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The MoA Week In Review – NOT Ukraine OT 2022-53
Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:
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Other issues:
Operation Gladio:
Peace:
War of terror:
Covid-19:
Use os open NOT Ukraine thread …
Sad to see so many miss the point about the wars Australia & Aotearoa have been dragged into. I say this as a citizen of both countries and as a human who has had relatives fight and die for both nations in ww 1 & 2.
As my grandfather worked out after he had his two oldest boys die in WW 1, the eldest was a sunset rider in the Queensland Light Horse, the younger an infantryman in the 1st NZEF, the reason for war was nonsense, pure propaganda based on bullshit about Germans bayoneting Belgian babies. By the end of the war his sheep station’s shepherds huts were full of young men, ‘shirkers’ they called them, who were hiding out to avoid becoming more cannon fodder. He had worked out too late what a nonsense that war was and had decided that just because two of his sons had died there was no good reason for any other man’s sons to have the same happen.
That was my mother’s family, my father’s mob didn’t get the message, did not work out until later that so-called WW2 was merely a the inevitable continuation of the first ‘let’s make the rich war-mongers’ richer exercise in thinning out the population.
Those who doubt that should read historian AJP Taylor’s “The Origins of the Second World War” (a copy of which you can find right here where the run up to the second half is discussed, with particular reference to the role of arsehole A Hitler, whose actions were not premeditated, but rather a series of reactions to a world determined to punish Germany for not winning the first act in order to divert attention from the faults of 1914 France, england, Russia, Italy & Austria which had contributed to the causes of war as much as Germany.
Yep as I said above A Hitler was an arsehole but that is not why anyone went to war in ’39. No one gave a toss about anti-semitism or nazi insistence that slavs were untermensch, may politicians in the allies side shared that belief. The slaughter of jews, gypsies and slavs was used after the war as a reason to show the allies were justified, but had nothing to do with why europe went to war.
As for the war with Japan, that was entirely amerika’s doing as they had gotten envious of Japan’s success as a Pacific imperialist and had done what was to become their usual trick. From early 1942 onwards amerika placed a naval blockade around Japan refusing any cargo ships entry to Japan. amerika was happy to starve Japan, just as they did half a century later with Iraq.
Anyway my father flew an Avenger on convoy protection for most of the war. Despite entreaties for anzac servicemen to return to the south Pacific once the war with Japan got going, the englanders forbade it and threatened anzacs with desertion if they tried to go back & defend their homes.
The reason was simple, since the Somme debacle in 1916 where the englanders suffered 70,000 casualties in a day, englander pols had colluded with englander military to make sure that kiwis, australians, canadians, south africans and indians were the cannon fodder for the risky jobs. The parents of dead troops from the colonies couldn’t vote englander pols out, what!
The upshot of that in WW2 was anzacs in europe were stuck there until the USSR defeated the nazis. Churchill actually said that if Oz or Aotearoa got invaded, well, they would just have to invade them back. Didn’t go down well with all those who had been helping the englanders to find out that their families weren’t copping the same care.
All wars are an exercise in greedy & powerful types using others to satisfy their lust for money & power. There is no such thing as a ‘good war’. The only thing anzac day is good for is getting up a decent two up school, but since casinos have bastardised that game, young people no longer know how to play it correctly, it is no longer even much good for that.
Plus it’s legal nowadays, a coupla times in the bad old, good old days, we had the jacks try and close down our anzac day two up school – they never did just hung around hoping for an earner but no one gave ’em shit – we knew as well as them that no judge is ever gonna fine someone for playing two up on anzac day.
The old diggers would stand around talking about their mates, who had spun how many heads where (Italy, North Africa, Greece & Crete for the ww2 blokes) when. That was a great way to remember blokes without giving any props to the arseholes who sent everyone off to fight and get killed.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 25 2022 14:11 utc | 94
RT held another interview with the MFA’s “Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Dmitry Gonchar” mainly about the 30th anniversary in relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia, and about relations between South Ossetia, Abkazia, and Georgia. What follows is the machine translation from the original Russian. IMO, of particular interest is how the EU and the supposedly neutral Switzerland impede peace talks between the latter three nations.
Question: April of this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia. How do you assess Moscow’s current dialogue with Baku and Yerevan?
Maria Zakharova: This year marks the 30th anniversary of Russia’s establishment of diplomatic relations with a number of CIS countries, including Azerbaijan and Armenia. With these two Transcaucasian republics, we are united by strong traditions of friendship, deep historical ties and common civilizational closeness of our peoples. In its content and spirit, Moscow’s relations with both Baku and Yerevan have the character of a strategic partnership and alliance, are built on the basis of equality, respect for each other’s interests and good-neighborliness.
A close political dialogue is maintained with Azerbaijan and Armenia. The high level of personal trusting relations of the leaders essentially sets the dynamics for the entire spectrum of our bilateral cooperation with Baku and Yerevan.
On February 22 of this year, during the visit of the President of Azerbaijan I.G. Aliyev in Moscow, the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed, which brings bilateral relations to a new level. We consider this as an important milestone in our multifaceted ties and are committed to the vigorous implementation of all the provisions of this Declaration. On April 19-20, the first official visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia N.V. Pashinyan to Russia was successfully held. The leaders of the two countries adopted a joint statement, which reflects the main directions of further efforts to deepen the bilateral alliance.
Question: How does the crisis in Russia’s relations with the West affect Moscow’s cooperation with Azerbaijan and Armenia? Does the current state of affairs open up additional opportunities for expanding Russia’s trade and economic cooperation with these countries?
Maria Zakharova: We note the balanced position of our Azerbaijani and Armenian partners regarding the situation around Ukraine and the unprecedented anti-Russian campaign by the West. We are well aware of the pressure of external forces faced by the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and we appreciate the fact that both Baku and Yerevan are guided primarily by their own national interests when building a foreign policy course.
We began to take measures in advance to reduce the risks associated with the actually unscrupulous actions of the West in the global economy. According to available expert estimates, about 30% of all Trade between Russia and Azerbaijan is carried out in rubles. The very architecture of Russian-Azerbaijani economic relations as a whole is little exposed to external negative factors and quickly adapts to non-standard situations. This has been shown by the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, in 2021, the mutual trade turnover between our countries exceeded the pre-Covid indicators and amounted to a record $3.4 billion. UNITED STATES. Russia remains among the leading economic partners of Azerbaijan and ranks first among importers of Azerbaijani non-oil products. We will continue to implement the existing contractual arrangements and promote new investment projects.
A search for new niches of interaction is actively underway with Armenia. These issues were discussed during the talks held by Economy Minister Vladimir Kerobyan on April 11-12 in Moscow with the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Statistics of Russia. Consideration of this topic continued at the highest level, in particular at the meetings of N.V. Pashinyan with V.V. Putin and Mikhail Mishustin on April 19 and 20. We agreed to expand the use of national currencies in settlements within the framework of mutual trade. Yerevan has already started paying for gas in rubles. The need for unified measures of non-tariff regulation, reduction of import customs duties was also discussed.
The leaders agreed to instruct the governments to work out a set of “compensatory” measures both in a bilateral format and through the EAEU. Yerevan is considering the opportunities in connection with the desire of some Russian companies to “take root” in Armenia.
Russia’s leading economic operators, including Gazprom, Rosatom, Russian Railways, RUSAL, VTB Bank, Geopromining and many others, continue to create new jobs in the country, transfer modern technologies and competencies, and are large taxpayers. We hope to maintain this positive momentum.
Question: Just last week, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited Moscow, and what prospects does it offer for the development of cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan?
Maria Zakharova: We note the importance of the first official visit of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to our country. The Prime Minister of Armenia held detailed talks with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Federation Council Vladimir Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Volodin. In addition, he visited Nizhny Novgorod, where he met with the leadership of the Nizhny Novgorod region and visited the Gorky Automobile Plant. The head of the Armenian government was accompanied by a solid delegation – Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of the Security Council, three ministers, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly.
In addition to the adoption of the above-mentioned joint statement, a solid package of documents was signed during the visit, including on cooperation in the energy, law enforcement, social, labor and humanitarian spheres. Relevant Russian and Armenian departments have already begun to implement the agreements reached.
Gazprom Armenia covers 80% of the country’s needs for “blue fuel”. The volume of Gazprom’s investments in the economy of the Republic exceeds $800 million. Also, in an allied vein, we are working on issues important for Yerevan in the field of agriculture. I am sure that all this will allow the economies of the two countries to develop more confidently and predictably.
Through Rosatom State Corporation, we provide assistance taking into account the need to extend the life of the Armenian NPP. The modernization of the second power unit of the NPP was successfully completed, permission was received to operate the station until 2026. In January 2022, Rosatom State Corporation and the Armenian NPP signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the construction of new Russian-designed nuclear power units in Armenia, and a joint working group was formed. Among the documents signed during N.V. Pashinyan’s visit is a comprehensive program of Russian-Armenian cooperation in the field of energy and non-energy projects.
A set of topics related to building cooperation in the new conditions, including those related to the financial sector, logistics, and the digital economy, was discussed in detail. It was agreed that a number of Russian companies will join the modernization of transport, in particular, the Yerevan metro, the mining region – special attention will be paid to the development of copper-molybdenum deposits.
Prime Minister invited Vladimir Putin to visit Armenia in the second half of the year in conjunction with the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council. It is assumed that the Russian leader will participate in the laying of a monument to Russian-Armenian friendship in the center of Yerevan.
Within the framework of the rich Russian-Armenian dialogue, other contacts at various levels are being prepared. The 34th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation was held in Yerevan on April 21-23. There are plans to gather parliamentarians once again – within the framework of the meeting of the relevant committees of the State Duma of Russia and the National Assembly of Armenia.
During 2022, we will host the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia and hold the Days of Spiritual Culture of Russia in Armenia. Interregional and youth forums will be held again, as well as the 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.
We are intensively cooperating in the humanitarian sphere. Additional steps are being taken to strengthen the position of the Russian language in Armenia, in particular by supporting Russian classes in Armenian schools, retraining school teachers teaching according to Russian standards. This is necessary not only to preserve the common educational, scientific and linguistic space, but also in order to meet the demand observed in Armenia for the study of the Russian language.
Question: How successful is the process of implementing the provisions of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan signed on February 22?
Maria Zakharova: The very logic and intensity of Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation has led us to a natural increase in the level of bilateral relations. It is very symbolic that the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed in the 30th anniversary year of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The document covers the entire range of bilateral relations between our states and provides for closer foreign policy coordination, increasing trade and economic cooperation (including in the fuel, energy and financial spheres), expanding the transit and transport potential, readiness to develop integration processes in the CIS, participation in the formation of a multipolar world based on international law and the central role of the UN. , ensuring stability and security in the Caucasus and Caspian regions.
Relevant ministries and departments have already begun to implement the provisions of the Declaration. Let me give you some specific examples.
The I Forum of Youth Initiatives held on March 1-3 this year in the Gusar region of Azerbaijan brought together more than 100 participants from youth educational and volunteer organizations of the two countries and became, in fact, the first event in the context of the implementation of our Allied Declaration.
This month, a number of Russian-Azerbaijani events aimed at strengthening economic cooperation will be held. So, on April 20-21 of this year, the Ministry of Energy of Russia organized another Russian business mission to Azerbaijan on fuel and energy issues. It should be noted that this is the third business mission to the Republic – the first two took place in July and November 2021, based on their results, specific contractual agreements are being implemented. We attach great importance to the connection of domestic economic operators to the restoration of the Karabakh territories, we consider this track an important tool in stimulating bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
On April 20 this year, the Baku State University of Economics of Azerbaijan (UNEC) hosted a seminar “Potential for the development of economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EAEU countries”, which was attended by representatives of the EEC and the EDB, the government apparatus and Russian experts-economists. Baku’s interest in obtaining first-hand information about the Eurasian integration processes is obvious. This is the second thematic event after the conference “Current state and prospects of Russian-Azerbaijani economic relations in the context of integration processes” organized in December 2021 at the ADA University (former Diplomatic Academy of Azerbaijan), at which Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Overchuk spoke.
Finally, preparations are in full swing for the 20th anniversary meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation (IASC), which will be held on April 26 this year in Baku. The whole range of issues of our bilateral economic cooperation will be considered. We have many new interesting and promising projects.
This year we plan to organize another Russian-Azerbaijani Interregional Forum. Cooperation between the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan remains an important component of bilateral cooperation, since more than 70 regions of our country are involved in direct economic contacts with Azerbaijan.
Taking into account the deep historical ties, the cultural and humanitarian sphere remains among our joint priorities. Currently, more than 11,000 Azerbaijani students are studying in Russia, more than a thousand of them at the expense of the federal budget. More than two hundred state scholarships are provided annually to citizens of Azerbaijan. A branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University (since 2009) and a branch of the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov (since 2015) have been successfully operating in Baku for several years. We have common approaches to the issue of preserving cultural and linguistic diversity (there are 341 Russian-speaking schools in Baku) and the memory of the feat of our peoples in the Great Patriotic War.
Question: Can the Russian special operation in Ukraine affect the prospects for the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and, in general, the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan? What do you think about the opinion of a number of experts that against the background of the Ukrainian crisis, attempts by Western countries to squeeze out Moscow’s position in the South Caucasus are possible?
Maria Zakharova: Ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus is one of the priorities of Russia’s foreign policy, the implementation of which does not depend on changes in any external conditions. The key element in this direction remains the promotion of the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations on the basis of the trilateral statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021.
As you know, in order to ensure a ceasefire in November 2020, the Russian peacekeeping contingent (RCC) was deployed along the contact line in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Our peacekeepers also help to establish a peaceful life – to deliver humanitarian aid, restore infrastructure, and demine territories.
As part of the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, a whole range of tasks is being solved. We are talking about the launch of the delimitation process and the subsequent demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the unblocking of economic and transport ties in the region. In particular, we are ready to provide advisory assistance to the bilateral Border Delimitation Commission and to provide the necessary cartographic materials. We are working towards the speedy coordination of specific projects for the restoration and development of transport infrastructure within the framework of the Trilateral Working Group under the joint chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. In addition, under the auspices of Russia, an ethno-confessional dialogue and contacts between the civil society of the two countries have been initiated. We promote the coordination of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The Russian side is determined to continue to help Baku and Yerevan in every possible way to find common ground, create an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. At the same time, we welcome the initiatives of third countries, which can complement our trilateral efforts, and are not based on the logic of geopolitical games.
Unfortunately, we see that against the background of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, a number of Western media and expert circles are calling for an increase in the degree of tension in Transcaucasia. Apparently, in order to create additional problems for Russia on our southern borders, undermine its peacekeeping efforts and thereby strengthen its own positions in this region. We do not think that changing the current balance of power will work to strengthen stability in the South Caucasus.
Question: How did Abkhazia and South Ossetia perceive Russia’s recognition of the independence of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics and the special military operation in Ukraine? What measures is Moscow taking to help its allies in the person of Sukhum and Tskhinval, including taking into account the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and against the background of Western sanctions pressure?
Answer: South Ossetia recognized the DPR and LPR back in 2014, Abkhazia took a similar step on February 25 of this year, although in fact contacts were carried out earlier. Abkhaz President A.G. Bzhania in his statement noted that “the decisions of the Russian side to recognize the republics and conduct a special military operation to protect them were hard-won, deeply thought out, and have no alternative.”
The authorities of both republics, all socio-political forces expressed unconditional approval of the special operation in defense of Donbass. In Sukhum and Tskhinval, mass rallies were held in support of Russia and the Russian army. Both countries, despite limited resources, supplied humanitarian aid to the DPR and LPR, hosted a group of refugees. The President of South Ossetia paid a visit to Donetsk.
The above facts testify to the effectiveness of Russia’s allied connection with the young Transcaucasian states.
The allied nature of Russia’s relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia is also expressed in the large-scale assistance provided by Moscow to partners in various spheres of interaction, especially against the background of the coronavirus pandemic. Relevant investment programmes approved by bilateral intergovernmental commissions are aimed at addressing the problems of socio-economic recovery and development. Currently, investment programs for 2020-2022 are being implemented with a financing volume of 4.5 billion rubles each. It must be remembered that the vast majority of residents of Abkhazia (about 60%) and South Ossetia (about 90%) have Russian citizenship.
In general, the following budget allocations are provided for the current year: the Republic of Abkhazia – in the amount of 5.726 billion rubles, of which 4.376 billion – for current expenditures of socio-economic development, including the implementation of international agreements concluded as part of the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on Alliance and Strategic Partnership of 2014; The Republic of South Ossetia – in the amount of 7.2 billion rubles, of which 5.9 billion rubles – for the provision of financial assistance for the socio-economic development of the Republic of South Ossetia, including the implementation of international agreements concluded as part of the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on Alliance and Integration of 2015.
In order to combat the new coronavirus infection, Russia regularly supplies Abkhazia and South Ossetia with domestically produced vaccines, test systems, and medical equipment. Multidisciplinary mobile hospitals of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, units of radiation, chemical and biological protection of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, teams of medical specialists and epidemiologists have repeatedly worked in the republics. The current volumes of supplies of Russian vaccines fully cover the demand in the countries.
In the context of support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia against the background of Western sanctions pressure, I would like to note that the temporary measures enshrined in the March resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation aimed at ensuring the security of the Russian Federation in the sphere of foreign economic activity and relating to bans or quantitative restrictions on the export of certain categories of goods do not apply to Sukhum and Tskhinval, taking into account their requests.
Question: How is the work going within the framework of the 3+3 regional consultative platform (Armenia-Azerbaijan – Georgia + Russia – Iran – Turkey)? Is there anything new regarding Tbilisi’s connection to this format?
A: Preparations are under way for the second meeting of the 3+3 Regional Consultative Platform. The venue and timing will be announced.
We consider it right to actively use the 3+3 to develop cooperation between the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors. The logic of such cooperation presupposes a collective consideration of issues that are of common interest, do not exacerbate political contradictions, but, on the contrary, contribute to increasing mutual trust. It is about finding solutions to regional challenges and problems by the regionals themselves.
Among the priority areas is the implementation of mutually beneficial projects in the fields of trade, energy, industry, innovative technologies, and infrastructure modernization. Additional opportunities for cooperation between the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors are related to the disclosure of the transit potential of the region, the restoration of transport routes in Transcaucasia, and the organization of multimodal transportation. Another important track is cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.
I am confident that the designated 3+3 agenda fully meets the interests of Georgia, for which the “doors” – by common agreement of all participating countries – remain open.
Question: How do you assess the situation in the Abkhazia-Georgia-South Ossetia triangle and the prospects for the negotiation process within the framework of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in transcaucasia?
Maria Zakharova: The situation in the border area of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with Georgia remains generally quite stable. This, in particular, was stated by the participants of the meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) on the Georgian-South Ossetian border, held on April 12 this year in the village of Ergnet. We also note a decrease in the number of incidents and provocative statements. The next step is the resumption of a similar mechanism on the Georgian-Abkhaz border in the village of Gal. We hope that the proposals submitted by the Abkhaz side to the UN representatives at the end of last year will be considered in a constructive manner.
As for the Geneva discussions, the work of this format has been put on pause. This is not our choice, the initiative in this case belongs to the “troika” of co-chairs, who by their decision postponed for an indefinite time the next 56th round planned for the end of March. Thus, these participants in the discussions actually took hostage the most important negotiation format, thanks to which it was possible to maintain an acceptable level of security and stability in the region. So all the responsibility for the breakdown of the negotiations is entirely on them. There are also logistical difficulties that have arisen in connection with the restrictive measures introduced against Russia by the European Union (and this is one of the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions) and Switzerland, which is hosting this format on its territory. All these unfriendly and politicized steps of Western “partners” do not help to strengthen stability and security in the South Caucasus, can lead to uncertainty in this region.
Question: Let’s return to the topic of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia, what events have taken place and are still expected within the framework of the anniversary year?
Maria Zakharova: During the current anniversary year, together with our Azerbaijani and Armenian friends, we are holding more than two dozen events in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. Directly on the dates of the establishment of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, an exchange of congratulatory messages from the leaders of our states, parliaments and foreign ministries took place. On the famous “books” of Novy Arbat these days (April 3-4), the flags of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia caught fire. In addition, within the framework of the anniversary year, it is planned to publish collections of Russian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Armenian documents, to conduct a joint issue of postage stamps.
The festival of Azerbaijani culture “Days of Azerbaijan in Moscow” was recently held in Moscow. In the New Tretyakov Gallery, an expanded exposition of the People’s Artist Tahir Salakhov was presented. The Helikon-Opera Theater hosted a concert “Musical Stars of Azerbaijan on the Moscow Stage”. The exhibition “Azerbaijani Carpet – a New Look” was organized in the pavilion “Azerbaijan” at VDNKh. Screenings of Azerbaijani films were held in the Moscow cinema “Illusion”. The main point of the festive program in Baku was a concert of classical music of the State Chamber Orchestra named after K. Garayev in the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic named after M. Magomayev, during which works by Russian and Azerbaijani composers were performed.
On the fifth of April, a concert of classical music and a thematic photo exhibition were held in the Komitas Chamber Music House of Yerevan on the initiative of the Moscow Cultural and Business Center “House of Moscow”. Recently, the founding conference of the Russian-Armenian expert dialogue was held. Earlier, on April 6, a discussion was held at the House of Russian Books in Yerevan on the prospects for the development of the EAEU in the context of restrictive measures of the West. On April 8, the Russian International Affairs Council and the Public Association “Dialogue” organized the forum “Russia and Armenia: 30 Years of Union and Integration”. All this contributes to the intensification of contacts between the political science community, as well as between public figures in Russia and Armenia.
A number of political and cultural events in Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia remain on the agenda. In short, there is still a lot of good news ahead.
Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 25 2022 18:01 utc | 100
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