PHOTO: Yonhap News
MSEAP Members This Week
Parliamentary Speakers on the Move
A group of parliamentary leaders in Korea, led by National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, left for the United States on February 10 for meetings with U.S. Speaker of House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jim Risch, and other congressional leaders ahead of a second summit between U.S. and North Korea.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani is scheduled to travel to Japan for an official visit on February 11 upon an official invitation of his Japanese counterpart Tadamori Oshima. Heading a high-ranking parliamentary delegation, the Iranian Parliament Speaker is expected to discuss issues of mutual interest with his Japanese counterpart, including oil exports.
Croatian Speaker of the House of Representatives Habib El Malki, Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani, Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric, and Minister for National Defense Administration Abdellatif Loudiyi visited Morocco on February 9 to discuss bilateral relations. Three documents – MOU on comprehensive long-term partnership between Croatia and Morocco, MOU on healthcare, and MOU on cooperation in tourism – were signed. The two sides also agreed to a framework intergovernmental agreement on defense cooperation.
Regional Developments
On February 10, Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim categorically rejected all attempts to undermine, punish, isolate or unilaterally pressure Sudan at an Arab parliament sitting held at the Cairo-based Arab League. In the same speech, he called on all Arab countries and their parliaments to seek seriously to help Sudan to get out of the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror.
On February 7, China and the African Union (AU) member countries have reiterated their joint commitment to strengthening cooperation in peace and security through the successful implementation of the China-Africa Peace and Security Initiative. Chen Xiaodong, Assistant Foreign Minister of China, and other Chinese officials met with African Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia’s Addis Abba.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) agreed on February 8 to renew their cooperation under the Partnership Framework Agreement (PFA) signed on October 2016. ADB and AFD previously agreed to each dedicate 1.5 billion dollars in co-financing the first three years of the six-year agreement, and they have not decided to increase the amount to 2.5 billion dollars each, bringing their combined commitment to 5 billion dollars.
Upcoming Events
The 7th meeting of the OECD Global Parliamentary Network will be held in Paris, France from February 13-15, 2019. On Wednesday, parliamentarians will hold bilateral meetings with OECD experts, and from Thursday to Friday, parliamentary representatives will discuss a diverse range of issues including housing opportunities, principles of Artificial Intelligence (AI), tax challenges in the Digitalized Economy, future of global energy markets, free and fair elections, biodiversity, and critical risks.
The 55th Munich Security Conference (MSC) will be held on from February 15-17 in Munich, Germany. This year, the MSC will discuss themes such as European Union’s self-assertion, transatlantic cooperation, as well as possible consequences of a renewed era of great power competition. More than 35 heads of states and heads of government, 50 foreign and 30 defense ministers are expected to attend the event. Representatives from EU, NATO, IMF, World Bank, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), International Criminal Court, Interpol, World Economic Forum, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will be present at the event.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)
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