Presidency of Donald Trump

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar spoke about the Afghan peace process over the phone on March 13, according to diplomatic sources.

The two discussed a meeting on the peace process set to be held in Istanbul on April, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Turkey and Egypt have started diplomatic-level contacts after years-long hiatus with disruption of relations in 2013, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

"We have contacts both at the level of intelligence and foreign ministries with Egypt. Diplomatic-level contacts have started," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency and TRT.

Turkey is ready to take part in mediation efforts for peace in Afghanistan and the region, the country's ruling party spokesman said on March 9. 

"Afghanistan is a very important country for us," Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the AKP, told reporters in the capital Ankara after a meeting of the party's Central Executive Board.

In a bid to accelerate the stalled peace process, a meeting between the Afghan government representatives and the Taliban would be arranged in Turkey, according to a letter leaked by Afghanistan's Tolo News on March 7. 

The letter was sent by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, revealed in the leaked letter.

The Biden administration said on Feb. 28 it remains open to talks with Iran over the 2015 nuclear deal despite Tehran's rejection of an EU invitation to join a meeting with the U.S. and the other original participants in the agreement.

President Joe Biden on Feb. 24 formally revoked a series of presidential orders and memorandum signed by Donald Trump, including one that sought to cut funding from several cities the 45th president deemed "anarchist" havens and another mandating that federal buildings should be designed in a classical aesthetic.

President Joe Biden declared Canada and the United States best friends on Feb. 23, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the friendship "extraordinary" in a virtual meeting turning the page on the turbulent Donald Trump era.

President Joe Biden ordered flags lowered to half mast on Feb. 23 after the United States crossed the "heartbreaking" milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths, while Britain eyed lifting lockdowns in the latest sign of global gains against the pandemic.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Feb. 15 that Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol.

Thus, second initiative of the Democrats for Trump's impeachment failed.
There were 57 senators in favor of recalling Trump, while 43 voted against.
The 57-43 vote in the Senate, however, fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict.