these countries and checked the health facilities they will work in, and under what condition?” Jobe said. “These are some of the issues, but paramount to everything is that we wished these were recruited here.”

Simeza said the organization has received assurances about the work in Saudi Arabia.

Government statistics show that 65 percent of nursing positions in public hospitals in Malawi remain vacant.

Dorothy Ngoma, adviser to the president on maternal mortality and reproductive health, said that unless the government finds a way to boost pay for nurses, many more will leave the country.

“What will happen is that even the ones that are in the mainstream will choose to quit government jobs here and go to the U.S and earn more money,” said Ngoma, who is also a past president of the nurses’ organization. “And there is nothing wrong with that. But, it definitely might cause brain drain and that might not be good for Malawi.”

However, the Malawi government says it cannot hire more nurses now, because of financial constraints.

Source: Voice f America

The French medical aid group Doctors Without Borders reported a jump in cases of malnourished Nigerian children at its Maiduguri nutrition center in the country’s northeast.

The group, known by its French abbreviation MSF, said in a press release July 1 it had recorded an unprecedented influx of malnourished children in its treatment centers between May and June — the highest levels since commencing its project in northeastern Nigeria five years ago.

MSF said it had admitted 2,140 malnourished children this year — about 50 percent higher than cases treated the year before.

MSF said a third of the children were from displaced families barely getting by.

The group warned that cases could worsen between July and September — the so-called lean season, usually when the highest cases of malnourished children are reported every year.

MSF called for immediate action to reverse the negative trends.

“Why we’re saying this now is that this year we have been seeing very early, even when we’re not in the lean season,” said Htet Aung Kyi, MSF’s Nigerian coordinator. “And that’s why we’d like to call for urgent upscale of activities to prevent the future deterioration of the situation in the area.”

MSF responded to the increased malnutrition by extending the capacity of its treatment center from 120 beds to 200 beds.

MSF said its outpatient therapeutic feeding program has also seen a 25 percent increase in enrollment compared with last year.

A camp secretary of the Kawar Maila camp in Borno state, Bukar Bukar, said aid hardly gets to them these days, despite increasing numbers of children suffering from malnutrition there.

“In our camp, they’ve already withdrawn giving the food, that is the reason that the children have malnutrition. Last year we got food, we got everything. One piece of the milk is 700 Naira, we don’t even make that when we go to the market to sell our farm produce. Even last week some people went farming and Boko Haram killed two or three of them,” the secretary said.

For years, malnutrition has been a concern in the conflict-affected Borno state, but trends have been exacerbated by the cumulative impacts of insecurity, displacement, a recent surge in food prices, poverty and lack of access to health care.

“The current ability to respond to that is fairly robust,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s Nigeria country director. “Insecurity incidences of where capacity might be compromised makes that response mechanism very fragile. We’re concerned that our ability to be able to respond to acute malnutrition — if it is compromised — the situation could deteriorate very quickly.”

MSF said Nigeria needs not only to increase intervention and medical response but also to address other health issues such as measles, cholera and disease outbreaks that could affect children and worsen the situation.

Source: Voice of America

At least 500 children have died this year of malnutrition as Somalia deals with record-breaking drought, the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.

UNICEF Somalia says the death toll is just the “tip of the iceberg” as many deaths go unreported.

UNICEF Somalia spokesman Victor Chinyama told VOA the drought is having its worst effects on children, with 400,000 at risk of severe acute malnourishment.

If not reached immediately with emergency support, those children will be in danger of dying, Chinyama added.

“And so far, we have recorded about 500 deaths of children that have been admitted for severe acute malnutrition and this is only a tip of the iceberg because we know that there are many more children whose deaths are never recorded. These children are dying in their homes, they are dying on the way as they travel in search of help,” he said.

“Help is desperately needed at this point,” Chinyama said.

He said UNICEF Somalia has appealed for $112 million in emergency funds for this year but have only received about half.

The worst drought in the Horn of Africa in four decades is set to get worse as the region faces a fifth straight failed rainy season.

Officials in the town of Dolow, on Somalia’s border with Ethiopia and Kenya, say they still host about 10,000 people displaced from the last major drought in 2011.

In a visit Sunday to an IDP camp in Dolow, Mayor Mohamed Hussain Abdi told VOA that are caring for about 3,000 displaced people from the current drought.

Somalis are arriving every day in search of food, water and shelter, Abdi said.

“Dolow is a hub of U.N. agencies and international organizations. Dolow is a borderline area. And that resulted, you know, large number of internal displaced persons come here to seek … help from U.N. agencies and the government,” he said.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamed, who was elected in May, appointed that same month a special envoy for drought response, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame.

Warsame has been tasked with scaling up aid to those Somalis most in need.

Warsame visited Dolow in June and told VOA that officials were doing everything they could to avert famine.

“That’s why we are calling (on the) international community and international donors to pay attention to Somali drought and increase their level of humanitarian assistance. Also, my government will do as much as possible to facilitate and contribute the assistance of the aid and support to the people who are affected by the drought,” he said.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said since January they’ve provided life-saving assistance to nearly 4 million Somalis.

In late June, the U.N. and its partners launched an appeal for nearly $1 billion for a Drought Response and Famine Prevention Plan in Somalia that would target 6.4 million people.

Source: Voice of America