International
US snubs EastMed pipeline as Russian energy alternative
AFP
Building an East Mediterranean gas pipeline to Europe as an alternative to Russian energy would be too expensive and take too long to build, a senior US diplomat said Thursday.
The EastMed pipeline to transfer natural gas from Israeli waters to Europe via Cyprus and Greece was announced in 2016, and several agreements have been signed.
The three states aimed to complete the €6 billion ($6.5 billion) project by 2025, but no financing has been secured.
US State Department official Victoria Nuland said the pipeline was too long, in very deep waters and would take a decade to build.
“We believe it is too expensive, not economically viable and will take too long,” Nuland said, after meeting Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
“When we think about hydrocarbons, both in the US context and in the EU context, we are hoping for a quick transition — and frankly, we don’t have 10 years,” she added.
“So what we are looking for within the hydrocarbon context are options that can get us more gas, more oil for this short transition period.”
Greece, Cyprus and Israel signed a deal in January 2020 to build a 2,000-kilometre (1,250 mile) subsea pipeline.
Nuland said there was a need to search for alternative supplies to avoid dependence on Russian energy after Moscow invaded Ukraine.
“Countries throughout this area have understood that dependence on Russian oil and gas is an extremely bad bet,” Nuland said.
“There is a convergence of interest in diversifying supply even as we work to get green.”
She said Washington does support other projects that Cyprus, Greece and Israel are involved in.
That includes the €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) EuroAsia Interconnector — the world’s longest and deepest underwater power cable, linking their electricity grids with Europe — which is slated to be completed by 2025.
“We have supported the idea of the EuroAsia electricity interconnector and other projects,” Nuland said.
International
Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives
Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.
Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.
Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.
A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.
The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.
Central America
Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November
The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.
The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.
The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.
The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
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