sovereign state

Lesotho's Foreign Affairs Minister Lejone Mpotjoane said it was "shocking" to hear a head of state "refer to another sovereign state in that manner".

To have Israeli troops increasingly infringing on the country's territory - as well as carrying out numerous strikes on targets associated with what's left of Assad's military arsenal - does not fit with the vision of a re-unified, sovereign state that Sharaa is trying to convince Syrians both inside and outside the country that his leadership can provide.

Around three quarters of UN members recognise Gaza as part of a sovereign state of Palestine, though the US does not.

He adds: "Even Denmark, which is a sovereign state, is interdependent… I prefer the word statehood."

"What is necessary here is that Greenland as a sovereign state should negotiate directly with the United States and not Denmark doing that for us."