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MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a meeting Friday with his Belarusian ally, who suggested that Minsk could join Moscow’s efforts to revive an old alliance with Pyongyang after this week’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made the proposal as he met with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Russian leader said he would brief him about the talks with Kim on Wednesday at the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East.
“I would like to inform you about the discussion on the situation in the region, which was quite important, and also to touch on the most acute issue, the situation in Ukraine,” Putin said at the start of the meeting.
Lukashenko responded by saying that “we could think about three-way cooperation,” adding that “I think a bit of work could be found for Belarus to do there as well.”
Kim on Friday continued his trip by visiting an aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur to see the latest Russian fighter jets.
On Saturday, he is scheduled to arrive in Russia’s port of Vladivostok where he is expected to see Russian Pacific Fleet warships and visit a university.
Kim Jong Un on Friday continued his trip by visiting an aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur to see the latest Russian fighter jets.
The US and its allies believe that Kim will likely supply ammunition to Russia for use in Ukraine in exchange for receiving advanced weapons or technology from Moscow, a deal that would violate the UN sanctions against Pyongyang that ban any arms trade with North Korea.
Putin said after meeting Kim that Russia will abide by the UN sanctions and he reaffirmed the pledge on Friday.
“We never violate anything, and in this case we have no intention to violate anything,” he said.
“But we certainly will look for opportunities for developing Russian-North Korean relations.”
Putin’s meeting with Lukashenko was their seventh this year.
Lukashenko, who has relied on Russian subsidies and political support to rule the ex-Soviet nation with an iron hand for nearly three decades, allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
While Belarus has continued to host Russian troops, Lukashenko has emphasized that his country will not join the fighting.
“Lukashenko demonstrates that Belarus only wants to be a military hub for Russia and profit on that to compensate for the closure of Western markets and the sanctions, but it does not want to send its soldiers to die in Ukraine,” said Belarusian analyst
Valery Karbalevich.
LONDON: Half of humanity — about 3.3 billion people — live in countries that spend more on debt servicing than on health, education, or social protection, said Dennis Francis, president of the 78th UN General Assembly, on Wednesday.
Francis emphasized that “the current financial architecture has fallen short in mobilizing the stable, long-term, and equitable financing required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
This came during the UN High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development in New York, which discussed practical solutions to tackle the financing gap between developed and developing nations as some 40 percent of developing countries suffer from severe debt issues.
Owing to this financing divide between the Global South and the Global North, developing nations have been victims of what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a “debt trap” hindering development.
“Developing countries face borrowing costs up to eight times higher than developed countries — a debt trap,” he said, adding that “over 40 percent of people living in extreme poverty are in countries with severe debt challenges.”
Recognizing the need for urgent action, Guterres said that “a two-track world of haves and have-nots is already driving a crisis in global trust.”
The UN chief called for “reforms to the global financial architecture” to address the problems of financing for sustainable development, a systemic solution welcomed by member states.
“The algorithm of the past no longer works in today’s world,” said European Council President Charles Michel in agreement.
He added: “Financial institutions were created 80 years ago, and 80 years ago many of today’s UN members were not yet independent. The world has changed and the challenges have changed, so our institutions must also change or be left behind in the dust of history.”
Citing the avalanche of debt-related challenges developing countries have been facing, Mohammed Al-Jasser, head of the Islamic Development Bank, referred in his keynote speech to mounting fiscal space difficulties, with poverty, debt stress, environmental challenges, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic all requiring financing.
Al-Jasser explained that “multilateral development institutions, including mine, have been struggling to provide financing,” which, despite being critical for alleviating the pressures member states have been facing, is not sufficient.
“We need something a lot more sustainable by the world community,” he said. “I think (that) first multilateralism has to be really restored as the guiding principle of all of our operations because if we act singularly, we are not going to have the punching power necessary to make significant changes in the circumstances of these countries.”
The chief of the Islamic Development Bank pointed out that debt servicing in some African countries is about 5.5 percent of their gross domestic product, while only 3.7 percent is spent on education.
“After COVID, more than 1.5 million children had no education for two years because they had no connections,” he added.
Al-Jasser called for the mobilization of more resources, “particularly more concessional because 29 of the 57 member states are least developed countries and cannot afford a lot of the financing available.”
The UN High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, held this year under the theme “Financing the SDGs for a world where no one is left behind,” brought together world leaders, heads of international financial institutions, and multilateral development banks to discuss action to achieve the SDGs.
LONDON: The UN should support Bosnia and Herzegovina and its institutions to help maintain peace in the Western Balkans, Zeljko Komsic, the chairman of the country’s tripartite presidency, said on Wednesday.
Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, he said: “If the United Nations wishes to preserve peace in the Western Balkans, then it should support those who have not violated democratic and civilization norms, who have not committed genocide, who are not part of joint criminal enterprises, did not destroy people’s lives because of their ethnicity, did not destroy other people’s temples or shrines, and did not advocate revenge.”
Komsic warned that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s neighbors cannot divide the country “among themselves without entering into mutual conflict.”
He added that “there are many, both in the East and the West, who believe that their barely hidden support for those who want to completely control, and ultimately divide, Bosnia and Herzegovina will bring stability to the Western Balkans.”
But he said any attempt to divide the country will not bring stability or progress to the region.
“We will certainly not allow the division and disappearance of our 1,000-year-old state at any cost, no matter what anyone thinks about it,” Komsic said.
He also highlighted the problem his nation faces with regard to the number of people who migrate to other countries in search of better lives.
“In my country, there is a significant outflow of population going to larger and more-developed countries, mostly to countries we view as Western democratic countries,” he said.
This “brain drain” of educated professionals, such as doctors, engineers and scientists who leave in search of better opportunities, affects a number of smaller countries, he added.
“The current form of migration management has reached such a stage where large and powerful countries, for their own benefit, carry out a certain type of selection of migrants in such a way as to select the best and most educated among them … ushering them to larger countries where their knowledge and abilities are exploited exclusively for the benefit of these larger systems,” said Komsic.
This means “the potentials and capacities of smaller countries from which the migrants come are being weakened” as they lose “their best-quality personnel” and the “investments made in creating these highly qualified profiles.”
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday warned its citizens against visiting parts of Canada amid a diplomatic row sparked by Canada’s bombshell accusation that New Delhi was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist near Vancouver.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded that India treat with “utmost seriousness” its allegations about the murder.
The fallout prompted tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and a forceful denial from India, which said any suggestion it played a role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar was “absurd.”
Without explicitly referring to the dispute, India’s foreign ministry said it was concerned for the safety of its citizens in Canada because of “politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence.”
“Threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,” a ministry statement said.
“Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid traveling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents.”
The advisory did not name specific cities or locations for Indians to avoid.
In Ottawa, Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc dismissed the Indian warning.
“Canada is a safe country,” he told reporters.
Nijjar was shot by two masked assailants outside the Sikh temple he presided over in Surrey, an outer suburb of Vancouver.
An activist for the creation of a Sikh state known as Khalistan, Nijjar was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.
He had denied those charges, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada, a nonprofit organization that says it defends the interests of Canadian Sikhs.
The Indian government accuses Ottawa of turning a blind eye to the activities of radical Sikh nationalists who advocate the creation of an independent Sikh state to be carved out of northern India.
Relations between Canada and India have been strained in recent months since the assassination of the Sikh leader and the demonstrations that followed in Canada.
Trudeau, who met with Modi on the sidelines of this month’s G20 in New Delhi, said Tuesday that his government did not rush to judgment in the case and had worked closely with its intelligence agencies.
“India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness,” he said. “We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate.”
The United States has joined Canada in calling for India to reveal what it knows about the slaying.
“We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
“It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed, and the perpetrators be brought to justice.”
A representative of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, Mukhbir Singh, said his countrymen may have been “shocked” by Trudeau’s assertion “but it was no surprise to the Sikh community.”
“For decades, India has targeted Sikhs in Canada with espionage, disinformation and now murder,” he alleged.
Balraj Singh Nijjar, son of the slain leader, said: “It was just a matter of time for when the truth would come out.”
He added, referring to government authorities: “Hopefully, you can take this a step further and get specific individuals.”
The head of Canada’s New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, an ally of Trudeau, called for the inclusion of India in a probe launched in September of alleged interference in Canadian affairs by other countries, especially China.
“In my experience, as a Sikh Canadian, there have always been suspicions that India was interfering in the democratic rights of Canadians. Yesterday’s announcement confirms that these suspicions are valid,” Singh said.
There were signs of a brewing crisis before Trudeau revealed the probe into Nijjar’s death on Monday.
Modi expressed “strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada” during his meeting with Trudeau at the G20.
Canada had also suspended negotiations for a free-trade agreement with India, and last week its trade minister canceled a trip to the country planned for October.
The affair could complicate US government overtures to India, which have seen both countries steadily upgrade their relations over recent years.
Washington views New Delhi as a key ally in countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
LONDON: The Welsh government has joined Scotland’s in opposing proposed legislation in Westminster called the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, described by opponents as the “anti-boycott bill.”
The proposed legislation has been criticized as an attack on free speech, especially on those who wish to boycott Israel over its oppression of the Palestinians. It has also been described as undermining the power of devolved UK authorities.
Welsh Minister for Finance and Local Government Rebecca Evans told the Senedd (parliament): “I cannot recommend consent is given whilst questions remain as to the compatibility of this bill with convention rights and international law.
“In addition, I note that there has been widespread criticism of this bill from amongst the legal and academic community, in relation to the way it has been drafted and how it is intended to operate in practice. I share those concerns.”
Earlier this month, the Trades Union Congress, which represents the majority of trade unions in England and Wales, passed a motion opposing the bill during its annual meeting.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said in a statement: “This principled decision by the Welsh government is the latest blow to this pernicious bill. The Welsh government has rightly identified the incompatibility of the ‘anti-boycott bill’ with conventions of rights and international law.
“This decision will add further weight to the growing opposition to this bill — in the UK Parliament, Scottish government, across civil society and amongst the general public.
“We urge all of those who recognise the threat the anti-boycott bill poses to democratic freedoms to ramp up the pressure on MPs to ensure it is defeated when it goes back to Parliament for its next reading.”
BAKU: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Wednesday his country had regained control over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh, after separatist Armenian fighters agreed to lay down their arms in the face of a military operation.
The stunning collapse of separatist resistance represents a major victory for Aliyev in his quest to bring Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh back under Baku’s control.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the mountainous region since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
A day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the region, Baku and the ethnic Armenian authorities in Karabakh announced a cease-fire deal had been brokered by Russian peacekeepers to stop the fighting.
“Azerbaijan restored its sovereignty as a result of successful anti-terrorist measures in Karabakh,” Aliyev said in a televised address.
Aliyev claimed that most of the Armenian forces in the region had been destroyed and said the withdrawal of separatist troops had already begun.
Under the truce deal, the separatists said they had agreed to fully dismantle their army and that Armenia would pull out any forces it had in the region.
Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said that “all weapons and heavy armaments are to be surrendered” under the supervision of Russia’s 2,000-strong peacekeeping force on the ground.
Both sides said talks on reintegrating the breakaway territory into the rest of Azerbaijan would be held on Thursday in the city of Yevlakh.
Russian peacekeepers said Wednesday evening that the cease-fire was holding and there were no violations recorded.
Baku’s operation marked the latest spasm of violence over the rugged territory.
After the Soviet Union fell apart, Armenian separatists seized the region — internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan — in the early 1990s and it is home to some 120,000 ethnic Armenians.
The war left 30,000 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
In a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured swathes of territory in and around the region.
The years of conflict have been marked by ethnic cleansing and abuses on both sides, and there are concerns of a fresh refugee crisis as Karabakh’s Armenian population fears being forced out.
Azerbaijani presidential foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajjiyev promised safe passage for the separatists who surrendered and said Baku sought the “peaceful reintegration” of Karabakh Armenians.
Charles Michel, president of the EU’s Council of Europe, urged Baku to ensure the safety of the local population.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped for a “peaceful” resolution, adding that Moscow has been in contact with all sides in the conflict.
Putin held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Wednesday evening, but the Kremlin insisted the crisis was “Azerbaijan’s internal affair.”
Jubilant residents in Azerbaijan’s capital expressed hope the deal heralded a definitive victory in — and the end of — the decades-long conflict.
“I was very happy with this news. Finally, the war is over,” 67-year-old pensioner Rana Ahmedova, told AFP.
Armenia said at least 32 people were killed and more than 200 wounded by the shelling in Karabakh, as the latest onslaught from Azerbaijan saw artillery, aircraft and drone strikes rock the region.
Moscow said several of its peacekeepers in Karabakh were killed when the car they were traveling in came under fire.
In Yerevan, Pashinyan said it was “very important” the cease-fire hold.
Again denying his country’s army was in the enclave, he said he expected Russia’s peacekeepers to ensure Karabakh’s ethnic-Armenian residents could stay “in their homes, on their land.”
The loss in Karabakh ratchets up domestic pressure on Pashinyan, who has faced stinging criticism at home for making concessions to Azerbaijan since the 2020 defeat.
The Armenian leader insisted that his government had not been involved in drafting the latest cease-fire deal.
Thousands of protesters waving the separatist region’s flag blocked a main road in Armenia’s capital Yerevan as riot police protected official buildings.
“We are losing our homeland, we are losing our people,” said Sargis Hayats, a 20-year-old musician.
Pashinyan “must leave, time has shown that he cannot rule. No one gave him a mandate for Karabakh to capitulate,” he said.
The cease-fire announcement came after Aliyev warned the military operation would continue until the separatists laid down their weapons, despite international pressure to halt fighting.
The outburst of fighting came as Moscow, the traditional power broker in the region, is bogged down and distracted by its war on Ukraine, which has left it isolated by the West.
But its peacekeepers there appeared to have played a key role in helping to negotiate the cease-fire and will now oversee its implementation.
Turkiye, a historic ally of predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan that views mostly Christian Armenia as one of its main regional rivals, had called the operation “justified.”
The EU and United States have been mediating talks between Baku and Yerevan in recent months aimed at securing a lasting peace deal between the two foes.