More than 30 countries are waiting to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), adding to its 57 founding members, its president said on Friday. Jin did not identify the prospective members. Almost many major U.S. allies – Australia, Britain, German, Italy, the Philippines and South Korea – have joined. Source: Reuters
The U.S. State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of the Patriot air and missile defense system to Turkey for an estimated total of $3.5 billion, the Pentagon said on Dec. 18. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel has offered his resignation just days after one of his main coalition partners quit in a row over migration. Source: BBC
U.S. President Donald Trump urged his Kosovan counterpart Hashim Thaçi to seize the chance to seal a permanent peace deal with Serbia. In a surprise intervention in faltering talks between the Balkan states, Trump held out the prospect in a letter of a White House meeting with Thaçi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić if they reach a deal. Vučić received a similar letter from Trump, his media adviser said. Source: Politico
