Threatened by US, Canada hugs France and Britain close

GENEVA: UN chief Antonio Guterres was to meet the rival Cypriot leaders for dinner on Monday ahead of informal talks aimed at finding a “way forward” on the divided island’s future.
Guterres was to dine with President Nikos Christodoulides of the Greek-speaking, internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in Geneva.
On Tuesday the three will meet for talks at the United Nations, alongside Britain, Greece and Turkiye — the three guarantors of the Mediterranean island’s security since 1960.
“This meeting is being held in the context of the secretary-general’s good offices’ efforts on the Cyprus issue,” a UN spokeswoman told AFP.
“The informal meeting will provide an opportunity for a meaningful discussion on the way forward.”
Since a 1974 invasion by Turkiye triggered by an Athens-backed coup, the island has been divided between the Greek-speaking south and the Turkish Cypriot north, which unilaterally declared independence in 1983 but is recognized only by Ankara.
The Republic of Cyprus is an EU member state. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus covers about a third of island, including parts of the capital Nicosia.
Decades of UN-backed talks have failed to reunify the island.
Greek Cypriots in 2004 overwhelmingly rejected a UN-backed reunification plan in a referendum.
The last round of full-on peace talks, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, collapsed in 2017.
Cyprus issue
In a televised address on Saturday, Christodoulides said he was heading to Geneva “with absolute seriousness and with the aim of conducting a substantive discussion that will pave the way for the resumption of negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue.”
“We are ready and well prepared to be constructive... to engage in meaningful discussions, and to achieve an outcome that will keep the process active,” he said.
Christodoulides held a national council meeting of Greek Cypriot political party leaders in Geneva on Monday.
“There is consensus, a constructive spirit of unity, and a shared goal: to ensure that this multilateral conference serves as a springboard toward breaking the deadlock and restarting negotiations,” Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters afterwards.
“We are preparing for multiple scenarios, ensuring that in every case, the president has concrete initiatives and proposals.”
Meeting in buffer zone
Following the dinner, the talks proper are set to begin on Tuesday at the UN Palais des Nations.
Nameplates had been set out, with Guterres on one side of the central table, opposite the two Cypriot leaders, who will sit next to each other.
Flanking Guterres, nameplates were set out for Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and for Britain’s Europe minister Stephen Doughty.
In October last year, Guterres hosted an informal dinner with Christodoulides and Tatar in New York.
The rival Cypriot leaders also met in January to discuss opening more crossing points across the divided island as part of trust-building efforts.
They met in the buffer zone that has split the island for decades.

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart agreed on Monday to deepen their security and economic ties, as the two countries announced the revival of talks for a free trade agreement.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is on a five-day visit to India with the biggest-ever delegation to accompany a Kiwi premier on a foreign trip, comprising officials, and community and business leaders.

Modi and Luxon met in New Delhi where they signed agreements on enhancing cooperation in defense, education and sports.

“We had detailed discussions on various aspects of our bilateral relations. We have decided to strengthen and institutionalize our defense and security partnership,” Modi said during a joint press briefing.

Their defense ties will include joint exercises and training, with plans for mutual cooperation in the sector’s industry, he added.

On Sunday, the two countries agreed to revive free trade negotiations that have been stalled for over a decade, following talks between New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay and his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal.

“It has been decided to start negotiations on a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement between the two countries,” Modi said.

“Mutual cooperation and investment will be encouraged in areas like dairy, food processing, and pharma. We have given priority to mutual cooperation in the areas of renewable energy and critical minerals.”

Bilateral trade between India and New Zealand stood at about $1.7 billion in the 2023-24 financial year.

“It is through trade that we can boost the economies of both our countries, providing more jobs and higher incomes for Kiwis and Indians,” Luxon said in a statement.  

Indians are the biggest source of skilled migrants, the third-largest ethnic group and the second-largest source of international students in New Zealand.

“I think you’re seeing an Indian government that’s been incredibly generous and very, very welcoming to New Zealand, and it speaks to the way that they also want to deepen this relationship,” Luxon said.

“We have brought the biggest delegation that’s ever accompanied a Prime Minister … because we actually want to make this as big as it possibly can be, because the size of the prize is immense.

“And actually, what’s this all about? It’s about actually cashback into Kiwis’ pockets and we do that by growing our economy and expanding our trade opportunities.”

New Zealand is an “important component” of India’s Indo-Pacific policy, said Dr. Udai Bhanu Singh, former senior researcher at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses.

But strengthening ties with the Pacific country is likely part of Delhi’s ongoing efforts to broker trade deals with other nations after US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods from countries, including India.

“India is facing tremendous pressure from Trumpian policy of reciprocal tariffs and it would like to keep its options open as far as possible,” Singh told Arab News.

“Even though this coming together may have been precipitated by Trump’s tariff assertion, the fact is that New Zealand and India are finding common grounds to work on.”