The Capitals: Kyiv tests its diplomatic capital against Moscow; and more

New Delhi

The developments from two European cities kept capitals around the world at work. First is Italy's Bari where the Group of Seven (or G7) countries held their 50th summit, and over 1,100 km northwest of Bari in the Swiss city of Bürgenstock where a summit billed as "peace summit" to end the war in Ukraine was held. The G7 consists of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and France, with the European Union also participating.

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In Bari, the leaders "launched the G7 Coalition to prevent and counter the smuggling of migrants". The summit’s final declaration noted that the seven nations would "focus on the root causes of irregular migration, efforts to enhance border management and curb transnational organised crime, and safe and regular pathways for migration."

But 28 months into the war in Ukraine, the top takeaway from the G7 summit remains a consensus on using frozen Russian assets in the Western countries to fund a $50bn loan to Ukraine. Kyiv hailed the move as “a vital step forward in providing sustainable support for Ukraine in winning this war”.

But just hours after that announcement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman vowed that there would be “extremely painful” measures in retaliation. Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced it as "theft". 

In Switzerland, the peace summit to end war in Ukraine that did not include Russia as a participant failed to persuade major countries from the "global South" to join in isolating Russia. My colleague and WION's principal diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal has reported on it in detail here.

Read more in The Capitals this weekend:

Cape Town, South Africa

The Capitals in recent months has reported about Pretoria as one of the power centers of South Africa. But do you know why we have Cape Town in the spotlight this weekend?

Well, this is because as a country with one of the most decentralised power structures, South Africa has three capitals. Pretoria in the country's north serves as the administrative capital. About 1,500 km south, Cape Town is the seat of the parliament. Bloemfontein, about 450 km from South Africa, is regarded as the judicial capital. But the country's highest court is located in Johannesburg, a short drive outside Pretoria. 

Since the crisis in South Africa was over the African National Congress's loss of parliamentary majority in the recently held elections, the capital in the spotlight is Cape Town. 

On Friday (June 14), President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected as South Africa's president after brokering a deal with the opposition for a government of national unity after his African National Congress's worst election result since the end of Apartheid.

Ramaphosa clinched a deal with the opposition, white-led Democratic Alliance and at least two other smaller parties as the National Assembly held its first sitting since the election and elected Ramaphosa as the leader. 

The accord has allowed President Cyril Ramaphosa to win a second term in power. He was re-elected with 283 votes

Once unthinkable, the accord allowed President Cyril Ramaphosa to win a second term in office. He was re-elected by lawmakers with 283 votes in the 400-member National Assembly.

The deal between two sharply antagonistic parties is the most significant political shift in South Africa since Nelson Mandela led the ANC to victory in the 1994 election that marked the end of apartheid.

Yerevan, Armenia

In a major setback to Moscow's influence in the countries of the former Soviet Republic, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed that Yerevan is freezing its participation in the Russia-led military alliance Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). PM Pashinyan accused the alliance of failing to protect Yerevan's interests from resurgent Azerbaijani aggression. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan occupied in September 2022. Moscow has traditionally allied with Armenia, but their relations ties have soured in recent months while Moscow’s ties to Azerbaijan have deepened.

Prime Minister Pashinyan told parliamentarians earlier this week that Armenia had “frozen” its participation in the CSTO and would leave the bloc at a time of Armenia’s choosing.

Paris, France

French President Emmanuel Macron announced snap elections following a massive loss for his Renaissance party in the European Parliament election. Macron's decision is set to reconstitute corridors of power in Paris amid a resurgent National Rally of far-right leader Marine Le Penn. The first round is scheduled for June 30 and the run-off is on July 7, just three days after July 4 elections in the UK. That's a packed election schedule for Europe in the immediate future. 

Tokyo, Japan

Can you force a real estate firm to take down a property because it hides the picturesque view that was previously visible? Well, a major Japanese developer Sekisui House Limited announced that it will demolish a nearly complete condominium in western Tokyo after nearby residents complained the building partially blocks the view of the iconic Mount Fuji. 

The Osaka-based company will take down the 10-storey building due to "insufficient consideration for the impact on the scenery." A major win for Tokyo's citizenry here.