Round up | Top 5 international stories for the week

From the Riyadh Summit, where the Saudi Crown Prince lashed out at Israel, to the 21-nation economic forum held at Lima, the Peruvian state capital, here are five stories from the international arena that made headlines last week.

1. Arab and Muslim leaders meet in Riyadh, call for peace in West Asia

2. North Korea ratifies landmark defence pact with Russia, pledges more support

3. Fil-Aime sworn in as new Haiti’s PM, commits to democratic transition

4. Biden welcomes Trump at the White House, assures smooth transition of power

5. APEC leaders meet in Lima, reiterate commitment to economic cooperation

Let’s take a deep dive;

1 – Arab and Muslim leaders meet in Riyadh, call for peace in West Asia

Leaders from the Islamic and Arab worlds Monday met under one roof at Riyadh, the Saudi state capital to chart a course to peace in West Asia. The humanitarian crisis in the region was a focal point of the summit. Discussions addressed the devastating effects of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon and emphasised the importance of a two-state solution, where the Israelis and Palestinians can co-exist.

In his address, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the host and Crown Prince of the Saudi state lashed out at Israel and called its occupation of Gaza a “genocide”, marking the harshest public criticism of Israel by a Saudi official in recent times.

President of Palestine, Mahmood Abbas, and Lebanese Premier, Najib Mikati denounced Israel’s actions on their respective territories. On the whole, the summit statement decried Tel Aviv’s excesses and called for its immediate withdrawal from occupied territories – as that offers the surest means for peace to materialise.

2 – North Korea ratifies landmark defence pact with Russia, pledges more support

Communist nation North Korea Monday signed into law a mutual defence pact with Moscow, its topmost partner. This comes after Russian lawmakers voted unanimously a week before to commit to the deal with Putin’s assent.

The accord, negotiated by Moscow and Pyongyang in June, calls on both nuclear-armed states to step in militarily for each other – interpreted in the context of “an attack on one is an attack on both”. It also obligates both parties to coordinate positions in the United Nations and oppose Western sanctions.

North Korea and its leader, Kim remain a firm supporter and top contributor to Russia’s war in Ukraine, providing the Kremlin with both fire and manpower.

3 – Fil-Aime sworn in as new Haiti’s PM, commits to democratic transition

International stories of importance made the headlines on Monday as businessman and former senate candidate Alix Didier Fils-Aime was sworn in as the new Premier of the Haitian Republic, replacing Garry Conille.

This replacement orchestrated by the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council (TPC), a body saddled with the responsibility of reestablishing democratic order in the Caribbean nation, marks the latest blow to political order in the Island state.

Haiti faces a wide range of difficulties. Port-au-Prince is in the throes of a constitutional crisis where there is no parliament and a democratically elected state leader. The security architecture of the nation is frail as over 85 percent of the state capital is in the hands of armed militias.

The island nation of less than 12 million inhabitants is also grappling with a humanitarian crisis where its population faces mass displacement and starvation.

In his inaugural address, the newly sworn-in Premier, Fil-Aime promised to address the core issues bedeviling the nation and pledged to work closely with the TPC to speed up Haiti’s political resurgence.

4 – Biden welcomes Trump at the White House, assures smooth transition of power

Incumbent US President Joe Biden Wednesday hosted President-elect Donald Trump at the White House in line with US political traditions of peaceful transfer of presidential power.

Biden congratulated Trump, and both leaders held a discussion lasting over 90 minutes, focusing on domestic and foreign policy issues, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

President Biden assured a smooth transition of power to President-elect Trump, whose electoral victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was both historic and impressive in every sense.

Trump, now in the business of rapid cabinet selections and appointments, is set to take the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States (POTUS) come January 20.

5 – APEC leaders meet in Lima, reiterate commitment to economic cooperation

In a two-day summit held November 15 to 16, economic leaders in and around the Pacific met at Lima, the Peruvian state capital under the aegis of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to discuss economics and trade.

In attendance were Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, leaders of the world’s two largest economies. Other attendees included state leaders from Canada, Chile, Indonesia, and South Korea, among others.

On the sidelines of the summit, President Biden courted member states. This comes as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House amid concerns over potential economic tensions when he assumes office.

The 21-member forum, established in 1989, aims to promote economic cooperation, trade, and investment across the Asia-Pacific region as South Korea braces up to host the next APEC summit come 2025.