Category: General

India, the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), will host the two-day Foreign Ministers meeting on May 4 in Goa, on the heels of a Defence Ministers meeting in New Delhi on April 27-28. The bloc continues to enlarge, bringing optimism to the members, but as new countries are added, new challenges within the group arise.

A Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization, the SCO is the largest bloc in the world in terms of territory and population. It was established in 2001 by China, Russia, and four Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India is not an original member and only attained full membership in 2017.

Russia has had very close ties historically with India and was supportive of New Delhi’s membership early after the SCO’s establishment. It was a practical move following the Russia-India-China (RIC) dialogue platform Moscow already set up in 2002. India’s inclusion in the SCO was a natural political extension of the logic of RIC as a non-Western grouping opposed to US unilateralism towards Central Asia as a whole. However, China insisted on linking India’s membership with that of Pakistan, whose membership in the SCO at that time seemed problematic. Some concerns may have existed regarding the potential spillover of India-Pakistan tensions into the SCO, but eventually, both India and Pakistan joined simultaneously in 2017

Iran, bordering the Central Asian states and with close historical links with many of them, would have been a natural partner, but SCO members were reluctant to risk the organization getting entangled in nuclear proliferation issues surrounding Iran. Complications would have arisen from the UN Security Council sanctions imposed on Tehran approved by Russia and China as P5 members with non-proliferation commitments. Given the sharp deterioration of US ties with Russia and China, the geopolitical scenario has dramatically changed, removing earlier reservations, and now Iran is set to become a full member of the SCO this year.

The organization is a vehicle for the larger Eurasian region to capitalize on cooperative opportunities and address challenges autonomously from the West in a variety of spheres, including trade and economy, science and technology, energy, transportation, culture, education, and more. The West has dominated the international system for a few centuries, and the post-1945 global order reflects its hegemony. Despite the ongoing dispersion of political, economic and military power towards the East, the West still seeks to shape the changing global environment to its advantage by strengthening military alliances, military interventions, weaponizing its financial power through the reserve currency status of the US dollar, sanctions, extraterritorial application of its domestic legislation, and interference in the internal affairs of countries to promote human rights and democracies on a selective basis.

In contrast, the declared goal of the SCO is to strengthen mutual confidence and neighborly relations among the member countries to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region and move towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order. Principles of mutual trust and benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and aspiration towards common development guide its functioning. The SCO also seeks to combat international drug trafficking as a source of financing global terrorism with a focus on Afghanistan in particular.

The SCO, along with BRICS, is a building block for a multipolar global system. That goal is being advanced with more countries seeking links with it. Four countries – Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia – have “observer” status, and nine countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar – have “dialogue partner” status.

A political balance is being maintained between Russia and China within the expanded adherents to the SCO. Moscow has interests with many of these countries such as Azerbaijan and Armenia (in conflict with each other with Russia trying to maintain peace) as well as Egypt and Saudi Arabia with which Russia has either close defense ties or energy coordination. Additionally, Turkey, a NATO member, is closely engaged with Russia in many areas and has an active presence in Azerbaijan and Central Asia. It has been sponsoring peace conferences in Afghanistan and Belarus as well as Mongolia.

Outside its extensive ties to all the core members of the SCO, China has enhanced interests in Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar.

Observer status for Afghanistan is logical based on its geographical location, despite concerns regarding its instability, conflicts, and subsequent overflow into neighboring countries.

India has stakes in the SCO for various reasons. It is a major Asian country, comparable to China in many dimensions, has historical connections and affinities with Central Asian countries, and New Delhi’s leaders have maintained close contacts with these countries since their independence. India’s rising economy can contribute to their economic growth and help balance their external ties with various power centers. Terrorism and religious extremism is a shared concern, but India is interested in regional connectivity projects linking it with this region. As a result, India has vital security interests in Afghanistan and must consult regularly with SCO members about the evolution of the situation there. Finally, India seeks to counter Pakistan’s efforts to prevent closer links between India and Central Asia.

As in the case of other international organizations, there is a gap between the purpose and practice in the SCO. The organization has extensive guidelines on peaceful resolution of conflicts, respect for territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-use of force or threats to use force, no military superiority in adjacent areas, counteracting terrorism, extremism and separatism in all its manifestations, etc. Despite these expressed SCO values, India and China are locked in disputes of territorial sovereignty and similar issues bedevil India-Pakistan ties as well. A large number of Chinese troops are currently massed on the Indian border contrary to past agreements, clashes have taken place and the danger of escalation exists. Meanwhile, India accuses Pakistan of nurturing jihadi groups and promoting cross-border terrorism.

The reality of international life and differences between states necessitates consistent efforts to address conflicting interests and find common ground where goals do not clash. The SCO provides a platform to achieve this, and the upcoming foreign ministers meeting under India’s chairmanship will hopefully advance the collective aims of participating countries amidst an international environment that is becoming more disruptive and confrontational.

Source: Russia Today

The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday. King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel in procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, drawn by 6 Windsor Grey horses. The Household Cavalry will provide the Sovereign’s Escort. They will travel along The Mall, through Admiralty Arch, passing to the south of the King Charles Island statue in Trafalgar Square before turning onto Whitehall.? The procession will continue down Whitehall and along the east and south sides of Parliament Square. After passing through the 1.3-mile route, they will arrive at Westminster Abbey for the coronation service which will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Charles will be crowned with the historic St Edward’s Crown while Queen Camilla will wear a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, made in 1911. Charles III will be presented with the Orb, and the Sovereign’s Scepter representing Monarch’s religious and moral authority. After the service, Charles and Camilla will return to Buckingham Palace in the 260-year-old Gold State Coach.? Charles III took the throne in September after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Canada has allocated more than $71 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries affected by the armed conflict, the government announced Wednesday. The humanitarian aid will be sent to the UN, Red Cross and other NGO partners for Sudan ($30.69 million), South Sudan ($31.12 million) and the Central African Republic ($10 million), Minister of International Development and Minister for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, Harjit S. Sajjan, said at a news conference. “Canada is deeply concerned by the conflict in Sudan and its humanitarian impact on the country’s population and those living in neighboring countries already struggling as a result of poverty, violence, food insecurity and climate change,” a government statement said after the news conference. Canadan invited all parties to protect civilian infrastructure and facilitate humanitarian access for the provision of critical assistance in Sudan, it said. The funding supports ongoing humanitarian efforts in the region and is provided on a flexible basis, allowing partners to adapt and adjust efforts as the situation evolves in and around Sudan, it said. The humanitarian aid will help people meet basic needs, including food assistance, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene and health services. 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

Prominent Russian blogger Alexandra Mitroshina has announced that she has fully repaid her tax debt of over 120 million rubles ($1.5 million) after authorities opened a criminal investigation accusing her of tax evasion.

In a Youtube broadcast from Dubai, where she currently resides, the blogger admitted her mistake in not paying due attention to taxes. “Indeed, some taxes were not paid,” she said. “On April 20, 2022, I was subject to a tax audit. Immediately after the initiation of a criminal case, I paid most of the tax debt. Yesterday, I paid off in full the principal amount of the debt.”

Mitroshina insists that she never intended to hide her income and that she has always paid her taxes throughout her career as a blogger. She claimed that the debt arose due to the mistakes of an outsourcing company, as well as her own irresponsible attitude towards accounting.

Her statement comes after Russia’s Investigative Committee announced the initiation of a criminal case against Mitroshina on suspicion of tax evasion. That’s because authorities have reportedly launched a crackdown on Russia’s top-earning social media stars, nearly all of whom are believed to have massive outstanding tax debts.

According to several media sources, Russian tax authorities have created a special blogging department that focuses solely on social media personalities that make over 50 million rubles ($629,500) a year. Sources in the Federal Tax Service have reportedly told news outlet Baza that “no one has paid taxes” and suggested that the number of criminal cases against bloggers may soon increase.

Last week, top Russian lifestyle guru Elena Blinovskaya was dramatically detained at a border crossing to Belarus as she tried to flee the country. The blogger has since admitted to failing to pay over $11 million in taxes, as well as money laundering. The former beauty pageant winner, who has made a fortune selling her motivational online self-help classes to her 5.3 million followers on Instagram, has also been accused of falsifying business records in order to hide her income.

A month before that, popular fitness blogger Valeria Chekalina and her husband were also charged with failing to pay over 311 million rubles ($3.8 million) in taxes. The pair now faces up to three years in jail, as well as a hefty fine if found guilty of tax evasion.

Source: Russia Today

The Head of the private military company Wagner said on Wednesday that he believes Ukraine has already begun its counteroffensive, citing daily reports of derailed trains, drone attacks, and explosions of Russian infrastructure. “I think that the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army has already started. We see the highest activity of the enemy aviation, we see its highest military activities along the perimeter and inside the frontline,” Evgeny Prigozhin said. Prigozhin added that while his group is “capable of controlling the situation inside the frontline,” the situation along the perimeter “does not look best.” He pointed out that the “enemy” activity has increased inside Russia, with daily reports of derailed trains, drone attacks, and explosions of infrastructure. “I believe everything has already begun,” he said, adding that Ukraine seems to start large-scale combat activities in the near future, possibly “within days.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

The World Bank announced Wednesday its executive directors selected Ajay Banga as the new president for a five-year term to begin June 2. While Banga was the only nominee for the 14th president of the international financial institution, the World Bank said in a statement the selection process included “an open, merit-based, and transparent nomination.” It said its president also serves as the chair of the board of executive directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). Banga, a 63-year-old US national, was nominated in February by US President Joe Biden who described him as “a business leader with extensive experience” leading organizations in developing countries and forging public-private partnerships to address financial inclusion and climate change. Being elected chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, Banga held various roles at PepsiCo and Nestle. Born and raised in India, he was appointed in February 2015 by then-President Barack Obama to serve as a member of his Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Banga is set to replace David Malpass, who is stepping down with one year left at the helm, after serving four years.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Germany announced on Wednesday that it will extend its military mission in Mali for the last time, and will gradually withdraw its troops by May 31, 2024.? Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office said in a statement that the last one-year extension would allow the UN to make the necessary adjustments, as it is currently reviewing the future of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). ‘The United Nations should be supported in the further planning of the mission even without Germany’s participation. The period until the end of May 2024 is suitable for creating the conditions for this,’ the statement said.? Berlin said its decision to gradually withdraw troops has also taken into account Mali’s timetable for the political transition process, including presidential elections, which are scheduled to take place on Feb. 4, 2024. According to the government’s motion, the German armed forces will be able to deploy up to 1,400 soldiers in Mali, as part of the MINUSMA mission, until May 31, 2024. But the Bundeswehr will begin withdrawing some of the military equipment already this month, and it will adjust its contribution to MINUSMA in coordination with the UN, and partner countries.? The government’s motion is almost certain to be passed by the German parliament, where Scholz’s ruling coalition has majority support. The German armed forces suffered serious problems in Mali in the past couple of months due to political tensions between Berlin and Mali’s military rulers.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a prohibition Wednesday to prevent Facebook from monetizing youth data. The regulator said the proposed changes are related to its privacy order with Facebook in 2020 when it argued that the company failed to comply with the order, misled parents about children communicating through the Messenger Kids app and misrepresented private user data access for some application developers. “Facebook has repeatedly violated its privacy promises,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “The company’s recklessness has put young users at risk, and Facebook needs to answer for its failures.” The changes, if realized, would prohibit Meta, Facebook’s parent, from profiting from data it collects, including from virtual reality products from users under the age of 18. Meta, in addition, would be subject to other expanded limitations, such as its use of facial recognition technology, while it would be required to provide additional protections for users. The FTC said it is the third time it has taken action against Facebook for failing to protect users’ privacy after it filed a complaint in 2011 that was secured in 2012 that barred the firm from misrepresenting its privacy practices. Facebook agreed to a second order in 2019 to resolve claims amid violating the first order, as it took effect in 2020, and was required to pay a civil penalty worth $5 billion.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Commissioner Reynders will request information on the total value of the assets of “Russian oligarchs” in Cyprus that have been frozen by the authorities he told Cyprus News Agency in an interview, noting that so far, according to official figures 104 million euros in assets have been frozen, which is considered a low amount. Reynders was speaking to CNA ahead of his visit to Cyprus on Thursday and Friday. The Commissioner for Justice also referred to the progress of the infringement procedure on golden passports, noting that out of the three Member States on which the Commission focused, Bulgaria has completely stopped the relevant programmes and therefore the procedure is closed, Malta continues the programme and therefore has been referred to the EU Court of Justice, and Cyprus remains in the middle. Reynders noted that Cyprus has suspended the relevant legislation without repealing it due to legal reasons related to the review of citizenship granted. According to the Commissioner, it would be preferable to have a complete repeal of the legislation. The Commissioner also expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation so far in relation to the monitoring of the rule of law in the context of the Commission’s annual reports, which he is visiting Cyprus to discuss, as well as on the reforms in the judiciary. Reynders stressed the importance that authorities such as the new anti-corruption authority one can work in practice and that they will have the necessary manpower and resources. Finally, Reynders refered to the situation of freedom of the press in Cyprus, focusing in particular on ensuring the independence of public media, and specifically the CyBC, as well as the Commission’s proposal to counter the practice of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP). Commisioner Reynders explained that during his recent visit to Malta he discussed the implementation of EU sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, asking in particular to be informed about the total value of assets frozen in the country as a result of the sanctions, noting that in some countries the amounts declared were lower than one would expect. Citing Cyprus as an example, he noted that after years of operation of the “golden passport” programme against investments, which often involved citizens of Russia or Belarus, the question arises how relatively low amounts of frozen assets can be recorded. ‘I’ve seen it in Italy, in Spain, after my visit’, pointing to ‘a huge increase of the figures’, a phenomenon which he added could be due to technical problems. He also referred to the example of Hungary, where initially information showed Russian frozen assets amounting to 3000 euros, which later increased to 870 million euros. Russian frozen assets in Cyprus Asked to comment on the value of the assets of individuals frozen in Cyprus under the EU’s sanctions, Reynders noted that there were more significant amounts than those reported in Malta or Greece, amounting to 104 million euros. However, he noted, a few years ago official data showed a large number of Russian assets in Cyprus. He said that during his contacts he would discuss “why it is difficult to find more than that”, “maybe in bank accounts or assets in various companies, but also real estate or yachts or other assets from Russian oligarchs”. He added that the second point of discussion will be how to best enforce sanctions, as, he said, “we are concerned about the different possible ways for various oligarchs and entities to circumvent sanctions” by transferring assets to other individuals or complex international structures in tax havens. He also recalled that he has proposed the addition of sanctions evasion to the crimes recognised throughout the EU, and that the proposal is currently being discussed by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. Circumvention of sanctions Asked to comment on the recent addition of natural and legal persons from Cyprus to the US and UK sanctions for allegedly assisting Russian oligarchs in circumventing sanctions, Reynders did not comment specifically on the case but referred to the fact that the discussion on the next package of sanctions is now even more focused on effective implementation. He said however that he will ask to receive more precise information regarding sanctions against Cypriot citizens by the US and the UK. Regarding the EU’s actions against sanctions circumvention in general, Reynders underlined that ‘if there are some links between companies in Cyprus and a third country to organize a circumvention of sanction, we have not only diplomatic action, we have also some possibilities to, to act for a criminal offence’. Golden passports Commenting on the issue relating to ‘golden passport’ programmes in the EU and Cyprus, Commissioner Reynders noted that this is something that came up in three out of the 27 member states. Bulgaria, he said, has established that it has no intention to proceed with new legislation, which ended the infringement procedure, while Malta ‘continued to receive applications’ having decided to suspend the programme for Russian and Belarusian citizens, while also sending a clear message that the programme is related to ‘budgetary reasons’, which led the Commission to take the case to the Court of the European Union, because, as Reynders said ‘we are sure that there’s a lack of sincere cooperation with all the member states’ since it’s not just the national passport that is provided, but access to the EU citizenship. ‘And in between you have Cyprus’ he added, noting that he has had many many discussions with the members of the government and the Attorney General. ‘What we have asked is to stop the process and to organize a review of the existing cases’ Reynders added, noting that ‘I’ve seen that now there’s a real work on revision’ of applications from the past years. However, he continued, the Cypriot authorities decided to suspend the law and to explain to me, we are doing that because we need to maintain the law for the revision of the cases in the past’, adding that the Commission is analysing this dimension. ‘My preference is to see one day the withdrawal of the law’ and referring to the infringement case added that ‘we don’t want to stop the process before the court, without the real final certainty that will be possible to have an abolition of the law and not just a suspension’. Asked if the Commission has been informed of the numbers of cases reviewed, Mr. Raiders said they have received some figures, but he prefers to be informed of the latest figures during the visit before commenting further. Commissioner Raiders also linked the process of reviewing citizenships granted through the golden passport programme to the assets of oligarchs frozen as a result of sanctions. As he pointed out, the Cyprus Investment Programme was not just about paying for a passport but “real investment in assets in the country”, which is why the Commission is trying to understand ‘why at the end of such a long process we have 100 million euros in frozen assets and not more”. Regarding the criteria that the government has set for giving permanent residence to investors, Reynders noted that he will ask what exactly the rules are at the moment. Rule of law and justice Regarding the rule of law, the Justice Commissioner said he was satisfied with his cooperation with the authorities during the preparation of the annual rule of law report. ‘What is very clear is that we have seen for the justice system, and with some effect in the fight against corruption, a real set of reforms’ Reynders said. ‘The main message will be you need to continue to implement, new laws, not only with passing the laws in the parliament, but also to implement them very correctly’ he stressed. Commissioner Reynders especially stressed the importance of providing human and technical resources to the judiciary, and referred to the reforms currently being discussed such as the digitisation of justice with the help of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. He also stressed the need to continue reforms regarding the role of the Attorney General and the question of limitations or possible actions against decisions of the Attorney General, as well as better monitoring for high-level corruption prosecutions. ‘To be concrete, I said that also in Malta, I’m not asking to have condemnations. I’m just asking if there are investigations, where are the final decisions?’ he added, explaining that the issue is not the content of decisions, but for there to be transparency about the ‘state of play’ and the final decisions. Referring to the high public perception of corruption in Cyprus as recorded by Transparency International, Reynders said that ‘ like other member states, we’ve discussed about the creation of an independent authority against corruption’ which is also an important element of the recent Recovery and Resilience Plan. ‘We have seen a very good progress with the creation of the authority. We want to be sure that the independence is a reality in the functioning’ he said, noting that this is also not enough and that what is needed is that the authority has enough resources ‘to take initiatives in the fight against high level cases’. Reynders also talked about the importance of transparency regarding the assets of government officials, so that the public can compare their economic situation at the beginning of their mandate, during their mandate and after their mandate. Freedom of the press Finally, regarding freedom of the press, and in particular referring to points included in previous rule of law reports regarding the legislation on media ownership and the status of the CyBC, Reynders noted that ‘discussing media freedom and media pluralism’ is not the same ‘in a very large country and in a smaller one’. That’s why, he added, ‘if you don’t have a very large country and market it’s more and more important to pay attention to the public media service’. ‘If the public service is in the hand of the government, it’s a problem everywhere, of course, but in other members you will have competition and an immediate reaction from other channels. If you have a small market, it’s more important to pay attention to that’ he noted. Reynders also referred to the idea of possibly organising a debate with different member states of the same size to tackle the challenges of having a small market at the national level. The Commissioner also referred to the Commission’s proposal for legislation which would better protect journalist and civil society from abusive lawsuits (SLAPP), noting that while on the hand it should be possible to go to justice for defamation, the legislation will stop abusive uses of this possibility by giving the judiciary the possibility of shutting down a case from the beginning.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

US Secretary of State Blinken voiced doubt Wednesday about reports of a drone attack on the Kremlin and said he would take anything coming from Moscow “with a very large shaker of salt.” “First, I’ve seen the reports. I can’t in any way validate them. We simply don’t know. Second, I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt,” Blinken said. “We’ll see what the facts are and it’s really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are,” he added. Blinken noted that Ukraine is under daily assault from Russian aggression, with its military forces and civilians attacked and even killed. Russia claimed earlier that Ukraine attempted to strike the Kremlin residence with two drones, which it said were shot down. Ukraine denied any involvement in an attack on the Kremlin, which the Russian presidency defined as a ‘terrorist’ attempt by Kyiv. “As (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated, Ukraine directs all available forces and funds to the liberation of its own territories, and not to the attack of foreign ones,” Ukraine’s Presidential Press Secretary Serhii Nykyforov said, according to the state news agency Ukrinform. ‘We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the (Russian) President (Vladimir Putin), carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9th Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned,’ said the Kremlin. It added that Putin was not injured by the alleged attack and Russia reserves ‘the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.’ Moscow banned drone flights in the capital for the attack.

Source: Anadolu Agency