DIARY-Political and General News Events from Dec. 18

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---------------------------------------------------------------- This Diary is filed daily. Indicates new events ---------------------------------------------------------------- WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18

** ROME, VATICAN CITY – Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs visits Italy and the Vatican City (to 19 Dec). NAYPYIDAW – Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam, on an official visit to Myanmar at the invitation of President Win Myint (to Dec. 18). BEIJING - President of the Laos, Pany Yathotou, will pay a visit to China (to Dec. 20) MOSCOW - Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will make his first visit to Russia (to Dec. 21)

TOKYO - Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visits Japan (to Dec. 20). KUALA LUMPUR - Turkey, Pakistan and other Muslim majority nations to meet in Malaysia summit (to Dec. 20).

BERLIN - Germany's Economy Minister Peter Altmaier to give a speech at a German-Saudi business meeting in Berlin – 1300 GMT. MACAU, China (PRC) - Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to arrive for a multi-day visit, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the handover of Macau to Chinese control on Dec. 20 - 0100 GMT. - - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19 ** MOSCOW – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi hold a meeting in Moscow - 0800 GMT. NEW DELHI – Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Costa will be visiting India for two days (to Dec. 20) - - - - - - - - -

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20 TOKYO – Iran President Hassan Rouhani will visit Japan for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo (to Dec. 21). SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko as the countries negotiate an integration pact.

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. - - - - - - - - -

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22 ** ABIDJAN – French President Emmanuel Macron visits Ivory Coast. He will visit Bouake to pay homage to French and US soldiers killed in 2004 before flying to Niamey. ** NIAMEY – French President Emmanuel Macron visits Niamey for a day to pay homage to 71 Niger soldiers killed in Inates on Dec.10 and prepare for a G5 Sahel summit in Pau on January 13. ** KUWAIT CITY – Arab OPEC ministers are due to meet in Kuwait for an annual gathering. UZBEKISTAN - Uzbekistani Legislative Chamber election. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, DECEMBER 23

BEIJING - South Korean President Moon Jae-in will visit China for annual summit talks with Chinese and Japanese leaders (to Dec. 25) BEIJING - Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit China for three days to hold a trilateral summit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae In (to Dec. 25). - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24

CHENGDU, China - Trilateral meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the southwestern city of Chengdu. - - - - - - - - -

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 TALLINN – 9th anniversary of adoption of the euro by Estonia. - - - - - - - - -

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2 PALM SPRINGS, Ca – 31st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (to Jan. 13). - - - - - - - - -

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4 BURMA – 72nd anniversary of Burma's independence. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, JANUARY 6

LONDON - Costa Book Category Awards Winners to be announced. - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, JANUARY 7

WASHINGTON DC, United States - U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the White House. PHNOM PENH - The ruling Cambodian People's Party celebrates the 41st anniversary of the victory over the Khmer Rouge regime. - - - - - - - - -

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 BRUSSELS - European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis will present the EU's Sustainable Investment Plan in Brussels.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul. - - - - - - - - -

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 ZAGREB - European Commission visits Croatia as the nation starts its Presidency of the Council of the EU (to Jan. 10). - - - - - - - - - Friday, JANUARY 10

BRUSSELS - European Motor Show Brussels 2020 (to Jan. 19). - - - - - - - - -

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 WASHINGTON/MOSCOW – 9th Anniversary of U.S.-Russia civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.

TAIWAN - Taiwanese Legislative Yuan election. TAIWAN – Referendum election. - - - - - - - - - SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

HAITI - 10th anniversary of Haiti's magnitude 7 earthquake that destroyed much of the Haitian capital. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, JANUARY 13

ABU DHABI - International Water Summit 2020 (to Jan. 16). ABU DHABI - World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2020 (to Jan. 16). - - - - - - - - -

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14 TUNISIA – 9th Anniversary of ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. BRUSSELS - European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis will present the EU's Sustainable Investment Plan in Brussels.

- - - - - - - - - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15

MOSCOW - The Gaidar Forum 2020 (to Jan. 16). - - - - - - - - - FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

Paris - OECD ministerial meeting on migration. - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, JANUARY 21

DAVOS, Switzerland - 2020 World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. (to Jan. 24) - - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, JANUARY 25

EGYPT – 9th Anniversary of beginning of Egyptian revolution, which marked a series of mass popular protests leading to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. - - - - - - - - - FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

TUESDAY - Costa Book of the Year will be announced. - - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 BRUSSELS - Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell presents the EU's enlargement methodology.

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