The challenges of building national, regional and global secirity systems

The challenges of building national, regional and global secirity systems

    Tuesday, June 21, 2022   No comments

Erdogan vows a decisive response and a Greek general threatens to bomb Istanbul .. The "Aegean" crisis raises the tension between Ankara and Athens to its most dangerous stage

Tensions are escalating between the two NATO allies, Turkey and Greece, after Ankara accused Athens of arming 12 islands in the Aegean Sea near Turkish territory, in addition to the chronic dispute over the file of natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

The tension reached the point where the retired Greek general, Yiannis Egolfopoulos, threatened to bomb the vital bridges of Istanbul, which was met with Turkish criticism, most notably by the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahçeli, who said, “It seems that the Greeks forgot the fate of their ancestors who were buried at the bottom of a sea Aegean.”

The escalation reached its climax after the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accused Turkey of destabilizing the island of Cyprus in front of members of the US Congress recently, and demanded Washington not to sell Ankara F-16 fighters.

Erdogan: decisive response

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to him, during his participation in the "Efes 2022" military maneuvers, that his country is serious about responding decisively to Greece, and that the latter should realize its borders and abide by them.

As a result of these statements, the military clash became the talk of the street and the media on both sides.

Military option

In light of the escalation of statements, the retired Turkish general, Erdogan Karagosh, said that a war between Turkey and Greece was inevitable, calling for the need to strengthen the strength of the Turkish Air Force.

“We have to get new F-16 fighters by any means, and maintain the ones we have,” Qaragosh said, in an interview with one of the private Turkish channels, according to the Al-Jazeera report.

He added that Turkey has no problem with its land and naval forces, "but we must strengthen the strength of our air force, because in the event of any military conflict between the two countries, the air force will resolve the situation, and in the event that we do not obtain new fighters, the balance will tip in favor of Greece." .

In turn, the Turkish expert in military and security affairs, Mateh Yarar, ruled out the outbreak of any direct military clash between the two countries, indicating that Athens relies in its verbal escalation on the West's support for it, and that it will not be able to engage in a military confrontation against Turkey, given "the disparity in the balance of power between the two sides." ”

Yarar pointed out - in a statement to the Turkish newspaper Milliyet - that Ankara calls on Greece to abide by the Lausanne agreements in 1923 and Paris in 1947, which stipulate keeping the mentioned islands demilitarized, referring to Athens' pledge before the major powers at the time to abide by this condition.

sovereign right

On the other hand, the Greek political analyst, Taki Barbarakis, said in an interview with the Turkish "Khabar Turk" channel, that talk about the possibility of a military clash between Ankara and Athens has increased recently among Greek politicians and even among the general public.

He pointed out that there is great popular support for the Greek government regarding the issue of arming the Aegean islands, and that public opinion in Greece believes that arming the islands is a sovereign right of Athens stemming from the Charter of the United Nations.

According to the Greek analyst, Athens relies on arming the Aegean islands on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which provides for the “right of self-defense”; Her government has repeatedly announced that it has taken this step in order to counter any potential threat from Turkey. She pointed out that the "Aegean Sea" army, which Turkey formed outside the NATO command, has a landing fleet on the coasts near the islands.

Turkish opposition

In parallel with the debate between Ankara and Athens, the Turkish opposition entered the line, accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party governments of neglecting the issue of the Aegean islands, and went on to consider that President Erdogan and his governments did not take the necessary measures in time, and that Greece intensified its arming of the islands after the arrival of Justice and Development to power in the country in 2002.

In this context, the former deputy of the opposition Republican People's Party, Mustafa Balbay, says that Greece has begun to intensify arming the islands near the Turkish shores since 2004, and has also settled civilians on these islands.

"Where were the justice and development governments at that time?" Balpay asked. Why did Erdogan’s governments not take deterrent measures at that time?”

In his opinion, President Erdogan's recent statements regarding Greece's arming of the Aegean islands are nothing but "media propaganda, in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections" scheduled for June 2023.

real occupation

Balpay sees Greece's arming the Aegean islands as a real occupation, especially with Athens also housing civilians on these islands, and called on President Erdogan to focus on the issue of "occupation" during his talks with the leaders of the countries concerned with this issue.

The former deputy called for taking more necessary measures and preparing for all possibilities, including the military option, indicating that in the event of any armed conflict, Turkey will not only face Greece, but will also face major global powers, led by the United States of America, which recently began establishing bases Large military in the Greek islands near Turkey.

NATO and Other Security Structures

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto expressed hope on Tuesday that progress will be made in the ongoing talks with Turkey on Helsinki's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Niinistö said during a press conference with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Mitsola, that "Finland continues talks with Turkey about joining NATO, and we hope to make progress in those negotiations."

"I think it will be difficult to reach an agreement before the Madrid [NATO summit]," he added.

The Finnish president indicated that he does not believe that his country's accession procedures to NATO can be completed by next September.

And the Finnish presidency announced yesterday that "a new round of negotiations conducted by Finland and Sweden with Turkey will be held in Brussels," against the backdrop of Ankara's objection to the two countries' request to join NATO.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin confirmed yesterday that the progress of Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO is linked to the steps that these two countries will take, in line with the words of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a few days ago.

Last Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that "Turkey will send a document to Sweden and Finland to form the basis for negotiating the two countries' accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)," adding during a press conference with the Foreign Ministers of Ireland and Norway in Ankara: "We must Reaching an understanding with Sweden and Finland on how to meet our demands."

Erdogan also stressed during the meeting of the parliamentary bloc of the "Justice and Development Party", Wednesday, that his country "will not change its position regarding the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO until they take clear and tangible steps towards combating terrorism." "We will not forgive any countries that support terrorist organizations that threaten Turkey," he added.

And last May, talks were held in Turkey between Turkish officials and delegations from Sweden and Finland. Sources told "Reuters" that "the talks made little progress in addressing the motives behind Ankara's objection to the two countries joining NATO."

Turkey, the conflict of NATO and the Collective Security Organization

Turkey has tended to sell arms to Central Asian countries, to perpetuate the idea that it is able to guarantee the defense capacity of countries that revolve in its ideological, social, economic and military orbit.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization cannot be seen as the only military bloc and force in the world. It is possible to rely on the assessment of the CSTO’s bloc as an almost parallel bloc, as it includes countries that enjoy an important military power, such as Russia, Belarus and Armenia, in addition to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan; Countries considered full members, some members as observers, and others as potential candidates, such as Iran.

At a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the Armenian capital recently, the speaker of the Kyrgyz parliament indicated that the organization’s crisis response system and confronting escalating security challenges and threats constitutes an essential element of its activity, including the fight against international terrorism and extremism.

Also, he noted the need for Member States to deepen interaction to ensure a timely response, and stressed the need to focus the organization's efforts, not only on confronting challenges and security threats, but also on "eliminating the causes of their occurrence", and suggested the establishment of an entire military-political structure on the basis of a treaty organization. collective security.

The Russian Foreign Minister also noted that NATO countries are concerned about the growing importance of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and stressed the need for it to play the role of "a guarantor of balance in the Euro-Atlantic region" and the indivisibility of security.

On May 16, a meeting of the heads of state of the Collective Security Treaty Organization was held in Moscow, during which the Russian president indicated that “NATO expansion is artificial, and goes beyond its geographical objective,” in an attempt to influence other regions, and noted that the CSTO “plays a role extremely important in stabilizing the former Soviet Union,” which encourages other countries to “consider joining the CSTO, which has sufficient capabilities to respond to the challenges of NATO expansion.”

However, the "Western European flock" continues its attempts to counter the influence of the organization, by preoccupying its members with their security, as well as by turning Turkey, as the spearhead of NATO, into a lever for anti-Russian influence, through escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the request of Brussels and Washington, Ankara tried to play an active role in resolving this conflict, by exploiting Moscow’s lukewarm intervention in its results, and tried to offer a trade-off for the military alliance of the countries of the region with it, in exchange for accepting its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

With the aim of enhancing its importance in the region, Turkey pumped its investments, sent preachers, opened centers for educational programs in the Central Asian region, and circulated the terms and concepts of "Uzbek Turks", "Tatar Turks" and "Kyrgyz Turks" in its media, and began talking about the "Turkish world" And it established the “Turkish Council”, in parallel with the intensification of its activity in spreading the ideas of Turkish nationalism, as it seeks to create a new and alternative ethnic national identity for the post-Soviet republics, and to replace the region’s original society with a new fake one under Turkish leadership.

Turkey has also tended to sell arms to Central Asian countries, to perpetuate the idea that it is able to guarantee the defense capacity of countries that revolve in its ideological, social, economic and military orbit. Thus, it is trying to open the way towards Erdogan's project known as the "Great Turan" to restore the lands of the Ottoman Empire, by focusing on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, to create a unified army for the Turan project, with the aim of extricating these countries and withdrawing them from the Collective Security Organization, and weakening the Eurasian Union militarily and economically.

As in the past, in order to create a permanent and constant threat to Russia, Britain created the Ottoman Empire. Today, both London and Washington are using Turkey as a member of NATO to confront Russia, especially in the Central Asian region, by proposing Erdogan the idea of ​​"the Great Turan", which is supposed to be able to bring about a radical change in the international balance of power.

For these purposes, the Westerners bear the filth of dealing with the Turkish president and his government, and suffer to see an “Asian NATO” under the Turkish leadership. The hostility of the Russian state makes them unable to determine the interests of their peoples, and unable to guarantee the Turkish-Erdogan fulfillment of their plans, amid the Turks’ dissatisfaction with their presence in NATO. In light of the mutual distrust between the two parties.

In the midst of this atmosphere, we are hearing some of Ankara’s Atlantic allies talking about the need to exclude it from the alliance, and they are closely following its positive contacts with Russia, which contributes to pushing Turkey to abandon its historical anti-Russian role, with the Turkish President’s assertion and his recent statements about Turkey’s unwillingness To participate in the anti-Russian sanctions policy imposed by Washington.

Message to US: China not hesitate to start war

Message to US: China not hesitate to start war

    Friday, June 17, 2022   No comments

Officials reported that China's defense minister warned his US counterpart Friday that if Taiwan declares independence, Beijing will "not hesitate to start a war."

Wu Qian, the spokesperson of the Information Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, quoted defense minister Wei Fenghe saying  "If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost," during a meeting with Lloyd Austin. 

The meeting is Austin and Wei's first since they spoke on the phone on April 20, which was the first such call since the Biden administration took office.

According to the Chinese defense ministry, the Chinese minister also promised to "smash to smithereens any 'Taiwan independence' plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland."

He stressed that "Taiwan is China's Taiwan... Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail."

Austin told Fenghe during the talks that Beijing must "refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan", the US Department of Defense said.  

In related news, China on Friday formally launched its third aircraft carrier during a ceremony marking the landing of the ship at a shipyard in Shanghai, CCTV reported.

Putin: Energy and food problems are the result of the West's wrong policies; All objectives of the Russian military operation in Ukraine will be achieved

Putin: Energy and food problems are the result of the West's wrong policies; All objectives of the Russian military operation in Ukraine will be achieved

    Friday, June 17, 2022   No comments

 Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed today, Friday, that "the world is diverse and one framework cannot be imposed on everyone from one center," adding: "The world is no longer the same as before."

In his speech at the Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said that "the United States of America announced that it had won the Cold War and considered itself descended from heaven."

He recalled what he said in Davos a year and a half ago that the "unipolar world has ended" and that there are strenuous attempts to try to restore it, noting that "it is no longer possible to ignore the interests of the new centers of power in the world."

"Outdated geopolitical illusions have undermined confidence in global currencies," Putin said.

The West expected the ruble to collapse, but what happened was the opposite

The Russian president pointed out that "the West's measures to destroy the Russian economy failed and did not bear fruit," explaining that "the reaction of the Russian people came against what the West wanted, as we have increased strength and cohesion."

Putin stressed that "the Russian financial system is stable," noting that "the West expected the ruble to collapse and reach 200 against the dollar, but what happened was the opposite and their expectations were not fulfilled."

"The goal of the sanctions was to bring down the Russian economy, but they did not succeed because the Russian economic sector worked efficiently," he said.

"The Russian people are a strong people who will deal with any problem, and this is evidenced by the thousand-year history of our country," Putin said.

He added that "European politicians have harmed their countries' economies," noting that "the consequences of sanctions imposed on Russia will be $400 billion on European economies."

He stressed that "sanctions can be imposed on any country, including European countries and any European companies."

The European Union has completely lost its sovereignty

During his speech, Putin saw that "the European Union has completely lost its sovereignty, is subject to external dictates, and implements everything that is dictated to it," noting that "inflation growth in some eurozone countries has now exceeded the level of 20%."

Considering that "the world has reached this situation as a result of the activities carried out by the seven major industrialized countries at the level of economy and politics."

There is a danger that Ukrainian wheat will go to finance arms deals

"The Russian military operation in Ukraine was an excuse to hold Russia responsible for all the mistakes," the Russian president said, stressing that "the special military operation in Donbas has nothing to do with the situation in Europe."

He pointed out that "the United States was at the forefront of exporters in the global market, but the US role has now changed."

Putin pointed out that "the West deliberately created a food crisis by buying foodstuffs in world markets above its actual needs," adding that "the United States was the main supplier of many food commodities, and today it has become an importer rather than an exporter."

He revealed that "Russia is interested in exporting 50 million tons of wheat, a priority for needy countries in the countries of the Middle East and Africa," explaining that "the West is pursuing the same old policy of plunder and imperialism, but in a new way."

He added, "Democratic procedures, elections in Europe sometimes look at what's going on there, what forces come to power. It all seems like a screen [to camouflage], because political parties are alike, like twins, superseding each other. However, the The essence of this does not change, the real interests of citizens, national business are being pushed more and more into the backyard, to the fringes.”

He stressed that Russia does not obstruct food exports from Ukraine and that it is not the one who planted mines in the ports, and said in this context, "We will secure the transportation of grain from the ports, but the Ukrainian side should secure the ports from what they planted of sea mines."

Putin warned that "there is a danger that Ukrainian wheat will go to finance arms deals."

Putin: All objectives of the Russian military operation will be achieved

Putin said that "the reason for the energy crisis in Europe lies in the wrong policy of the European Union and the unjustified dependence on alternative energy," stressing that "there was no escape from the decision to launch military currency, as the Donbas residents were subjected to abuse by the Western-backed Ukrainian regime."

Putin added that "all the objectives of the Russian military operation will be achieved," adding that "our soldiers are defending the homeland, the people and human values, and they are resisting extraneous values ​​and moral decay."

He pointed out that "sovereignty in the 21st century is indivisible."

He denounced Western actions, saying: "The West has always been generous in raising the level of hostility against Russia and creating a poisonous atmosphere of Russophobia."

Putin: Russia will not be isolated

Putin pointed out that "the change in the Russian economy and its ability to confront sanctions is what we have made over the past years," noting that "the structure of Western sanctions was based on a false belief that Russia is not a self-sufficient economy."

"The sanctions provide us with a great opportunity and impetus to move forward with regard to technological independence," he said, adding that "Russia will not undergo the process of isolation that the hostile countries thought we would submit to."

He added that "Russia will deal with leaders who want to deal with it, who are able to distinguish between the interests of their countries and foreign dictates."

Putin predicted that "the current situation in Europe will lead to an escalation of radicalism in the future to change the ruling elites," adding that "everyone working with Russia is under unprecedented pressure from the United States and the European Union."

Chechen leader says his forces have deployed to Ukraine; why and how?

Chechen leader says his forces have deployed to Ukraine; why and how?

    Thursday, June 09, 2022   No comments

In February, as reported by Reuters, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin,Ramzan Kadyrov, said that Chechen fighters had been deployed to Ukraine and urged Ukrainians to overthrow their government.

In a video posted online, Kadyrov said that Chechen units had so far suffered no losses and said Russian forces could easily take large Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, but that their task was to avoid loss of life.

More than 3 months later, the Chechen leader continues and even increased his forces in support of the operation in Ukraine. What turned this rebel republic into a central force in Russia's reach and power?

This video shows the radical transformation of the country, Checheniya, and the role played by its current leadership.

...

More indepth analyses show a long strategy at work that changed the relationship between Muslims and the Russian leadership, including regional events and global trends.

  

Algeria suspends friendship treaty with Spain amid Western Sahara tensions

Algeria suspends friendship treaty with Spain amid Western Sahara tensions

    Wednesday, June 08, 2022   No comments

 

Algeria said its decision was due to Spain's "unjustifiable turnaround" over the Western Sahara region. Earlier this year, Spain recognized Morocco's plans for the disputed territory, sparking tensions with Algeria.

The announcement came hours after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reportedly said his government's policy shift on Western Sahara has "improved (Spain's) bilateral relations with Morocco."

In March, the Spanish government shifted its long-standing position on Western Sahara by endorsing Morocco's autonomy plan for the territory, paving the way for easing diplomatic tensions between the two kingdoms.

The new Spanish position "violates international legitimacy, and directly contributes to the deterioration of the situation in Western Sahara and the region as a whole," the presidential statement said.

 read more...

More Chechen fighters are heading for the Donbass region, Ukraine

More Chechen fighters are heading for the Donbass region, Ukraine

    Thursday, May 19, 2022   No comments

More Chechen fighters are flying out of Grozny Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov International Airport heading for the Donbass region, Ukraine.

These are recent graduates of the Russian University of Special Forces in Gudermes.

Chairman of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic Magomed Daudov and Minister of the Interior for the Chechen Republic Ruslan Alkhanov offered parting words.  

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Some Lebanese politicians and their outside backers may have celebrated too soon

Some Lebanese politicians and their outside backers may have celebrated too soon

    Monday, May 16, 2022   No comments

Maysem Rizq Reviews News coverage of Elections in Lebenon

 

It remains for the Lebanese to preserve their fresh memory to review the winners or losers in everything they said and made during the past two months.

24 hours was enough to turn the picture of the results that the opponents of Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement wanted to circulate on Sunday evening. If Hezbollah (along with its ally, President Nabih Berri) has firmly seized the entire Shiite parliamentary bloc over the whole of Lebanon, what emergped from the developments in the Christian community ended in the absence of the image of victory that the Lebanese forces spread on Sunday evening, and official and unofficial results showed that the current The Free Patriotic Movement won a parliamentary bloc that outperforms the forces bloc. And if the loss of the current in the Jezzine district represented a major blow, the forces’ loss of one of the two seats of Bcharre was a major and unprecedented blow, bearing in mind that scrutiny of vote percentages remains linked to reviewing the full results. A quick reading of the names of the winners from the members of the two teams or those allied with them shows the movement's progress over the forces by at least a seat.

What was remarkable on the day following the count was not only the loss of some Hezbollah allies, including all the Syrian Social Nationalist Party candidates and candidates Talal Arslan, Wiam Wahhab and Marwan Khair al-Din, but rather the ability of youth groups that emerged from the October 17 uprising to achieve serious violations in several circles. It can be said that these groups succeeded in challenging the traditional forces in the south, the Bekaa, the mountains and the north, in addition to Beirut.

Detailed political readings will occupy the scene over the next few days. But what must be confirmed until now is not promising, especially since the voting in most constituencies was based on a sharp sectarian and sectarian background, and even the boycott in many constituencies reflected the frustration of a large part of the Sunnis who represent the base of the Future Movement.

In practice, the official results announced by the Minister of Interior Bassam al-Mawlawi until midnight last night presented the final figures in 12 constituencies, and the official results remained limited to the districts of Tripoli - Minieh - Denniye, Akkar and Beirut II, where it is assumed that the real repercussions of the reluctance of President Saad Hariri's audience in these Sunni-majority districts.

There are many titles related to the main forces that ran in the elections. But the media scene, with its political background, focused on two things. The first relates to the results of voting in the Christian street and the nature of voting among Sunnis in most of Lebanon's districts. In this context, the following can be mentioned:

Tayyar (Current) and Quwat (Forces)

From Sunday evening until sunset yesterday, time was heavy on the audience and leaders of the Free Patriotic Movement. Despite Gibran Bassil winning his seat in Batroun, and declaring his victory over all the political forces and financial machines that had gathered to topple him, the announced results indicated that the movement had lost in front of the forces. This was reflected in frustration among the Aoun public, especially since the forces did not provide a television or radio program or a page on social media to announce their landslide victory and the formation of the largest parliamentary bloc from north to south. It is not just numbers for the movement, but its loss of a set of political privileges that begin with the government and do not end with appointments and key Christian positions in the state as well as sitting at the decision table. The privileges he has been accustomed to since 2005 as a result of his victory in the largest parliamentary bloc, and which mainly led to the arrival of President Michel Aoun to his position. The crash looked strong after 17 years.

In the evening, however, the scene changed. The picture began to fade since it became clear that the movement won four seats in Akkar, followed by the announcement of the victory of MP George Atallah in Koura, and then the forces' loss of the minority seat in Beirut I. This coincided with the struggle of candidate Gad Ghosn with the forces on the Matn seat, and news of the loss of George Adwan in the Chouf in favor of Ghada Eid.

On paper and pen, the Aounists could enumerate 19 deputies, in addition to 3 allied deputies from the Tashnaq Party, so that the bloc would have 22 deputies. While the forces were retreating from 23 to 18, MP Raji Al-Saad was added to them as an ally after MP Camille Chamoun announced that he did not intend to join the bloc of forces, bringing the result to 22 for the current and 19 for the forces. Soon, it became possible to talk about a completely changed picture between the two republics; The Quwatists seemed more anxious, and the Aounists more comfortable, especially with the "violation" of George Atallah in Koura.

However, the biggest blow that the Forces received came after the official result of the third northern district was announced, and the announcement of the fall of the troop candidate Joseph Ishak in exchange for the victory of the candidate William Tawq in the troop den in Bcharre. It is a loss equal to 18 deputies or more. This news sparked a wave of countless comments and publications, the majority of which belong to the Free Patriotic Movement. MP Strida Geagea, prior to the election day, addressed Basil by saying: “Let him stop his neighbors in Batroun on May 15th.” You shook and you became a human being, a rewarder.” Thus, it flared up again between the forces and the current, and it was now possible to talk about the Aounists regaining their breath. In fact, the Free Patriotic Movement will organize a "victory festival" to announce its victory next Saturday. For him, “Exiting this many representatives after all the war that was waged against him, both foreign and internal, and by all available means, including Gulf ambassadors, pressure on candidates, money, propaganda, media, media professionals, and funded programs, is a crushing victory, stronger and stronger than all past victories.”

Results of the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections (partial)

Results of the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections (partial)

    Monday, May 16, 2022   No comments

 

The Lebanese Parliamentary Elections.. Announcing the winning candidates in 12 constituencies

The representatives were distributed among their parties so far, according to the following:

Hezbollah and Amal Movement: 32 deputies

Free Patriotic Movement: 20 deputies

Lebanese Forces Party: 18 deputies

The Kataeb Party: 5 MPs

Tashnak Party: 2

Marada party: 2

Independents: 14 deputies

Civil society: 11 deputies

The Minister of Interior and Municipalities of Lebanon held a press conference at eleven at night in which he announced the preliminary and non-final percentages of the parliamentary elections that took place in the 15 constituencies on all Lebanese territories. And the Lebanese National News Agency reported that the minister said, in an on-screen explanation, that "the percentages are estimates and are not final, and they are issued by the operations room in the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces after the officers communicated with the heads of the regions in all regions. There are 60 unfinished positions remaining. Some have been handed over. The heads of the centers, the registration committees, the records of the pens, according to what we received from the directorate, and he said: "They are discretionary percentages, and they become final after looking into all the objections submitted by the candidates or the candidates' representatives, and we will follow up on the final result little by little."

Minister Mawlawi read out the estimated voting percentages after closing the polls, with the exception of 60 polling stations, which are as follows:

Beirut First District: 28.50%

Beirut Second District: 38.33%

Mount Lebanon First District (Byblos - Kesrouane): 55.93%

Mount Lebanon Second District (Matn): 42.70%

Mount Lebanon Third District (Baabda): 43.44%

Mount Lebanon Fourth District (Chouf - Aley): 44.49%

South District One (Sidon - Jezzine): 42.30%

Second South District (Sidon Villages - Tyre): 42.77%

South District Three: (Hasbaya - Marjeyoun - Nabatiyeh - Bint Jbeil): 41.76%

North District One (Akkar): 40.73%

Second North District (Minya - Denniye - Tripoli): 30.60%

North Third District (Zgharta - Bcharre - Koura - Batroun): 38.45%

Bekaa District One (Zahle): 43.02%

Second Bekaa Constituency (Rashaya - West Bekaa): 34.20%

Bekaa Third District (Baalbek-Hermel): 48.90%

Total in all of Lebanon: 41.04%

Parliamentary elections are held in Lebanon every 4 years, according to the distribution adopted since the Taif Agreement in 1989, with 128 seats divided equally between Muslims and Christians throughout the country.

The 128 seats are distributed as follows: 28 for Sunnis, 28 for Shiites, 8 for Druze, 34 for Maronites, 14 for Orthodox, 8 for Catholics, 5 for Armenians, two seats for Alawites, and one seat for minorities within the Christian community.

Some details:

According to Mawlawi, the voter turnout in the second district of Mount Lebanon (Northern Matn) reached 49.43%, and the winners are:

Two seats for the Free Patriotic Movement: Ibrahim Kanaan and Elias Bou Saab.

Two seats for the Lebanese Forces party: Melhem Riachy and Razi al-Hajj.

Two seats for the Lebanese Kataeb Party: Sami Gemayel and Elias Hankash.

A seat for the Tashnaq party: Hagop Pakradounian.

Independent seat: Michel Murr.

As for the fourth district of Mount Lebanon (Chouf - Aley), the voter turnout reached 48.6%, and the winners are:

5 seats for the Progressive Socialist Party: Taymour Jumblatt, Marwan Hamadeh, Akram Chehayeb, Bilal Abdullah and Raji Al-Saad.

3 seats for the Free Patriotic Movement: Farid Al-Bustani, Cesar Abi Khalil and Ghassan Atallah.

3 independent seats: Najat Khattar Aoun, Halima Kaqour and Mark Daou.

Two seats for the Lebanese Forces party: George Adwan and Nazih Matta.

In the third district of the North (Bcharre - Batroun - Zgharta - Koura), the voter turnout was 44.20%. The winners are:

Two seats for the Lebanese Forces party: Sethrida Geagea and Ghiath Yazbek.

Two seats for the Free Patriotic Movement: Gebran Bassil and George Atallah.

Two seats for the Marada Movement: Tony Franjieh and William Tawk.

3 seats for independents: Michel Moawad, Adib Abdel Massih and Michel Douaihy.

As for the third district of the South (Bint Jbeil - Nabatiyeh - Marjayoun and Hasbaya), the winners are:

3 seats for Hezbollah: Muhammad Raad, Hassan Fadlallah and Ali Fayyad.

6 seats for the Amal Movement: Hani Qubaisi, Ali Hassan Khalil, Ayoub Hamid, Ashraf Baydoun, Nasser Jaber and Qassem Hashem.

Two seats for independents: Elias Jarada and Firas Hamdan.

Molloy had announced, earlier, the results of the following departments:

- South District One (Sidon - Jezzine), the voter turnout was 46.6%, and the winners are:

3 seats for independents: Abdel Rahman Al-Bizri, Osama Saad and Charbel Massad.

Two seats for the Lebanese Forces party: Ghada Ayoub and Saeed Al-Asmar.

In the second district of the South (Tyre - Sidon villages), the voter turnout was 48.8%, and the winners are:

5 seats for the Amal Movement: Nabih Berri, Ali Khreis, Inayat Ezzedine, Ali Oseiran and Michel Musa.

Two seats for Hezbollah: Hussein Jashi and Hassan Ezzedine.

Bekaa District One (Zahle), the voter turnout was 49.5%, and the winners are:

Two seats for the Lebanese Forces party: George Akis and Elias Stephan.

Seat of the Free Patriotic Movement: Salim Aoun.

A seat for the Tashnaq Party: George Bushekian.

A seat for Hezbollah: Rami Abu Hamdan.

Independent seat: Michel Daher.

The Second Bekaa Constituency (West Bekaa - Rashaya), the voter turnout was 42.47%, and the winners are:

A seat for the Amal movement: Qabalan Qabalan.

Seat of the Progressive Socialist Party: Wael Abu Faour.

Seat of the Free Patriotic Movement: Charbel Maroun.

3 independent seats: Hassan Murad, Yassin Yassin and Ghassan Skaf.

In the third Bekaa constituency (Baalbek-Hermel), the winners are:

Six seats for Hezbollah: Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan, Ihab Hamadeh, Ali Al-Miqdad, Ibrahim Al-Mousawi, Yall Al-Solh, and Melhem Al-Hujairi.

Seat for the Amal Movement: Ghazi Zuaiter.

Seat of the Free Patriotic Movement: Samer Al-Tom.

Seat of the Lebanese Forces: Antoine Habashi.

Seat for Independents: Jamil El-Sayed.

- Mount Lebanon First Constituency (Byblos - Kesrouan), the voter turnout was 63.4%, and the winners are:

Two seats for the Lebanese Forces party: Ziad Al-Hawat and Shawki Daccache.

Two seats for the Free Patriotic Movement: Simon Abi Ramia and Nada Al-Bustani.

Two seats for independents: Nima'a Afram and Farid Haikal El-Khazen.

Seat of the Lebanese Kataeb Party: Salim Al-Sayegh.

A seat for Hezbollah: Raed Berro.

- Mount Lebanon Third District (Baabda), the voter turnout was 47.39%, and the winners are:

Seat of the Lebanese Forces Party: Pierre Bou Assi.

Seat of the Free Patriotic Movement: Alain Aoun.

Seat of the Progressive Socialist Party: Hadi Abul-Hassan.

Seat of the National Liberal Party: Camille Chamoun.

A seat for Hezbollah: Ali Ammar.

A seat for the Amal movement: Fadi Alama.

Thus, the Ministry of Interior has announced the results of 11 constituencies, provided that the results of the remaining four constituencies (Beirut's first and second districts and the first and second districts of the North) will be announced, respectively. The voter turnout in all of Lebanon reached about 41%, noting that the voter turnout in the 2018 session was 49.68%.

Medvedev warns of 10 catastrophic consequences of sanctions against Russia

Medvedev warns of 10 catastrophic consequences of sanctions against Russia

    Friday, May 13, 2022   No comments

 The deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said that the post-sanctions world against Russia will bear a catastrophic 10 points.

This came in a post on his Telegram channel, where he indicated that what will happen is actually reality and "not out of expectations"; a translation of his statement follows:

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What will happen next, or the World after anti-Russian sanctions (not a forecast at all)

1. A number of global supply chains of goods will collapse, a major logistical crisis is possible, including the collapse of the activities of foreign airlines that are prohibited from flying over Russian territory.

2. The energy crisis will intensify in those states that have imposed “shooting their own feet” sanctions on the supply of Russian energy carriers, further growth in fossil fuel prices will continue, and the development of the digital economy in the world will slow down.

3. A full-fledged international food crisis will come with the prospect of starvation in individual states.

4. A monetary and financial crisis is possible in some countries or communities of countries, associated with the undermining of the stability of a number of national currencies, galloping inflation and the destruction of the legal system for protecting private property.

5. New regional military conflicts will arise in those places where the situation has not been peacefully resolved for many years or the significant interests of major international players are ignored.

6. Terrorists are becoming more active, believing that the attention of Western authorities today is diverted to a showdown with Russia.

7. New epidemics will begin, caused by the rejection of honest international cooperation in the sanitary and epidemiological sphere or by direct facts of the use of biological weapons.

8. There will be a decline in the activities of international institutions that have not been able to prove their effectiveness in the course of settling the situation in Ukraine, such as, for example, the Council of Europe.

9. New international alliances of countries based on pragmatic rather than ideological Anglo-Saxon criteria will be formed.

10. As a result, a new security architecture will be created, in which de facto, and then de jure, the existing realities are recognized: 

a) the weakness of Westernized concepts of international relations such as "Order based on rules" and other senseless Western junk; 

b) the collapse of the idea of ​​an American-centric world; and 

c) the presence of interests respected by the world community in those countries that are in an acute stage of conflict with the Western world.

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01:00; FRIDAY THE 13TH of May, 2022.

Tamim bin Hamad in Tehran: Foreign intervention in West Asia is rejected

Tamim bin Hamad in Tehran: Foreign intervention in West Asia is rejected

    Thursday, May 12, 2022   No comments

 The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, discussed today with the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, bilateral relations and regional and international issues.

A statement by the Qatari Emiri Diwan said that during the meeting, they reviewed the existing friendly relations between the two countries and discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Earlier today, the Emir of Qatar and Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi discussed bilateral relations in the fields of politics, economy and trade, and enhancing prospects for cooperation in the tourism, investment, transport and communications sectors.

In a press conference between Raisi and the Emir of Qatar, the former expressed his rejection of any form of foreign presence in the West Asian region, especially by Western powers.

"Such foreign presence does not bring security to the region, but on the contrary undermines it," he said, noting that "the leaders, officials and governments of the countries in the region should realize that any interference by foreign countries and representatives of the West harms regional security."

Regarding the Yemen file, Raisi said: "We affirm that the siege of Yemen must end and Yemenis must be given the opportunity to decide the fate of their country on their own."

According to Raisi, the situation in Afghanistan was also discussed with the Emir of Qatar, noting “the need for an inclusive government there, representing all ethnic groups and political movements, in order to ensure sustainable security in this country.”

According to the Iranian president, the visit of the Emir of Qatar will be a turning point in the relations between the two countries and will play an important role in developing regional and international cooperation.

For his part, the Emir of Qatar stressed that "the current problems in the region must be resolved through constructive dialogue," announcing the simplification of visa procedures for Iranian viewers interested in attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Iranian president visited Doha last February, in light of the historical relations between the two countries, in contrast to Tehran's "strained" relations with some Gulf capitals.

At that time, the two countries signed 14 cooperation documents in the fields of aviation, trade, maritime, media, foreign policy, energy, metrology, culture and education.