Lavrov criticizing the dependence on the US “dollar” to support the global economy: The globe is going through an important historical period and people will have to choose the type of world they want to live in

Lavrov criticizing the dependence on the US “dollar” to support the global economy: The globe is going through an important historical period and people will have to choose the type of world they want to live in

    Wednesday, July 27, 2022   No comments

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the global economy's dependence on the US dollar. 

Lavrov said, during a press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that relying on the US currency to support the global economy “was not very promising,” noting that countries are turning to using alternative currencies “more and more,” according to the African News website.

"This process will gain momentum," the Russian minister noted.
Lavrov explained that the globe is going through an "important historical period, and people will have to choose what kind of world they want to live in."

"The universe is based on the United Nations Charter, which states that the United Nations was founded on the principle of sovereign equality of states, or we will have a world in which the right of the strongest prevails," the Russian foreign minister continued.

During his visit in Ethiopia, Lavrov held meetings with the country's President, Sahle Work Zewde, and his Ethiopian counterpart, Demke Mokkenen.

Lavrov seeks to convince African leaders that Moscow cannot be blamed, either for the conflict or the food crisis, while Moscow blames the blockade on Ukrainian mines, according to "Africa News".

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Minister arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for a two-day visit, on the last leg of his African tour.

Lavrov also visited Egypt, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda, as part of a tour aimed at mobilizing support for his country, which is facing Western sanctions over its war against Ukraine.

Since the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine in late February, the African Union has taken a neutral stance towards the crisis.

Macron denounces the African position on the Russian operation, describing it as "hypocrisy"

Macron denounces the African position on the Russian operation, describing it as "hypocrisy"

    Tuesday, July 26, 2022   No comments

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed, today, Tuesday, in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, that his country "will not abandon the security of the African continent," reiterating his desire to "reinvent" the French military and security apparatus, especially in the Sahel region.

"France will remain firmly committed to the security of the continent, in order to support our African partners and at their request," Macron said, during a speech to the French community in Yaounde.

Today, in Cameroon, Macron began a four-day tour of the African continent, during which he will also visit Benin, which faces security challenges in the Sahel region, in addition to Guinea-Bissau.

The French president added: "We are reorganizing our system by withdrawing from Mali because the political framework is no longer available (...), with the aim of expanding our apparatus, outside the Sahel region, to the Gulf of Guinea and the countries that now have to confront terrorist groups that are expanding and causing turmoil in the entire region."

"We will remain committed to the countries of the Lake Chad Basin to help them fight the militants who, for many years, have been spreading death in the far north of Cameroon," where Boko Haram is active, he added.

"France must be there in an even more visible way, at the request of African countries, which is a clear and explicit request, through our greater presence on the issue of military training and equipment, providing support to African armies and staying close to them, to help them increase their capabilities, by linking Our apparatus has always been in security, defense, diplomacy and development."

Macron stressed that "this tripartite is the only one that allows us to respond to the security emergency in the face of terrorism and to address its root causes."

The French president indicated that his country "is under attack by some who say that European sanctions are the cause of the global food crisis, including the African one," adding that "this is completely wrong, because, simply put, food, as well as energy, has become a weapon of war in the hands of Russia."

Macron saw the need to "build new collective partnerships with a new approach by linking existing companies, start-ups, associations and civil society".

He met this afternoon, at the Cameroonian presidential palace, his 89-year-old counterpart Paul Biya.

After the meeting, Macron denounced, during a joint press conference with Biya, what he considered "hypocrisy, especially from the African continent", which, according to Macron, is "the lack of clear recognition of Russia's unilateral aggression towards Ukraine, as the European Union did."

He explained that "the choice the Europeans made first is not in any way to participate in this war, but to recognize and name it," adding that he "often sees hypocrisy, especially on the African continent (...) for not naming the Russian military operation in Ukraine, because There is diplomatic pressure," he said, adding, "I am not naive."

Last June, the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources of the Central African Republic, Reuven Binam Beltango, stated that Russia had helped his country to restore 90% of its lands that were held by armed groups, noting that this leads to attracting investors in the country.

Macron stressed that the European Union decided "to do everything necessary to stop this war without participating in it, and to punish Russia for disrupting its war effort, and to isolate it diplomatically."

He continued, "Here we need you, otherwise this pattern (the military operation in Ukraine) will be repeated over and over. It is not this international system that we want, (we want the system) that is based on cooperation and respect for the sovereignty of each country."

The French president stressed that his country is "the country that made the greatest commitment to African countries at its request to ensure its security, but within a clear framework at the request of a sovereign state and to fight terrorism," noting that "this framework is no longer available after the military coup in Mali."

On Monday, a grouping of political parties in Cameroon called on French President Emmanuel Macron to recognize France's colonial crimes, hours before his visit to the country, where he will meet his counterpart Paul Biya, according to an AFP correspondent.

On Saturday, the African Union hailed the agreement signed between Russia and Ukraine on resuming grain exports as a "welcome development" for the continent facing the growing threat of famine.

The African Union indicated, in a statement, that this agreement comes "in response" to the visit of the President of the African Union and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, and the Chairman of the Commission of the Union, Moussa Faki, last June to Moscow," where the two parties stressed during their meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on "the necessity of returning the export of grain from Ukraine and Russia to world markets."

Last June, the African Union President and Senegal's President, Macky Sall, announced that "the sanctions imposed on Russia have deprived African countries of access to grain and fertilizer, which has exacerbated the situation in the field of food."

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov began a 5-day tour of African countries, during which he will pay working visits to Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo. During his visit, Lavrov is scheduled to discuss the international and regional agenda and bilateral cooperation.

On May 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated African leaders and heads of government on the occasion of Africa Day.

The Kremlin said that Putin said in the congratulatory message that "Russia and African countries can enhance security and stability in the whole world through joint action."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks about the upcoming convening of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum, and points out that "the Russian military operation in Ukraine continues"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks about the upcoming convening of the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum, and points out that "the Russian military operation in Ukraine continues"

    Sunday, July 24, 2022   No comments

Today, Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian military operation in Ukraine is "continuing", noting that the door to negotiations is also "open to the Ukrainian side."

"The Russian operation in Ukraine will continue and we have not closed the door to negotiations," Lavrov said, during a speech before the League of Arab States, during his visit to Cairo, adding that the Russian side "presented draft proposals regarding negotiations to the Ukrainian government, but did not receive a response."

Lavrov stressed that "the Ukrainian regime is carrying out operations to bomb hospitals and civilian infrastructure," stressing that Russian forces "secure corridors across the Black Sea for the passage of grain ships, but Ukraine fails to do so due to the spread of mines."

On relations with the League of Arab States, the Russian Foreign Minister indicated that there is a proposal being discussed with the League of Arab States aimed at "identifying additional plans to strengthen joint relations."

He continued, "We agreed with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Aboul Gheit, to define additional plans to strengthen relations between the two sides in various fields," adding that "we plan to hold the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum soon, in its sixth session, after it was held 5 times."

Lavrov: The Arab position on the crisis in Ukraine is balanced and the West ignores our concerns

 

Lavrov praised the moderate position of the Arab countries towards the course of the Ukrainian crisis, stressing that Russia is open to dialogue with the Arab world and with all countries of the world.

The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that Russian-Arab relations are based on friendship and cordiality.

Lavrov also explained the reasons that prompted Moscow to start the military operation in Ukraine, explaining: "We had legitimate concerns about our security, and our concerns about NATO expansion and Ukraine's acquisition of a lot of Western weapons were ignored."

He continued: "The Minsk Agreement was violated, Kyiv bombed areas rejecting it with artillery, while the European Union completely failed to fulfill its commitments."

Lavrov pointed out that the Kyiv regime deliberately banned the Russian language in eastern Ukraine, spread racism, anti-Russianism and support for Nazism, recalling that "the West obstructed the negotiation process", stressing at the same time that Russia does not close the door to negotiations with Ukraine.

He pointed out that the Europeans considered that NATO had the right to dominate and do as it pleased, stressing that Moscow "rejects this policy, as the NATO countries cannot maintain their security by threatening the security of another country."

Regarding the grain transport crisis, the Russian minister commented, "The Russian forces have secured passages across the Black Sea for the passage of grain ships, but Ukraine has failed in this because of its deployment of mines in the waters of the ports on the Black Sea."

   

Lavrov: Moscow Not Asking to Lift Sanctions, But West Must Resolve Self-Created Food Supply Issues

 

Earlier today, Lavrov said that "Egypt and Russia have basic agreements on a number of regional and global issues," adding: "We discussed the situation in Libya and the need to support the UN mission."

The Russian Foreign Minister called on Ukraine to remove the mines it planted in the ports, and said that "the West seeks to export Ukraine's wheat and ignores Russia's."

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed the importance of reaching a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, noting that the crisis "affected Egypt" with regard to food security.

Lavrov before his African tour: Russia and Africa continue to reduce the shares of the dollar and the euro in their dealings; military missions in Ukraine is now beyond Donbass region

Lavrov before his African tour: Russia and Africa continue to reduce the shares of the dollar and the euro in their dealings; military missions in Ukraine is now beyond Donbass region

    Friday, July 22, 2022   No comments

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has had a very busy month in July. He has visited a number of Asian and African countries mainly to explain Russia's position on the war in Ukraine and to thank some states for not joining the sanctions imposed against his country. It would seem that his trip was successful to the extent that he was able to even revise the mission of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, it is now about more than the Donbass region. Here is a rundown of key events and statements.

___________________________

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to report on his recent foreign tour.

During his meeting with members of the Russian Security Council, Putin said: "Today, we will discuss some issues on the international agenda, and I ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs to talk about the results of his foreign tour. I have read his written reports, but I would like to share these results and impressions from your tour with colleagues." .

Besides Lavrov, the meeting was attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishusti, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Presidential Administration Head Anton Vaino, Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov, as well as Special Presidential Envoy for Environmental Protection and Transport Sergei Ivanov .

Lavrov recently completed a foreign tour that included Mongolia and Vietnam, as well as Indonesia, where he participated in the meeting of foreign ministers of the "Group of Twenty", and met a number of its foreign ministers, with the exception of foreign ministers of Western countries and the United States.

The "Group of Twenty" meeting represents a prelude to the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of Twenty to be held next November in Indonesia, which it invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend.

Next week, Lavrov will tour a number of African countries, starting next Sunday in Egypt, where he will deliver a speech before the League of Arab States.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister noted that "Russia and African partners are constantly working to reduce the dollar and euro shares in their mutual trade."

*****

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov start an African tour, starting with a visit to Egypt, on Sunday, in an effort to benefit from the desire of some countries to join non-Western alliances.

In Egypt, Lavrov would meet officials who are trying to raise the level of strong relations with Russia to the level of their close relationship with the United States, which sought with other Western powers to isolate Russia by imposing severe sanctions on it, after its military operation in Ukraine, on February 24.

After meeting with members of the Arab League in Cairo, Lavrov is  heading to Ethiopia and Uganda, the two countries whose relations with the West have recently been strained, and then to the Republic of the Congo.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "Russia and African partners are constantly working to reduce the shares of the dollar and the euro in their mutual trade."

"The current geopolitical situation requires a certain adjustment of our interaction mechanisms, first of all, we are talking about the need to ensure uninterrupted logistics and the creation of financial settlement systems that are protected from external interference," added Lavrov.

"Russia, in cooperation with partners, is taking steps to expand the use of national currencies and payment systems, and is constantly working to reduce the share of the dollar and the euro in mutual trade," Lavrov said.

The minister noted that Russia "supports the creation of an independent and efficient financial system that is not vulnerable to possible influence from unfriendly countries."

He added, "Developing a comprehensive partnership with African countries remains among the important priorities of Russia's foreign policy. We are open to its further construction in line with the strategic decisions taken at the first Russia-Africa Summit at the end of October 2019 in Sochi."

The Minister stressed that Russia is open to building a comprehensive partnership with African countries, and will continue to fulfill its obligations to provide these countries with food, fertilizers and energy carriers, noting at the same time that Western sanctions against Russia have exacerbated the difficult situation in the food market.

In a related context, the Russian Foreign Minister expressed his country's appreciation for the balanced position of Africans regarding what is happening in and around Ukraine. "We know that African colleagues do not agree with the overt attempts of the United States and its European subordinates to dictate their will to everyone, to impose a unipolar model of world order on the international community," he said. "We appreciate the balanced position of Africans."

"Despite unprecedented external pressure, our (African) friends did not join the sanctions against Russia. Such an independent line deserves deep respect," he added.

*****

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly talked about sanctions on "North Stream-2" and reducing the share of gas supplies through "North Stream-1" to reach 50% of its capacity, considering that "therefore, Europe is responsible for the energy crisis, not Russia."

In an exclusive interview with "Sputnik" and "RT", Lavrov said that "in principle, his country will not abandon the old economic chains, and will work to build new, more reliable chains, and this is what Russia is doing in the current circumstances."

Lavrov noted that "there are a number of new economic initiatives, including the "North-South" corridor extending from St. Petersburg to the Indian Ocean and from India to Vladivostok, adding that "there are a whole number of projects, which are now at a high degree of implementation." ".

He pointed out that Russia has "excellent and distinguished relations with Africa since the era of the Soviet Union," adding: "We participated in the construction of giant industrial projects on the African continent, in addition to the role of the Soviet Union in liberating many African countries from colonialism."

Lavrov revealed the expected visits to Africa this year, explaining that "it will include Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo. He considered Africa, India and China as very promising markets."

Since the launch of the Russian special military operation on February 24, Western countries have imposed severe and unprecedented economic and financial sanctions on Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that "Russia does not plan to occupy Ukrainian territory," explaining that "Russia's goal is to protect people who, for 8 years, have been subjected to persecution and genocide by the Kyiv regime."

The sanctions range from banning oil exports, tying up the banking sector, and preventing companies from major countries from dealing with the Russian market, in addition to banning dealing through the “Swift” system for international banking transactions, freezing the assets of the Russian Central Bank in Western countries, as well as closing the airspace to Russian aircraft. And he imposed direct sanctions on deputies and the circle surrounding the Kremlin, right up to Russian President Vladimir Putin personally.

On the other hand, the sanctions imposed on Russia cast a shadow on international supply and supply chains, and confused the European economy first, especially in the sectors of energy, trade, manufacturing, banking and markets, in addition to their repercussions on global food prices.

*****

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow's military missions in Ukraine have gone beyond the eastern Donbass region.

Lavrov: "The facts of geography have changed since officials from Russia and Ukraine held negotiations in Turkey in late March that failed to achieve any breakthrough."

"Now the geography has changed, and it is no longer related to the two republics, but also to the Kherson and Zaporizhzh regions and a number of other regions," Lavrov added, referring to lands outside the two republics that were completely or partially controlled by Russia.

"The process continues in a logical and diligent manner," he added, noting that "Russia may need to go deeper."

At the beginning of this month, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced "the liberation of the territory of the Lugansk People's Republic", and Russian forces took control of areas outside Donbass, especially in the southern regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson.

Lavrov: Peace talks with Ukraine are useless

With regard to peace talks with Ukraine, Lavrov said that it was "useless to conduct them" for the time being. Lavrov noted that the first rounds of talks with Ukraine proved that Kyiv "does not want to discuss any issue seriously."

"They will not be able to formulate anything that deserves serious attention from serious people," the Russian foreign minister added, "and we have already realized that."

Talks between Russia and Ukraine stalled in mid-April, Lavrov said, explaining that Western arms supplies to Ukraine had altered the Kremlin's calculations.

Lavrov also stated that the United States of America and the United Kingdom want to push Russia to confront Europe, by providing them with arms to Ukraine.

It is noteworthy that the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, had confirmed, last June, that "the Russian air defense systems will break down the weapons obtained by Ukraine from the West like nuts."

Aisha Bakari Gombi: a terror to the terrorists

Aisha Bakari Gombi: a terror to the terrorists

    Friday, October 09, 2020   No comments

By Ebele Orakpo 

It’s often said that what a man can do, a woman can do even better. This saying has been proven to be true in the North-Eastern region of Nigeria, which has been the theatre of war between the forces of evil (Boko Haram terrorists) and good (the Security agencies and the poor masses) for about 11 years.

In Adamawa State, one of the states being ravaged by the Boko Haram, considered the third most dangerous terrorist organisation on earth after Al Qaeda and The Islamic State,  lives a queen by all standards, by name, Sarauniya (Queen) Amina Bakari Gombi, a  wife, mother, hunter, warrior, and tailor. Due to her exploits as a warrior, she has entered the folklore of the locals just like the legendary Queen Amina of Zazzau, Hausa warrior queen who ruled in the mid-16th Century. 

Perhaps, one can confidently say that Queen Amina has come alive in Aisha Gombi, Queen Hunter and nemesis of Boko Haram fighters. At a time when many, including men, were running away from the insurgents who were raiding communities, maiming, killing raping, and abducting men, women, and children, and razing down villages, Aisha stood to be counted.

... read more; Source: https://bit.ly/3lyisxJ

Rights group: Nigerian soldiers kill hundreds of Shiites

Rights group: Nigerian soldiers kill hundreds of Shiites

    Thursday, December 24, 2015   No comments

Hundreds of Shiite Muslims were killed by Nigerian soldiers and buried in mass graves in an "unjustified" attack earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.

Nigerian soldiers killed "at least 300" members of the radical Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) earlier in December when they fired "without any provocation," said the New York-based rights watchdog in a statement.

Witnesses said that the soldiers of Africa's biggest economy disposed of hundreds of bodies by throwing them in mass graves, making it difficult to establish an accurate death toll, according to HRW.

The violence erupted on December 12 when members of the minority Shiite group erected a makeshift road block during a religious procession, blocking the path of a Nigerian army chief.

"It is almost impossible to see how a roadblock by angry young men could justify the killings of hundreds of people," said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at HRW.