Day: May 4, 2023

The US and its allies are ultimately responsible for the actions of the “Kiev regime,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed.

“They destroyed the lawful government in Ukraine [in 2014], put crooks and bandits in charge, provided them with money and weapons, imbued them with a sense of absolute impunity and provided political cover and military support,” Zakharova said on Thursday.

The official stressed that Russia holds “Washington, London, and NATO in general” accountable for all of the Ukrainian government’s actions.

On Wednesday, the office of President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of launching two drones at the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate the Russian leader. Ukrainian officials have rejected the allegation, claiming that their country does not attack targets in Russia.

Moscow has warned that it reserves the right to retaliate in a way it deems appropriate and at a time and place of its choosing.

Ukrainian troops are expected to launch a long-touted counteroffensive against Russian forces within the coming weeks. Foreign allies have pledged to support Kiev for as long as it takes to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

Leading Western media outlets have suggested that the operation could be a decisive moment for the conflict, and that Ukraine may find it difficult to secure future aid, should it fail to make significant gains on the ground.

Source: Russia Today

An oil refinery in Russia’s southern Rostov Region sustained some damage after being hit by a drone overnight, the governor has reported. It was one of several similar incidents this week.

The attack targeted the Novoshakhtinsk facility, 60km north of the provincial capital, Rostov-on-Don, Governor Vasily Golubev said on social media on Thursday morning. The unmanned aircraft blew up after hitting an overpass connecting two shops.

The governor said the blast caused a small fire, which was quickly put out by workers at the plant. No casualties and only minor damage resulted, the official added. The work of the refinery was reportedly not affected.

There have been a number of kamikaze drone strikes targeting oil depots and refineries in Russia in recent days. On Thursday morning, a fire broke out at a petrol storage facility in Krasnodar Region, prompting a large response by firefighters.

Earlier in the week, there was a drone incident at another oil facility in the same region, and last week, an oil terminal was hit in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Kiev claimed responsibility for the latter, stating that the attack was meant to disrupt Russian military logistics ahead of the long-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

On Tuesday night, two drones flew towards the Kremlin before being intercepted over the premises. The Russian government claimed it was an attempt by Ukraine to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Kiev denied responsibility, claiming it does not attack targets in Russia.

Source: Russia Today

Indigenous representatives from 12 Commonwealth countries called on King Charles III to apologize for “the horrific and enduring impacts’ of colonialization and the ‘legacy of genocide.’ “We, the undersigned, call on the British Monarch, King Charles III, on the date of his coronation being May 6, 2023, to acknowledge the horrific impacts on and legacy of genocide and colonisation of the indigenous and enslaved peoples,” the signatories said in a letter, titled Apology, Reparation, and Repatriation of Artefacts and Remains. The letter came ahead of Charles’ coronation on Saturday and signed by Indigenous representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, New Zealand, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. “Our collective Indigenous Rights Organisations among other organisations who are working to help our communities recover from centuries of racism, oppression, colonialism and slavery, now rightly recognized by the United Nations as ‘Crimes Against Humanity,’ also call for a formal apology and for a process of reparatory justice to commence,” it said. Indigenous Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe, who called Queen Elizabeth II a “colonizer” during her swearing-in ceremony in parliament last year, is also among signatory representatives. “Today I join representatives from 12 Commonwealth countries (with the King as head of state) in calling on the new king to recognise British acts of genocide, issue a formal apology to all First Nations and Indigenous peoples impacted by British colonisation,” she said on Twitter. “We also call for the return of the stolen wealth, artefacts and remains of our people,” Thorpe added. Buckingham Palace and the UK government have not reacted to the letter so far.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukraine is being pumped with weapons by Western nations for a long-planned counteroffensive against Russia, but it will have no benefits and will only lead to more bloodshed, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has warned.

In an interview with the Izvestia newspaper published on Thursday, Galuzin claimed Kiev and its “Anglo-Saxon masters” are derailing all initiatives for peace talks, instead calling for the “strategic defeat of Russia.”

“Thoughtlessly and irresponsibly pumping up Kiev with modern Western weapons and supporting its idea of a counteroffensive will only lead to bloodshed and further escalation of the conflict,” he told the outlet.

“The Kiev regime and its Western sponsors should be warned about the inevitably deplorable consequences of their plans,” Galuzin said, adding that Russian forces are prepared for any developments.

In recent months, officials in Kiev and the West have spoken on multiple occasions about plans for a massive counteroffensive against Russia. Last week, Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov said that troops are “generally ready for the push” and are awaiting orders from senior officials.

On Wednesday, the head of the Wagner private military company, Evgeny Prigozhin, claimed Ukraine’s forces had begun a counteroffensive in Artyomovsk, known as Bakhmut in Ukraine.

That same day, President Vladimir Putin’s office reported that two drones had targeted his Kremlin quarters overnight. The Russian leader’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Putin was not there at the time.

While Kiev has officially denied responsibility for the attack, Russia said it reserves the right to retaliate “anywhere and anytime it deems necessary.”

Source: Russia Today

Russia is in better economic shape than many large Western nations in terms of inflation and the level of sovereign debt, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

During a working meeting with Economy Minister Maksim Reshetnikov, Putin noted that Russia’s state debt is only a fraction of its gross domestic product.

“It’s 121.7% [of GDP] in the US, the eurozone’s debt amounts to 90.9%, Germany’s and France’s total 66.5% and 111.1% respectively, Russia’s 14.9% is a well-performing indicator,” the leader stated.

Putin also drew attention to the rate of inflation in Russia, noting it is low compared to numerous other countries – including in the West.

“As of March, [inflation] is 3.5% in Russia, 7.4% in Germany, the euro area as a whole recorded 6.9%, while inflation in France and the US amounted to 5.7% and 5% respectively,” Putin pointed out.

Central bank data cited by Russian media in March showed that the country’s foreign debt has dropped to its lowest level since 2007. It reportedly decreased by 21.1% last year to $380.5 billion, representing a fall of $101.8 billion.

Source: Russia Today

The fighting in Sudan will likely not stop in the near future since both sides have few incentives to seek peace, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Thursday. “The fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces is, we assess, likely to be protracted as both sides believe that they can win militarily and have few incentives to come to the negotiating table,” she said during a US Senate hearing on Thursday. “Both sides are seeking external sources of support, which, if successful, is likely to intensify the conflict and create a greater potential for spillover challenges in the region,” she added. The intelligence chief noted that the fighting has worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Sudan, forcing aid organizations to curtail operations, which increases the massive refugee flows and the need for aid in the entire region. “Even before the fighting started, roughly 1/3 of the population or approximately 15.8 million people required immediate assistance because of disease outbreaks inflation, localized conflicts, internal displacement and weather related food insecurity,” Haines added. The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, has been engulfed by violence for weeks with fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group. A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and RSF regarding the group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan’s transition agreement with political groups. Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.” The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, is scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

Source: Anadolu Agency

As fighting in Sudan continues in its third week between the army and a paramilitary group, the armed forces remains in control of strategic locations in the capital city, the country’s ambassador to Trkiye said on Thursday. In an exclusive interview with Anadolu about the current situation in the conflict-torn North African nation, Nadir Yousif Eltayeb said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) held scattered areas in Khartoum, particularly in residential areas. Some friendly nations have made attempts to secure a temporary cease-fire to bring in much-needed humanitarian aid, Eltayeb pointed out, though noting that these truces “have been interrupted by the RSF, four times or five times until the end of yesterday.” “Whenever we do agree on a cease-fire for three days, then they start violating it,” he said. The envoy stressed that they were trying to end the conflict as soon as possible, noting that many had been injured in the fighting. “The situation should be described properly, it is a rebellion against us, the government,” Eltayeb said. He went on: ‘The Army is now fighting this rebellion as part of its duty as a national army, it has to fight this thing until it gets finished. Otherwise, it is going to cause chaos and disintegration of the country.” Khartoum has been engulfed by violence since April 15, with fighting between the army and the RSF. More than 550 people have been killed, with over 5,000 injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and RSF regarding the group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan’s transition agreement with political groups. Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.” The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, is scheduled to end with elections in early 2024. Security ‘biggest challenge’ in framework agreement Eltayeb underlined that the RSF’s resistance to integrating with the army was one of the major factors impeding the implementation of a “framework agreement” signed between the Sovereign Council, made up of military members, and civilians in December. The sides agreed on almost all other issues, especially political matters, though security has always been “a real problem,” he said. Underscoring that the RSF insisted on completing the integration process over a period of 10 years, Eltayeb said this was “not practical,” with the army saying two years were enough to complete the process. Despite the fact that the sides had agreed to work together, the RSF’s insistence on taking a decade for integration had a negative effect on the agreement’s implementation, as well as the negotiation process between the parties. Evacuations On efforts by other countries to pull their diplomatic staff and nationals out of Sudan, Eltayeb said Trkiye had “successfully” completed the evacuation process for over 2,000 Turkish citizens by air and land. Saudi Arabia also conducted evacuation efforts from the country to the city of Jeddah on the opposite shore of the Red Sea, while 2,000-3,000 people had been evacuated by the US, he said, adding that other countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa had also gotten their people out of Sudan. “So, evacuation is still going on, but almost finished,” he said, adding that the country was also hosting refugees from more than five countries, including neighboring Ethiopia, Chad, South Sudan. Stressing Sudan’s strategic importance in the region, Eltayeb said the ongoing violence was “going to affect the stability” of its neighbors, economically and even militarily. He stressed, however, that Sudan was working to end the conflict as soon as possible. The envoy thanked Trkiye for its sincere support and initiatives, saying that Ankara was aware that Sudan was a strategic partner. He also pointed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s phone calls with the chief of the Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fettah al-Burhan and Deputy Chairman and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The ‘guiding force’ to build relations with ‘manufacturing hub Trkiye’ has to be economy, said a former Indian diplomat, suggesting closer cooperation between the private sectors of the two nations. ‘Guiding force has to be economics,’ said Vikas Swarup, 61, who retired as India’s top diplomat in charge, known as Secretary West at India’s Foreign Ministry, of managing the South Asian nation’s relations with the Middle East, including Trkiye. Swarup spoke to Anadolu in Istanbul where he engaged in a literary discussion with Trkiye’s incumbent top diplomat in India, Firat Sunel, during an event at the recently opened Rami Library. ‘Trkiye is very good in manufacturing. It has always been a manufacturing powerhouse (and) India is also trying to scale up (manufacturing). There, I see also a lot of possibilities for Turkish and Indian businessmen to work together,’ he said. ‘Trkiye wants to maximize its economic potential, India (also) wants to maximize (economics) and if the private sector of the two countries comes together… $12.5billion is just a start, we can take it to $25 billion or even more,’ Swarup added. The annual bilateral trade between the two nations has swelled past $12 billion. ‘Let the two private sectors come together and if the political will exists on both sides, then I am sure India-Trkiye relations will prosper,’ he added. The bilateral trade was ‘booming’ because ‘connectivity has increased between India and Trkiye,’ said Swarup, citing direct flights between India and Trkiye as an example. 1st diplomatic posting in Ankara A career diplomat-turned-author, Swarup’s first diplomatic posting was in Ankara in 1987, where he got ‘exposed to a completely different culture … different way of working.’ ‘It gave me a lot of insights into how relationship is built-up,’ he recalled, crediting leadership of then Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Ozal and Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi for bilateral visits at a time when Ankara and New Delhi were ‘just about to rediscover each other.’ Author of three books, Swarup’s Slumdog Millionaire turned into a global hit movie. Before retiring from the Indian Foreign Service in 2021, he served as India’s high commissioner to Canada. He is currently working on ‘new stories.’ Soon after he reached the Turkish capital, Swarup took a course in the Turkish language for six months in Ankara. He recalled his ‘good Turkish’ speaking skills at a TRT program, where other guests ‘could not make out whether I was Indian or Turkish … (and) that was a big compliment.’ According to him, his senior colleague Alok Singh was the first Indian diplomat to learn the Turkish language in 1976. ‘The first posting is always special in a way it determines, molds your entire future … what you learn is something what you remember all through your life … So, from that point of view, Trkiye was important posting for me,’ Swarup told Anadolu. After his three-year posting ended in 1990, Swarup returned to Trkiye in 1993 ‘to handle the visit’ of then-Indian President Shankar Dayal Sharma. Later, he accompanied incumbent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Trkiye in 2015 to attend a G20 summit in the Mediterranean province of Antalya. Swarup was ‘closely associated’ with the reciprocal trips of Ozal and Gandhi, which ‘allowed me a firsthand experience of what a VIP visit is and how do we handle it and how do they contribute to the development of bilateral ties between two countries.’ ‘Lot of opportunities as developing nations’ Swarup said India and Trkiye ‘are contributing to each other in many different ways.’ ‘Trkiye is a member of the Group of 20 (and) they are supporting India’s Group of 20 presidency,’ he said, recalling India’s Operation Dost (friend) launched in the aftermath of twin earthquakes that hit Trkiye on Feb. 6 early this year. One big connector between the two countries, said Swarup, ‘is that India and Trkiye are both developing countries.’ ‘Turkish per capita is much more than India but Trkiye is also a developing country. ‘From that point of view, we see eye to eye on many international issues, on environment, on WTO (World Trade Organization), I think we have the same perspective,’ said the former diplomat. ‘And that is where I see a lot of opportunities for us to work together.’ Swarup said the world was ‘facing a problem of indebtedness … many of the poorer countries are heavily under the burden of debt for instance and India and Trkiye can work together to be their voice and help them in climate finance, debt restructuring etc. ‘These are couple of areas where I see a lot of opportunities where the two can work together.’ On his literary engagement in Istanbul, Swarup said the Rami Library event was unique where two diplomat-writers and two friends ‘were talking to each other contributing to the cultural ties of the two countries.’ Lauding the Turkish series Dirilis Ertugrul (Resurrection Ertugrul), Swarup said: ‘A lot of Turkish serials are gaining international popularity. ‘More Indians are exposed to Turkish literature and culture (which) will be good for both the countries,’ he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The countries in the Black Sea region should solve problems through dialogue to ensure peace, the Turkish parliament speaker said on Thursday. “Solving the problems in the region through diplomatic mechanisms and dialogue is essential for ensuring development, peace and stability not only in the countries of the region, but also in the European continent and on a global scale,” Mustafa Sentop said at the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in the capital Ankara. Sentop said it is more vital than ever before to solve the problems in the region by showing a common will and acting in cooperation. “Establishing peace and stability in our region and ensuring sustainable development depend primarily on building political trust. For this, it is necessary to prevent prejudices and misperceptions and to keep dialogue channels open,” he added. The role of parliaments and parliamentarians should be highlighted within the framework of changing global dynamics, Sentop said, adding: “We believe that our parliaments have additional roles and responsibilities that they can play in consolidating peace, prosperity and stability in our region.” He also urged for strengthening cooperation between parliaments since it is important in terms of establishing trust and cooperation between governments. “The importance of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) for the peace and stability of our region is undeniable,” Sentop said. The 13-member BSEC aims to diversify and further develop bilateral and multilateral economic, technological and social relations among its member states.

Source: Anadolu Agency

China on Thursday sought answers from the US over its alleged use of ‘cyber weapons to carry out espionage’ globally. Beijing also accused the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of ‘directing color revolutions’ by gathering intelligence from foreign governments. Citing a report on the US intelligence agency, Mao Ning, spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said: ‘Over the years, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has gathered intelligence information from foreign governments, enterprises, and citizens, organized, carried out, directed and supervised trans-boundary covert actions, and secretly conducted ‘Peaceful Evolution’ and ‘Color Revolution’ around the world.’ Mao was referring to the joint report released by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and Chinese cybersecurity company Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. The report alleges cyberattacks against other countries by the CIA and ‘the consequences it led.’ ‘The international community needs to stay on high alert against these moves,’ she added. ‘The large number of real cases in China and other countries disclosed by the report once again testifies to CIA’s cyber-attack activities around the world over the years,’ said the spokeswoman, urging Washington to ‘take seriously and respond to the concerns from the international community.’ Washington must ‘stop using cyber weapons to carry out espionage and cyber-attacks around the world,’ Mao added. According to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, the joint report ‘unveils that the CIA took advantage of a zero-day vulnerability, including a number of backdoors and vulnerabilities that haven’t been disclosed to the public.’ ‘This was done to set up ‘zombie’ networks to initiate springboard attacks by stages, targeting web servers, terminals, routers, as well as industrial control devices. The zero-day vulnerability is software loopholes that are discovered by attackers before the vendor has become aware of them,’ it added. Back in 2020, Qihoo 360 discovered an unknown cyberattack organization ‘which carried out a slew of cyberattacks toward China and other countries by utilizing cyber tools related to CIA.’ ‘Such cyberattacks can be traced back to the year 2011, and continue to this day. The targets of such espionage actions expand to fields such as countries’ key information infrastructure, the aerospace sector, scientific research institutes, petroleum industry, tech companies as well as government agencies,’ said the report.

Source: Anadolu Agency