Daily Multilateralism
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Alliances as mediators: NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, has been engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Greece and Turkey, at odds over maritime rights in the eastern Mediterranean among other issues. Stoltenberg met with Turkish president Recep Erdogan in Ankara yesterday and spoke with with Greece’s prime minister in Athens today. In public comments, NATO’s chief touted mechanisms for reducing tension between the alliance members:
Through the constructive engagement of Greece and Turkey at NATO Headquarters, we have now established a bilateral military de-confliction mechanism. This includes a commitment to use a secure hotline between Greece and Turkey, available 24 hours a day, to facilitate de-confliction at sea and in the air. I welcome this and pay tribute to both Allies for your efforts. And we stand ready to develop it further. The de-confliction mechanism can help to create the space for diplomatic efforts.
Europe’s highest court, the European Court of Justice, has ruled that Hungary’s revised higher education laws violate several aspects of international law. The new rules had forced the Central European University, founded by George Soros, to relocate most of its facilities to Vienna. The court decided that the Hungarian rules violated both World Trade Organization principles and the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. The judicial decision adds to mounting pressure on Hungary and Poland from EU institutions. Last week, the European Commission released a “rule of law” report that included numerous criticisms of policies in the two countries.
During a ministerial conference, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described as a “scandal” the ongoing violations of the international arms embargo on Libya. The UN Security Council initially imposed the embargo in February 2011, as unrest against the government of Muammar Gaddafi spread. Since then, the provisions of the embargo have been altered several times, but UN experts assigned with monitoring compliance have described it as “completely ineffective.” Several weeks ago, the Associated Press reported on the experts’ confidential report:
The panel of experts monitoring sanctions against Libya said in the report seen Tuesday by The Associated Press that 11 companies also violated the arms embargo including the Wagner Group, a private Russian security company the panel said in May provided between 800 and 1,200 mercenaries to support eastern Libya’s rebel commander Khalifa Hifter.
In addition, the panel of experts said the warring parties and their international backers, along with Egypt and Syria, failed to inspect aircraft or vessels or both, as required by a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution if they have reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains military weapons and ammunition.
Two major multilateral organizations are tempering the prevailing gloom about the state of the world economy. The World Trade Organization released revised (and slightly more optimistic) estimates for world trade, based in part on a shift in consumer spending from services to goods. Meanwhile, International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva said that the global economy is “less dire” than it appeared in recent months.
Briefly noted:
World Health Organization director-general sees hope for a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year.
The BBC speaks with the three African candidates to lead the World Trade Organization.
A call for international organizations to become involved in the U.S. election and its aftermath.
The UN Security Council hears about the threat of increased violence in Haiti.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization declared that the disputed parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan were “open, free, and legitimate.”