Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: will not meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: will not meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria

    Thursday, March 16, 2023   No comments

Hours after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced that he will not meet his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria, Turkish officials called off a low level meeting among representives of the four states, Iran, Russia, Turkiye, and Syria. 

The Syrian president announced that he will not meet with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unless Turkey withdraws its forces from northern Syria.

Assad said that "(any assembly) is related to reaching the stage of Turkey's formation, in which it is clearly and without any ambiguity ready for the complete withdrawal from Syrian territory".

The Syrian president added that Turkey has "stopped supporting terrorism", referring to the militant groups that control the northern regions of Syria, some of which receive training and support from Turkey.

Assad added: "This is the only situation in which there can be a meeting between Erdoğan and Erdoğan."

He added questioningly: "Other than that, what is the value of the meeting if it does not achieve final results for the war in Syria?"

A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the meeting of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, Iran and Syria, which was scheduled for this week, has been postponed to a date yet to be determined.

And the source said that the meeting was postponed "for technical reasons", I don't know the details.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had mentioned last week that the deputy foreign ministers of the four countries will meet this week in Moscow before scheduled talks between the foreign ministers at a later date in order to resolve the crisis in Syria.

Cavishoglu said, after meeting Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian last week, that Iran expressed its desire to join the talks between Turkey, Syria and Russia, and that Turkey agreed to it.

In this context, the Turkish Anatolia Agency pointed out that the meeting of deputy ministers would be held on March 15 and 16.

Turkey has troops in Syria and continues to supports and/or supplies armed groups controlled the northwest of Syria and a strip in the north, the rest of the territories outside the government control remain under the US and Kurdish forces; as the map below shows.

Russia’s former president reviews news about the attack on Nord Stream as a bad movie: made people feel as if they ate pork knuckle with beer

Russia’s former president reviews news about the attack on Nord Stream as a bad movie: made people feel as if they ate pork knuckle with beer

    Thursday, March 09, 2023   No comments

Days after China made fun of Western intelligence revelation about the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, Russia’s former president reviews news about the attack on Nord Stream as a bad movie: made people feel as if they ate pork knuckle with beer.

Here is his biting review of the event translated:

For the third day, another epic drama from Hollywood is unfolding before our eyes. The sequel to the film, which was dedicated to Saddam's chemical weapons with a demonstration of test tubes at the UN.

The world, opening its mouth and experiencing a slight gag reflex, looks at the numerous bowel movements of the Western media about “who did blow up the Nord Streams after all.” And really: who framed Roger Rabbit?

 

It turns out that the whole thing is in some unknown “pro-Ukrainian group”. Which (it is especially emphasized) is in no way, well, absolutely, absolutely, not a single wire and switch is connected either with Bandera Kiev, or with Europe zombified by gynecologists, or with America plunged into senile insanity, or with the other Western world that has fallen ill with Russophobic hysteria. Just lone heroes who have come to grips with the damned Muscovites! The new salvation of the world by some inglorious bastards.

It turns out so-so - the actors are mediocre. Obviously not at the level of Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. And the director is not the level of Quentin Tarantino. Very poor casting and camera. The script is just boring shit. Stupid American propaganda. Nobody likes it. Even the European inhabitants poisoned by it do not believe. They feel sick, as if they ate pork knuckle with beer.

 

As the American beacons of freedom of speech and the vassal German mass media who joined them write, the mysterious divers (no other than in black balaclavas over wetsuits) were “citizens of Ukraine or Russia.” At the same time, they have nothing to do with the Kyiv regime. Especially with the free world.

In general, from no state, here! Citizens of the world. Just fighters with Muscovy. Loners-schizophrenics, such as initiators. The layman is offered a bunch of cheap special effects. Like, six hardened saboteurs, among whom even one fatal woman, femme fatale (and how without her in the film?), Went out on a yacht into the stormy Baltic Sea. They took on board half a ton of explosives, dived beautifully. And then how two huge pipes at the bottom would blow up! And they went into the sunset. Unnoticed. At sea, full of NATO ships and international tracking systems. They also returned the yacht to the owner, cool, but law-abiding!

 

Here is such a frank low-rated shnyaga category B.

 

Actually, the film failed immediately after the premiere. Western viewers do not believe it: they ask uncomfortable questions, why did the old version about the “Russian trace” suddenly begin to turn 180 degrees (or 360, as Granny Burbock thinks?).

And why is it necessary to excuse the Kiev regime so actively, defending its innocence and innocence with foam at the mouth?

The answers are quite understandable, given the current mood of Europeans, who are less and less pleased with the prospect of paying out of pocket for ever new packages of sanctions, arms supplies to Ukraine, an energy crisis and falling living standards in once prosperous countries.

 And if the Ukrainian Nazis, and not Russia at all, blew up the gas pipelines, what is the point of supporting them with fire, sword and money transfers? To fool the brains of Europeans, it seems that this whole cheap film was created.

 I wonder if the action movie will have a sequel? With a plot like this: the same heroes, led by the Polish cannibal Duda, who escaped from a psychiatric hospital, penetrate the bunker of the brave President Ze, who has sniffed white powder. They take him hostage and then accidentally strangle him. For it is not a pity and tired. And then the zombie apocalypse begins in the manner of The last of us.

Wait, stock up on popcorn.

 

What is the difference between the war in Iraq and the war in Ukraine?

What is the difference between the war in Iraq and the war in Ukraine?

    Tuesday, March 07, 2023   No comments

 While US and EU Allies attack Russian military intervention in Ukraine as illegal, and in a display of complete tone deafness, US military chief lands in Iraq to remind the world of its own illegal war on Iraq.

Just before the twentieth anniversary of the American invasion, Lloyd Austin visits Iraq.

An American official says that this visit aims to demonstrate Washington's commitment to maintaining its military presence in Iraq after nearly 20 years of invasion.

An American official said that this visit aims to demonstrate Washington's commitment to maintaining its military presence in Iraq after nearly 20 years of US-led invasion alongside an international coalition to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime.

On Twitter, when landing in Baghdad, Austin wrote, "I am here to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq as we move towards a safer, more stable and sovereign Iraq".

The Gulf states and "Israel" are secretly pressuring Russia not to arm Iran

The Gulf states and "Israel" are secretly pressuring Russia not to arm Iran

    Tuesday, March 07, 2023   No comments

 The American news site Semafor reported that "Israel and the main Gulf states are pressuring Russia not to send advanced military equipment - including helicopters and fighter jets - to Iran, for fear that its strong alliance will affect the balance of power in the Middle East."

According to the same site, "officials from Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, with the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent months, have raised their concerns directly," according to what they were quoted as saying by officials in the Middle East and the United States, who were briefed on the discussions. 

The officials told the site that "leaders in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have become more widely interested in the military know-how Iran is acquiring, "by helping Russia wage war in Europe, especially when it comes to carrying out drone strikes."

The tensions come after the Saudis, Emiratis and Israelis have all sought to "maintain relatively strong relations with Moscow" since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine.

The United States accused the Saudis and other Arab oil states of siding with Moscow in the war by agreeing to cut production in the "OPEC +" organization, an accusation denied by the Gulf states.

Likewise, Arab diplomats told Russian officials that "providing Tehran with advanced weapons will not only destabilize the military balance in the Gulf, but will also put Russia firmly on Iran's side in any potential conflict, isolating Moscow from its Arab partners."

They added that they asked Russia "at least" to postpone any arms shipments to Iran, if it "does not agree to cancel them completely."

While those briefed on recent discussions between the Arabs and the Russians said they were "skeptical about the possibility of influencing the Russian president, given his dependence on Iranian aid in a war of central importance to Russia," the Arab diplomats said.

As a high-ranking Arab official briefed on the deliberations said, “I think it will get worse” for Saudi Arabia and “Israel,” considering that “the Russian-Iranian relationship will only get stronger because they now need each other.”

For his part, Norman Roll, who served as the US government's director of national intelligence for Iran from 2008 to 2017, told semafor that, "Iran is also gaining valuable experience by learning how to organize drone strikes against an equipped conventional army." NATO weapons and intelligence systems.

Washington has previously talked about Russia using Iranian war marches in Ukraine, but Moscow and Tehran have repeatedly denied the validity of these allegations.

"The conflict could provide Tehran with important lessons on how to launch imbued attacks against civilian and military targets, and they are likely to be used against Iran's neighbors and US forces," Roll added, referring to tactics designed to overwhelm an adversary's defenses.

According to the "semafor" website, "Tehran and Moscow have developed a close relationship over the past decade," as they cooperated to confront US interests abroad. The alliance was strengthened in Syria, where the two countries merged their military operations to support the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, against the fighters of "ISIS" and "Al-Nusra", who received American support.

The United States and its allies, according to the website, also follow closely the movement of Russian and Iranian delegations to each other's capitals, as some discussions focused on the future supply of Iranian ballistic missiles to Russia, according to the American website.

According to "semafor", Iran is seeking, in return, to purchase more advanced weapons systems from Russia, as Iranian state media reported that Tehran expects to obtain dozens of "Sukhoi Su-35" combat aircraft, as well as a group of attack helicopters and other equipment. arms.

A member of the Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Parliament, Shahriar Heidari, previously revealed this matter in mid-January.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters in late February that "the administration will be watching closely to see what transactions are actually taking place, if any."

Medvedev: NATO will provide Ukraine with fighters and maintain them in Poland, entering into a direct war with Russia

Medvedev: NATO will provide Ukraine with fighters and maintain them in Poland, entering into a direct war with Russia

    Thursday, March 02, 2023   No comments

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against supplying combat aircraft to Ukraine and conducting maintenance in Poland, saying that this is tantamount to entering a direct war against Russia.

Medvedev wrote on the Telegram application today, Thursday, that "anyone who decides to hand over (or repair) such equipment or means of destruction, as well as provide foreign mercenaries and military trainers, should be considered a legitimate military target."

He explained that this may be the only thing preventing “the childish behavior of the West” from supplying planes and long-range weapons to “drug addicts in Kiev.” Medvedev, who is currently deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, said he did not expect this to continue for a long time "because of the great desire to destroy Russia."

A Translation of Medvedev's full Statement:

Western analysts reluctantly admitted that when NATO specialists teach the Ukronazis how to use their military equipment in combat, this can be seen as direct involvement of NATO in the military conflict on the side of the Ukrainian regime.

Since the 20s of the last century, the understanding has been established that a country can be recognized as a participant in hostilities if, in addition to supplying weapons, it trains personnel to handle it (Briand-Kellogg pact of 1928, Budapest resolution to the 1934 pact).

This is how it is happening today: Canadian and German instructors in the EU are already teaching Ukrainian killers how to handle Leopards.

If we imagine that the NATO aircraft delivered in the future will be serviced by their military on the territory of some overgrown Poland (the only possibility, given the deplorable state of the defense industry in Little Russia), this will be a direct entry of the Atlanticists into the war against Russia with all the ensuing consequences. And all persons making decisions on the supply (repair) of such equipment or weapons, along with foreign mercenaries and military instructors, will have to be considered as a legitimate military target.

Apparently, this is the only thing that keeps Western infantiles from handing over aircraft and long-range weapons to Kyiv drug addicts. Although not the fact that for a long time. The temptation to crush Russia is already very great.

And one more thing - today's events have shown who is really supported in the USA, NATO and the EU. This is not the "freedom-loving people of Ukraine", which does not want to return to the "Moskal scoop". They're just Nazi bastards, terrorist scum who attack civilians by brandishing a stinky yellow-black rag. Let them now be justified in London, Paris, Berlin and Washington.

These are your fosterlings, Messrs. Sunak, Macron, Scholz and Biden! And our attitude towards you is now the same as towards them. Now your countries are participants in the terrorist acts of the Ukrainian regime, and you are direct accomplices of terrorists.

Beijing submits a peace plan proposal as a public position for the conflcit between Russia and Ukraine

Beijing submits a peace plan proposal as a public position for the conflcit between Russia and Ukraine

    Friday, February 24, 2023   No comments

Media coverage of the Chinese proposal related to the military conflict in Ukraine is different depending on the source and its connection to the political systems. Here, a fact-driven, sourced summary is presented to serious readers who wish to understand, not take side.

With increased pressure on China to stop "thinking about" providing Russia with lethal weapons, China chose instead to propose a road map for ending the conflict. There are many legitimate questions as to the timing of the proposal and the increased pressure on China and other countries to take public stance about the conflict. A summary of the Chinese proposal as explained by Chinese officials and Chinese media is provided here along with some references for context.

In a 12-point position paper dubbed "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," issued on Friday morning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called for ceasing hostilities and resuming peace talks, stopping unilateral sanctions and abandoning the Cold War mentality.

It also called for respecting the sovereignty of all countries and expressed opposition to the use of nuclear weapons. 

Chinese experts said the document should be viewed as a blueprint that has made China's principles clear for resolving the crisis and pointed out the basic path to achieve it constructively.

Although the document reflects China's position as a peacemaker and negotiation facilitator, as well as China's great sincerity in global governance, experts suggested that the course of the conflict largely depends on the willingness of both sides to resolve the conflict peacefully. And the atmosphere and willingness to negotiate are seemingly still far from being mature given the US and NATO's interference. 

Beijing called for stopping military operations in Ukraine, starting a negotiation process, and resuming direct dialogue as soon as possible.

Today, Friday, in a statement coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the Chinese Foreign Ministry considered that "it is necessary to cease-fire and military operations," calling on "all parties to maintain rationality and restraint and avoid further aggravation of the Ukrainian crisis or even It's out of control."

The statement indicated that it was necessary to "support Russia and Ukraine in moving towards each other to resume direct dialogue as soon as possible."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that "dialogue and negotiations are the only possible way to solve the Ukrainian crisis," adding: "The international community should create conditions and provide a platform for the resumption of negotiations. China is ready to continue to play a constructive role in this regard."

China considered it important to abandon "unilateral sanctions and pressure, as it will not solve the problem and will create new problems."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called for "reducing strategic risks" and stressed "resistance to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons."

This statement was preceded by an announcement in which China said that it would submit a proposal this week to reach a political solution to end the war, which has been going on for nearly a year.

It is noteworthy that China has called on the United States more than once to settle the Ukrainian crisis politically instead of fueling it, and also called for an end to the war in Ukraine, and confirmed that its relationship with Russia is not against anyone.

In the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, the head of the German Foreign Intelligence Service, Bruno Kahl, saw yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "currently interested in ending the conflict on the battlefield," while the Kremlin previously ruled out resuming talks with Kiev, especially after the latter passed a law. It stipulates that no negotiations with Russia should continue.

Likewise, the Kremlin accused Kiev of withdrawing from peace negotiations with Moscow last March on orders from Washington, and stressed at the same time that "Russia does not give up the possibility of negotiations with Ukraine, but postponing negotiations makes it difficult to agree."

Negotiations took place between Moscow and Kiev after the Russian military operation in Ukraine to end it. The foreign ministers of the two countries also met last March in Turkey without reaching substantial results. Since the negotiations faltered, the two sides exchanged accusations of causing this stalemate.

Updade (to reflect Russsia's reaction):

The Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed China's sincere desire to contribute to the settlement in Ukraine through peaceful means, and expressed Moscow's share with Beijing's vision for a settlement.

And the Russian Foreign Ministry statement said: "We share Beijing's proposal for a settlement, and we are committed to respecting the United Nations Charter, international and humanitarian law, and comprehensive security, in a way that does not enhance the security of one country at the expense of another country, or one group of countries at the expense of another."

She added, "We, along with China, see any restrictions imposed outside the scope of the UN Security Council as illegitimate, and a tool in unequal competition and economic warfare."

The Foreign Ministry affirmed that "Moscow is open to achieving the goals of the military operation through political and diplomatic means."

References:

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Western Media Review: After the Ukraine war, the West has become more isolated

Western Media Review: After the Ukraine war, the West has become more isolated

    Thursday, February 23, 2023   No comments

A year after the war in Ukraine, the West has never been more isolated, Politico reported Thursday.

The newspaper said, "The war in Ukraine accelerated the development of a post-Western world, and given current trends, it seems that this world may be more united, but also more isolated from the rest."

She added, "A year after the war in Ukraine, European and American governments defied critics with an extraordinary display of unity," asking: "But has this internal cohesion been achieved at the expense of external influence?"

This is the main question explored in a new survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Europe in a Changing World project at Oxford University, which covers public opinion from 10 European countries and five from other regions of the world.

According to the results of the survey, while the war brought the West closer together, it also revealed a gap between the West's perception of Russia and the war, and the perception of other countries, and part of this gap comes from radically different perceptions of the state of the world.

Citizens from Europe and non-Western countries share the same conviction that the US-led liberal order is over, but their understanding of what kind of order will come next differs sharply, according to the survey.

He also revealed that many in the West believe, through the legacy of the Cold War, that we are entering a bipolar world dominated by the United States and China, but in other parts of the world, they do not believe this division. The fundamental reason for this is that from the perspective of those in China, Turkey or Russia, we are entering a multipolar world between many centers of power, not a bipolar one.

In other words, the citizens of these countries believe that fragmentation into different systems will determine the future. In this scenario, the entire West would be just one center of power among many others, which would not single-handedly define order and lead global democracy.

According to the newspaper, the most fundamental reason for this view is that people in non-Western major powers now tend to believe that they also represent a real democracy. % of Indians, 36% of Turks, and 20% of Russians.

The newspaper pointed out that with Western governments anticipating the return of the Cold War-type bipolarity between democracy and tyranny, they often tend to view countries such as India and Turkey as swing states that can be persuaded to take sides, pointing out that "these countries see themselves completely differently, As emerging great powers, they may side with the West on some issues, but not on everything.

She also reported that "the ability of the West to work alongside those international partners who have a different understanding of the conflict will have an important impact on the outcome of the war, as well as on the shape of geopolitics," noting that "it takes humility to see countries like India, Brazil and Turkey as partners." In shaping the future system, not as players being moved to the right side of history."

Dmitry Medvedev: Defeating Russia will Trigger Nuclear War

Dmitry Medvedev: Defeating Russia will Trigger Nuclear War

    Wednesday, February 22, 2023   No comments

Known for his biting commentaries, sharp wit, and concise articulation of policy-sourced analysis, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, unleashed an attack on US President with a chillling warning: Defeating Russia will Trigger Nuclear War. Medvedev published this ominous warning on his favorite social media platform, Telegram, with the title, About two performances. For full context of his Feb. 22 post, we provide a full translation below.

_______________

1. Yesterday there was a Message from the President of Russia to the Federal Assembly, which, among other things, announced the suspension of our participation in START-3. An overdue decision, the inevitability of which I noted last year. The decision prompted by the war declared by the United States and other NATO countries to our country. A decision that will have a huge resonance in the world in general and in the United States in particular. After all, the American establishment has been thinking until now something like this: we will spoil you everywhere and in everything, we will supply gigantic volumes of weapons to the Kiev regime, we will work to defeat Russia, we will limit and destroy you, but strategic security is a separate issue. It is not connected with the general context of relations between the US and Russia. She is almost a sacred cow.

This conclusion is worse than a crime - this is a gross mistake of the Americans. An error generated by their mania grandiosa. Their sense of superiority and impunity. After all, it is obvious to all reasonable forces that if the United States wants the defeat of Russia, then we are on the verge of a world conflict. If the United States wants to defeat Russia, then we have the right to defend ourselves with any weapon, including nuclear. And as Vladimir Putin rightly said: "It is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield." It is with this that the suspension (for now) of START-3 is connected. Let the out-of-touch elites in the US think about what they have achieved. We will also observe the reaction of other nuclear powers - NATO members: France and Britain. Their strategic nuclear forces were usually not included in the balance of nuclear warheads and carriers when preparing agreements between the US and the USSR (Russia), but it is high time to do so.

2. Biden addressed the Russian people in front of a crowd of Poles. In fact, he delivered a sermon in the traditional messianic key for America, adjusted for senile insanity. Heaped high words about how important it is to defend democracy, and that the US is not going to attack Russia. It looked dishonest and ridiculous. Who is this strange grandfather, broadcasting with a bewildered look from Poland? Why does he appeal to the people of another country at a time when he is full of domestic problems? With what fright should we listen to a politician from a hostile state that exudes hatred for our Motherland? Why should the citizens of Russia trust the leader of the United States, who unleashed the most wars in the 20th and 21st centuries, but reproach us for aggressiveness? A person who directs all his weakening intellectual capabilities only to ensure that Russia suffers a “strategic defeat”.

And further. To paraphrase a famous expression, Biden said in Warsaw: “If Russia stops its invasion, it will end right now. If Ukrainians stop defending themselves, that will be the end of Ukraine.” This is a refined lie. The truth is quite different.

If Russia stops the SMO without achieving victory, Russia will not exist, it will be torn to pieces. If the US stops supplying weapons to the Kyiv regime, the war will end.

On February 24, Medvedev added this:

It's been a year since the special operation has been going on. A year since our servicemen restore order, peace and justice in our land, protect our people and destroy the roots of neo-Nazism. They are heroes.

The whole country helps them, supplying the front with everything necessary.

Victory will be achieved. We all want this to happen as soon as possible. And that day will come. We will return our territories and reliably protect our people, who have suffered during the years of genocide and shelling.

What's next?

Then there will be negotiations, which, I am sure, will become difficult and nervous. First of all, because the formal participants in the negotiations on the part of our enemy are one, and the actual leaders are completely different. And decisions for the Kiev regime will, of course, not be made by some kind of Zelensky, if he is still alive, or his clique. The decision will be made across the ocean by those in whose hands the supply of weapons to Kyiv and the allocation of money to maintain the remains of the Ukrainian economy. The motives of the main enemies of our country are obvious: to weaken Russia as much as possible, to bleed us for a long time. Therefore, they are not interested in ending the conflict. But sooner or later, according to historical laws, they will do it. And then there will be an agreement. Naturally, without fundamental agreements on real borders or on a new Helsinki Pact that ensures security in Europe. Just some kind of agreement.

Then, most likely, no less difficult time will begin. Exhausting months and years of confrontation, tantrums and rudeness on the part of those who will manage the stub that remains of Ukraine. Their fate is unenviable. They will not be able to recognize the results of the SVO without the risk of being executed on the same day. The nationalists will continue to control the powerful camarilla, because none of them have any other ideology than Bandera's neo-Nazism. Recognition of defeat for them is like death. Therefore, the ideology of “something to win” can remain for a long time.

And at some point, the new bloody boys, backed to the wall by once again unbelted Bandera, who call themselves the legal Ukrainian authorities, will again provoke a world conflict. It doesn't matter - on the eve of the elections or just on the next Maidan.

This cannot be allowed.

Therefore, it is so important to achieve all the goals of a special military operation. Push the borders of threats to our country as far as possible, even if these are the borders of Poland. Destroy neo-Nazism to the ground. In order not to waste time later on catching the remnants of Bandera gangs in the Little Russian forests. So that the world will find the long-awaited peace.

 

Dmitry Medvedev Bio:

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev graduated from the Faculty of Law of Leningrad State University in 1987 and completed his post-graduate studies at Leningrad State University in 1990. Holds a PhD in law and the title of associate professor.

Medvedev is a Russian politician who has been serving as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev also served as the president of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and as the prime minister of Russia between 2012 and 2020.

Putin: The relations between Russia and China are developing...and waiting for the Chinese President's visit

Putin: The relations between Russia and China are developing...and waiting for the Chinese President's visit

    Wednesday, February 22, 2023   No comments

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today, Wednesday, that Russian-Chinese relations are developing as planned, stressing that the two countries are reaching new stages.

This came in a meeting with the Head of the Bureau of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Wang Yi, in which, on the Russian side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, and the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, participated.

Putin added, during the meeting, that "Russia is waiting for Chinese President Xi Jinping on its territory," saying that "a visit like this will give impetus to the development of relations between the two countries."

And he stressed that "Russia is aware of the very important internal political developments that have taken place recently in China, which certainly contribute to the country's strength, and create the appropriate conditions for its continuous development in accordance with the plans of the Chinese Communist Party."

Speaking about the growing trade relations between Beijing and Moscow, the Russian president indicated that "the volume of trade exchange between the two countries will reach $200 billion before 2024."

"We set a goal to reach the level of 200 billion dollars in 2024. Last year it already reached 185 billion, and there is every reason to believe that we will achieve our goals in terms of trade, perhaps even earlier than planned," Putin told Wang Yi. .

Lavrov, in turn, stated that relations between Russia and China are developing dynamically despite the international turmoil, stressing that Moscow and Beijing are ready to defend each other's interests.

For his part, Wang Yi stressed during his talks with Lavrov that "Russian-Chinese relations maintain a high momentum," expressing his hope to "reach new agreements."

The Chinese official pointed out that "the Chinese-Russian relations, which are based on broad partnership and strategic cooperation in the new era, maintain a high momentum of development thanks to the strategic direction of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin."

And the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced earlier today that Russia and China agreed to jointly confront all forms of unilateral intimidation.

"The two sides expressed their willingness to jointly practice true multilateralism, confront all forms of unilateral intimidation, and promote the democratization of international relations and multipolarity," she added.

The two sides also agreed to further strengthen multilateral cooperation, and stressed the need to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

This came during a meeting between the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, and Wang Yi, yesterday, Tuesday, which dealt with the development of bilateral relations between Russia and China.

GT, Chinese English Daily, reported that Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi started his Russia visit on Tuesday after his trip to France, Italy, Hungary and a series of meetings with diplomats from countries including the US and Ukraine in Germany on the sideline of the Munich Security Conference, with analysts saying China is making efforts for mediation by engaging with all relevant parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while the US keeps on adding fuel to the flame and exploiting the conflict to make a political show. 

Is China Taking Gloves Off? "U.S. has no right to lecture on possible arms supplies to Moscow"

Is China Taking Gloves Off? "U.S. has no right to lecture on possible arms supplies to Moscow"

    Monday, February 20, 2023   No comments

Media review: Global Politics

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin: 

"It is the American side, not the Chinese side, that constantly supplies weapons to the battlefield. Who calls for dialogue and peace, and who distributes knives and encourages confrontation? The United States has no right to lecture China, and we will never allow the United States to dictate or pressure Sino-Russian relations." 

How and why do US-Trained Afghan Troops, ISIS, and Syrian Rebels end up Fighting on either side in Ukraine?

How and why do US-Trained Afghan Troops, ISIS, and Syrian Rebels end up Fighting on either side in Ukraine?

    Monday, February 13, 2023   No comments

In the 1970s and 80s, the US and Saudi Arabia worked together to radicalize, train, and equip fighters in Afghanistan with the hope that these fighters who combine a sectarian zeal and military skill will bring down the Soviet Union. The religious sectarian zeal empowered these fighters to attack the US on September 11, 2001.

Ten years later, in 2011, the US, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia trained and supplied fighters who were trained or inspired by the Afghan rebels to bring down the Syrian government. Russia stepped in in 2015 and reversed the gains made by al-Qaeda and ISIL troops.

Since 2002, the US military and intelligence started to train and arm an elite force in Afghanistan, some 30,000 fighters. Twenty years later, the US pulled out of Afghanistan and left that country in the hands of Taliban, the same government the US dislodged in 2002. Most of these elite Afghani troops were left behind. We are now learning that many of them, about 2/3 of them, are recruited to fight with Russia in Ukraine, the country that has received nearly $100 billion in aid and military equipment to help it fight the Russians.

 Over the twenty years since it invaded Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States has built, equipped, and trained the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. In order to enable these forces to fight the Taliban, which allied with al-Qaeda at the time, Washington spent nearly 90 billion dollars, until there were between 20-30 thousand Afghan special forces as a military elite that the Afghan government was proud of being trained by the Navy Special Forces. American, known as "SEAL", British Air Force Special Forces.

And with the start of implementing its decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in August 2021, Washington tried to transfer these soldiers and officers out of the country on the grounds that they were at risk from the Taliban movement, which took over the reins of government. For this, the United States established a huge air bridge, which was described as the largest operation of its kind in the history of the United States, and through which Washington was able to evacuate about 130,000 Afghans and foreigners from the country. However, the US airlift only transferred a few hundred senior Afghan Special Forces officers, leaving the bulk of them face to face with the advancing Taliban. About 1,000 Afghan special forces were evacuated to the United States, while a few others managed to reach Europe and Turkey, while about 20,000 of them were left behind inside Afghanistan.

Soon, these people changed their loyalties, and some of them fought in the ranks of the opposition groups, such as the National Resistance Front, the anti-Taliban political and military alliance led by Ahmed Shah Massoud, and took the Panjshir Valley as a center for its operations, and even a few of them resorted to fighting in the ranks of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, While a large number of them fled to neighboring countries, especially Iran and Pakistan, where they are awaiting asylum in a Western country due to their previous close ties to the US alliance.

With thousands of former Afghan soldiers and officers flocking to Iran, many American fears have been raised about transferring their unique knowledge of US army tactics and training to its arch-rival Iran, which poses a major security threat to the United States. It is easy for them to transfer their institutional knowledge of the US military, including the mechanics of collecting sensitive intelligence information, to Iran or other enemies of the United States if they communicate with them. And as stated in a report by Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the US Congress, the catastrophe of evacuating Afghans a year and a half ago endangered US intelligence assets, including the Afghan special forces, as “(they) could pose a threat to US security.” If they are coerced or recruited to work with one of Washington's adversaries, including international terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (in Khorasan) or countries such as China, Russia and Iran."

Events quickly proved that the fears of American officials were correct, as it began to become clear in the past few months that the Afghan Special Forces, which previously carried out advanced raids against the Taliban and bore the brunt of the American war on the Islamic movement, some of its men moved to fight on the side of Russia, the enemy. The arch-enemy of the Americans and the West as a whole these days, after hundreds of them received generous offers that included guaranteeing a safe life for them and their families, as well as obtaining Russian citizenship.

These efforts were led by the "Wagner" special combat group close to the Kremlin and made up of mercenaries fighting for Russia, which plays a prominent role in the war against Ukraine. Moscow hopes to draw on the experiences of former Afghan officers, after the battles over the past year showed that the Russian officers did not perform well on the battlefield against the Western-backed Ukrainian resistance. Media sources have confirmed that about a third of the former Afghan Special Forces are already fighting for Russia.

Meanwhile, as reported previously, ISIS fighters have relocted from Syria and Iraq to fight on the side of US supported Ukrainian forces. Recent Associated Press reporting (see AP Photos, below) depicted ISIS Black patches on the unforms of Ukrainian fighters.

  

Abe's memoirs after his assassination: I met Putin despite Washington's objection...and rejected sanctions against Moscow

Abe's memoirs after his assassination: I met Putin despite Washington's objection...and rejected sanctions against Moscow

    Saturday, February 11, 2023   No comments

The memoirs of the late Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, were issued seven months after his assassination, and revealed that his visit to Russia in 2016 angered the then US President, Barack Obama.

Abe said in his memoirs: “When I visited the United States in 2016 to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit, I told Obama that I would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi in May, and soon signs of discontent appeared on his face, and he answered me angrily: If I was in your place, when you did that."

He added, "I visited Sochi, and met Putin, despite Washington's objection."

Abe also pointed out that Obama's position stems from the United States' desire to keep intensifying the efforts of the Group of Seven countries, collectively, on the issue of pressure on Moscow, following the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation.

Abe mentioned in his memoirs that Obama's sudden proposal, during the "G7" summit in Brussels in 2014, to impose sanctions against Russia, due to differences over Ukraine and the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation, sparked reactions and reservations by some European countries. Like France, which was planning to export amphibious ships to Russia, and Germany, which relies mainly on Russian gas.

Abe confirmed that "Obama was strict in raising the issue of sanctions" against Russia, and he distributed himself, surprisingly and contrary to diplomatic norms, the list of sanctions to the participants in the summit, although this list was not passed to experts, for study before it was presented.

Abe said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked him about Tokyo's position on sanctions, and he replied, "Japan will not participate in sanctions against Russia, because that would strain negotiations between the two countries, but we can issue a document of condemnation in the form of criticism."

He pointed out that Merkel suggested that everyone issue a statement condemning Russia, and leave the discussion of sanctions at the administrative level of each country, as it deems appropriate.

Abe noted that "everyone felt relieved," because the issue of sanctions against Russia was not agreed upon among the countries of the group, and it was adopted to issue a statement, collectively condemning Russia, instead of sanctions.

Likewise, Abe touched in his memoirs on the peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo in 2018, and considered that it was not "considered a concession by Tokyo," because according to the joint Soviet-Japanese declaration on October 19, 1956, the Soviet Union pledged at the time to return Shikotan Island, and many The uninhabited islands adjacent to the Lesser Kuril Mountain Range, to Japan, upon the conclusion of a final peace treaty, between the two countries.

He described Japan's demand to Russia to return all the islands of the southern part of the Kuril Islands at once as illogical, and means that these islands will never return to Japan.

It is noteworthy that Abe's memoirs include 18 press interviews, in a question and answer format, for a total of 36 hours. It was not published before due to its very sensitive nature, and it was put up for sale in Japan this week.

It is reported that Abe (67 years old) was subjected to an armed attack on July 8, 2022 while he was giving a speech at an election event in the city of Nara, in the west of the country, where he was shot with a gun from behind, after which he was transferred to the hospital, and died of his wounds.

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh: The CIA carried out the Nord Stream bombing

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh: The CIA carried out the Nord Stream bombing

    Thursday, February 09, 2023   No comments

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh blamed the US administration for the bombing of the Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline, which took place last September.

According to a report by the veteran journalist, the bombing of an underwater gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea was a covert operation ordered by the White House and carried out by the CIA.

In a 5,000-word lengthy report, Hirsch wrote that the operation was disguised "under the guise of a widely publicized NATO mid-summer exercise known as Operation Baltic-22" that took place this past June. .

In the report, Hersh says that the American divers in the deep sea used NATO military exercises as a cover, and planted mines along the pipelines, which were later remotely detonated.

The famous American journalist added that the "black operation" was ordered by President Biden, and the attack was carried out by the CIA in cooperation with Norway.

He added that Biden's decision to sabotage the pipelines came after more than 9 months of top-secret planning within the US national security community.

Speaking about his source, Hirsch said: "At the time, the issue was not whether the task should be done, but how to get it done without a clear clue as to who was responsible."

In his report, Hersh included statements and information that he considered as indications of the US administration's responsibility for the attack, describing its behavior as a result of complete insistence.

The journalist mentioned that Biden met in his office, in the White House, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, less than 3 weeks before the Russian military operation that began at that time in Ukraine, and he had defiantly said in the press conference that followed the meeting: “If Russia invaded Ukraine, There will be no Nord Stream 2, and we will put an end to it."

Hersh continued in this context, recalling that the US Undersecretary of State, Victoria Nuland, had delivered the same message in a press briefing at the Ministry, with little press coverage. In response to a question at the time, she said: "I want to be very clear with you today, if Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 will somehow not move forward."

The American journalist Hersh, known for his investigative reports on American crimes in Vietnam and the Middle East wars, was able to obtain information about the operation from an unnamed source, but he stated that he was directly involved in its preparation, as he put it.

It is noteworthy that Hersh was the one who revealed the torture scandal in the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prison, which sparked a global outcry and widespread condemnation of the US administration.

For its part, the Pentagon responded to Hersh's report and said that the United States had nothing to do with the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

Today, Department Spokesperson Jaron Gorn stated that the United States was not involved in the Nord Stream explosion, as he referred to the speech of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper, who claimed on October 4 that "the United States was not involved in any Anyway" in this matter.

On the other hand, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that all the facts cited by the American journalist in his investigation, about the role of the United States in the sabotage of "Nord Stream", must be commented on by the White House.

Zakharova added that Moscow has repeatedly expressed Russia's position on the involvement of the United States and NATO in this incident.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed that the West did not hide this, adding, "The West was bragging to the whole world about its intention to destroy the civilian infrastructure through which Europe obtained Russian energy resources."

Last Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in a joint interview on the "Russia 24" channel and the "Novosti" agency, accused the United States of being directly involved in the bombing of the "Nord Stream" gas pipeline.

Last September, a series of powerful explosions destroyed the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which pass through the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany and provide cheap gas to Europe, and it was soon revealed that the attack was an act of deliberate sabotage. The perpetrator has not yet been identified.

War narratives and justifications: the case of war in Ukraine

War narratives and justifications: the case of war in Ukraine

    Tuesday, February 07, 2023   No comments

War is never a simple "bad versus good", "right versus wrong"; every war has its competing narratives and justifications; the 2022 war in Ukraine is no different. The same applies to the wars in Syria, Libya, Yemen, and all the wars whose justifications were reduced to bad-versus-good.

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs presents this narrative, in an interview on “Winter of Our Discontent” forum - Belgrade, Serbia.

“I'm deeply unimpressed with the analysis that the war in Ukraine began on 24 February, by an unprovoked attack by President Putin - it's just not true.”