MEA Jaishanka | July 7, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Turkish-made Bayraktar drone used by Azerbaijan
Pakistan eyes drones & deeper ties with Turkey, concerns in Delhi of possible triad with China

​Pakistan President Arif Alvi Monday conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, a military medal, on the Turkish commander Gen Umit Dundar, a move seen as further deepening of ties.

Jul 7 - Pakistan is seeking armed drones from Turkey and is looking to deepen the already strong bilateral cooperation, especially in the defence arena, even as both countries align on key issues including Kashmir and Afghanistan.

The growing ties, along with a possible axis with China, are beginning to cause concern among security experts in Delhi.

Sources in the Indian defence and security establishment said possible procurement of armed drones, especially the Bayraktar TB-2 that helped Azerbaijan defeat Armenia last year, joint defence projects, collaboration in Afghanistan and greater Turkish investments in Pakistan are some of the issues that are under discussion between the two countries.

In what is being seen by Indian agencies as the latest attempt to cement the relationship, Pakistan President Arif Alvi Monday conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz or Order of Excellence — a military award — on the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, Gen Umit Dundar, who is on a visit to the country.

In April this year, the Turkish Armed Forces had awarded Gen Nadeem Raza, Pakistan’s Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Legion of Merit for his services in promoting defence relations between the two countries.

In Pakistan, Gen Dundar also held a meeting with Pakistan Army Chief, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Following the meeting, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistani military issued a statement saying “matters of mutual and professional interest with special emphasis on defence and security collaboration between the two brotherly countries were discussed”.

The visit by the Turkish officer is part of a series of exchanges between top military officers and defence officials of both countries.

“Pakistan’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and UAE has seen a dip. Turkey is trying to project itself in the Middle East as the counterbalance to these two countries and hence Pakistan growing closer to it is part of a larger game that is being played,” a defence source told ThePrint...     quoted from

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955) is an Indian diplomat and politician who is the current Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India since 31 May 2019. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha since 5 July 2019, representing Gujarat. He has previously served as the Foreign Secretary from January 2015[1][2] to January 2018.[3]

​He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and during his diplomatic career spanning over 38 years, he served in different capacities in India and abroad including as a High Commissioner to Singapore (2007–09) and as Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001–04), China (2009–2013) and USA (2014–2015). Jaishankar played a key role in negotiating the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.

On retirement, Jaishankar joined Tata Sons as the President, Global Corporate Affairs.[4] In 2019, he was conferred with Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour.[5] On 30 May 2019, he was sworn in as a cabinet minister in the second Modi ministry.[6] He was made the Minister of External Affairs on 31 May 2019. He is the first former Foreign Secretary to head the Ministry of External Affairs at the Cabinet-level.[7][8]
     Source from Wikipedia

Foreign minister S Jaishankar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jaishankar leaves for Russia via Tehran, agenda is Taliban in Afghanistan

​Foreign minister S Jaishankar's visit to Moscow will also be constructive as India and Russia are both for stabilisation of Afghanistan, after the withdrawal of US-NATO forces.

Jul 7 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reshuffle his Cabinet today but it is business as usual for the government with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar leaving for a bilateral visit to Moscow via Tehran with developments in Afghanistan top of the agenda.

The EAM will be making a fuel stop in Iran on the sidelines of which there could be an official meeting with the government in Tehran...     more

A general view of Kazakhstan's capital Nur-Sultan is seen in this photo, June 7, 2021. (AA Photo)

​Astana talks on Syria commence in Kazakhstan
​
Jul 4 - The 16th meeting of the Astana trio – made up of Turkey, Russia and Iran – on Syria started early Wednesday in Kazakhstan's capital Nur-Sultan.

The Turkish delegation was being represented by the Foreign Ministry director general responsible for Syria, Ambassador Selçuk Ünal, while the Syrian opposition was headed by Ahmet Toma. The Russian delegation was lead by the country's special envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and Iran by Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior adviser to the Iranian foreign minister on special political affairs.

Ahead of the meeting, Lavrentiev stated that “the political process in Syria will be handled comprehensively. We will discuss the Syrian Constitutional Committee, which came to a halt in Geneva, especially with U.N. Syria special envoy Geir Pedersen.

Because according to us, the necessary conditions to carry out the 6th council of the constitutional committee exist.”

“We want the situation in Syria to reach stability and turn toward activities to develop its economy,” he added.

High-level representatives from the United Nations, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq will also take part in the talks as observers.

The 16th meeting of the Astana peace process had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic...     quoted from

疫情与撕裂弥漫美独立日 拜登未兑现承诺 特朗普要“重出江湖”？20210706 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 7, 2021

《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 7, 1953
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《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 8, 1953
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《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 9, 1953
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https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/07/it-always-worries-me-july-7-2021.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
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《花生漫畫》西元1953年月/"Peanuts" on July 10, 1953
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https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/07/it-always-worries-me-july-7-2021.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/07/10
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《花生漫畫》西元1953年月/"Peanuts" on July 11, 1953
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https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/06/29/1953-july/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/07/it-always-worries-me-july-7-2021.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/07/11
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supporting Israel | July 6, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Esawi Freige, last yea
Israel, Palestinian Authority to Form Joint Committee for Economic Ventures
The revamped panel from the Oslo Accords era will aim to deliver 17,000 more work permits to Palestinian for construction and industry jobs in Israel, and will be headed by Meretz's Esawi Freige

Jul 6 - Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Freige is working to establish an Israeli-Palestinian committee to promote economic progress and remove obstacles to the Palestinian Authority’s economic activity.

Freige is coordinating the move with senior Palestinian officials, firstly the PA’s Civilian Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh. This is the first initiative with the PA that the government has launched since coming to power last month.

During its first meeting, expected within a few weeks, the committee is expected to advance two Palestinian requests that have already been made. The first is to issue an additional 17,000 work permits to Palestinian laborers to work in construction and industry in Israel. The second is to help advance the regularization of the Palestinian Fuel Administration, following a reform being pushed by the Palestinian Energy Ministry regarding the purchase of fuel for the PA’s use. At the same time, Palestinian ministers are expected to visit the offices of their Israeli counterparts to promote further coordination between the two sides...     more

Frej was born in Kafr Qasim, Israel, to a Muslim-Arab family.[1][dead link] His grandfather was killed in the Kafr Qasim massacre,[2] Frej is the eldest of twelve children. In 1982, he began studying accounting and economics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and later worked as an accountant.[3] Whilst at university, he joined the joint Jewish-Arab "Campus" group, and subsequently joined the Ratz party, which later merged into Meretz. He served on the secretariat of Peace Now, and was involved in the Geneva Accord.

Frej is married, with seven children. They reside in Kafr Qasim.     from Wikipedia

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俄罗斯三地同时“秀肌肉” 普京签新版《国家安全战略》 警告西方！20210705 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 6, 2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Russia to respond harshly to unfriendly US steps, Lavrov says
believes that the Russian-US summit was frank and business-like, but still has no illusions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed

Jul 6 - Moscow plans to respond harshly to Washington’s possible unfriendly steps, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Indonesian newspaper Rakyat Merdeka.

"Russian leader [Vladimir Putin] clearly stated, including in public, that the result in all directions is possible only through finding a mutually acceptable balance of interests strictly on a parity basis. No objection sounded at the talks [with US President Joe Biden in Geneva]. However, almost immediately after they were over US officials, including participants of the Geneva meeting, with redoubled force started their previous lectures: well, we "told Moscow, we clearly warned and outlined demands." By the way, all these warnings come along with threats: if Russia "within several months" fails to accept "the rules of the game" outlined in Geneva it will be subject to new pressure," Lavrov said.

"The attempts to hold dialogue with us from the position of force are initially doomed to failure: we will respond harshly and resolutely to unfriendly steps. There is the need for fair cooperation if Washington really wants stable and predicted relations, as it says," Russia’s top diplomat said.

Moscow believes that the Russian-US summit was frank and business-like, but still has no illusions, Lavrov stressed.

"Meanwhile, we are satisfied, that the sides, which made principled statements, showed a wish to understand each other. It should be considered that the key outcome is a modest but still a step forward towards restoring normal relations between our countries, which as we are strongly convinced, are impossible without mutual respect and taking into account each other’s interests," Lavrov said.     source from

《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 6, 1953
https://yaoleechen.weebly.com
https://smashwords2.weebly.com/3.html
https://yaoleechen.wordpress.com/2021/06/29/1953-july/
https://yaoleec.blogspot.com/2021/07/ill-go-so-far-away-july-5-2021.html
https://yaoleechen.pixnet.net/blog/post/269634896
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts-begins/1953/07/06
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Crimea | July 3th 2021

 White House News in Chinese - About (weebly.com)

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has accused the United States of being behind a provocation action by a British Royal Navy destroyer in Black Sea in late last month.
Kremlin says US was behind British destroyer provocation

Jul 5 - Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that provocations similar to the one involving the British destroyer HMS Defender in Russia’s territorial waters off Crimea are masterminded in the United States.

The Ministry of Defence as announcing on Wednesday, June 30 that a Russian warship fired warning shots after a British Royal Navy destroyer violated Russia's maritime borders in the Black Sea.

The British warship ventured three kilometers into the Russian territorial waters. A Russian guard ship fired warning shots while a Su-24M bomber dropped bombs in the UK warship’s path to chase it out of Crimean waters.

The Russian Defense Ministry slammed the UK destroyer’s operations as a gross violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and urged the British side to investigate the warship crew’s actions. London claims that the destroyer was conducting an "innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters." According to the UK, the Russian military did not fire any shots at the destroyer but conducted "a gunnery exercise."

Also on June 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that not only the UK, but the US also took part in the HMS Defender provocation off Crimea.     source from

Crimea is a peninsula located on the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe that is almost completely surrounded by both the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov to the northeast. Crimea is located south of the Ukrainian region of Kherson, to which it is connected by the Isthmus of Perekop, and west of the Russian region of Kuban, from which it is separated by the Strait of Kerch though linked by the Crimean Bridge since 2018. The Arabat Spit is located to the northeast, a narrow strip of land that separates a system of lagoons named Sivash from the Sea of Azov. Across the Black Sea to its west is Romania, and to its south, Turkey...     more

Medieval history
In the 9th century CE, Byzantium established the Theme of Cherson to defend against incursions by the Rus' Khaganate. The Crimean peninsula from this time was contested between Byzantium, Rus' and Khazaria. The area remained the site of overlapping interests and contact between the early medieval Slavic, Turkic and Greek spheres. It became a center of slave trade. Slavs were sold to Byzantium and other places in Anatolia and the Middle-East during this period.[citation needed] The peninsula was wrested from the Byzantines by the Kievan Rus' in the 10th century; the last Byzantine outpost, Chersonesus was taken in 988 AD. A year later, Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev accepted the hand of Emperor Basil II's sister Anna in marriage, and was baptized by the local Byzantine priest at Chersonesus, thus marking the entry of Rus' (later Russia) into the Christian world.

Belarus closes border with Ukraine, claiming arms smuggling

July 5 - Belarus has closed its border with Ukraine, claiming that arms are being smuggled into the country.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko says it is part of an attempt by outside powers to overthrow his authoritarian regime.

Mr Lukashenko claimed – without providing proof – that his security services had uncovered a foreign-backed terrorist sleeper cells plotting to oust him from power.

“They have crossed the line. We cannot forgive them,” he said.

He alleged the weapons were being shipped to terrorist cells funded by Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and the US.

“A huge amount of weapons is coming from Ukraine to Belarus. That’s why I ordered border-security forces to fully close the border with Ukraine,” Lukashenko said, at a ceremony marking the country’s 30 years of independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Belarus shares a border with Ukraine in the south. It borders Poland and Lithuania in the west, Latvia in the north, and Russia in the east.

The move deepens a standoff between Belarus, the EU, the UK and the US, all of which have imposed sanctions on Belarus.

In May his government prompted international outrage when it forced a Ryanair flight to land and arrested of a government critic who was onboard.

Lukashenko has also banned all citizens of Belrus from going abroad.

Many dissidents have left Belarus since a disputed election last year.

In its statement on the Telegram messaging service, the border committee says it has received “many requests to leave Belarus on the strength of residence permits [issued] by foreign countries”.

Only those with permanent residence in foreign countries – not temporary – are allowed to leave Belarus now, it says. The border committee blamed the measures on the coronavirus pandemic.

President Alexander Lukashenko’s harsh crackdown on opponents since his disputed August 9 election victory has sent many into exile or to jail.     source from

北约黑海大举调兵 俄测试潜艇无声威慑！20210703 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 4, 2021

EU new members blocking attempts to set tone in dialogue with Russia - Peskov
According to the Kremlin spokesman, it is difficult to establish dialogue with Europe in the current situation when the recently admitted EU members are literally provoking tensions

Jul 5 - ...According to the Kremlin spokesman, it is difficult to establish dialogue with Europe in the current situation when the recently admitted EU members are literally provoking tensions. "Let us take, for example, the Baltic countries. These countries receive American fighter jets on their territories and are sparing no effort to invite foreign troops, take them closer to our borders. These countries are saying day after day that they see Russia as a threat and bear this threat on their shoulders. But deploying American troops on their territories they only whip up tensions in relations," Peskov said.

Although these nations never take independent decisions, they are "a kind of instigators." "At least they are the heralds of tension. These are countries that seek assistance from all EU mechanisms, development programs and common funds," which are formed by the EU’s advanced economies, such Germany and France, he stressed.     quoted from