An African president extends his finger towards Macron, saying: Look at us with respect, far from paternity and contempt

An African president extends his finger towards Macron, saying: Look at us with respect, far from paternity and contempt

    Sunday, March 05, 2023   No comments

On Saturday, the press conference that brought together French President Emmanuel Macron with his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi sparked a wide interaction on communication platforms, due to "diplomatic friction" that occurred between the two presidents, or the game of "ping pong" as Macron called it.

The matter began with a question posed by a journalist from the French News Agency, about a controversial statement by the former French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in 2019 when he indicated that the results of the presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were the result of a prior arrangement, between the outgoing President Joseph Kabila, and Felix Antoine Tshisekedi. The country's election authority has nothing to do with it.

The Congolese President, Felix Tshisekedi, asked during his response, saying: Why do things differ when it comes to Africa?

An atmosphere of tension prevailed during the press conference, as Tshisekedi extended his fingers towards the French president, saying: "This also must change the way of cooperation between France, Europe in general, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ... Look at us in another way with respect as a true partner and not with a paternal look that bears contempt."

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that these matters are actually happening in France, but the difference is that the press speaks and denounces, stressing that any journalist who asks a question represents his own point of view, and does not concern the government with anything, which angered the Congolese president, who responded in a sharp tone, saying : "But she talked about Le Drian, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Modern Urban Warfare

Modern Urban Warfare

    Saturday, March 04, 2023   No comments

This is how "liberated cities" look like when modern armies engage in Urban Warfare. 

It happened in Syria; it is happening now in Ukraine.

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.

Prime Minister of Qatar: The war with Iran is not in the interest of the Gulf states, and reaching a solution through frank dialogue would be a great achievement for peace, trade and the economy

Prime Minister of Qatar: The war with Iran is not in the interest of the Gulf states, and reaching a solution through frank dialogue would be a great achievement for peace, trade and the economy

    Thursday, March 02, 2023   No comments

The former Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim, said that the war with Iran is not in the interest of the Gulf states, calling for a frank dialogue to reach a solution that would be “a great achievement not only for peace but also for trade and the economy.”

This came in an interview with “Bloomberg” in response to a question about the concern of many Arab countries from Iran, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Bin Jassim added, “My first fear is not Iran, but we are in the region and the way we behave, I mean the leaders, I am not one of them. It should be discussed in a civilized manner.”

He continued, “If we have challenges ahead, and if we agree that Iran is our number one enemy, how will we deal with this matter? Will we deal with it through direct negotiations or war? Nobody wants war because it is not in our interest.”

He explained, “The problem is that this decision is not in our hands because we are not currently in a position, as I said about the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, to take the lead in our region and say, ‘Okay, we have problems with Iran. In harmony between Iran, Iraq and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

And the former Prime Minister of Qatar believed that "if the Gulf countries were able to do this, it would be a great achievement not only for peace, but also for trade, business and the economy."

And he added, “They (in Iran) have more than 100 million people, Iraq has 40 million people, and we (the Gulf countries) have about 50 million people. We are talking about 200 or 250 million people in oil-rich countries, imagine what they can do.”

From the humanitarian gate, Egypt moved towards raising the level of its relationship with Syria

From the humanitarian gate, Egypt moved towards raising the level of its relationship with Syria

    Monday, February 27, 2023   No comments

In a development that opens a new chapter in Syrian-Egyptian relations, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, was a guest in Damascus, where he met with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Al-Miqdad, and President Bashar Al-Assad, in a visit that is the first of its kind for a high-ranking Egyptian diplomatic official to Syria. Since 2011. The visit, which Shoukry tried to humanize, by confirming more than once that he came to announce his country’s solidarity with Syria against the background of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on the sixth of last February, coincides with an Arab movement on several levels, in which both The UAE and the Sultanate of Oman played a prominent role in converging points of view and reaching a suitable formula for all parties through which Damascus would return to playing its strategic role, especially after the crisis reached a state of intractability resulting from the failure of all attempts to change the regime in Syria.

During his meeting with al-Assad, the Egyptian minister conveyed a message from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in which the latter affirmed Egypt's solidarity with Syria, its willingness to continue supporting the Syrians in facing the effects of the earthquake, his pride in the historical relations between the two countries, and Cairo's keenness to strengthen these relations and develop joint cooperation. Al-Assad responded by thanking the Egyptian guest, and expressing Syria's keenness on relations with Egypt "within the natural and historical context," considering that "work to improve relations between Arab countries on a bilateral basis is the basis for improving the Arab situation in general." The visit of Ras Haram, the Egyptian diplomat, to Damascus comes to revive historical ties between the two countries, after a rupture that began in 2011, and reached its climax during the assumption of the “Muslim Brotherhood” to rule Egypt under the leadership of the late Mohamed Morsi, who announced in June 2013 that his country had officially cut ties with Damascus. And joining the anti-Syrian government coalition, embracing the activity of a section of the Syrian opposition, and calling for an air embargo on Syria. Several Egyptian sources narrate that the position of the Egyptian army, which was led at that time by Sisi, who held the position of Minister of Defense at the time, remained opposed to Morsi’s position, which was confirmed by the late Egyptian writer, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, during a television interview, during which he stated that the Egyptian army rejected the policy of The late president, but the latter continued it.

After the collapse of the “Brotherhood” government, and the rise of Sisi to power, relations partially restored between the two countries, which was explicitly announced by the Egyptian president during a visit he made shortly after assuming power to the United States in 2014, where he referred to the strength of the ties that unite the armies of the two countries, and stressed that the unity of Syria It is considered part of the Egyptian national security. However, the ties did not rise to high levels, but rather were limited to the scope of security meetings, before the meeting that brought together the Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal Al-Miqdad, with his Egyptian counterpart in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in 2021, which constituted a milestone. In addition to close security and military cooperation, Syrian investors who transferred their investments from Syria to Egypt during the war played a prominent role in strengthening relations between the two countries, after the volume of those investments amounted to about $23 billion.

Syria has expressed, many times, during statements made by Al-Assad and Al-Miqdad, its understanding of the position of some countries that communicate with Syria in private due to Western and American pressures. Big "opening" steps. However, these circumstances seem to have begun to transform during the past few months, in light of several Arab initiatives led by Jordan, the Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman to break the political stalemate. The catastrophic repercussions of the earthquake provided an opportunity to move forward and open the door for Egypt, whose president, immediately after the disaster, initiated contact. Assad, and instructed to send aid by air and sea. At a time when there is talk in some Arab political circles of the existence of Saudi-Egyptian differences that could have constituted an additional motive for Cairo to take its broad step towards Damascus, the Arab moves indicate that the Egyptian openness falls within the framework of a broad Arab activity that does not exclude Riyadh, which the minister announced. Its foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan, changed his country's position on Syria, stressing the need to communicate with Damascus, which he is expected to visit in the coming days.

Despite the continuous openness of Arab capitals to Damascus, whether before or after the earthquake, these steps face many obstacles and difficult tests, most notably the US position rejecting this normalization, and the threat of unilateral US sanctions imposed on Syria, in addition to Washington's possession of many pressure cards that may initiate use during the next period.

Media Review: Military Watch: A “terrifying” Chinese weapon located in Algeria destroys “NATO” tanks if delivered to Russia

Media Review: Military Watch: A “terrifying” Chinese weapon located in Algeria destroys “NATO” tanks if delivered to Russia

    Monday, February 27, 2023   No comments

A magazine specialized in weapons and military equipment published a lengthy article about one of the effective Chinese weapons against tanks, stressing that this simple weapon may destroy the various Western tanks that NATO recently sent to Ukraine.

Military Watch magazine indicated that Western countries pledged tens of billions of dollars worth of new weapons to support the Ukrainian forces, at a time when Washington and European sources claimed that “the Russian army could receive support from China.”

The magazine considered that “this proposition and speculation contradicts Beijing’s neutral position, which is in line with the position of the majority of non-Western countries on the Ukrainian crisis,” but noted that “the wide range of weapons that China can provide, from guided missile artillery to missiles, could change the balance of Powers..although there is a great danger for China through the seizure of its weapons systems and its study by Ukraine and its Western supporters.

And the magazine noted that "if China decides to provide weapons, which is unlikely as it seems, one of the weapons with the greatest impact that it can provide is the simplest in terms of size and back."

However, the magazine considered that the simple Chinese anti-tank type “HJ-12” could cause a major problem for Western tanks supplied from NATO.

According to the report published by Military Watch, the Chinese company (China North Industries Corporation) developed this weapon in 2014, and obtained only one export contract to the Algerian army.

The HJ-12 is widely considered the most capable missile system of its kind in the world, competing with the US Javelin and the French NNB.

The simple shape of the Chinese weapon “HJ-12” allows for launching operations from inside buildings and targeting targets tightly before they are targeted.

The Chinese weapon allows the elements to carry out the targeting process and then to hide directly after firing, and gives them time to re-stock in order to engage a second target, considering that the Chinese weapon is the “most terrifying” for the Ukrainian army.

The magazine considered that the Chinese anti-tank “HJ-12” would be very dangerous for the new categories of tanks supplied to Ukraine, such as “Leopard 2”, “Leopard 1”, “Abrams” and others.

“China has worked on developing the HJ-12 anti-tank with the aim of improving its ability to penetrate and detonate reactive armor, in addition to its very long range of 4 kilometers, which enables it to engage less well-armoured targets at longer ranges at the expense of accuracy and penetration power.”

The missile system combines highly advanced capabilities with extremely light weight and weighs only 22 kg, allowing ground forces to maintain high mobility and great dynamism.

“Missiles are highly maneuverable and are designed to hit enemy vehicles from above where shields are weakest.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had commented on the allegations of supplying Chinese weapons to Russia, saying that he “does not see any point in commenting on Western reports about discussing the supply of military equipment to Russia by Beijing, as all information has been refuted by China.”

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had warned Beijing of the consequences of supplying Moscow with weapons. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance is concerned about the possibility of China supplying weapons to Russia.

Today, Monday, China commented on the US imposing sanctions on its companies, due to allegations of its support for Russia.

"Beijing will take firm countermeasures, and will firmly protect the interests of Chinese companies," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, according to the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper.

And Ning urged America to stop spreading disinformation, and to lift sanctions on Chinese companies, according to “Sputnik”.

The History of Illegal, Unjust Wars

The History of Illegal, Unjust Wars

    Sunday, February 26, 2023   No comments

History of Illegal, Unjust Wars

At the conclusion of the "G20"... India refuses to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine

At the conclusion of the "G20"... India refuses to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine

    Saturday, February 25, 2023   No comments

India refused to condemn the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, and had reservations about including the condemnation in the final statement of the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 countries, which was held yesterday and today in New Delhi.

And the Indian Ministry of Finance stated, in a statement: “Most of the members decisively condemned the war in Ukraine, and affirmed that it causes great human suffering and exacerbates imbalances in the global economy … but there are other visions and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.”

She added, "While noting that the G-20 is not a forum for resolving security issues, we realize that security issues may have significant repercussions on the global economy."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov intends to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Twenty, which is scheduled to be held on March 1 and 2 in New Delhi, according to what was announced by the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, earlier this month.

Zakharova pointed out that during the event, issues of capacity-building, reform of international institutions, and strengthening the positions of developing countries in the collective decision-making process will be discussed.

She added, "It is expected that there will be a busy schedule of bilateral meetings for Lavrov, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers. Work is underway to prepare these contacts. We are talking about countries such as China and Brazil, and of course the host country."

In addition to participating in the G20 Foreign Ministers' Council, Lavrov will be in New Delhi from March 1-3, as part of a working visit during which he will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Subramaniam Jaishankar, and after that he will participate in the international "Raisinya Dialogue" conference.

India holds the G20 presidency from last December until November 30, 2023.

The G20 summit started on February 24 in Bangalore, the technological capital of India, to agree on the challenges posed by the global economy in the atmosphere of war in Ukraine, and high inflation with the recovery after the "Covid-19" epidemic.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for reform of international institutions, including the World Bank, on the first day of the G20 financial summit in the southern Indian city of Bangalore.

The meeting takes place exactly a year after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, and amid disagreements among the G20 participants on this issue.

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."