Moscow & Kiev agreed to create a “coordination center” on grain exports in Istanbul : media

Dhaka July 14 2022 :

Inside Russia : Outside Russia : News Digest by the Embassy of Russian Federation in Bangladesh on July 14 2022.

INSIDE RUSSIA

Russia considering payment of UN contributions in rubles – Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. July 13 (Interfax) – Russia is considering the possible payment of contributions to the United Nations in rubles, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for International Organizations Pyotr Ilyichev said in an interview with Interfax.

“A shift to paying the contributions in rubles is being considered and largely depends on the preparedness and ability of our partners in the UN to accept payments in the Russian currency,” Ilyichev said.

Russia is paying contributions to the budgets of UN agencies “in full and, whenever that is possible, in due time,” he said.

The Western sanctions include extensive measures that limit the normal functioning of the Russian financial system, Ilyichev said.

“This makes us develop new modalities in the fulfillment of financial obligations to the budgets of the UN and its specialized agencies. Naturally, the biggest problems are linked to the actions of U.S. banks. In certain cases, the unfriendly policy is pursued by members of the Swiss banking system,” he said.

Putin to meet with Iran’s supreme leader during visit to Tehran — Russian envoy

MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his trip to the Islamic Republic, Russia’s Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan told the Rossiya-24 television on Wednesday.

“We expect [Putin] to meet with the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and his meetings with President [Ebrahim] Raisi and [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan are also planned,” the Russian envoy said.

Dzhagaryan said he had “the highest expectations” that the exchange of opinions on a wide range of both bilateral and regional issues raised by the Russian and Iranian presidents at the sixth Caspian Summit would be continued during Putin’s visit.

On Tuesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that on July 19 Putin would make a visit to Tehran where he would meet with the Iranian and Turkish presidents.

Russia awaits progress on Kaliningrad transit embargo, issue unresolved — Kremlin

MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. Moscow is anticipating progress on the Lithuania transit embargo against Kaliningrad though the predicament is still not finalized, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday.

“So far, this situation has not been finalized. We are awaiting some progress yet right now we cannot state that this problem has been resolved,” he said in response to a request to comment on reports that the EU and Russia have allegedly reached agreements on the transit of cargoes to the region.

This information was earlier reported by Izvestia citing unnamed sources from the Russian side. That said, the Kaliningrad Region stated that it had not yet received any official notices or documents on any removal of restrictions.

On June 18, Lithuania blocked the transit of goods specified by the European sanctions to and from Kaliningrad. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin stated that Vilnius’ actions were unlawful and contradicted international agreements. Governor of the Kaliningrad Region Anton Alikhanov reported that the region had proposed four alternatives to respond to the Lithuanian transit ban. In their turn, the Lithuanian government and the EU leadership noted that the country had not introduced any unilateral or additional restrictions yet was simply consistently implementing the current European sanctions.

Russian, U.S. scientists awarded Global Energy Prize

CHELYABINSK. July 13 (Interfax) – Scientists from Russia and the United States have been named laureates of the international Global Energy Prize, Khanty Mansi Autonomous District Governor Natalya Komarova said on her Telegram channel.

The awards ceremony was held in Khanty Mansiysk on Tuesday.

“I was pleased to announce the winner in the category of New Energy Applications. It was U.S. scientist Kaushik Rajashekara for outstanding contributions to transportation electrification and energy efficiency technologies while reducing power generation emissions. Prizes were also awarded to Viktor Orlov from Russia (Conventional Energy) and Mercouri Kanatzidis from the U.S. (Nonconventional Energy),” Komarova said.

The Global Energy Association said on its website that Orlov, the chief specialist at Rosatom’s Innovative Technologies Center, received the price for fundamental research on development of innovative energy technologies based on fast-neutron reactors with a heavy alloy coolant and a closed fuel cycle.

Kanatzidis, a chemistry professor at Northwestern University, received the award for major advances made in solar energy conversion with the use of novel halide perovskites.

The shortlist for this year’s prizes included the projects of scientists from nine countries, including India, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, Russia, Singapore, the United States, Uruguay and France. The list was announced on May 24 at the strategic session on trends, challenges and forecasts for Russia’s oil and gas sector in Ufa during the 30th international Gas.Oil.Technologies exhibition and forum.

There were a total of 119 nominees from 43 countries this year, up from 36 in 2021. The prize is awarded for outstanding scientific research and scientific-technical developments in the field of energy that promote greater efficiency and environmental security for energy sources on Earth.

World’s Largest Missile Being Prepared for New Tests in Russia

Named after the Sarmatian people of ancient times who populated the Eurasian Steppe, the RS-28 Sarmat is Russia’s next-gen nuclear-capable and multiple independent reentry vehicle (MIRV)-equipped super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to ensure Russian strategic parity with the United States and its allies for decades to come.

Russia’s Sarmat ICBM is being prepared for new tests, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin has announced.

“The most powerful global-range nuclear missile in the world is being prepared for new testing and serial production,” Rogozin wrote in a Telegram post Tuesday.

The Russian space agency chief accompanied the post with a photo of himself and other Roscosmos officials and rocket engineers standing alongside a Sarmat being transported by railroad car at an undisclosed location.

President Vladimir Putin announced last month that Russia’s nuclear forces would be receiving their first batch of Sarmats by the end of 2022. Roscosmos plans to build a total of 46 of ICBMs.

The first successful test launch of the missile, which can change trajectory and maneuver while in flight to evade complex missile defenses, was conducted in April.

The Sarmat has been under development since the late 2000s, with the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau tasked with creating a new nuclear-capable and MIRV-equipped rocket to eventually replace the Soviet-designed RS-36M2 Voevoda ICBMs (NATO reporting name “SS-18 Satan”) which currently provide Russia with strategic parity with the US and its allies France and Britain.

Russian Strategic Missile Forces deputy commander Sergei Poroskun recently indicated that he expects the Sarmat to serve as a key component in Russia’s deterrent force for at least half a century.

Along with its maneuverability characteristics and in addition to its ability to carry 10-15 traditional nuclear reentry vehicles, the 208-ton missile is designed to carry Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, adding to its evasive and strike characteristics.

The Sarmat is one of several new strategic weapons systems created by Russian military designs bureaus since the US’ fateful 2002 decision to rip up the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which set prohibitions on the creation of advanced missile defenses to ensure that the nuclear superpowers enjoyed strategic parity, hence reducing the risk of a nuclear war or a costly missile arms race.

Russia’s development of a new generation of strategic strike weapons has also been tied in part to Pentagon planners’ work on a concept known as “Prompt Global Strike” – the idea of decapitating Russia’s leadership and nuclear potential using a massed precision-guided conventional missile attack, and shooting down whatever Russian nuclear missiles manage to be launched using a new generation of missile defense systems. The creation of weapons like the Sarmat and the Avangard is meant to assure that no matter what missile defense systems an adversary creates, some nukes will get through, thereby discouraging the folly of initiating a “Prompt Global Strike”-style attack against Russia in the first place.

Russia’s nuclear doctrine forbids the use of nuclear weapons for aggressive purposes, with such weapons authorized for use only in the event of an enemy nuclear strike, or an act of conventional aggression so severe that it is deemed to threaten the existence of the Russian state.

Last month, amid Russian, Chinese, and even North Korean advances in advanced nuclear weapons delivery systems, United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command chief Glen D. VanHerck warned that his “ability to conduct missions has eroded and continues to erode.”

No obstacles on Russia’s part to export of Ukrainian grain — Russian senior diplomat

UNITED NATIONS, July 14. /TASS/. There are no obstacles on the part of Russia to the export of Ukrainian grain, it is the Ukrainian side who must clear its ports of mines, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Wednesday.

“The Russian foreign ministry and other agencies are represented at the meeting in Istanbul. Consultations are underway on how to ensure the export of Ukrainian grain by sea,” he said. “We believe that there should be no problems with that. We have said it publicly at the highest level that there are obstacles on our part to the exports.”

“It is necessary to begin with demining ports by those who mined them. Let me remind, the ports were mined by the Ukrainian side,” he stressed.

OUTSIDE RUSSIA

Russia-Ukraine grain talks outcome revealed

Moscow and Kiev have agreed to create a “coordination center” on grain exports in Istanbul, Turkey has said

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to establish a joint coordination center on grain exports in Istanbul that will include representatives from all parties, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told local media following the four-way talks that also involved Turkey and the UN.

On Wednesday, negotiators from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN met in the Turkish city to discuss the situation regarding the held-up Ukrainian exports.

Ahead of the meeting, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Kiev and Moscow had been close to breaking the impasse on the issue.

“An agreement has been reached on technical issues such as joint controls at the destination points and … the safety of navigation on the transfer routes,” Akar told journalists. Russian and Ukrainian delegations “should meet again in Turkey next week,” he said, adding that the parties would “review all the details once again” during that meeting.

Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain exporters. Yet, it has been unable to export its grain by sea due to the ongoing conflict with Russia. Kiev and Western nations have accused Moscow of preventing Ukrainian grain shipments from leaving the nation’s Black Sea ports. Russia has denied such accusations and, in turn, blamed Kiev for the crisis, arguing that its forces mined the Black Sea waters, thus creating a threat to cargo ships.

The West has also accused Moscow of attempting to cause a global food crisis by supposedly blocking shipments of Ukrainian grain and “using hunger as a weapon.” Last month, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was not impeding exports and criticized the West for its “cynical attitude” towards the food supply of developing nations, which have been the most affected by the soaring prices. Moscow is ready to provide free passage to international waters for ships carrying grain, he added.

DPR ready for execution of foreign fighters – official

The Donetsk People’s Republic authorities have prepared an execution yard for convicted foreign fighters, the DPR head has said

The executive service of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) is prepared to carry out the death sentences of three foreign mercenaries, DPR leader Denis Pushilin told Ukraina.ru news outlet on Wednesday.

“The DPR executive service has prepared a place to carry out the death sentences of foreign mercenaries,” he said. Earlier on Wednesday, Pushilin said the republic’s laws do not specify fixed dates to carry out these sentences, and the executive service would act “in accordance with its internal decisions.” He added that executions normally are “not public” and information on them “is not disclosed.”

The official also said that the three convicts would be executed by firing squad if their appeals are not successful. The three men who fought for Ukraine and were captured in Donbass were found guilty by the republic’s Supreme Court on June 9 of being mercenaries and taking part in “Ukraine’s armed aggression,” attempting to overthrow the government of the DPR.

All three – two Britons and one Moroccan – have filed appeals. DPR Justice Minister Yury Sirovatenko said on July 12 that the court could decide on their appeals by the end of the month. The last appeal was filed on July 4 by Briton Aiden Aslin’s defense. The DPR lifted its moratorium on the death penalty on July 12.

The fighters surrendered to Russian and DPR forces in or near Mariupol, a port city that the DPR claims as part of its sovereign territory. London demands that its citizens be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions.

North Korea recognizes Donbass republics

An envoy of the Donetsk People’s Republic received a note of recognition at North Korea’s embassy in Moscow on Wednesday

North Korea has become the third UN member to recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. A member of North Korea’s diplomatic mission in Moscow confirmed the move to the news agency RIA on Wednesday. The two Donbass republics had already been recognized by Russia and Syria.

“This morning, there was a meeting with an ambassador of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and she received a note suggesting that we recognize the DPR’s independence,” a North Korean diplomatic official told RIA.

The DPR embassy in Moscow confirmed the meeting and released a photo of the envoy, Olga Makeeva, receiving the note from North Korea’s ambassador to Moscow, Sin Hong-chol. “The sides agreed to take further steps to establish diplomatic relations,” the embassy’s statement read. The DPR’s leader, Denis Pushilin, also thanked Pyongyang for its “impressive support of the Donbass people.”

Pushilin had earlier confirmed the development on his Telegram channel, calling it “another victory of our diplomacy.” The recognition is a sign that the DPR’s “international status and its nationhood are consolidating,” he added. He also expressed his hope that the two nations would be able to develop trade and an economic partnership.

According to the North Korean embassy, a meeting with a Lugansk People’s Republic’s (LPR) ambassador is expected to take place shortly. Pyongyang has already informed the Russian ambassador to North Korea, Aleksandr Matsegora, about its decision to recognize both Donbass republics.

Russia recognized the independence of the two Donbass republics in February. Days after doing so, it began its military operation in Ukraine, which had the aim of, among other things, protecting the two republics. Syria was the second nation to acknowledge the republics’ independence, having done so in late June. Kiev severed its diplomatic ties with Damascus in response and also said it would impose a trade embargo on Syria over the move.

Serbian leader says conflict in Ukraine is world war where West is fighting against Russia

BELGRADE, July 14. /TASS/. The conflict in Ukraine is a world war, where the West is fighting against Russia by means of Ukrainian soldiers, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday.

“We should understand that amid the world war, all the talks that its is a regional or a local war must be dropped. The entire Western world is fighting against Russia via Ukrainians. It is global conflict,” he said in an interview with Pink TV.

According to the Serbian leader, the situation in Ukraine is also telling on the Balkans. He vowed, however, that Serbia will spare no effort to preserve peace in the region.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country. After that, Western countries imposed harsh sanctions against Russia.

Trade among BRICS countries soaring – data

Economic cooperation between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa has been surging, Chinese customs data shows

China’s foreign trade with other BRICS member states amounted to 1.64 trillion yuan ($244 billion) in the first half of the year, up 14.1% in annual terms, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), as cited by the Global Times on Wednesday.

The data shows that the value of exports reached 817.18 billion yuan ($121 billion), jumping 20.6%. The value of imports was also up, by 8.3% to 825.82 billion yuan (around $123 billion).

GACC spokesperson Li Kuiwen said at a press briefing on Wednesday that China’s trade with other BRICS nations has become increasingly closer in recent years. He pointed out that trade turnover soared from 960.21 billion yuan ($143 billion) in 2009 to 3.17 trillion yuan ($472 billion) in 2021.

Chinese imports of energy products and agricultural goods have seen rapid development, data shows. Over the first six months, China’s total imports of crude oil, natural gas and coal, and other energy products from other BRICS countries reached 298.98 billion yuan ($45 billion), an increase of 53.3%. Imports of agricultural products by the country rose 15.6% to 185.46 billion yuan ($28 billion).

BRICS, a five-nation economic bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was established in 2006. It has more than a 16% share in global trade and represents more than 40% of the world’s population.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE

Seversk under operation control of LPR, Russian forces, being mopped up — source

LUGANSK, July 14. /TASS/. Forces of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Russian troops have entered the city of Seversk, which is under their operational control, a source close to the LPR People’s Militia told TASS on Thursday.

“The allied forces have already entered Seversk (a city in the Donetsk People’s Republic controlled by the Ukrainian army – TASS). I can say that the city is under our operational control. Mopping up operations are underway. Seversk will soon be totally liberated from Ukrainian troops,” he said.

DPR’s head, Denis Pushilin, said on Wednesday that allied forces were conducting an offensive at Ukraine’s positions in four directions.

INSIGHTS

Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Turkey May Join BRICS ‘Very Soon’, Forum Chair Anand Says

By Svetlana Ekimenko, Sputnik

In June, the Islamic Republic of Iran applied to join BRICS, the group of five industrializing non-European nations, after being invited to its 14th summit in Beijing, China. Iran joining BRICS would result in “added values” for all parties, underscored Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh, according to Tasnim News Agency.

BRICS International Forum President Purnima Anand has said that Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could “very soon” join the group of major emerging economies, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, according to the Izvestia newspaper.

Anand said that China, Russia and India had discussed this issue at the 14th BRICS Summit, which took place online between 23-24 June.

“All these countries have shown an interest in joining and are preparing to apply for membership. I think this is a good step, because expansion is always perceived positively; this will clearly increase the influence of BRICS in the world… I hope that the accession of countries to BRICS will happen very quickly, because now all representatives of the core of the association are interested in enlargement. So it will be very soon,” Purnima Anand stated.

The President of the BRICS International Forum was cited as voicing confidence that the accession of Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia would advance quickly, since these countries have already “begun the process.” However, she was reported as adding that the accession would not happen all at once.

Purnima Anand’s revelation feeds into remarks made earlier by the head of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Li Kexin, regarding the potential expansion of BRICS.

“There are several countries currently ‘at the door,’ for example, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina,” Li Kexin said at a press conference after the 14th BRICS summit in Beijing.

The BRICS countries agree that the bloc needs new members while retaining its original character, he added.

“I believe there is a shared understanding that we need to enlarge, get ‘new faces,'” underscored Li.

The Director-General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Economic Affairs emphasized that the goal of the BRICS expansion is “not to create a new bloc”, when answering a question about the potential expansion of BRICS.

The South African ambassador to China, Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, who spoke alongside Li Kexin, underscored that BRICS is about partnership rather than ‘big muscle.’

Argentina’s Ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja, was earlier cited by the Global Times as saying that “the BRICS cooperation mechanism is of great significance for the building of a new, more multipolar and balanced world.”

“We are interested in joining the BRICS because it is a cooperation mechanism composed entirely of emerging economies. There are no strings attached and all cooperation is mutually beneficial,” Vaca said.

The BRICS group of nations at their 14th summit in Beijing, China in late June agreed to take joint measures to strengthen and reform global governance, and safeguard international peace and security.

China is currently the rotating chairman of BRICS, while South Africa will take the chair next year.

Beijing invited leaders of 13 other developing nations to attend, including Iran and Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Malaysia and Thailand.

Speaking at the start of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the world to “reject hegemony, bullying and division.”

Ahead of the gathering, Iran announced its intention to join BRICS, pointing to the the Islamic Republic’s “unique geographical position and its capabilities in the fields of energy, transit, and trade” and capacity to become a “golden route to connect” east and west.

“If Iran and other powerful countries join the grouping, it can be even stronger and challenge Western policies,” Iran’s state owned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) added.

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