Category: Politics

National Malaria Day was observed on 29 July at Adi-Guaedad, Gala-Nesfhi sub-zone, at Central Region level under the theme “Integrated Effort for Eradicating Malaria”.

Indicating that National Malaria Day is being observed every year from 25 to 30 July, Mr. Kibreab Tesfamicael, head of Malaria Control at the Ministry of Health branch in the Central Region, said that with the effort to realize the strategic plan of the Ministry of Health to eradicate malaria in the country from 2016 to 2030, malaria prevalence from 2018 to 2021 has been reduced from 0.4% to 0.05% in the Central Region.

Mr. Kibreab went on to say that from 2018 to 2021 over 14 thousand impregnated bed nets have been distributed to the public and from 2017 to 2020 over 60 thousand impregnated bed nets to residents in areas suspected for malaria mosquitoes breeding.

Mr. Amanuel Seyum, head of Social Service in the sub-zone, on his part called on the residents to conduct sustainable environmental sanitation activities with a view to control the prevalence of the diseases.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Eritrea is endowed with a va¬riety of spectacular topographic landscapes. This allows not only three seasons in two hours but also diverse landscapes within a few hours’ distance. This includes the highlands, eastern escarpments, eastern and western lowlands, coastal areas and islands. Eritrea is endowed with rivers and river beds and natural harbours. The vibrant landforms offer the most distinc¬tive destination for tourists. Its natural topography which is com¬posed of volcanic mountains, flat topped hills, wide plateaus, mar¬velous escarpments, rugged topog¬raphy, undulating plains, unspoiled and spectacular coasts and pleasing islands provide great potential for tourism industry.

Eritrea’s landscape is naturally decorated with various rock types, fogs and mists and varied climate. It has a breathtaking beauty ac¬companied by clean, cool fresh air. There are volcanic landforms which include unmodified lava sheets, created lava cones, old dykes and volcanic mountains in different corners of the country. There are also numerous mountain features which are natural reser¬voirs of resources as they are made of rocks of several mineral depos¬its.

Eritrea’s mountains provide ample opportunity for hiking, pho¬tographic tourism, and landscape appreciation. In addition, they are very good grounds for sport-based tourism like mountain athletics and biking. Furthermore, they are prominent for their historical im¬portance during the armed struggle for independence.

One of Eritrea’s natural attrac¬tions, the Eastern Escarpment, is found to the east of the central plateau, eastern highlands, and up¬per Anseba highlands. The eastern escarpment is characterized by two rainy seasons and is thus in¬habited by the Green Belt whose scenery is stunningly beautiful. It is ever-green and provides excel¬lent scenes for bio-diversity-based tourism and bird watching. The ever-green tones of the Green Belt vegetation overshadow the earth colors on the steep slope platforms of the eastern escarpments.

The play of light and shade on the landscape etches the shapes in relief, enhancing their coloration and making the escarpment land¬forms look somehow even more grand and monumental.

The other main attraction of Er¬itrea is its coastal area bordered by flawless and unspoiled beaches. It is defined by the presence of ex¬tensive visible corals and shells. As a result, it is a perfect venue for snorkelers. It is endowed with all the essential properties of serene and beautiful holiday destination. Parallel to this are the naturally beautiful and striking group of is-lands that are dispersed along the Red Sea. The Eritrean islands of¬fer a convenient environment for scuba diving, snorkeling, yachting, itinerating, and fishing. Thus, the Red Sea remains “the world’s un¬spoiled tropical paradise”.

The Danakil Depression is also another prominent feature of the Er¬itrean landscape wherein the low¬est point on earth is found. There are various landform features along the Danakil Depression such as headlands of lava rocks and cra¬ter of an extinct volcano.

Eritrea’s terrain features provide a great potential for the tourism sector. It offers plenty of opportu¬nity for appreciative experiences for tourists because it is highly convenient for ecotourism, hiking, bird watching, and wildlife enthu¬siast and terrain appreciation.

Landform scenery of Eritrea is one of the most natural endow¬ments with the most powerful potential for tourism. The breath-taking mountains and coastal con¬figuration exerts great fascination for tourists. It creates pleasure and happiness. The magnificent topog¬raphy provides an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The land¬form belongs to its owners but the beauty of landscape belongs to those who behold it and appreci¬ate it.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

Representatives of the Eritrean community in Kuwait that are here to observe firsthand the development activities in their homeland conducted various activities.

Among the activities, the nationals conducted include planting tree seedlings at the Asmara Martyrs Cemetery and blood donation at the National Blood Transfusion Service.

Indicating that the coming of the nationals in group attests to their attachment with their homeland, Mr. Salim Safi, chairman of the Eritrean community in Kuwait, the tree seedlings they planted at the Martyrs Cemetery has deep meaning.

Mr. Mehari Abraham, head of blood donation service at the National Blood Transfusion Service, commending the initiative the nationals from Kuwait took called on others to follow the noble example.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

In 1994, the center of gravity of Eritrea was shifted from Nakfa during the struggle to Sawa after independence. Why? Simply, to continue the already started nation-building process! To make the future better than the present! What else? In order to ensure the security and stability of the nation. Ultimately, the list of possible answers comes thick and fast. Anyway, my principal objective here is to indicate the changing shift of “centers” and the regularities of events and meanings attached to them.

During the dark period of Ethiopian occupation, the EPLF was able to develop a vision that can see a liberated Eritrea that belongs to all; a nation united in its diversity; and, a people working together for the greater good of all.

In this perspective, Nakfa was a symbol of resilience and perseverance. In the difficult times of our struggle, where seemingly everyone and everything stood against the freedom fighters (Tegadelti in local revolutionary lexicon), Nakfa proved to be the reliable sanctuary of the Eritrean liberation struggle. Nakfa was the only place, which once liberated by the EPLF in 1976, the Ethiopian invading army could not capture again. The Ethiopian army frequently attempted to regain Nakfa saying, “Nakfa or death,” but ultimately to no avail. During the strategic withdrawal in 1978 after the massive Soviet military assistance to Ethiopia, the EPLF was forced to withdraw from the gates of Asmara to Nakfa. Thus, the Eritrean revolution shifted to Nakfa whose impenetrable mountains had been chosen as a rear base and the last line of defense. The creation of the Nakfa front, northeastern Sahel and Halhal, marked the end of the strategic withdrawal. When the fighters reached there they were determined to fight to the death and not to surrender Nakfa. The EPLF’s personnel, logistics, armaments, strategy, ideas, and, above all, the hope and revolution of Eritrea were relied upon during the defense of Nakfa. Nakfa saved the symbolic and material aspects of the Eritrean struggle for independence. As a tribute to its paramount importance during the struggle for independence, Eritrea named its currency Nakfa.

After independence, the center of gravity was changed from Nakfa in the northern tip of Eritrea to Sawa, the western tip of the country bordering Sudan. During the struggle for independence, Nakfa was the symbol of perseverance and determination and a point of reference for the fighters. After independence, Sawa has become the symbol of readiness and defense and a point of reference for the Warsay generation. The second Ethiopian war of aggression was started by the misconstruction that the Sahel/ Nakfa generation, “Yikealo”; the unified, highly disciplined and battle-hardened army, was weakened. Another errant presumption was underestimation of the military prowess and tenacity of the Sawa generation, “Warsay,” who had successfully inherited the legacy of the older Yikealo generation.

Although this was the reality, Sawa as an idea was developed as President Isaias Afwerki noted “…not because we anticipated wars or other hostilities. On the contrary, it came as a continuation of the political process on the basis of which Eritrea was built throughout the armed struggle” (ECSS 2010).

Sawa produced militarily and academically competent young men and women responsible for the development and protection of the country. To date, 34 rounds of youth have enrolled and completed their academic and military training programs at Sawa. The graduation of trainees is amongst the most celebrated and respected occasions. It is always attended by senior government officials (including the President), families and friends of the trainees, and invited guests from inside and abroad. Sawa has proven to be the heart and soul of Eritrea.

In a region where chronic ethnic and religious fault lines often spawn a spiral of dangerous internal conflicts, the Eritrean narrative remains markedly distinct. Indeed, in Eritrea, the national glue is strong, and Eritreans of all ages and groups interact in a refreshing climate of social cohesion and harmony. Men and women from six Regional Administrations and nine ethnic groups come to Sawa and spend one year of learning, developing, and growing together. The time that I spent in Sawa, both as a student and as an educator, was unique, transformative, and unforgettable. The friendships and acquaintances that I made in Sawa were free from the influence of time and space. The care of the enlightening trainers, the hard work of teachers, the companionship of my colleagues, and the efficient management of the place remain fresh in my memory.

The weather in Sawa was relatively hot and the trainees found out the reason why, jokingly suggesting that the sun was down from its position high in the sky to see the beautiful scene laid in the flat fields of Sawa. The beauty of Sawa emanates from the flat and clean area as well as from the youth of different ethnic groups.

President Isaias Afwerki once said, “When we first came up with the idea [Sawa], it was only as a continuation of our revolutionary experience and not as a new innovation” (ECSS 2010). The armed struggle served as a melting pot of Eritreans from all parts of the country. After independence, “The question that we faced then was: should the process stall or continue as a cultural, social and political process for nation building? It was from there that the idea of creating Sawa originated” (ECSS 2010).

Sawa is a place where we interact with our past, understand our present, and foresee and prepare for our future. It teaches skills, lessons, and innovation, as well as developing identity and a sense of nation – all of which are needed for the reconstruction and development of the country. In this sense, Sawa represents the perpetuation of the nation-building process that was initiated during the long, hard years of the liberation struggle.

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will speak to his Russian counterpart in the coming days about a “substantial” offer aimed at bringing home American basketball star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, both currently detained in Russia.

Other issues expected to come up between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov include the implementation of a deal to resume grain exports through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, and Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

The two top diplomats last spoke in person on February 15, days before Russia launched its military invasion in Ukraine.

At a press conference Wednesday, Blinken said Washington had communicated a “substantial” offer to Moscow in order to bring home Griner and Whelan. He declined to disclose details of the offer.

“With a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate the release [of Whelan and Griner], our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal,” said Blinken, adding that he plans to follow up personally during a phone call with Lavrov.

“My hope would be in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home,” he said, adding that President Joe Biden has been directly involved and signed off on the U.S. offer.

Griner, who has admitted arriving in Russia in February with vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at a court hearing Wednesday that a language interpreter provided to her translated only a fraction of what was being said as authorities arrested her.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive being held on espionage-related charges that his family contends are bogus, has been held in Russia since late 2018.

Blinken stopped short of confirming media reports speculating that either or both of the Americans could be exchanged for prominent Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is jailed in the U.S.

The tentative deal on grain exports that Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations reached last week is also high on the list of U.S. priorities. U.S. officials urged Moscow to uphold its commitment after Russian missiles struck infrastructure Saturday in Ukraine’s port of Odesa – the day after the deal was signed.

Blinken said Russia needs to follow through on its pledge to allow the grain vessels to pass through the Black Sea.

“End this blockade, allow the grain to leave, allow us to feed our people, allow prices to come down. … The test now is whether there’s actual implementation of the agreement. That’s what we’re looking at. We’ll see in the coming days.”

Turkish officials have opened a joint coordination center for Ukrainian grain exports and say they expect shipments to begin in the coming days. Kyiv said work had resumed at three Black Sea ports in preparation for the shipments.

At the United Nations, spokesperson Farhan Haq welcomed the opening of the joint coordination center which, he said, will “establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export grain and related foodstuffs” from Ukraine.

Lavrov, wrapping up a four-nation trip to Africa in Addis Ababa, pushed back Wednesday on Western allegations that his country is to blame for the global food crisis. Lavrov said food prices were rising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and what he called “green policies” pursued by the West.

State Department officials cautioned the expected call between Blinken and Lavrov call does not mean business as usual between the U.S. and Russia, but rather is an opportunity to convey Washington’s concerns clearly and directly.

There is no plan for in-person meetings between the two on the margins of the ASEAN Regional Forum that will be held in Cambodia in early August.

The chief U.S. diplomat said he will warn Lavrov in the phone conversation that Russia must not annex occupied areas of Ukraine as the war enter its sixth month.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have struck a strategically important bridge in the southern part of the country, using what a Russia-appointed official said were rocket systems supplied by the United States.

The Antonivskyi Bridge crossing the Dnieper River was closed Wednesday following the Ukrainian strike.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed administration for the Kherson region, said the bridge was still standing after the late Tuesday strike, but the road deck was full of holes.

Stremousov said Ukrainian forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to carry out the strike.

The bridge is a key link allowing Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighted the bridge strikes in a tweet Wednesday, saying Russian forces should take them as a warning.

Podolyak said the Russians “should learn how to swim across” the river or “leave Kherson while it is still possible.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will speak to his Russian counterpart in the coming days about a “substantial” offer aimed at bringing home American basketball star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, both currently detained in Russia.

Other issues expected to come up between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov include the implementation of a deal to resume grain exports through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, and Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

The two top diplomats last spoke in person on February 15, days before Russia launched its military invasion in Ukraine.

At a press conference Wednesday, Blinken said Washington had communicated a “substantial” offer to Moscow in order to bring home Griner and Whelan. He declined to disclose details of the offer.

“With a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate the release [of Whelan and Griner], our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal,” said Blinken, adding that he plans to follow up personally during a phone call with Lavrov.

“My hope would be in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home,” he said, adding that President Joe Biden has been directly involved and signed off on the U.S. offer.

Griner, who has admitted arriving in Russia in February with vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at a court hearing Wednesday that a language interpreter provided to her translated only a fraction of what was being said as authorities arrested her.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive being held on espionage-related charges that his family contends are bogus, has been held in Russia since late 2018.

Blinken stopped short of confirming media reports speculating that either or both of the Americans could be exchanged for prominent Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is jailed in the U.S.

The tentative deal on grain exports that Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations reached last week is also high on the list of U.S. priorities. U.S. officials urged Moscow to uphold its commitment after Russian missiles struck infrastructure Saturday in Ukraine’s port of Odesa – the day after the deal was signed.

Blinken said Russia needs to follow through on its pledge to allow the grain vessels to pass through the Black Sea.

“End this blockade, allow the grain to leave, allow us to feed our people, allow prices to come down. … The test now is whether there’s actual implementation of the agreement. That’s what we’re looking at. We’ll see in the coming days.”

Turkish officials have opened a joint coordination center for Ukrainian grain exports and say they expect shipments to begin in the coming days. Kyiv said work had resumed at three Black Sea ports in preparation for the shipments.

At the United Nations, spokesperson Farhan Haq welcomed the opening of the joint coordination center which, he said, will “establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export grain and related foodstuffs” from Ukraine.

Lavrov, wrapping up a four-nation trip to Africa in Addis Ababa, pushed back Wednesday on Western allegations that his country is to blame for the global food crisis. Lavrov said food prices were rising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and what he called “green policies” pursued by the West.

State Department officials cautioned the expected call between Blinken and Lavrov call does not mean business as usual between the U.S. and Russia, but rather is an opportunity to convey Washington’s concerns clearly and directly.

There is no plan for in-person meetings between the two on the margins of the ASEAN Regional Forum that will be held in Cambodia in early August.

The chief U.S. diplomat said he will warn Lavrov in the phone conversation that Russia must not annex occupied areas of Ukraine as the war enter its sixth month.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have struck a strategically important bridge in the southern part of the country, using what a Russia-appointed official said were rocket systems supplied by the United States.

The Antonivskyi Bridge crossing the Dnieper River was closed Wednesday following the Ukrainian strike.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed administration for the Kherson region, said the bridge was still standing after the late Tuesday strike, but the road deck was full of holes.

Stremousov said Ukrainian forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to carry out the strike.

The bridge is a key link allowing Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighted the bridge strikes in a tweet Wednesday, saying Russian forces should take them as a warning.

Podolyak said the Russians “should learn how to swim across” the river or “leave Kherson while it is still possible.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will speak to his Russian counterpart in the coming days about a “substantial” offer aimed at bringing home American basketball star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, both currently detained in Russia.

Other issues expected to come up between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov include the implementation of a deal to resume grain exports through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, and Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

The two top diplomats last spoke in person on February 15, days before Russia launched its military invasion in Ukraine.

At a press conference Wednesday, Blinken said Washington had communicated a “substantial” offer to Moscow in order to bring home Griner and Whelan. He declined to disclose details of the offer.

“With a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate the release [of Whelan and Griner], our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal,” said Blinken, adding that he plans to follow up personally during a phone call with Lavrov.

“My hope would be in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home,” he said, adding that President Joe Biden has been directly involved and signed off on the U.S. offer.

Griner, who has admitted arriving in Russia in February with vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at a court hearing Wednesday that a language interpreter provided to her translated only a fraction of what was being said as authorities arrested her.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive being held on espionage-related charges that his family contends are bogus, has been held in Russia since late 2018.

Blinken stopped short of confirming media reports speculating that either or both of the Americans could be exchanged for prominent Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is jailed in the U.S.

The tentative deal on grain exports that Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations reached last week is also high on the list of U.S. priorities. U.S. officials urged Moscow to uphold its commitment after Russian missiles struck infrastructure Saturday in Ukraine’s port of Odesa – the day after the deal was signed.

Blinken said Russia needs to follow through on its pledge to allow the grain vessels to pass through the Black Sea.

“End this blockade, allow the grain to leave, allow us to feed our people, allow prices to come down. … The test now is whether there’s actual implementation of the agreement. That’s what we’re looking at. We’ll see in the coming days.”

Turkish officials have opened a joint coordination center for Ukrainian grain exports and say they expect shipments to begin in the coming days. Kyiv said work had resumed at three Black Sea ports in preparation for the shipments.

At the United Nations, spokesperson Farhan Haq welcomed the opening of the joint coordination center which, he said, will “establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export grain and related foodstuffs” from Ukraine.

Lavrov, wrapping up a four-nation trip to Africa in Addis Ababa, pushed back Wednesday on Western allegations that his country is to blame for the global food crisis. Lavrov said food prices were rising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and what he called “green policies” pursued by the West.

State Department officials cautioned the expected call between Blinken and Lavrov call does not mean business as usual between the U.S. and Russia, but rather is an opportunity to convey Washington’s concerns clearly and directly.

There is no plan for in-person meetings between the two on the margins of the ASEAN Regional Forum that will be held in Cambodia in early August.

The chief U.S. diplomat said he will warn Lavrov in the phone conversation that Russia must not annex occupied areas of Ukraine as the war enter its sixth month.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have struck a strategically important bridge in the southern part of the country, using what a Russia-appointed official said were rocket systems supplied by the United States.

The Antonivskyi Bridge crossing the Dnieper River was closed Wednesday following the Ukrainian strike.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed administration for the Kherson region, said the bridge was still standing after the late Tuesday strike, but the road deck was full of holes.

Stremousov said Ukrainian forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to carry out the strike.

The bridge is a key link allowing Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighted the bridge strikes in a tweet Wednesday, saying Russian forces should take them as a warning.

Podolyak said the Russians “should learn how to swim across” the river or “leave Kherson while it is still possible.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will speak to his Russian counterpart in the coming days about a “substantial” offer aimed at bringing home American basketball star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, both currently detained in Russia.

Other issues expected to come up between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov include the implementation of a deal to resume grain exports through Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, and Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

The two top diplomats last spoke in person on February 15, days before Russia launched its military invasion in Ukraine.

At a press conference Wednesday, Blinken said Washington had communicated a “substantial” offer to Moscow in order to bring home Griner and Whelan. He declined to disclose details of the offer.

“With a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate the release [of Whelan and Griner], our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal,” said Blinken, adding that he plans to follow up personally during a phone call with Lavrov.

“My hope would be in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home,” he said, adding that President Joe Biden has been directly involved and signed off on the U.S. offer.

Griner, who has admitted arriving in Russia in February with vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, testified at a court hearing Wednesday that a language interpreter provided to her translated only a fraction of what was being said as authorities arrested her.

Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive being held on espionage-related charges that his family contends are bogus, has been held in Russia since late 2018.

Blinken stopped short of confirming media reports speculating that either or both of the Americans could be exchanged for prominent Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is jailed in the U.S.

The tentative deal on grain exports that Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations reached last week is also high on the list of U.S. priorities. U.S. officials urged Moscow to uphold its commitment after Russian missiles struck infrastructure Saturday in Ukraine’s port of Odesa – the day after the deal was signed.

Blinken said Russia needs to follow through on its pledge to allow the grain vessels to pass through the Black Sea.

“End this blockade, allow the grain to leave, allow us to feed our people, allow prices to come down. … The test now is whether there’s actual implementation of the agreement. That’s what we’re looking at. We’ll see in the coming days.”

Turkish officials have opened a joint coordination center for Ukrainian grain exports and say they expect shipments to begin in the coming days. Kyiv said work had resumed at three Black Sea ports in preparation for the shipments.

At the United Nations, spokesperson Farhan Haq welcomed the opening of the joint coordination center which, he said, will “establish a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export grain and related foodstuffs” from Ukraine.

Lavrov, wrapping up a four-nation trip to Africa in Addis Ababa, pushed back Wednesday on Western allegations that his country is to blame for the global food crisis. Lavrov said food prices were rising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and what he called “green policies” pursued by the West.

State Department officials cautioned the expected call between Blinken and Lavrov call does not mean business as usual between the U.S. and Russia, but rather is an opportunity to convey Washington’s concerns clearly and directly.

There is no plan for in-person meetings between the two on the margins of the ASEAN Regional Forum that will be held in Cambodia in early August.

The chief U.S. diplomat said he will warn Lavrov in the phone conversation that Russia must not annex occupied areas of Ukraine as the war enter its sixth month.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have struck a strategically important bridge in the southern part of the country, using what a Russia-appointed official said were rocket systems supplied by the United States.

The Antonivskyi Bridge crossing the Dnieper River was closed Wednesday following the Ukrainian strike.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed administration for the Kherson region, said the bridge was still standing after the late Tuesday strike, but the road deck was full of holes.

Stremousov said Ukrainian forces used the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to carry out the strike.

The bridge is a key link allowing Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighted the bridge strikes in a tweet Wednesday, saying Russian forces should take them as a warning.

Podolyak said the Russians “should learn how to swim across” the river or “leave Kherson while it is still possible.”

Source: Voice of America

WASHINGTON — Russian and North Korea, both beset by punishing economic sanctions, appear to be looking for ways to help one another while thumbing their noses at the rules-based order espoused by the wider international community, experts say.

Five months after invading Ukraine, Russia is being hit by successive rounds of sanctions by the U.S. and its partners.

The latest came Tuesday when the U.K. announced new sanctions on Russian officials. Weeks earlier, on June 28, the U.S. targeted 70 entities, many of them in Russia’s defense industry.

The European Union issued a sixth rounds of sanctions that included Russia’s central bank, top officials and oil exports, and on July 17 proposed a seventh sanctions package that will impact Russian gold and an expanded list of dual-use goods and technology.

Sanctions violations

Short of allies, Moscow has begun casting about for new economic relationships.

Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with the Russian daily newspaper Izvestia on July 19 that Moscow could hire North Korean workers to rebuild Ukraine’s war-ruined Donbas region, now largely under Russian control. Pyongyang showed interest in importing goods manufactured in the region, according to The Moscow Times.

“It just shows the degree to which [Russian President Vladimir] Putin remains isolated. Now he’s got to turn to North Korea,” remarked John Kirby, The White House’s National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, that same day.

VOA’s Korean Service contacted the Russian Embassy in Washington and Foreign Ministry in Moscow requesting comment on Matsegora’s remarks but did not receive a reply. The service also contacted the North Korean Mission to the U.N. requesting confirmation of Matsegora’s remarks but did not receive a reply.

The U.N. Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member, passed a resolution in December 2017 banning member states from hiring North Korean workers in response to Pyongyang’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile the month before.

Eager for foreign currency, Pyongyang had long dispatched North Korean workers to Russia to make money to send home. The U.S. estimated 30,000 North Korean workers were in Russia before the U.N. issued sanctions. Many remained in Russia and worked using student or travel visas. In a report submitted to the U.N. March 2020, Russia acknowledged that 511 North Koreans remained in the country.

“Moscow has violated the North Korea sanctions ever since the moment that Russia voted for them,” said Anthony Ruggiero, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. But Matsegora’s remarks indicate an outright willingness to “blatantly advocate for such a violation,” according to Bruce Klingner, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Sergey Radchenko, a Cold War historian at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said, “Now that Russia itself is under sanctions, it obviously has no reason to abide by any restrictions.”

Renewed cooperation

Experts see mutual benefits in the growing cooperation between Russia and North Korea, both of which are willing to break rules and flout norms established by the U.S. and like-minded countries.

Patricia Kim, a fellow focusing on East Asia at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said, “The two states see clear parallels in their respective situations and share a common cause in opposing sanctions and the U.S.-led ‘Western order.'”

She continued, “It is quite likely we’ll see the deepening of diplomatic, economic and perhaps even military ties between North Korea and Russia in the coming months as both states face global isolation.”

Harry Kazianis, president of the Rogue States Project which bills itself as a bipartisan national security think tank, said cooperation “would not be surprising as both Moscow and Pyongyang are so isolated that they would try and work together in any way possible.”

Once friendly relations between Moscow and Pyongyang deteriorated after the collapse of the Soviet Union but the Ukraine war is bringing them together again, analysts say.

Shortly after the outbreak of war in February, North Korea defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In March, along with Belarus, Eritrea, and Syria, Pyongyang voted against a U.N. resolution demanding that Russia end the invasion.

On July 14, ahead of Matsegora’s remarks, Pyongyang recognized the independence of two Russian-backed breakaway regions – the self-styled Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Five days later, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying its relations with Moscow “are reaching a new strategic height.”

‘Weakening the liberal democratic order’

Ken Gause, director of the Adversary Analytics Program at the nonprofit research and analysis organization CNA, said Matsegora’s remarks show “the Russians are focused on weakening the liberal democratic order, the way the international community is structured to support U.S. national interest, from the Russian point of view.”

He added that Russia and China “are going to carve off pieces of the international community” such as North Korea “that really don’t want to have to deal with the U.S. and all of its rules and regulations” and bring them under its shadow.

Russia has also turned to Iran for weapons to use in the Ukraine war, said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on July 12.

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at the California-based Hudson Institute, said, “Russia is keen to show that it retains the initiative in its war with Ukraine, and to do that it needs any willing partner to resist being shunned by the international community.”

He continued, “Pariah state helping another pariah state sums up the transactional relationship.”

Going forward, Cronin said, Pyongyang could provide “cheap labor” while Moscow supplies energy and food. He added, “There is potential for a stronger military technology partnership that can help North Korea with its growing nuclear weapons arsenal.”

North Korea is suspected of having completed the preparations for its seventh nuclear weapons test.

Samuel Wells, Cold War fellow at the Wilson Center, said, “The expression of this interest in economic cooperation may be a trial balloon,” but it “certainly points to a limitation to [the use of] sanctions for policy.”

 

Source: Voice of America

Members of the Eritrean Embassy in Germany conducted a seminar on 23 July for nationals residing in Vienna, Austria.

At the seminar, the organizers of the seminar gave extensive briefings on the objective situation in the homeland as well as regional developments and called on the nationals to strengthen organizational capacity and unity, and participation in national affairs.

The organizers also gave a briefing on the responsibility of nationals and the Embassy in the efficient and timely provision of consular services.

The seminar also conducted an extensive discussion on the progress of the activities of the Eritrean community in Austria as well as on future programs

 

Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea