Diplomat

• The United States has closed its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, transferring all diplomatic functions and responsibilities to the main embassy in Islamabad. • The consolidation reflects the U.S. government's restructuring of its diplomatic footprint in Pakistan and aims to streamline operations. • The move impacts diplomatic engagement in northwestern Pakistan, a strategically important region bordering Afghanistan.

• Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam in April 2026, marking To Lam's first international trip in his new role and signaling Beijing's emphasis on party-to-government relations with Hanoi. • The two countries signed 32 bilateral agreements, more than double the 14 agreements reached during To Lam's 2024 visit, covering trade, investment, and strategic cooperation across multiple sectors. • Beijing is leveraging Vietnam's socialist governance model as common ground for deepening ties, while also pursuing enhanced regional connectivity through infrastructure projects like Malaysia's East Coast Railway Line to bind Southeast Asia closer to China.

• Turkey and Greece opened negotiations on Monday in Athens to address longstanding maritime boundary disputes and resource rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, marking the first high-level talks in eighteen months. • Both countries appointed senior diplomats to address competing claims over exclusive economic zones and the status of disputed islands, with the EU facilitating discussions. • U.S. State Department officials welcomed the resumption of dialogue, calling it essential for regional stability and noting that resolution could improve NATO cohesion in Southeast Europe.

• The United States has suspended a $150 million military aid package to the Philippines following tensions over Manila's softened stance on South China Sea disputes with China. • State Department officials cited the Philippines' decision to reduce joint naval operations in disputed waters as the reason for the suspension, marking a significant shift in regional alliance strategy. • The move reflects US frustration with shifting regional dynamics and concerns that strategic partners may be accommodating Beijing's territorial claims under economic pressure.

• The United States announced Friday a temporary suspension of certain oil-sector sanctions against Venezuela pending the outcome of renewed diplomatic negotiations scheduled to begin Monday in Mexico City, marking the first high-level talks in 18 months. • State Department officials stated the measure aimed to create "negotiating space" for discussions on political prisoners, election transparency, and humanitarian access, with hopes of establishing a pathway toward normalized relations. • Venezuela's government welcomed the development but demanded complete lifting of financial sanctions, which have contributed to severe shortages of food and medicine affecting 28 million citizens, according to UN estimates.

• Venezuelan authorities arrested opposition coalition leader Juan Carlos López on Friday on unspecified treason charges, immediately drawing condemnation from the US State Department and international human rights organizations. • The arrest coincides with leaked documents suggesting López coordinated with US officials regarding potential sanctions strategies, which the Maduro government claims constitutes betrayal of national interests. • The US Ambassador to the UN called for López's immediate release and warned of additional sanctions against Venezuela if detention continues, escalating diplomatic friction in the region.

Sir Simon McDonald says Olly Robbins was ‘thrown under a bus’ by the prime minister and the decision feels ‘wrong’The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said.Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Sir Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday. Continue reading...