Foreign Policy Update – USA Gov Policy

Secretary Pompeo’s Participation in the NATO Foreign Ministerial

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo participated in the December 1-2 virtual NATO Foreign Ministerial, hosted by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In a productive discussion with Allied leaders, Secretary Pompeo emphasized the threat the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses to Allied security interests and encouraged increased cooperation to safeguard against the CCP’s malign activities.

The Secretary and his counterparts also discussed additional topics critical to the Alliance. Allied leaders spoke candidly with the Ukrainian and Georgian Foreign Ministers about Black Sea security. Other discussions focused on Russia, arms control, regional security, NATO 2030 and the Forward Looking Reflection Process, and strengthening shared bonds and values between NATO and its Asia-Pacific partners.

During the Foreign Ministerial, the Secretary reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the NATO Alliance and its essential role in ensuring peace and prosperity.

The United States Welcomes Major Milestone in Afghanistan Peace Negotiations

The United States welcomes the Agreement announced December 2 by the negotiating teams from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban. This Agreement is a major milestone in the Afghanistan Peace Negotiations that have been underway since September 12, 2020.

The Agreement codifies the rules and procedures the two sides have been negotiating since the start of talks. The teams made a number of important decisions that will guide their negotiations on a political roadmap and a comprehensive ceasefire.

We congratulate both sides on their perseverance and willingness to find common ground. This achievement demonstrates that the Afghan Islamic Republic and Taliban are serious, able to overcome differences, and ready to deal with difficult issues. What has been achieved provides hope they will succeed in reaching a political settlement to this more than forty-year-old conflict. The United States thanks Qatar for its role as host and facilitator of the talks.

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Rapid progress on a political roadmap and a ceasefire is what the people of Afghanistan want more than anything else. The United States, along with most of the international community, will continue to support the peace process in pursuit of this goal. As negotiations on a political roadmap and permanent ceasefire begin, we will also work hard with all sides in pursuit of a serious reduction of violence and ceasefire.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a fitting occasion for the United States to reaffirm its commitment to, and support for, the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in daily life of the community. We point with pride to robust public and private enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and to other federal, state, and local laws that guarantee open and equal access to facilities, markets, jobs, goods, and services.

It is also a fitting occasion to reaffirm that all members of the human family are “created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Each individual must have an equal opportunity to develop his or her unique talents and must be free to pursue their dreams.

We applaud the participation and leadership of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in efforts to assure equal access and opportunity, and we recognize those whose vision and hard work are the basis for the technologies on which we rely to ensure that no one is left behind.

On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I am proud to announce the opening of the Access Center at the U.S. Department of State, an interactive facility showcasing assistive technologies that remove barriers for our employees with disabilities. The United States reaffirms our commitment to promoting and protecting the human rights of all and to achieving equal opportunity in education, employment, and participation in civic life for persons with disabilities.

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Russia Expanding Aggression

President Putin is using more than one pathway to enter Europe and undermine the West. While most of the world watches the conflict he initiated in Ukraine, the Russian government is actively pursuing a second front in a little noticed campaign in Cyprus. Although the corrupt Cypriot government ended its issuance of “golden passports” in 2020, Russian intelligence is functioning quietly there to transform this EU country into a Russian beachhead of illicit economic activity aimed at penetrating the capitalist West, according to Paul Goble of the Jamestown Foundation. Cyprus is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nor does it receive as much attention as those countries who are member states. That adds to its allure as a prime location for Russia to attempt to gain a European foothold. Last week a NATO report, cited in the European Daily Monitor, noted that Russian intelligence agents have been plotting to destroy European infrastructure across the continent to disrupt states supporting Ukraine. It further suggests that Putin’s immediate goal is to lay the framework for a future move against the security organization’s members. Hungary, in particular, is another country garnering Moscow’s attention as it opposes the Western response to Russian aggression. Russia is focusing its intelligence efforts on other European, non-NATO member countries in addition to Cyprus, including Austria, Malta, and Ireland. The NATO report suggests that Moscow has had success in disseminating the Russian political narrative in these states to advance its campaign against the West. The island of Cyprus is proving to be a good target for Moscow as it is an ethnically divided island that is part of the EU since 2004. Northern Cyprus, officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that is only recognized by Turkey. The division precludes it from joining NATO. As Goble suggests, “it offers Russia troubled waters in which to fish.” Over the last 20 years, he points out, Cyprus’ challenges have opened it to a massive influx of Russian citizens, who now comprise approximately 10 percent of the island state’s population. Over 2,900 residents are Russians who entered until the “golden passport” program that allowed wealthy or well-connected Russians to move to Cyprus. It also provided them with documentation to travel freely throughout Europe! Although less visible on the world’s radar than the war in Ukraine, Moscow is also being helped by Cyprus’ banks opposition to seizing Russian assets and its support in evading Western sanctions. Russia has placed tens of billions of US Dollars there for money laundering. It has been more than two years since a single Russian “diplomat” has been deported and, in fact, the Embassy has grown to over 300 staffers on this tiny island state of only 1.2 million people. The Russian embassy in Nicosia has advanced communications antennae on its roof and opened a consulate on the northern end of the island. Moscow’s Ambassador, Mura Zyazikov, is a lieutenant general in the FSB with no diplomatic experience. The FSB, SVR (Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service), and GRU are actively using the island as a base of operations against NATO Member states, Israel, and other Western allies. Moscow backs pro-Russian political parties who in turn influence Cypriot decisions on education, language, and other issues. “Dmitry Khmelnitsky of the Dossier Center says that its findings should be of concern not only to Cyprus but to the West as a whole. Those who ignore what Moscow is doing because Cyprus does not follow the EU sanctions regime are missing something critical,” says Goble. “Cyprus does not seek to get rid of Russian agents and does not interfere with their work,” Khmelnitsky concludes, “despite the fact that what the Kremlin is doing is so clearly visible.” This has an impact not only on the small island but on the EU, NATO, and the West in general. Earlier this year the Moscow Times reported that when the FBI became more interested in Russian business and oligarchs in Cyprus, at least 10 of the major Russian businesses operating there left. Despite the government of Cyprus’ vow to implement plans for new sanctions against Russia, it continues to ignore Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine and to shield the wealth of the 50,000 wealthy Russian citizens and oligarchs residing there. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept. Illustration: Pixabay