Assassination plot to language drop: Diplomatic pivots in headlines of 2023

January 1, 2023

Croatia joins Eurozone and Schengen, adopts Euro

The year kicked off with Croatia becoming the 20th Eurozone member and the 27th Schengen Area entrant. The country’s 28-year-old currency, the kuna, was simultaneously replaced with the euro and its borders with neighbouring European Union countries vanished, marking Zagreb’s deeper integration into Europe.

Admission to the Schengen Area remained elusive for Bulgaria and Romania, however. Six years after their EU accession, both nations were denied Schengen Area entry despite meeting the technical membership criteria since 2011.

February 21, 2023

Russia suspends 2010 Nuclear Disarmament Treaty with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was suspending the 2010 nuclear disarmament treaty — the New START Treaty — it had with the United States.

The treaty, which was due to expire in 2026, limited the number of nuclear warheads the world's two biggest nuclear powers can deploy.

March 17, 2023

ICC issues arrest warrant for Putin

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of bearing responsibility for the illegal deportation of children — a war crime — during Russia’s war against Ukraine.

In its first warrant for Ukraine, the ICC called for Putin's arrest on suspicion of unlawfully deporting children and transferring people from the territory of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

March 30 - April 4, 2023

Finland joins NATO

Finland officially became a member of NATO on April 4, 2023, following Türkiye's ratification of Finland's NATO accession protocol on March 30.

Many saw Helsinki’s accession as marking a historic security policy shift for the country, triggered by Russia's incursion into Ukraine.

Russia has branded the Nordic nation’s NATO membership an "assault on our security" and said it would take countermeasures.

May 24, 2023

Canada, Saudi Arabia diplomatic revival

Canada and Saudi Arabia have agreed to fully restore diplomatic ties and appoint new ambassadors, resolving the fallout between both nations following a 2018 dispute triggered by a tweet from Canada's embassy in Riyadh.

The normalisation comes after discussions between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the APEC Forum summit. The move, which comes after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, aligns with Prince MBS's efforts to assert Saudi Arabia's regional influence amid global conflicts.

July 25, 2023

Mali drops French as its official language

Mali underwent a constitutional transformation and demoted French, which had been the West African country's official language since 1960 as a colonial heritage.

In a June 18 referendum to devise a new constitution, a resounding 96.91% voted to downgrade French, designating it as the country’s “working language,” while elevating the status of the 13 national languages spoken in Mali to that of the nation’s official languages.

The importance of the constitutional amendments were further emphasised by the renaming of the country’s previous constitution — known as the “colonial-era constitution”.

August 24, 2023

BRICS welcome new members

Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Ethiopia officially joined BRICS, expanding the bloc’s footprint in Africa and the Middle East. Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, has yet declined to join the organisation.

September 19, 2023

India-Canada diplomatic tensions surge

Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa escalated swiftly following the assassination of a separatist Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia last June.

Canada took a decisive step by expelling a senior Indian diplomat believed to be linked to the murder of the Sikh leader. The move came as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged that India was involved in the assassination, prompting a strong reaction from the Indian government.

In response, India expelled Canada's top diplomat, froze visa services for Canadians, and issued a travel advisory citing "growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes" in Canada.

Amid escalating tensions, New Delhi instructed Ottawa to withdraw around 40 diplomats, threatening to revoke diplomatic immunity for those who remained beyond October 10. This diplomatic row added strain to the relationship between the two nations, with Trudeau's accusations heightening discord and India countering with allegations of Canada harbouring "extremists." The complex situation unfolded within the context of Canada’s significant Sikh community, which represents two percent of the country's population.

September 24, 2023

France withdraws troops from Niger

French troops began their withdrawal from Niger on September 24, 2023, weeks after President Emmanuel Macron declared an end to military cooperation with the West African country, citing refusal to be "held hostage" by the ruling junta. The retreat of 1,500 troops significantly affected France’s influence in the Sahel region.

Macron had previously announced the troops would withdraw "by the end of the year," impacting the fight against insurgents in the Sahel.

The junta's demand for the departure of French forces led to anti-French demonstrations. The withdrawal affected the "three borders" zone, known as a haven for the Daesh terrorist group, and France's presence in Niger was reevaluated in coordination with the junta's restrictions.