5. Kongo Demokratik Cumhuriyeti devlet başkanı
Iran says Pak-Saudi-Turkiye deal shows 'change in perception' towards US
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that the defence pact signed last week between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye was “a sign of a change in the perception” of regional countries towards the United States. The joint defence agreement, signed in Makkah on Friday, aims to strengthen collective deterrence and empowers its signatory states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. “This development is a sign of a change in the perception of the countries of the region,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said while responding to a query during a weekly press briefing on Monday. “Considering the developments of the last two to three years, the countries of the region have realised that security is not a commodity that can be bought from false security brokers,” Iran’s state media quoted him as saying, referring to the US — an ally of the three signatories to the pact. Baqaei further said that there was “no reason to worry that this treaty will be against Iran”, highlighting Iran’s deep religious, historical and civilisational ties with Pakistan, Turkiye and even Saudi Arabia. “This development is an important sign that the countries of the region have concluded that they cannot rely on and trust the claim of security provided by the United States and some other actors outside the region, and they are attempting to try another method; by relying on their own capabilities and perspectives,” IRNA quoted Baqaei as saying. “Any plan that is based on the geopolitical and historical realities of the region, is comprehensive and inclusive, and correctly identifies the enemy and the threat, has a chance of helping to strengthen security and prevent instability and abuses by the Zionist enemy and its allies,” he added, referring to Israel. In response to a question about Iran’s willingness to possibly join the joint pact, Baqaei said Iran has always “emphasised pursuing security mechanisms based on cooperation between regional countries” and “free from the influence and destructive intervention” of foreign actors. “Those plans still exist and can certainly be updated in light of developments,” the spokesperson added. “We are in close contact with neighbouring countries and regional countries, and we hope that all countries will learn from the developments of the last two or three years and adopt the best path to strengthen the region’s collective security,” he said, according to IRNA. Dar speaks with Kuwait FM, others on pact Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a phone call from Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, wherein the latter felicitated the former on the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday. According to the FO, the two dignitaries spoke late on Sunday and also “exchanged views on the regional situation, including occupied East Jerusalem”. They also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and “matters of mutual interest, including the follow-up to FM Jarrah’s recent visit to Pakistan and further enhancing cooperation and investment in key sectors”. “The two sides agreed to remain closely engaged,” the FO added. The deputy premier also shared the contours of the pact with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi and former Guinea-Bissau president General Umaro Sissoco Embaló. In a joint call with them late last night, Dar shared the agreement’s “significance for strengthening strategic cooperation and contributing to regional peace, stability and security”, FO said. Dar and Tshisekedi also exchanged views on Pakistan-DRC relations and agreed on the importance of further strengthening bilateral cooperation, including through high-level exchanges. DPM Dar had also spoken to Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand earlier. “The two exchanged views on the regional situation, including the recently signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye,” the FO said. It added that Dar shared the “essence of the agreement” and the “joint resolve of the three countries to contribute to regional peace, stability and security”. On Sunday, Dar said that the agreement remained “open to any country in the region” willing to uphold its fundamental principles after the Turkish foreign minister said Egypt could be joining the pact. “The Makkah accord is the culmination of years of discussions and coordination, with a common desire to strengthen strategic cooperation in addressing multifarious peace and security challenges and advancing regional peace, stability and prosperity,” Dar said. He clarified that the pact did not abrogate or replace any existing bilateral or multilateral agreements between the signatory countries, or with other countries or organisations. Reiterating that any external armed attack on any one of the three countries would be considered an attack on all under the pact, he said it was consistent with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Moreover, he said, the accord was “purely defensive” in nature. “It is not targeted against any country and its sole purpose is to further strengthen our ongoing efforts towards peace, stability and prosperity in the wider region.” “The Makkah Accord remains open to any country in the region willing to uphold its fundamental principles and resolve differences through mutual respect, cooperation and peaceful means,” he said, adding that the pact was consistent with the fundamental pillars of Islamabad’s foreign policy. “Pakistan looks forward to continuing to work closely with all brotherly countries in the region towards lasting peace and stability. We remain committed to advancing the cause of peaceful resolution of all conflicts and building a more secure, stable and prosperous future for our peoples,” he concluded.
Başbakan Şahbaz, Suudi Arabistan'a Üç Günlük Ziyarete BaşladıDRC president claims Trump deal requires he seize another term
Last week, the Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) opened the door for the country’s sitting president, Felix Tshisekedi, to seek a third term. In a widely expected but nonetheless dramatic decision, the court ruled that the country’s constitution — including its provision limiting presidents to two terms in office — can now be amended via a referendum in the event of “major dysfunction” of state institutions. The country’s 2006 constitution not only limits a president to two five-year terms, but Article 220 stipulates that “the number and length of the terms of office of the President of the Republic … may not form the object of a Constitutional amendment.” Tshisekedi already expressed interest in the idea of a referendum on term limits, saying in June, “I have not asked for a third term, but if the people want a third term, I will accept.” The next presidential election is scheduled for 2028. The court’s decision now threatens to set off a political crisis in the country — one in which the United States, which has actively tried to influence both political and economic issues in the DRC for years, has unintentionally become embroiled. In a press conference on May 6, Tshisekedi argued, without evidence, that amending his country’s constitution was among the conditions put in place by Washington in the minerals agreement the two countries signed last December, which gave American firms preferential access to the country’s resources. Members and supporters of the ruling coalition are now repeating this claim across the media, pointing to Article XII of the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) as the condition requiring an amendment to the country’s constitution. The article in question says that the DRC must commit “to undertake any legislative and constitutional reforms within a maximum period of twelve (12) months in order to align its legal framework with the relevant provisions of this Agreement.” But the SPA does not require any specific changes to the Congolese constitution, let alone any that focus directly on presidential term limits. The only explicit requirement in the SPA is that the Congolese government agrees to amend a 2014 law focused on “the fiscal, customs, parafiscal, non-tax revenue and exchange regime” and to “undertake any legislative and constitutional reforms … to align its legal framework” with the SPA. In order to avoid the appearance of foreign interference, the Trump administration should clearly indicate that the SPA does not require the DRC to make any constitutional amendment relating to presidential powers or term limits. Another argument advanced by Tshisekedi and his supporters is that, since the constitution was largely written by foreigners, it never sufficiently accounted for domestic Congolese realities. The text therefore needs to be amended, if not completely overhauled, in order to be more responsive to local needs. U.S.-based organizations funded by the U.S. government were among those that sent experts to the DRC to help in the drafting and implementation of the constitution. A third major argument presented by Tshisekedi and his supporters has to do with the long-standing war ravaging the DRC’s east. The DRC has for years been fighting a proxy war against Rwanda, in which both countries are providing munitions to various armed groups in a conflict whose origins date back to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. In early May, Tshisekedi said “If we cannot end this war, unfortunately we will not be able to organize elections in 2028.” “The resources are there, we can do it, but we cannot organize them without North Kivu and South Kivu,” he argued, referring to two of the country’s eastern provinces where much of the recent fighting has taken place. The United States is directly implicated in the conflict’s future. Washington brokered an agreement in June 2025 to end the war in exchange for preferential access to the region’s minerals — access which was codified in the December SPA. Despite Trump’s claims to have ended the war, fighting has continued sporadically in the year since. If peace continues to be elusive, and if Tshisekedi continues to cite the conflict to argue for deferring elections, Washington could find itself in a difficult position. In such a case, it would need to pressure Tshisekedi to live up to his end of the peace deal, including ceasing “any state support to non-state armed groups except as necessary to facilitate implementation of this Agreement.” Reporting suggests the DRC continues to provide support to several of the armed groups fighting in the country’s east. Ultimately, the United States’ primary objective in the DRC shouldn’t be to support Tshisekedi’s effort to cling to power, no matter how amenable he’s been to U.S. mining interests. The DRC has long struggled to support a liberal democracy where reliable elections happen as scheduled. The country was under a dictatorship until 1997, when long-time ruler Mobutu Sese Seko fled the country under threat. Laurent-Desire Kabila took over the next day, installing an autocratic government. After years of conflict and unstable governance, a constitution was approved in 2006, providing for two five-year term limits for the office of the president. In 2015, then-President Joseph Kabila — the son of Laurent-Desire — expressed his interest in seeking an unconstitutional third term in office. Tshisekedi, who was in the opposition at the time, spoke out against Kabila’s plans, claiming that they were a breach of democracy. Widespread protests and pressure from foreign governments ultimately forced Kabila to step down at the end of his second term, allowing for elections to be held, in which the Constitutional Court declared Tshisekedi the winner amid claims of electoral fraud by the opposition. The opposition has voiced disapproval over Tshisekedi’s apparent attempt to hold onto power. In a speech before the Conference of Catholic Bishops a couple weeks ago, Martin Fayulu, who officially came in second in the 2018 presidential election and third in 2023, said “Tshisekedi has betrayed the oath he took to respect and defend the constitution.” For the United States, the goal in the DRC shouldn’t be to advance or hinder the interests of any single domestic politician, no matter how powerful they might be. Getting embroiled in the domestic political affairs of the DRC risks pulling the U.S. into a crisis from which it has nothing to gain. Rather, Washington should remain focused on promoting its own interests by seeking access to the region’s economic opportunities and extending its investments across the Congo in an effort to integrate the region’s vital resources into global supply chains. The United States should also work to continuously hold each of the belligerent sides accountable for the peace accord signed last year in Washington. If peace takes hold, then the U.S. wins twice: first by securing a diplomatic victory, and second by lowering barriers to investment for American private sector firms.
Trump'ın Hürmüz Boğazı'ndaki Süveyş Anı: Masadaki Anlaşma ABD'nin ÇıkarınaCongo-Kinshasa: Neutralizing the FDLR Remains the Key Obstacle to Peace in the East - Kinshasa Focuses On Diplomacy
[Agenzia Fides] Kinshasa -- As the national dialogue launched by President Félix Tshisekedi continues (see Fides, 23/7/2026), one of the central issues remains the persistent insecurity in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the provinces of North and South Kivu, where numerous armed groups continue to operate. The most significant among them is the M23 movement, which has taken control of large areas of both provinces.