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Russian Parliament votes to exit Open Skies Treaty

Russia has presented concrete proposals aimed at preserving the treaty, but the US has not responded, according to Karasin…reports Asian Lite News

The Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, passed a bill on Wednesday to withdraw from the arms-control Treaty on Open Skies.

The decision was made in response to the US pullout from the pact in November 2020, head of the chamber’s International Affairs Committee Grigory Karasin said in a statement.

He criticised the US move for significantly undermining the balance of interests and hurting the treaty’s key role in building confidence and transparency.

Russia has presented concrete proposals aimed at preserving the treaty, but the US has not responded, according to Karasin.

“Considering that our partners were not ready for reciprocal steps, and proceeding from the need to ensure national security interests, Russia has decided to withdraw from the treaty,” he said.

The Russian State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, greenlighted the bill on the withdrawal last month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to soon sign the bill into law.

The multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, which came into effect in 2002, allows its states-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others’ territories to collect data on military forces and activities.

After Washington announced its withdrawal last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the treaty.

Last week, the US government said that it has decided not to rejoin the Open Skies Treaty.

“The US regrets that the Treaty on Open Skies has been undermined by Russia’s violations. In concluding its review of the treaty, the US therefore does not intend to seek to rejoin it, given Russia’s failure to take any actions to return to compliance,” a State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying in a statement.

“Further, Russia’s behaviour, including its recent actions with respect to Ukraine, is not that of a partner committed to confidence-building,” the statement added.

The multilateral Treaty on Open Skies, which became effective in 2002, allows its 34 state-parties to conduct short-notice, unarmed reconnaissance flights over the others’ entire territories to collect data on military forces and activities.

After the US withdrawal on November 22, 2020, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced this January that the country had started domestic legal procedures for the official pullout from the Treaty.

Last week, the Russian State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, unanimously approved a bill on the country’s withdrawal from the treaty.

The US and Russia have blamed each other for non-compliance with the treaty.

The treaty is aimed at building confidence and familiarity among state parties through their participation in the overflights.

By 2019, over 1,500 Open Skies flights have been conducted since the deal entered into force, according to media report

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Macron calls for end to ‘foreign intervention’ in Libya

Earlier, Macron also threatened that the country would withdraw troops from Mali if political turmoil there leads to greater Islamist radicalisation…reports Asian Lite News.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke in favour of the withdrawal of foreign forces, including Russian and Turkish, from the territory of Libya.

“As Libyans themselves demand, we must stop any foreign intervention, and this goes through the withdrawal of all forces of foreign mercenaries from the territory of Libya – Russian, Turkish, their Syrian mercenaries, and others,” Macron said after a meeting with Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh.

“We are working on this with you and with all our partners. And this pullout [of foreign troops] should go along with the creation of a unified army,” he said.

He also announced France’s readiness to support Libya politically.

“It is necessary to guarantee the success of the national elections scheduled for the end of the year,” Macron said.

Earlier, Macron also threatened that the country would withdraw troops from Mali if political turmoil there leads to greater Islamist radicalisation.

It follows a second coup in nine months in the West African nation, the BBC reported.

Macron warned of the risk of Mali “moving towards” greater Islamist influence.

France has 5,100 troops in the Sahel region which has been a front line in the war against Islamist militancy.

French troops have been supporting forces in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad to battle militants in the Sahel region since 2013.

Macron told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that he had told regional leaders that France would not support countries where there was no democratic legitimacy or transition, and that France had no intention of keeping its troops in Africa forever.

For decades France has provided military support to back leaders of its former colonies in Africa, often sending troops or despatching air strikes to counter armed rebels.

The French President has for some time been muttering about reducing, or withdrawing, the more than 5,000 French troops in the vast and troubled Sahel.

He is frustrated about a lack of commitment from most other European countries to fight the multiple militant Islamist groups in the region. They are considered a threat to Europe, both in terms of possible jihadist attacks on the continent and illegal migration.

But Macron faces another dilemma related to recent political events in two countries where French troops are active, Mali and Chad. Mali has had two military takeovers in the past nine months. Chad has had one.

Macron has been demanding an end to military rule in both. In Mali, he has threatened to withdraw French troops if the political chaos and uncertainty leads to an increase in radical Islam. But he is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Although French forces and their allies have failed to defeat the jihadists, who are becoming increasingly active in the Sahel and neighbouring regions, the fear is that, if France leaves, Islamist militancy will become even more rampant. (ANI/Sputnik/IANS)
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Putin’s visit to Pakistan on the cards

Both Pakistan and Russia have been working to materialise Putin’s visit….reports Asian Lite News

After Pakistan and Russia signed a fresh agreement to lay a gas pipeline, prospects of Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Islamabad for the very first time were on the cards.

The project, previously named The North-South Gas Pipeline, has now been renamed as Pakistan Steam Gas Pipeline, in which a gas pipeline will be laid from Pakistan’s Karachi city to Kasur.

It is a flagship project between the two countries, which intends to remove the memories of rivalry of the Cold War and bring both countries on the road to bilateral ties.

Both Pakistan and Russia have been working to materialise Putin’s visit.

In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Islamabad after a gap of at least nine years.

As per official details, Lavrov came with a message that Moscow was willing to extend all possible help to Islamabad and create pathways for bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has already extended a formal invitation to President Putin.

Experts have said that with the signing of the Pakistan Steam Pipeline agreement, the visit of President Putin has become even more significant and important.

Pakistan is anxious to have President Putin inaugurate the groundbreaking of the gas pipeline project, which is expected to be held later this year or in early 2022.

Pakistan and Russia are also seeking more avenues of cooperation.

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As per sources, Russia is keen on selling arms to Pakistan, something it avoided in the past because of opposition by India.

It is pertinent to mention that both countries have been holding regular joint military exercises since 2016.

Russia and Pakistan are also in close contact in the peace process and ongoing regional security issues including Afghanistan.

The Pakistan Steam Gas Pipeline is a stepping-stone in normalisation of relations between the two countries, which has been strained for years due to Cold War rivalry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

The project was originally signed in 2015. However, it could not be initiated due to possible sanctions by the US on Russian companies.

Initially, Russia was to built 100 per cent of the pipeline under the “build, operate and transfer” model.

However, with the new and amended agreement, Pakistan will have at least 74 per cent stakes.

The total cost of the project is around $2.25 billion. It will be beneficial in meeting the gas shortage in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Analysts say that the project not only has economic significance but also holds great strategic importance for Pakistan.

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3 Italian regions are now Covid ‘white zones’

Under “white zone” rules there is no curfew and no restrictions on the opening hours of bars and restaurants…reports Asian Lite News.

Three of Italy’s 20 regions and autonomous provinces were moved to the low-restriction “white zones” following an ordinance issued by Health Minister Roberto Speranza based on epidemiological data showing that the pandemic is slowing down.

The three “white” regions are Friuli Venezia Giulia, the island of Sardinia, and Molise, Xinhua news agency reported.

The rest of the country is designated as a moderate-risk “yellow zone”.

Under “white zone” rules there is no curfew and no restrictions on the opening hours of bars and restaurants.

People can eat and drink indoors as well as outdoors.

In the “yellow zones”, people can eat and drink outdoor settings only and there is an 11 p.m. curfew.

In all zones, people are still required to wear face masks both indoors and outdoors, and to observe safe physical distancing.

In a bid to contain the second wave of the pandemic, the Italian government last year divided the country into four colour-coded zones – “white” (almost zero risk), “yellow” (low risk), “orange” (medium risk) and “red” (high risk) – with varying restrictions according to the level of transmission of the virus.

The Health Minister reviews the incidence rate for coronavirus and other epidemiological data on a weekly basis and decides restriction rules based on those numbers.

The decision to move three regions into the “white zone” on Monday came after the weekly monitoring report for May 17-23 showed that “the pressure on hospitals is decreasing and is below the critical threshold in all regions/autonomous provinces”.

However, the report also warned that “the pandemic must be managed with caution” due to the “now prevalent circulation in Italy of the variant first identified in the UK and the presence of other strains that can partially evade immune responses”.

Till date, a total of 34,470,841 people have received at least one Covid vaccine dose, while 11,871,163 others were been fully inoculated, according to the Ministry of Health.

Italy has so far reported 4,217,821 coronavirus cases and 126,128 deaths.

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European nations seek explanation from US on spying row

Merkel
French President Emmanuel Macron calls for clarity and urges transparency and resolution of the matter, reports Asian Lite News

European countries have demanded an explanation from the US and Denmark as soon as possible on reports that the American intelligence agency had used Danish infrastructure to spy on top politicians, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

On Sunday, Denmark’s national broadcaster DR News said in a report that Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE) has given the US National Security Agency (NSA) open internet access to spy on senior politicians of European countries including Germany, Sweden, Norway, and France.

In response to the report, Danish Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen had said that the government will not “enter into speculation about any intelligence matters from the press or others… Systematic wiretapping of close allies is unacceptable”

But French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for “clarity” and urged “complete transparency and resolution of the matter by our Danish and American partners”.

This “is unacceptable between allies, even less between allies and European partners”, he added.

Meanwhile, Merkel said she “could only agree” with Macron’s comments, adding she was “reassured” by Bramsen’s condemnation of any such spying.

Besides Merkel, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the candidate for chancellor Peer Steinbrueck were among those the NSA had spied on, the DR News report said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Wikipedia)

“It is grotesque that friendly intelligence services are indeed intercepting and spying on top representatives of other countries,” Steinbrueck told German broadcaster ARD on Monday.

“Politically I consider it a scandal.”

In Paris, French Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune told France Info radio that the DR report needed to be checked and that, if confirmed, it would be a “serious” matter.

“These potential facts, they are serious. They must be checked,” he said, adding there could be “some diplomatic protests”.

Jens Holm, a member of the Swedish Parliament, called on investigation into “who exactly was monitored, when and how”.

“This is extremely outrageous,” Holms told local media, adding that the situation elicits memories of the Cold War.

The governments of Norway and Sweden are pressing the Danish government and demanding immediate answers about the alleged NSA espionage through Danish cables.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said her government has asked Denmark “for all the information they have”.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg (Wikipedia)

“It’s unacceptable if countries which have close allied cooperation feel the need to spy on one another,” she told public broadcaster NRK.

Norway’s Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen also told broadcaster NRK that the country takes the allegations seriously.

Swedish Minister of Defence Peter Hultqvist said on state broadcaster SVT on Sunday that he “asked to be fully informed about matters concerning Swedish citizens, companies and interests.”

“And then we have to see how the answer sounds from a political side in Denmark,” Hultqvist said, adding that he had been “in contact with Denmark’s Defence Minister to ask if Danish platforms have been used to spy on Swedish politicians”.

ALSO READ-NSA got Danish intel help to spy on allies: Report

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Biden vows to press Putin on human rights at Geneva meet

Putin-Biden

Though US-Russia relations are on rough patch, the White House had confirmed that it was moving ahead with the summit between the two leaders….reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden will press his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to respect human rights when the two leaders meet on June 16 in Geneva, according to reports.

“I’m meeting with President Putin in a couple weeks in Geneva making it clear we will not, we will not stand by and let him abuse those rights,” Biden was quoted as saying during a speech honouring the US holiday Memorial Day.

Though US-Russia relations are on rough patch, the White House had confirmed that it was moving ahead with the summit between the two leaders.

Last week, Microsoft flagged a cyberattack on US government agencies by Nobelium, the group behind last year’s SolarWind hack that originated from Russia. However, Moscow said it had nothing to do with the attack.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had earlier informed that Biden and Putin will discuss “the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the US-Russia relationship.”

Earlier this month, the White House said that President Biden believed that his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will be a good step forward in the US-Russia relationship to de-escalate tensions and have stable relations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov(Twitter)

“There is not a meeting with the President locked in yet. Obviously, the President, our President invited him to participate in that meeting because he thinks it would be a good step forward in the relationship to de-escalate, to ensure we have a more stable relationship moving forward, but there is no meeting to confirm at this point in time,” she said.

Last month, Biden held a phone call with Putin, where he had voiced his concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.

He had reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues between the United States and Russia.

The conversation came in the backdrop of Washington imposing sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals for their alleged interference in the 2020 US presidential election and the purported hacking of US software supply chain networks.

Meanwhile, Russia has continued to refute all accusations of its engagement in US elections meddling and cyberattacks. (with inputs from ANI)

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Mubadala invests ₤350m in IVC Evidensia

Mubadala invests ₤350m in IVC Evidensia

Headquartered in Bristol, UK, IVC Evidensia operates a network of more than 1,500 veterinary clinics and hospitals in 12 countries across Europe…reports Asian Lite News

Mubadala Investment Company today announced that it has invested GBP ₤350m in IVC Evidensia, Europe’s largest veterinary care provider.

Headquartered in Bristol, UK, IVC Evidensia operates a network of more than 1,500 veterinary clinics and hospitals in 12 countries across Europe caring for over four million pets. Founded in 2011, the company operates a decentralised model that promotes innovation and clinical freedom within its network, supported by a range of integrated services such as procurement, veterinary advisers and clinical boards.

IVC Evidensia is widely recognised for pioneering new standards both for clinical excellence and staff wellbeing within its sector. IVC was originally acquired by EQT Private Equity in December 2016 and in May 2017 it merged with Evidensia, the Swedish veterinary group. Since then, the company has further strengthened its position as Europe’s leading veterinary services provider through strong organic growth and strategic add-on acquisitions.

Justin Sabet-Peyman, Head of Consumer at Mubadala, said, “Our investment in IVC Evidensia aligns well with our focus on investing in market leading consumer businesses in resilient and growing sectors. We are excited to be partnering with EQT, Silver Lake, Nestlé and IVC’s world-class management team to help drive the company’s continued leadership and innovation in pet care.”

Mubadala’s investment in IVC Evidensia joins its growing global portfolio of world-class consumer businesses, including Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, Coupang and Truck Hero. Within the consumer sector, Mubadala focuses on investing in businesses led by strong management teams with leading positions in attractive markets with strong tailwinds.

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Belarus defends forced landing of Ryanair flight

The forced landing on Sunday has been sharply condemned by members of NATO as well as the UN Security Council…reports Asian Lite News

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has defended a decision to force the landing of a Ryanair passenger plane with a dissident journalist on board.

The forced landing on Sunday has been sharply condemned by members of NATO as well as the UN Security Council, reports dpa news agency.

“I acted lawfully by protecting people, according to all international rules,” Lukashenko told Parliament in Minsk on Wednesday.

Authorities used Sunday’s landing to have dissident Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich arrested at the airport in Minsk.

Protasevich is a “terrorist”, added Lukashenko, who said the 26-year-old blogger was planning a “bloody uprising” in Belarus.

“There was a terrorist on board the plane,” he said, claiming that it was his country’s sovereign right to detain its own citizens.

Lukashenko initially said, without elaborating, that Belarus had received information that there was an explosive device on the plane.

Therefore, he said, the plane, which was on its way to Lithuania from Greece, was diverted to Minsk with the assistance of a fighter jet.

“That the plane was forced to land by a MiG-29 fighter jet is an absolute lie,” said Lukashenko.

Belarus acted for safety reasons, he said, because the plane flew over the country’s nuclear power plant.

The European Union has imposed new sanctions on the power apparatus in Belarus in the wake of the action, including a landing ban for the country’s airlines and sanctions on the leadership.

NATO condemned the action on Wednesday.

The body’s North Atlantic Council said the “unacceptable act seriously violated the norms governing civil aviation and endangered the lives of the passengers and crew”.

Protasevich and his partner, Sofia Sapega, should be released and there should be an “urgent independent investigation”, it added..

Many current and former members of the UN Security Council have also condemned the forced landing of a passenger flight.

“It constitutes a new and extremely dangerous phase in the Belarusian authorities’ campaign of repression against its own people,” said a statement from the UN representation of Estonia, supported by France, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Britain and the US.

Together they demanded an investigation into the incident and Protasevich’s release.

A joint statement by all 15 members of the Security Council failed, among other reasons due to Russia’s opposition.

Belarus threatened to react to the latest sanctions with ones of its own, though Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said the decision would not be made hastily.

“We suggest soberly thinking again before you go down the slippery slope of an economic war in which there will be no winners,” he said, adding that the measures would be painful but leaving open whether they would apply to goods or oil and gas transport to Europe.

More than 100 people were on board the Ryanair flight that was forced to land, including Protasevich and his partner.

Both were arrested and their fate remain uncertain.

Poland has decided to close its airspace for planes operated by Belarusian carriers, government spokesperson Piotr Mueller said on Wednesday.

The website Flightradar showed an aircraft of the Belarusian airline Belavia flying several loops on the route from Minsk to Barcelona before entering Polish airspace and finally turning back towards Minsk.

According to the airline, France had revoked a previously issued overflight permit.

Attempts to take alternative routes had been unsuccessful, the airline said in Minsk.

Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte of neighbouring Lithuania has expressed concerns, saying: “This is an unpredictable regime from which you can expect anything, and you have to be prepared for anything. “

Lukashenko made other claims about Protasevich’s past, including that he had fought on the side of government forces in eastern Ukraine and had “a lot of experience as a mercenary”.

Protasevich had reported from Ukraine in 2014, when the war between pro-Russian forces and the central government in Kiev was breaking out.

However, it has never been proved that he engaged in combat.

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‘Economic cooperation with Russia increasingly difficult’

EU President Ursula von der Leyen

Von der Leyen said she is planning new proposals for dealing with Russia, including regarding the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline…reports Asian Lite News

Economic cooperation between Europe and Russia is becoming increasingly difficult, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

“Many attempts on our side over many, many years, almost decades to improve [the] relationship with Russia did not have (the) success they deserved,” dpa news agency quoted von der Leyen as saying at an EU summit here on Monday.

“Economic cooperation over time has gotten more and more difficult,” she said, adding that the Russian economy needs to be modernised.

“What we see today is an economy that is lacking an enormous amount of modernization that would be necessary, an economy that is highly depending on energy revenues, but a regime that is not willing to interact in a constructive way with us.”

Von der Leyen said she is planning new proposals for dealing with Russia, including regarding the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline.

She said the options would be discussed in a report on relations with Russia at the end of June.

The report will present “the different policy options that will show how we can deal with Russia”, she added.

Moscow, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin (Sputnik via Xinhua/IANS)

Meanwhile, on Monday, leaders of the EU member states had agreed to cut the bloc’s air links with Belarus following Sunday’s Ryanair flight diversion incident.

According to the conclusions of the special EU summit, the 27-member bloc strongly condemned the incident which endangered aviation safety and called on the International Civil Aviation Organisation to urgently investigate “this unprecedented and unacceptable incident.”

Leaders of the member states urged the European Council to adopt the necessary measures to ban overflight of EU airspace by Belarusian airlines; prevent access to bloc’s airports of Belarusian flights; and called on all EU-based carriers to avoid overflight of Belarus, according to the conclusions.

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EU warns Myanmar junta against NLD dissolution

This comes after military-appointed commission chairman Thein Soe announced on Friday plans to dissolve the NLD, headed by former state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, for alleged vote fraud in general elections last year…reports Asian Lite News.

The European Union has issued a statement warning the Myanmar military against the dissolution of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party that won the November elections, as such a decision would be a “blatant disregard” for the will of the people.

This comes after military-appointed commission chairman Thein Soe announced on Friday plans to dissolve the NLD, headed by former state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, for alleged vote fraud in general elections last year.

Myanmar’s election commission meets political parties

“The EU reiterates that the elections in November faithfully represented the will of Myanmar’s people. This was confirmed by all independent domestic and international observers. No arbitrary decision by the military junta and their illegally-appointed members of the Electoral Commission can cancel that,” a spokesperson for the EU external action service said in a statement on Sunday.

The EU will continue to denounce all attempts to overturn the will of the Myanmar people and to alter the outcome of the last general elections, the statement said.

Myanmar protests

“No repression or unfounded pseudo-legal proceedings can grant legitimacy to the junta’s illegal takeover of power. Only respecting the will of the people can bring Myanmar back onto its democratic path and deliver stability and sustainable development,” it added.

On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The military coup led to mass protests and was met by deadly violence, resulting in the killing of more than 700 people. Meanwhile, about 3,000 protesters have also been detained. (ANI)

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