Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and deescalate Middle East animosities, affirming their resolve to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.
In late 2025, the United States shocked the world by suspending global health aid, leading experts to predict 700,000 additional deaths annually, primarily among children. This prompted the US to propose unusual bilateral health agreements with developing countries, which have drawn criticism for being exploitative.
Meloni met the Qatari leader to discuss the energy crisis due to the ongoing United States and Israeli war on Iran, emphasizing Italy's readiness to contribute to the rehabilitation of Qatari energy infrastructure.
The ongoing conflict between the US and Israel against Iran is creating significant challenges for Gulf Arab nations, which are already feeling the economic strain from rising tensions and instability in the region.
Moses Chrispus Okello, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, states that there is a high risk of escalation in Somaliland, where Israel and the UAE have interests. He emphasizes that tensions could also rise in neighboring Djibouti, where the US and other powers are active.
The global impact of the Gulf countries is not limited to oil. This region is a hub of the international economy and if it decides to focus on its defense and to start pulling investments and to stop its [economic] engagement with the international community, the effect will be felt in every household in the world.
Bilateral ties between Egypt and Somalia continue to deepen. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi assured his Somali counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday in Cairothat Egypt stands firmly behind "Somalia's unity and territorial integrity." On Wednesday, Cairo then followed up on an agreement from January 2025 and deployed 1,091 troops to Somalia's capital Mogadishu. The deployment of Egyptian forces to Somalia the first such deployment in their decades-old bilateral history marks a significant shift.