UNIPATH STAFF Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan since 2020, attended the first ever Central Asia and USA summit held in New York on September 19, 2023. He was one of the presidents of the five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – that attended the summit. In a speech, President Japarov noted that cooperation with the U.S., including the C5+1 cooperative framework, was central to his country’s foreign policy. C5+1 is a diplomatic platform to facilitate cooperation and dialogue between the U.S. and the five Central Asian countries, known as the “C5.” “I believe that this…
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UNIPATH STAFF Building on 31 years of partnership, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairat Umarov welcomed U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu to Astana for the 5th annual United States-Kazakhstan Enhanced Strategic Partnership Dialogue (ESPD). The U.S.-Kazakhstan ESPD was created to find opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and to advance shared priorities. The latest dialogue occurred on November 6, 2023. The Kazakh and U.S. delegations discussed political and security issues that included regional geopolitics, counterterrorism, law enforcement cooperation, countering the synthetic drugs threat, and nuclear nonproliferation. The…
On the sidelines of the Seventh Iraqi Ambassadors Conference held in Baghdad in November 2023, Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim Al-Araji reminded the international community of the threat the Syrian al-Hawl camp poses if detainees are not repatriated. Highlighting the Iraqi government’s effort to repatriate Iraqi nationals, al-Araji said 1,567 Iraqi families were transferred from al-Hawl to al-Jadaa camp, one of 12 refugee camps the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ office built east of Mosul in 2017 to house internally displaced persons. Nearly 3,000 people were charged with terrorism. Most were prosecuted, and the rest were still awaiting trial.…
UNIPATH STAFF As part of development projects and initiatives sponsored by the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), two new schools opened in November 2023 in Taiz Governorate: Omar bin Al-Khattab and Al-Wahda Al-Mushtaraka. The school openings come as a response to the urgent need for education, providing new educational opportunities and creating a safe and motivating learning environment to invest in students’ potential and abilities. The schools were equipped with amenities such as laboratories, computer rooms, gymnasiums and theaters. Out of 229 development projects and initiatives in Yemen, SDRPY implemented 52 educational projects, including printing and distributing…
Recognizing the importance of international partnerships in the defense industry, Egypt hosted the 3rd International Exhibition for Defense and Military Industries, or Egypt Defense Expo (EDEX 2023), in December 2023. Held at Egypt’s International Exhibition Center in Nasr City, Cairo, EDEX 2023 provided 411 reputable international and national exhibitors from 44 countries an opportunity to exchange expertise. The exhibitors showcased their products in 22 pavilions across three fairgrounds. Attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, several distinguished guests and senior military officers, EDEX 2023 opened with a short documentary dubbed “The Will and the Challenge” produced by the Egyptian Ministry…
At the end of Dubai Airshow in November 2023, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the EDGE Group, one of the world’s leading advanced technology and defense conglomerates, to buy 100 Reach-S fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). “The development of the Reach-S, one of the first locally made medium- altitude, long-endurance UAVs, marks a significant milestone for EDGE,” Senior Vice President of Advanced Concepts Saeed Al Mansoori said. “Thanks to the dedicated team at Advanced and Concepts, we have successfully completed two flight tests and a weapon release campaign for the Reach-S, and we…
In November 2023, the Sultanate of Oman hosted the 20th regular meeting of the Supreme Military Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states at Al Bustan Palace Hotel in Muscat. The meeting was chaired by Vice Adm. Abdullah bin Khamis Al Raisi, chief of staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces and attended by members of the Supreme Military Committee (GCC armed forces’ chiefs of staff): Lt. Gen. Eid bin Awad Al Shalawi, commander of the GCC Unified Military Command, and Maj. Gen. Issa bin Rashid Al Muhannadi Al Amin,…
The State of Qatar continues to improve the capabilities of its Armed Forces and expand military partnerships to defend the country’s borders and maintain security and stability. As part of this effort, the Qatari Emiri Land Forces and an Italian force carried out the bilateral military exercise Nasr 23 (or Victory) under the patronage of the Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah. The October 2023 exercise aimed to raise the level of capabilities and promote efficiency and combat readiness for all specialties in the Qatari land forces. Qatar’s military relations with Italy include equipment…
UNIPATH STAFF Thousands of Syrian refugees illegally crossed into Lebanon in the second half of 2023 across rugged border terrain in areas of Al-Arida, Al-Aboudieh, Wadi Khaled, Jabal Akrum and Hermel on the border in the Bekaa Valley. During August and September alone, the Lebanese army prevented about 6,100 Syrians from entering Lebanon illegally. According to Al Arabiya.net, about 11,000 Syrian refugees had been deported through the northern border as of 2023. In just one week in October, Lebanese Armed Forces thwarted border crossing attempts by about 800 people. Lebanon, with the help of international partners, built watchtowers with advanced…
UNIPATH STAFF Maj. Gen. Shukhrat Khalmukhamedov, Uzbekistan’s chief of the general staff, and Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, co-hosted a security conference in September 2023 attended by senior military leaders from the region. The focus of the Central and South Asian States Chiefs of Defense Conference in Tashkent was peace and stability in the region. Gens. Khalmukhamedov and Kurilla were joined by the chiefs of defense of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; Pakistan’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee; and Turkmenistan’s defense attaché to Uzbekistan. The senior delegates began the conference with a solemn wreath…