Introduction

The Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, while addressing a ceremony held on the occasion of World Maritime Day, revealed a plan to build a joint maritime security center in collaboration with Oman and Pakistan. At this event, the commander also discussed about Iran’s efforts to maintain security in international waterways, he said that five combat flotillas of the Iranian Navy are presently conducting security missions in the Indian Ocean at the same time which depicts the progress of Iran’s naval industry.

Naval Exercises

In recent years, Iran has held several joint naval exercises with the naval forces of both the maritime neighbors i.e. Pakistan and Oman. Last year, a combined naval exercise was organized in Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman by Iran and Pakistan. The spokesperson of the joint exercise said “the major goal of the exercise was to highlight the naval power and synergy as well as to build constructive and dynamic interaction for lasting peace and security in the region, improving combat capability and exchanging information between the naval forces of Pakistan and Iran”. Oman and Pakistan also made efforts for bilateral maritime security cooperation to promote naval cooperation. Since 1990, naval exercises are being conducted regularly between the Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman. In the year 2021, the two countries took part in the naval exercise which included participation of surface and air units, besides Special Operations Forces from both navies with an aim to eradicate illegal sea activities.

Significance of Indian Ocean and Joint Maritime Security Center

The Indian Ocean will be the center’s primary focus, additionally, the communication between all the maritime security centers at global level will be conducted by the joint maritime security center of Iran, Oman, and Pakistan, according to the commander of Iranian Navy. The Indian Ocean region is heavily rich in natural resources with almost 16.8% of the world’s oil reserves and 27.9% of natural gas reserves. Meanwhile, the region is significant because of its sea routes that connect Middle East, Africa and East Asia with Europe and America by promoting maritime trade, carrying sea-borne oil and hosting top 23 container ports of the world.
This joint partnership is a great initiative between Pakistan, Iran and Oman for joint maritime security center as it will help to preserve and maintain the maritime order of Indian Ocean. In addition, it will assist the three countries to consider the options and opportunities that will increase the connectivity of these states with each other, within the region, and to strengthen ties with external partners through maritime trade individually and collectively. Furthermore, despite the complex problems related to the domain of maritime security, the challenges will be addressed efficiently by working together.

From the beginning of the month of October 2022, North Korea has fired multiple ballistic missiles of different ranges over Japan from Pyongyang area, as per South Korean and Japanese officials. The most recent, first launch since 2017, came at a time when trilateral anti-submarine exercises staged by the fleets of South Korea, the US, and Japan for the first time in five years. In the meantime, it was noted that missile launches occurred both before and after US Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to South Korea, during which she emphasized the United States “ironclad” commitment to the security of its Asian allies. According to the United States, National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with their counterparts in South Korea and Japan, and that country strongly denounced the “dangerous and reckless” decision to fire a missile over Japan. Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Seoul and Tokyo in terms of defense.

North Korea is prohibited by the UN Security Council from conducting nuclear tests and launching ballistic missiles. Even still, North Korea has tested more weapons than ever this year, and analysts believe that the rise in nuclear activity is a result of the country’s desire to develop its ballistic weapons capability in a time when the world is preoccupied with the Ukraine conflict and other issues. After the firing of ballistic missile, the vice Minister of Defense for Japan stated that North Korea’s ongoing provocations are “persistently escalating.” In addition, the chief Cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, said in a statement while briefing a news conference “North Korea’s series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community and poses a serious challenge to the entire international community, including Japan,”

The President of countries Japan and South called an emergency meeting of their National Security Councils (NSC) in order to deal with the ongoing situation. The respective NSCs clarified that none of the provocations are acceptable in any case and will be dealt with strictly through deterrence measures and by imposing tightened sanctions. In response, eight US and South Korean jets practiced hitting a target in the Yellow Sea in reaction to the missile. In what it described as a show of precision strike capability against the source of North Korean provocations, the South Korean military deployed four F-15K fighter aircraft and launched two guided bombs on a target off its west coast. The US also sent four F-16 fighter jets to the exercises. It is a serious situation which is not only destructive but also inhumane. Therefore, all the stakeholders should recognize the sensitivity of the situation in order to prevent the catastrophic devastation to the globe by adopting the path of dialogue, committing serious and prolonged diplomacy and by avoiding nuclear activities at all levels for the sake of people, global peace and security.

United Nations, in general, and its Security Council, in particular, lack the motivation and legitimacy to counter the Israeli- Palestinian crisis. Israel-Palestinian conflict is a prolonged conflict and the international organization like U.N has also failed to de-escalate the situation in Palestine. It is important to know that all sides can benefit from a multinational peacekeeping force. It can provide Palestinians with security from Israel’s coercive and oppressive military rule. It will provide stability for Israelis without the domestic corruption that draconian militarism brings. It can provide both sides the room to breathe they need to restore bridges that have been destroyed in recent decades but The United States, Israel’s supporter and ally, has an important veto on the UN. As one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, Washington has used its veto power to protect Israel multiple times, not to mention the possibility, of a veto on several other occasions to stifle resolutions from its start. The super power like U.S supports the violence done by Israel and U.N is obviously under the influence of U.S. Even today the genocide is being done by the Israeli’s on the people of Palestine and UNSC, UNHRC, the whole U.N still decides to remain silent. Their infrastructure needs to be reformed in order for it to be a more powerful tool for global peace and security.

Today, what is happening in Palestine like Crimes against humanity, genocide of Muslims by Israeli’s, ethnic cleansing, Human rights violations, which are not even categorized as crimes and has been declared just, clearly shows that how biased U.N is. The U.N has left a big question mark in the face of the whole world that aren’t the Palestinian humans? Are these Human rights for selective people? U.N is still capable to send the peacekeeping forces in order to de-escalate the conflict but still does nothing. This can be considered as one of the biggest failure of U.N. This needs to have a permanent solution. Whenever any other event is going on in the world, the attention gets diverted from Israel and Palestine conflict and the violence continues.

The SCO Charter strengthens regional peace and stability and regional ties in the economic, infrastructural, trade and cultural arenas, aligning neatly with Islamabad’s aspiration to enhance economic connectivity and regional peace. The Samarkand Declaration of the 22nd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State significantly called for further cooperation among SCO member countries with a focus on countering terrorism, extremism and separatism, which is particularly important for Pakistan given the renewed threats of the TTP as the Afghan Taliban turn a blind eye. In terms of regional security, the SCO is an emerging security bloc where Pakistan has a historic opportunity to enlist the support of all SCO members in its counter-terrorism initiatives. The SCO states are well aware of Pakistan’s contributions and sacrifices in countering regional radicalization. Therefore, the Samarkand Declaration emphasized the importance of consistent implementation of the Program of Cooperation of SCO Member States in the Fight against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism for the period 2022-24, signed in 2021. Pakistan’s delegation to the SCO emphasized convergence that removes conflicts and promotes peace at the regional and global levels.

Instead of devastating floods, Pakistan can seek economic assistance from major powers through the SCO and continue to prosper through trade and investment. With both Pakistan and India as members of the SCO, it can act as a leading forum in trying to resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, which has kept South Asia on the edge of war. To push out CPEC, India is promoting separatism, extremism and terrorism in various parts of Pakistan, which is anathema to the basic spirit of SCO. Islamabad must persuade regional countries to pressure India to work together in a partnership for peace and regional stability in South Asia in accordance with the scope and mandate of the SCO. The SCO will offer Pakistan the chance to contribute significantly to peace, stability, security, and rehabilitation on the SCO platform while concentrating on communication infrastructure, the social sector (health & education), and staff training for public sector organisations. This is an opportunity for Pakistan and India to engage together to advance the regional anti-terrorist campaign. SCO is currently a promising platform if Pakistan and India want to resolve their disputes, which they should do for the greater benefit.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly addressed on 3rd September 2022 the massive protests going on in Iran, breaking weeks of silence to condemn and blame US and Israel for the happenings in Iran.
The unrest in Iran erupted after the death o a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who was detained by Iran’s morality police on 13 September 2022 in Tehran. She was restricted on the charges of not abiding by the strict law where women are required to cover their heads with a hijab. The family of the victim is of the view that officers strike her head with a baton and hit her head against vehicles. But on the other hand, police denied this statement and said that the woman suffered a “sudden heart failure”. This ignited anti-government protests all over Iran. Women have led the protests, waving their headscarves in the air or putting them on fire to chants of “Woman, life, freedom” and “Death to the dictator”.

Khamenei in his talks with the cadre of police students in Tehran said he was “deeply heartbroken” by the death of Mahsa Amini, considering it a “tragic incident.” However, the leader saw the protests with criticism and labelled it as a foreign conspiracy as they could not tolerate Iran “attaining strength in all spheres”. Also, he condemned scenes of protesters ripping off their hijabs and setting mosques, banks and police cars on fire. Ayatollah stated that “this rioting was planned”. He also claimed that “I say clearly that these riots and the insecurity were engineered by America and the occupying, false Zionist regime (Israel), as well as their paid agents, with the help of some traitorous Iranians abroad.” With this, the supreme leader urged that “those who foment unrest to sabotage the Islamic Republic deserve harsh prosecution and punishment.”

US President Joe Biden said he was “gravely concerned” about reports of the “intensifying violent crackdown on peaceful protesters”. The protesters were calling for “just and universal principles”, he said, adding that the US “stands with Iranian women” who were “inspiring the world with their bravery”. In light of these circumstances, Biden’s administration has imposed sanctions on Iran’s morality police. Furthermore, the US has also relieved some internet sanctions on the Iranians intending to evade restrictions imposed by the government since the protests emerged.

Moreover, UK summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in London to inform the leaders in Iran that “instead of blaming external actors for the unrest, they should take responsibility for their actions and listen to the concerns of their people”.
In view of the above circumstances, the protests are turning into a challenge for the Iranian supreme leader. The masses are charged with rage against the authorities declaring that “don’t call it a protest, it’s a revolution now”.

In a statement Monday night, Biden said he was “deeply concerned by reports of escalating violent repression against peaceful protesters in Iran, including students and women, demanding their equal rights and basic human dignity. In a statement He was was “deeply concerned by reports of escalating violent repression against peaceful protesters in Iran, including students and women, demanding their equal rights and basic human dignity.”

Washington imposed sanctions on Iran’s “morality police” as well as seven leaders of Iranian security organizations, saying they “routinely use violence to suppress peaceful protesters and members of Iranian civil society, political dissidents, women’s rights activists and members of the Iranian movement. Canada also imposed sanctions on top Iranian security officials for what it called “gross human rights violations.” This included “the systematic persecution of women, and in particular the outrageous acts committed by Iran’s so-called ‘Morality Police,’ which led to the death of Mahsa Amini while in their custody.” Said the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government said in a statement.

The US president said that he was also concerned by reports of a crackdown on protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini. Joe Biden said his administration would impose “further costs” on those responsible for violence against Iranian protesters who have taken to the streets for more than two weeks in anger over the recent death of a 22-year-old woman in Tehran. He was concerned by reports of the escalating violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Iran, including students and women, demanding their equal rights and basic human dignity. Amini’s death sparked an outpouring of anger against the Iranian government, with protesters demanding more civil liberties, including an end to the dress code imposed on women. Amini’s death sparked an outpouring of anger against the Iranian government, with protesters demanding more civil liberties, including an end to the dress code imposed on women. US has increasingly been dependant on economic pressure against Iran, despite persistent challenges in generating broad multilateral support. Iran’s economy was significantly impacted by the cumulative impact of the sanctions. Formal costs are difficult to estimate, in part because the instability caused by the sanctions had already taken a significant impact on the Iranian economy.

Russian troops, on Saturday, have withdrawn from Lyman, a city in Donetsk Province which was considered a strategic city for Russia’s operations in the east. This development followed soon after President Vladimir Putin’s announcement to annex the region and is seen as a notable setback for Moscow. The city of Lyman, which fell to the Russians in May, serves as a rail hub that flows into Donbas, the mineral-rich region in the Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk provinces that has long been the pivot point of Putin’s war strategies.

The loss of Lyman puts additional pressure on Russia, which has been encountering grave repercussions at home over its losses on the battleground and over the enrolment of thousands of men to fight in Ukraine. Russia’s Ministry of Defense decided to pull back from Lyman hours after Ukraine’s Defense Ministry stated that their troops were advancing towards the city. Russia’s Ministry then asserted that “due to the risk to be encircled, the allied forces were withdrawn” from the city to “more advantageous” locations.

Lyman coming under Ukraine’s control exhibits that their troops have gained a new footing in the region and are prepared to claw back territory before winter sets in. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Ukraine’s capture of a city within territory of Putin’s declared annexation demonstrates that Ukrainians are making progress and can push back against Russian forces”.
After Russia’s failure in Lyman, a continuous wave of criticism of Russia’s actions is witnessed. For instance, Chechnya’s leader and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s key allies, Ramzan Kadyrov, condemned the activities of Alexander Lapin, the Russian colonel-general who led the defence of Lyman in the Donetsk region and ordered a retreat last weekend. Ramzan Kadyrov stated that “the Russian general who lost a strategic town in eastern Ukraine should spill his blood on the front line to “wash away his shame”. It is also said that the current situation of Russia corresponds to the revolution of 1917 that led to the collapse of Tsar Nicholas 2 and set the scene for Communist rule.
After all this episode, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that the success of Ukraine does not cease here and in reality, Ukraine is heading towards a counteroffensive in the northeast of the country as it strives to recover more occupied land from Russia. Also, according to the analysts, the next target, if the Ukrainian military keeps up its advance, would probably be Svatove, a city northeast of Lyman where Russians have retrenched.

A Japanese diplomat was detained and deported from Vladivostok in eastern Russia, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB), after the consul allegedly request for limited information. In exchange for monetary reward, the diplomat was allegedly discovered looking for information regarding the economic effects of Western sanctions. In a statement to the public, the FSB stated “A Japanese diplomat was detained red-handed while receiving, in exchange for financial reward, restricted information about Russia’s cooperation with another country in the Asia-Pacific region”. The expulsion occurred after Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, backed international sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. In response to expulsion of diplomat, Japan demanded an apology from Russia for what it viewed as the unjust imprisonment of one of its diplomats in Vladivostok, who Tokyo claimed was physically restrained and blindfolded after the Kremlin made wrong accusations of espionage. According to Japan Government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, Russia breached international agreements by holding the diplomat even he had not engaged in any criminal conduct.

Russia and Japan are technically at war as two countries not ratified a formal peace treaty for a long time. In the days of World War II, the Soviet Union seized four small islands that are located between Japan and Russia, preventing the two countries from formally ending hostilities since 1945 which is still causing tension between the two sides. Since then, bilateral relations have faced ups and downs, which further deteriorated much in March 2022. It is because Russia declared it would suspend peace negotiations with Tokyo in response of imposing economic sanctions on Moscow for Ukraine war. In addition, the tensions between Russia and the G-7 nations, including Japan have spilled over into bilateral relations, the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine has severely harmed ties with Japan. Russia’s obstruction of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) Review Conference and ongoing diplomatic and military tensions in the southern Kurils, which Japan claims as northern territory, remained points of contention in past months.

Even though the situation between Japan and Russia has gotten worse, there are still chances of maintaining ties with each other. Japan kept contact with Russia, Tokyo restricted the import of Russian coal but continued to buy Russian oil and natural gas to fulfill the country’s need. On 3rd October, 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in a statement said that “Due to the situation in Ukraine, Russian-Japanese relations are in a difficult position, but we strongly adhere to the direction of resolving territorial issues and concluding a peace treaty.” Japan is aware that strengthening relations with Russia are the only way to settle their long-standing territorial issue and open the path for a peace treaty.

At the meeting, the first between the two countries since 2012, the EU hopes to restore its ties with Israel, it is because EU needs to diversify its energy sources in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Israel and the EU were supposed to meet annually to discuss issues of shared interest in the Association Council but Israel cancelled the conference, formally known as the EU-Israel Association Council, in 2013, after the EU issued a statement for Israel’s expansion in West Bank. It was asserted that Israel colonies in the occupied Palestinian territories would not be included in any future accords with Israel. The EU-Israel conference has been denounced by global human rights organizations as it is being considered for serving mainly to legitimize the continued “apartheid” against Palestinians. Amnesty International in a statement cautioned that “Israel is committing the crime of apartheid against Palestinians and that any cooperation must focus on dismantling Israel’s terrible system of oppression and domination.”

Despite warnings from human rights organizations and European parliamentarians regarding Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in violation of their human rights, talks between the EU and Israel were held in Brussels. Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the EU led the trip, while Elazar Stern, the minister of intelligence, led Israeli delegation in the absence of Yair Lapid due to domestic commitments, but the prime minister of Israel, attended the meeting online. Borrell concentrated on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict prior to the conference. He referred a recent UN report that said it was “very worrisome” that this year had seen the most Palestinians killed since 2007. During the discussions with the Israeli delegation, he intended to concentrate on this matter and the rising tensions in the West Bank.

Borrell stressed the significance of resuming this high-level political conversation between Israel and the European Union during the meeting. As per him, it is the most effective means to discuss a variety of topics that concern both parties, especially the Middle East Peace Process and the stability of the larger Middle East area. The meeting’s agenda included talks on the conflict in Ukraine, the global energy crisis, and food insecurity. In the meantime, Lapid suggested that the EU may and ought to participate in the Abraham Accords and the Negev Forum in a message to the European leadership. He emphasized that Israel has been cooperating with the Palestinian Authority and reiterated his commitment to the two-state solution. However, addressing the UN General Assembly in September 2022, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated that “our trust in attaining a peace based on justice and international law is dwindling as a result of Israel’s occupation tactics.” Following Lipid’s speech in which he advocated a two-state solution and urged Muslim countries to recognize and make peace with Israel. To conclude, despite the rhetoric, human rights advocates and EU parliamentarians who warned that Israel has not altered its policy toward the Palestinians yet the EU-Israel summit was held. EU is looking towards Israel to attain its interests but European Union must consider the situation of Palestine with respect to human rights violations by Israel against humanity.

Introduction

According to the statistics department, consumer inflation in Sri Lanka, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, increased to 70.2% in August. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) increased by 70.2 percent from a year earlier in August after increasing by 66.7 percent in July. Prices of non-food items increased by 57.1 percent, while food prices increased by 84.6 percent in the 22 million-person South Asian nation that depends heavily on tourism. In August, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) predicted that the country’s inflation rate, which peaked at over 70% as the economy slowed, will decline. Due to severe dollar shortages brought by poor economic management and the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka is currently unable to import basic goods including food, fuel, fertilizer, and medication. Earlier in September, Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) came to a preliminary agreement for a loan of $2.9 billion, subject to the guarantees from official creditors and completion of talks with private creditors.

Economic Integration with India despite Security Concerns

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the president of Sri Lanka, has made it clear that his country wants to break away from China and merge its economy with that of India. Asserting that India and the West need not be concerned that the Chinese built and operated Hambantota port will be utilized for military reasons, the President took care to particularly assure India that Sri Lanka is aware of India’s security concerns. Colombo and New Delhi believe there is a potential to grow India-Lanka relations in the wake of the Rajapaksas’ departure. After reassurance, on September 20, 2022, India announced that it had started talks with Sri Lanka about restructuring its debt and pledged to support the neighboring country in crisis, primarily through long-term investments, after providing nearly $4 billion in financial aid. New Delhi would keep assisting Colombo, according to the Indian High Commission, in all possible ways, particularly by encouraging long-term investments from India in important economic sectors.

India and Sri Lanka both agree that Hambantota must not be considered a hurdle in the relationship between the two countries, which has been on lease for nearly 99 years and Chinese owned the port. Since there is great potential for Sri Lanka and India to come together and look at various areas including logistics, renewable energy, tourism, trade and IT as well as cooperation for long-term energy security, therefore both the countries are making serious efforts to develop bilateral relations using arrangements for trade, connectivity, investment, and security as it will help the devastated economy of Sri Lanka to flourish again.