DefenceTalkIsrael’s army chief arrived in Morocco on Monday for meetings with senior defence officials, military sources said, as cooperation between the countries expands following a normalization of ties. Aviv Kohavi’s three-day trip is the first official visit of an Israeli army chief to the North African kingdom. Kohavi will meet Morocco’s minister delegate in charge […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israeli-army-chief-makes-first-morocco-visit-79110/

DefenceTalkTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday renewed his threat to “freeze” the NATO membership bids of both Sweden and Finland unless the military alliance complies with Ankara’s conditions. At a NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June, Erdogan called on the two countries to “do their part” in the fight against terrorism, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/erdogan-renews-threat-to-freeze-swedish-finnish-nato-bids-79104/

DefenceTalkSoutheast Asian nations should avoid becoming “chess pieces”, China’s foreign minister said Monday, as he revealed proposing a set of “rules” to promote positive interactions between Beijing and Washington at a recent meeting. Wang Yi held five hours of talks on Saturday with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken — their first since October — […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-says-se-asia-nations-should-avoid-becoming-chess-pieces-79076/

DefenceTalkNATO chief Jens Stoltenberg pledged more support Thursday for countries in Africa and the Middle East as the alliance looks to compete with Russia’s and China’s growing influence in the regions. Leaders meeting at a summit in Madrid discussed “how Russia and China continue to seek political, economic and military gain across our southern neighborhood”, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-wary-of-russian-chinese-gains-on-southern-flank-79060/

DefenceTalkSweden may have clinched a surprise deal with Turkey paving the way for its NATO membership, but Kurds and leftwing parties expressed concern Wednesday about the concessions made to Ankara. “We did not cave in to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan”, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said from the NATO summit in Madrid where the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/relief-and-concern-in-sweden-after-nato-deal-with-turkey-79048/

DefenceTalkRussia has “no problem” if Finland and Sweden join NATO, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. “We don’t have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine,” Putin told a news conference in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat. “We don’t have territorial differences,” the Russian leader continued. “There is nothing that could bother […]https://www.defencetalk.com/no-problem-for-russia-if-finland-sweden-join-nato-putin-79054/

DefenceTalkFinnish and Swedish leaders will discuss their stalled NATO bids with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday at the start of an alliance summit in Madrid, Helsinki said on Monday. But Turkey said the four-way meeting, which will also involve NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, did not mean that Ankara was close to lifting its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-sweden-leaders-to-discuss-nato-bid-with-erdogan-79029/

DefenceTalkChina on Monday offered to play the role of mediator to resolve disputes in the Horn of Africa, on the opening day of a regional gathering in the Ethiopian capital. The China-Horn of Africa Conference on security, Governance and Development is the first of its kind and underscores Beijing’s determination to play a greater role […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-offers-to-mediate-horn-of-africa-disputes-78996/

DefenceTalkTurkey on Monday said it did not view next week’s NATO summit as a final deadline for resolving its objections to Finland and Sweden joining the Western defence alliance. The comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s top foreign policy adviser followed a round of urgent talks in Brussels that NATO leaders had hoped would […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-says-nato-summit-not-the-deadline-for-finland-sweden-talks-78992/

DefenceTalkOn Taiwan’s tiny Penghu islands, the missile bases that sit next to white-sand beaches and bustling fish markets are a visceral reminder of the constant threat of attack from China. Despite the huge military discrepancy between the two sides, many analysts believe Taiwan’s location, inhospitable terrain and US support mean China would find a full-scale […]https://www.defencetalk.com/a-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-too-costly-to-countenance-78984/