ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday with, including France reaffirming its rejection of "any plan to demilitarize" Ukraine after an E5 format defense ministers' meeting, Colombian President Gustavo Petro saying that dissidents of the FARC rebel group function as a "private army" for Mexican drug cartels, and the Angolan president's office announcing that peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group brokered by Angola will begin on March 18 in Luanda.
TOP STORIES
- France reaffirms its rejection of 'any plan to demilitarize' Ukraine
France reaffirmed its rejection of "any plan to demilitarize" Ukraine after an E5 format defense ministers' meeting on Ukraine with Germany, the UK, Italy and Poland.
At a joint press conference following the meeting, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu referred to the 30-day truce plan agreed on between Ukraine and the US and said: "We welcome the resynchronization between Washington and Kyiv. Our efforts have paid off. The ball is now obviously in Russia's court."
Real negotiations will soon begin, giving the opportunity to secure a ceasefire and discuss the real parameters of lasting peace, Lecornu said.
He argued that without solid security guarantees, temporary truces are ineffective, and underlined that Ukraine's "most important security guarantee" is its own army.
He announced plans for another meeting in 15 days.
- Colombia's president says FARC dissident guerrillas are ‘private army’ of Mexican cartels
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that dissidents of the FARC rebel group function as a "private army" for Mexican drug cartels, stressing the importance of combating guerrilla groups for national sovereignty.
In a statement on X, Petro condemned an attack Tuesday by FARC dissidents, former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who rejected a 2016 peace agreement between the government and the rebels.
Official sources said that an ambush by members of the Carlos Patiño Front drug trafficking column resulted in the deaths of five military personnel, severe injuries to three, and blast injuries to 13 others.
The soldiers were engaged in rebuilding a bridge destroyed by dissidents in the Micay Canyon, a region in southwestern Colombia plagued by armed conflict and cocaine production.
- Democratic Republic of Congo, M23 rebels to hold talks in Angola on March 18
Peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group brokered by Angola aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo will begin on March 18 in Angola’s capital Luanda, the Angolan president’s office announced.
The date was set a day after Angola announced that the government in Kinshasa had agreed to engage in direct talks with the M23 rebels after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi visited Luanda.
“Following the diligence carried out by the Angolan mediation in the conflict affecting the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government of the Republic of Angola makes public that the delegations of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 will begin direct peace negotiations on March 18 in the city of Luanda,” the president’s office said in a statement.
Angolan President Joao Lourenco acts as the African Union’s peace mediator for the conflict in Congo.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Several bodies were found in the wreckage of two Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) patrol helicopters recovered from the Pacific Ocean that collided in April 2024, the MSDF said.
- Australia’s prime minister urged citizens to "buy local" after the US imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
- Two South Korean Air Force fighter jet pilots were booked over an accidental bombing of a village last week that injured 38 people, including 24 civilians.
- Four Dutch crew members of the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima, which collided with another vessel in Singapore in 2024, admitted to failing to fulfill their duties properly, local media reported.
- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with a delegation from the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) led by its Secretary-General, Sheikh Ali Al-Qaradaghi, in the capital Damascus.
- The US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) released a statement condemning a "misinformation campaign" regarding violent incidents in coastal areas of Syria.
- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree establishing the National Security Council to coordinate and manage the country’s security and political policies.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof met at Palazzo Chigi in Rome and held discussions on a number of topics, including security and migration, the Italian government said in a statement.
- The launch of an astronaut crew to the International Space Station (ISS) to relieve NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after their prolonged mission has been delayed, according to a report.
- The European Union launched two projects aimed at supporting the response to the mpox virus, preparedness and the fight against epidemics in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The UK rescinded a Russian diplomat's accreditation in retaliation for Russia's expulsion of a British diplomat and diplomatic spouse, accusing Moscow of attempting to force the closure of its embassy.
- Syrian Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Taha Al-Ahmad discussed cooperation in agricultural investment and the use of alternative energy with a Saudi energy company.
- US President Donald Trump heaped praise on the "long and unique friendship" shared by the US and Ireland and hailed the contributions of Irish Americans to the country.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised EU-Türkiye cooperation when it came to tackling numerous global political challenges.
- Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court, said a statement from the court.
- Poland has proposed that Türkiye take an active role in initiating Russia-Ukraine peace talks, said the Polish premier in the Turkish capital.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Ukraine's recent acceptance of a ceasefire in its conflict with Russia, expressing hope that Moscow will respond "constructively" to this.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- EU to establish 6 additional AI factories in 2 years
The European Union has selected six new sites for additional artificial intelligence (AI) factories that it plans to establish in two years, the EU’s AI initiative announced.
The sites for the factories are in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland and Slovenia, said the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.
"France and Germany will establish AI Factories, which operate alongside Europe’s first exascale supercomputers, Alice Recoque and JUPITER," a statement said.
"Meanwhile, Austria, Bulgaria, Poland and Slovenia will deploy new AI-optimized systems with AI Factories to further expand Europe’s AI infrastructure," it added.
- Türkiye's anti-ship missile Atmaca successfully hits underwater target
Türkiye's domestically designed and produced anti-ship cruise missile Atmaca has completed its first underwater firing test, Turkish Defense Industries Secretary Haluk Gorgun announced.
"Atmaca, the steel sword of the Blue Homeland, will now hit its target from under the sea," he said on X.
"We have confirmed the underwater guided missile firing capability, which is possessed by only a few countries in the world, with today's Atmaca firing test. Atmaca, which was fired from a submarine, successfully completed its flight.
"The Turkish defense industry is moving forward for a fully independent future on land, air, and sea," he added.
