Russia
Source: mid.ru

Ladies and gentlemen,

The talks with Member of the State Council and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi took place in a friendly and trustworthy atmosphere and were fairly substantive. I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate my colleague once again on his appointment to the high ranking position of member of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

We noted the unprecedentedly high level of Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. We pointed out that regular and intensive dialogue between our leaders is giving a powerful impetus to our cooperation. We discussed a schedule for bilateral political contacts, primarily at the top level. In particular, our heads of state will have an opportunity to meet not only in Russia and China but also on the sidelines of the BRICS, APEC and G20 summits. The visit by Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang is planned for the end of the year. He will take part in the 23rd meeting of the heads of government. This event will be preceded by the meeting of four profile commissions that take part in the preparations for the meetings between the prime ministers.

We focused on the most pressing international and regional issues. We share the view that our foreign policy coordination is playing an increasingly stabilising role in the international arena in conditions of the continued formation of a steady polycentric world order. We agreed to promote cooperation at different multilateral venues, including the UN, G20, BRICS, SCO, RIC, APEC and East Asia summits.

We supported the initiative of promoting a bloc-free, equal and indivisible system of security for all countries in the vast Asia-Pacific Region.

We held a detailed exchange of views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and emphasised the importance of preventing an armed conflict there. We noted that political and diplomatic settlement has no alternative in this respect. We agreed to continue promoting the approaches recorded in the Russian-Chinese roadmap that was adopted last July. We stated with satisfaction that many of its provisions have already demonstrated their relevance, including our common appeals to all states to display mutual restraint and reaffirm their willingness to engage in dialogue.

Matters related to further development of the SCO were reviewed in the context of last year's expansion of its membership, China's Presidency of the Organisation and the upcoming summit in Qingdao in June.

The prospects for launching an intra-Afghan dialogue and the role of the international community in this process were reviewed with consideration for the recent International Conference on Afghanistan in Tashkent. Our views on an Afghan settlement coincide. We agreed to continue to coordinate our steps in this important area.

We noted that we are on the same page regarding our approaches to the Syrian settlement. For our part, we informed our Chinese friends in detail about the results of the summit of the three guarantor countries in the Astana process which was held in Ankara yesterday, and the documents adopted by the presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey at this summit.

Just like China, we are concerned about the desire of certain forces to politicise Syria-related activities within the UN, the OPCW and use them against the government. We believe that such an approach could damage the efforts to achieve an intra-Syrian settlement based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 as part of the talks which we all want to resume in Geneva and get busy with creating the Constitutional Committee and making it operational.

We focused on implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme. We believe that the attempts to revise the terms of this agreement are at odds with the provisions of UNSC Resolution 2231 which was adopted in July 2015 and fully approved the deal. As I mentioned earlier, the attempts to revise it can only undermine long-term international efforts in this area.

We are satisfied with the outcome of the talks, which have once again confirmed our mutual willingness to further strengthen and expand the diverse relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.

Question: President Trump recently said that it was time for his country's troops to leave Syria. However, a day or two later, the US government reported that President Trump agreed to extend the stay of US troops in Syria for a short time. What is behind this contradiction? What does Moscow think about this?

Sergey Lavrov: We know as much as you do. We use the same information that you did in your question. We find it difficult to comment on this. We have difficulties not only in understanding the goals and the functions of the United States in Syria, but also a number of other important matters on the international agenda. We have our assessments and assumptions, but we would prefer to have a clear understanding of the goals the United States pursues in various regions of the world, especially in places where the interests of many key states overlap, including the Western countries, Russia, China and, regarding Syria, the countries of the Middle East.

We note inconsistencies in the US policy on the international arena. None of the cabinet members responsible for foreign affairs, if I remember correctly, has spent even 12 months in office. Such a change of generations, perhaps, also affects the practice of announcing decisions and the way in which they are then implemented.

We would like to clarify matters. This requires a regular dialogue. In some areas, such a dialogue occurs sporadically. However, so far we have not accomplished much in understanding each other.

Notably, the military has come up with "de-conflicting" arrangements, i.e. a dialogue to avoid unforeseen incidents. It works, but Russia and the United States could do much more to ultimately eradicate terrorism in Syria and to meet the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people, not just a portion of its opposition groups supported by the United States as it harbours, apparently, plans to create a certain quasi-state in Syria. They could do much to launch a political process without preconditions, as required by the UN Security Council resolution. So far, we have seen preconditions in the positions of the United States and their Western allies. As before, they believe that the "regime" of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar al-Assad, must go. To reiterate, this creates difficulties in implementing the decisions which we all unanimously supported at the UN Security Council.

We are not avoiding contact; but we are trying to get clear answers. There is no formula other than a dialogue.

Question: The US has started a trade war against China and tightened sanctions against Russia. Could you comment? How can the polycentric world order be defended in such conditions?

Sergey Lavrov: We are speaking about US President Donald Trump's Administration that is taking revisionist steps on the global stage, revising almost all the recent key agreements reached by the international community, most of which were approved by the UN Security Council. This concerns the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear programme, which does not suit the US anymore (they demand that it to revised). The US also demands that the Paris climate agreement, the rules of the World Trade Organisation and many other things be revised. Today, in my remarks at the 7thMoscow Conference on International Security, I spoke about the US attempts to revise the Minsk Agreements approved by the UN Security Council. These attempts betray an intention to strengthen unilateralism in global affairs even more than former US President Barack Obama's Administration. This does not help cooperation and greatly undermines and depreciates diplomacy's role in today's world. A claim is made, and as soon as the sides concerned provide their views on the issue, they say it is sabotage and threaten to impose sanctions without any serious attempt to hold talks. This is not diplomacy but an attempt to dictate their own interests while ignoring the interests of others.

Of course, there are cases when there is hope for dialogue. For example, today we have welcomed and discussed the interest the US has shown in holding a top-level meeting with the North Korean leadership. Let us hope such a meeting will take place, but this is still only in the planning phase. The outlier here is how the US promotes its interests on the global stage. Russia is always in favour of discussing any issues directly between the interested parties. We have never avoided a discussion of allegations made against us: about interference in the US presidential election, other interference in internal matters of Western states and many other things. It is our US partners who avoid concrete discussions. For example, when President of Russia Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg last summer they agreed to establish a professional dialogue on cybersecurity. The US bureaucracy tried to buck the president and started blocking implementation of this agreement. Finally, a meeting of cybersecurity experts was scheduled for last month. You may have heard that our interdepartmental delegation arrived in Geneva and when they got off the plane they learned that the US delegation had decided to cancel the meeting.

Recently our US partners have also cancelled a meeting to discuss cultural and humanitarian cooperation prospects between our counties. In this case, when they turn away from any dialogue, even most innocent form (what can be more unifying than culture?), and demand that some abstract preconditions based on mere assertion be met, we cannot do anything in response except reaffirm that we are ready to talk and answer any questions taking into account that any questions we have, in particular, questions of strategic stability, will also be subject to open and honest dialogue and will not be used to twist real facts or play to the public at home politically.

Unilateralism is always bad, but when it becomes more than a slogan used from time to time, but rather the manner in which all foreign policy is conducted, it is worse. Our position here is the same as China's. We always speak in favour of dialogue. Russia and China have demonstrated repeatedly that they are prepared to make reasonable compromises based on the balance of interests among all the parties.

Question: The US has started a trade war against China and tightened sanctions against Russia. Could you comment? How can the polycentric world order be defended in such conditions?

Sergey Lavrov: We are speaking about US President Donald Trump's Administration that is taking revisionist steps on the global stage, revising almost all the recent key agreements reached by the international community, most of which were approved by the UN Security Council. This concerns the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear programme, which does not suit the US anymore (they demand that it to revised). The US also demands that the Paris climate agreement, the rules of the World Trade Organisation and many other things be revised. Today, in my remarks at the 7thMoscow Conference on International Security, I spoke about the US attempts to revise the Minsk Agreements approved by the UN Security Council. These attempts betray an intention to strengthen unilateralism in global affairs even more than former US President Barack Obama's Administration. This does not help cooperation and greatly undermines and depreciates diplomacy's role in today's world. A claim is made, and as soon as the sides concerned provide their views on the issue, they say it is sabotage and threaten to impose sanctions without any serious attempt to hold talks. This is not diplomacy but an attempt to dictate their own interests while ignoring the interests of others.

Of course, there are cases when there is hope for dialogue. For example, today we have welcomed and discussed the interest the US has shown in holding a top-level meeting with the North Korean leadership. Let us hope such a meeting will take place, but this is still only in the planning phase. The outlier here is how the US promotes its interests on the global stage. Russia is always in favour of discussing any issues directly between the interested parties. We have never avoided a discussion of allegations made against us: about interference in the US presidential election, other interference in internal matters of Western states and many other things. It is our US partners who avoid concrete discussions. For example, when President of Russia Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg last summer they agreed to establish a professional dialogue on cybersecurity. The US bureaucracy tried to buck the president and started blocking implementation of this agreement. Finally, a meeting of cybersecurity experts was scheduled for last month. You may have heard that our interdepartmental delegation arrived in Geneva and when they got off the plane they learned that the US delegation had decided to cancel the meeting.

Recently our US partners have also cancelled a meeting to discuss cultural and humanitarian cooperation prospects between our counties. In this case, when they turn away from any dialogue, even most innocent form (what can be more unifying than culture?), and demand that some abstract preconditions based on mere assertion be met, we cannot do anything in response except reaffirm that we are ready to talk and answer any questions taking into account that any questions we have, in particular, questions of strategic stability, will also be subject to open and honest dialogue and will not be used to twist real facts or play to the public at home politically.

Unilateralism is always bad, but when it becomes more than a slogan used from time to time, but rather the manner in which all foreign policy is conducted, it is worse. Our position here is the same as China's. We always speak in favour of dialogue. Russia and China have demonstrated repeatedly that they are prepared to make reasonable compromises based on the balance of interests among all the parties.

Russia
Source: mid.ru

Mr Minister,

Friends,

First of all, I would like to congratulate you, Mr Wang Yi, on your appointment as State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.

For three decades, Russian-Chinese relations have been characterised by unprecedented activity. Multifaceted partnership and strategic cooperation with China are Russia's priorities in foreign policy. I believe that Russian-Chinese cooperation, as our leaders have noted many times, can serve as an example of how relations between major powers should be. Let me also say that partnership between Russia and China is one of the main stabilising factors in global affairs.

Last year was characterised by the strengthening of the entire range of our ties. We have achieved breakthroughs in practical cooperation following the five meetings between the heads of state. Regular meetings between the prime ministers also play a vital role in the implementation of our tasks. Effective cooperation between the two countries' parliaments and other government agencies is also important.

Our relations are global and strategic. Moscow and Beijing set an example with their balanced and responsible approach to resolving current international issues and effectively work together in various multilateral formats, primarily in the UN, but also in the SCO, BRICS, G20, APEC, East Asia Summits and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia as well as at other venues.

I am very happy to see you, Mr Minister, and I hope we will have a productive dialogue.

Brazil
Author: Oliver Stuenkel
Source: americasquarterly.org

When Brazil's former President Dilma Rousseff withstood Western pressure to criticize Moscow following its annexation of Crimea in 2014, many international observers were nonplussed. Why would Brazil, one of the world's most reliable defenders of international law, keep quiet about such a blatant violation?

At the time, most explained Brazil's reaction as a reflection of domestic concerns. Bilateral ties between Brazil and the U.S. were already deeply strained following the NSA spying scandal, which touched Rousseff personally. Criticizing Russia could have endangered relations there, too, and jeopardized President Vladimir Putin's pending visits to the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro and the BRICS Summit in Brasília, both taking place that year. Rousseff, then preparing a re-election campaign, was already facing the same political pressure that would eventually lead to her impeachment; frayed ties with both Washington and Moscow would have given ample ammunition to opponents hoping to characterize her as unfit to lead.

Several of Brazil's most seasoned diplomats opposed Rousseff's unwillingness to criticize Russia at the time, and domestic factors certainly contributed to her position. Yet Brazil's recent decision to again steer clear of growing tensions between Russia and the West suggests that broader geopolitical considerations also played a role, and continue to do so today.

On March 4, Russian agents operating in the UK allegedly attempted to assassinate a former Russian spy (and now British citizen) in the town of Salisbury. In the weeks since, a large alliance of Western nations has joined the UK in condemning Russia's actions. Twenty-three countries, including France, Germany and Italy (the latter of which is seen as traditionally close to Russia) sharply criticized Moscow and expelled diplomats on top of already existing economic sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to go along despite his personal admiration for Putin shows how concerned his foreign policy advisers must be about what looks like a state-sponsored attack on foreign soil. In response, the Kremlin ordered 60 U.S. diplomats to leave Russia by April 5.

Brazil-Russia relations, by contrast, remain in good health. Brazil has not commented on the incident in Salisbury. A rare visa waiver program, which makes a Brazilian passport more valuable for travelers arriving at the Moscow airport than does any European equivalent, remains in place. Meanwhile, economic ties have flourished since 2014, as many Brazilian products have replaced Western ones in Russia since the U.S., the EU and others imposed sanctions.

But just as in 2014, Brazil's strategy may have little to do with what policymakers actually think about the recent assassination attempt. Indeed, several leading diplomats have privately criticized Moscow for its alleged actions, just as they did following the Crimea annexation.

Instead, Brazil's muted response points to the complex challenges it faces in increasingly unpredictable geopolitical circumstances, with various competing centers of power and clear signs that U.S.-led unipolarity is giving way to a new global order that cannot yet be easily defined.

In many ways, Brazil's strategy is not new. Both during the Cold War and even during the so-called unipolar moment in the 1990s, when Washington was globally dominant, former Brazilian Presidents Fernando Collor, Itamar Franco and Fernando Henrique Cardoso shied away from fully siding with Washington (ironically, all three stand accused of having been too close to the United States despite considerable evidence to the contrary, frequently generating frustration among U.S. policymakers).

In this context, it is no surprise that Brazil's overall foreign policy strategy, which emphasized ties to the so-called Global South during 13 years of leftist rule under the Workers' Party, barely changed after the conservative Michel Temer became president in 2016.

Confounding expectations that Temer would weaken commitment to the BRICS grouping, his travel itinerary suggests unprecedented engagement with China, India and other members. Temer made three trips to Asia before even setting foot in Washington; no previous Brazilian president traveled to the region as often this early into his or her term.

To some extent, Temer has had little choice. Several Western leaders have skipped Brazil during recent trips to Latin America – including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former French President François Hollande, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Vice President Mike Pence. By contrast, the unpopular Temer was welcomed whole-heartedly in Russia, China and India.

All that helps to explain why, despite strong ties to the U.S. and Europe – symbolized, for example, by Temer's decision to apply for OECD membership – Brazil should not be expected to take sides if tensions between Russia and the West intensify, regardless of who succeeds Temer in January.

South Africa
Source: allafrica.com

Khartoum — The higher Committee for Sudan relations with BRICS Countries, Wednesday held a regular meeting at the Republican Palace, headed by the deputy chairman of the Committee, Dr. Awad Al-Jaz.

Dr. Al-Jaz has affirmed in a statement that relations of Sudan with these countries have witnessed remarkable progress, a matter that reflect on implementation of the agreed upon projects.

He indicated that the meeting tackled agreements that were signed between Sudanese and Indian companies in the sector of renewable energy during the participation of Sudan in the African - Indian Forum and in the framework of the membership of Sudan in the Renewable Energy Union.


Dr. Al-Jaz pointed out that there is team of the Russian agricultural sector in the country to work for enhancing the agricultural production by use of the Russian technology in this sector.

He said that Sudan will participate in BRICS conference which will be hosted in South Africa in next July.

India
Author: Sandeep Dikshit
Source: www.tribuneindia.com

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to gather impressive flying miles in June and July. Next month, he flies to China's eastern tip, just across the Yellow Sea from South Korea, for a summit of heads of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries. After logging this roundtrip of 8,000 km to China in June, PM Modi will make a gruelling visit to Johannesburg in July to participate in the BRICS heads of government summit.

But the diplomatic thunder among all of the Prime Minister's peregrinations this summer will certainly be stolen by the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit beginning next week. All its elements are bound to tug at our heartstrings. The nostalgia of the Raj will sweep over us as the British will lay thick to make up for their post-Brexit isolation in Europe while PM Narendra Modi is expected to be in his elements as he serenades a responsive crowd of Indian expatriates in London.

The SCO and BRICS summits on the other hand will be a blip on this year's diplomatic calendar. Qingdao and Johannesburg anyway are hardly metropolises we relate with. They will be remembered, if at all, for providing the setting for PM Modi's bilaterals with the Chinese President and, possibly, the Pakistani PM. Admittedly, both the regional organisations sit lightly in the consciousness of India's strategic elite. On occasions, especially when there is need to demonstrate greater closeness to the West, South Block has feigned frostiness towards them.

The times have changed and the Indian foreign policy ship is now facing the challenge of charting through unprecedented unpredictability in relations between major powers. In simple terms, all options have to be on the table and no permutation can be rejected at a time when a major power is a friend one moment and foe the other. Diplomatic ties with the West have been easier to build after the end of the Cold War. The ballast was provided by the common linkages of language, trade, immigration, commonality of interests among the elite and shared administrative systems during colonialism.

As India continues to lift itself from poverty, it cannot depend on these powers to help level the international playing field for the third world. BRICS has already erected an alternative to the World Bank and the IMF. The BRICS-owned New Development Bank (NDB) is today an object of wonder and envy among other developing peers. And it has already swung into action by providing a leg up to India's "Act East" policy by meeting 80 per cent of the cost for a bridge over the Brahmaputra. Another major NDB project is to upgrade 1,500 km of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh.

The composition of BRICS — India, China and Russia from Eurasia, and Brazil and South Africa from two other continents — reflects today's reality of wider diffusion of power in the international system. This even geopolitical spread of its members on the world map positions BRICS as an important springboard to persuade other countries to join hands to push for global financial reform as well as provide a concerted push back to efforts to marginalise the WTO. Now that BRICS has gone past the stage of pious promises, India needs to take the initiative in trimming its flab. BRICS has to shed a host of ancillary activities it had taken upon itself during the initial years and bring the focus on economy and finance even though China and Russia will be tempted to use the forum to settle political scores with the US.

The SCO meeting that precedes the BRICS summit will be where the India and Pakistani Premiers are certain to share the stage. But India had bought into the usefulness of SCO long back. Both India and Pakistan had long back signed up for its regional anti-terrorist structure (RATS). Though the mainstream media narrative is transfixed by the US heavy-lifting to keep in check the Indian bête noire Hafiz Saeed, the real threat may be incubating in what is known as the "Crescent of Instability": the highlands of Central Asia, the mountains of Caucasus and Afghanistan whose fighters have fluidly moved from one theatre of conflict to another.

In the past, fighters from the former Soviet Union provided some of the toughest and more determined resistance on Pakistan's borders and in Afghanistan. Tahir Yuldashev-led Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan had kept an entire Pakistani army battalion at bay, killing about 170 soldiers and permitting the Commanding Officer to get away after village elders intervened. Yuldashev's predecessor, Jumma Namangani, was a source of strength for the Taliban government and his fighters were instrumental in the escape of Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden to Pakistan.

SCO's RATS, which has inputs from governments located in the "Crescent of Instability" will be invaluable for Indian security planners in identifying future matrix of threats, inspiration and training grounds. But Russia and China will be interested in giving it a political-military orientation because of their difficulties with the West. The screws are tightening on Moscow and Washington could even sanction Russian arms exports. India has to tread a delicate line because of its strategic alignment with the US on the right to freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.

The State Department is disorientated and distracted because of the change of guard at the top and the paucity of diplomatic resources: a quarter of US ambassadorships and eight of the top US State Department posts are vacant. India's trade relationship with the US is not holding up too well, neither is the strategic proximity yielding immediate dividends except to whet the American appetite to unload more arms on India. US diplomacy is currently not in the right shape to sustain its earlier scrutiny and persuasion of potential allies who might be gravitating to the "enemy" camp.

This might be the right opportunity for PM Modi to invest more vigour in BRICS and SCO even though China will remain slotted in the frenemy category. Indian participation in both these bodies will open up locked up trade routes and diversify its energy imports with oil and gas pipelines. The lessons of economic integration in North America, China-Eurasia and the EU, where conflicts have precipitately declined, need to be brought to bear on South Asia that still remains the world's least integrated area.

Russia
Source: mid.ru

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to meet with Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Lindiwe Sisulu

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa Lindiwe Sisulu will visit Moscow on April 12-13 to participate in the 15th meeting of the Russia-South Africa Mixed Intergovernmental Committee for Trade and Economic Cooperation as its co-chairman.

The meeting will be preceded by Minister Sergey Lavrov's conversation with Minister Sisulu to discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Russia and South Africa, including building up investment cooperation and strengthening foreign policy coordination on important international and regional matters. The participants will focus on the forthcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg on July 25-27.

Russia
Source: mid.ru

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

We are so happy to have this opportunity to once again address the Moscow Conference on International Security organised by the Russian Defence Ministry. We would like to welcome all of you taking part in this conference, including the high-ranking representatives from many countries, the heads of international organisations, members of the legislative authorities and civil society, as well as respected scientists and experts.

Over the past years, this conference has become an attractive venue for the professional exchange of opinions on key military and political topics. This open and constructive dialogue offers an opportunity to find mutually acceptable formulas based on a balance of interests of all the parties involved.

My Russian colleagues spoke about this yesterday. They provided a detailed presentation of our positions on the key questions concerning the global and regional agenda. For my part, I would like to share with you our views on the current problems in international affairs, because the global situation continued to deteriorate since our meeting last year, despite our efforts to prevent this.

The main reason for this, and this has become obvious to very many people, is the continued unilateral actions of the US-led Western countries. Many of these actions are openly destructive and can dangerously unbalance the global governance mechanisms.

Washington, London and other Western capitals have not drawn proper conclusions from the tragedies of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Ukraine. The latest US National Security Strategy and National Defence Strategy openly look at the world through the prism of military-political rivalry and the friend-foe or with-us-or-against-us logic.

We see increasing disregard for international law and multilateral organisations such as the UN. The US ability to honour its commitments is raising questions, especially in light of the attempts to dismantle major international agreements such as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program, the UN decisions on the Middle East settlement, the Paris declaration on climate change, as well as basic WTO principles. Taken together, this amounts to attempts to revise the system of international affairs.

Attempts have also been made to revise the Minsk Agreements on a settlement of the internal Ukrainian crisis the implementation of which Kiev is sabotaging. The Kiev government's patrons in the US and Europe prefer to turn a blind eye to these developments while encouraging Kiev's party of war, which wants to resolve the problem of Donbass militarily.

Questionable zero sum games, which are actually negative sum games, are being enacted around the world. They continue to flirt with the terrorists and to divide them into bad and not very bad ones, which Russian speakers pointed out at this conference yesterday, providing examples of the situation in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. The impression is that the Americans are trying to maintain a situation of controlled chaos in this huge geopolitical region, hoping to use it to justify the open-ended US military presence in the region within the framework of their unilateral agenda.

Washington's policy in the sphere of strategic stability is focused on undermining parity to ensure the US military superiority. Continued efforts are taken to deploy the US BMD system around the world. NATO capability and military activity near the Russian border are growing. We are particularly concerned over the US policy of lowering the nuclear threshold. It has been proposed to deal with the problems in cyberspace in keeping with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed in Washington. At the same time, our calls for launching a professional discussion on confidence-building measures and on combating threats in cyberspace have not evoked a positive response in Washington or Brussels.

Crude political provocations are staged to fuel confrontation and demonise Russia. The so-called Skripal case has been used as a contrived or orchestrated pretext to expel large groups of Russian diplomats not just from the US and Britain but also from many other states, which were pressured to do so. It has been a long time since we last saw such open mockery of international law, diplomatic ethics and elementary decency. I would like to say that, although we will continue to provide appropriate responses to these unfriendly actions, what we do want is to establish the truth. We demand that a substantive and responsible investigation be held in keeping with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The legitimate questions we have asked on the basis of CWC will have to be answered, as the special session of the OPCW's Executive Council on April 4, which was initiated by Russia, has shown.

It is unacceptable when unsubstantiated accusations are presented without the provision of hard facts or the results of an honest investigation, as it happened with regard to the Salisbury case and in many other cases, from the US presidential election to the chemical weapons attacks in Syria and the referendum in Catalonia. It is only in the famous book by Lewis Carroll that the Queen could demand, "Sentence first – verdict afterwards." But Lewis Carroll's book only looks like a fairy-tale for children while in fact it is a political satire. The discussion held in The Hague yesterday has shown that adult and self-respecting people do not believe in fairy-tales. We again urge our colleagues to deal with any problems within the framework of international law, honestly, and with hard facts. We are ready for this collective work, as President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed at a news conference in Ankara.

Colleagues,

Growing confrontational trends and mutual mistrust are compounding strategic uncertainty, provoking an arms race and, most alarming, contributing to the militarisation of public mentality. Ultimately, they are eroding the post-WWII security architecture that is based on the primacy of the UN Charter.

This is greatly limiting our possibilities for cooperation, which we badly need if we want to effectively react to the common challenges and threats facing humankind, such as international terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking, WMD proliferation, as well as global climate change.

I hardly need to tell this representative audience about how much the global landscape has changed over the past 25 years or that it continues to change. New centres of economic and financial power and the related political influence are growing ever stronger and pursuing a foreign policy in their own national interests. Nobody can deny them this legitimate right. The developing countries have raised their voice to demand a fair implementation of their desires and aspirations.

It is in our common interests to add a constructive element to the objective but so far chaotic polycentric world order, so that it will facilitate the development of mutually beneficial cooperation and fruitful partnership among the key states. To attain this goal, we must abandon phobias and stereotypes, set aside our differences together with imperial and neo-colonial aspirations that are based on short-term considerations. We must learn to respect each other's interests and find the strength to work together towards a safe and prosperous future of the humankind. In other words, we must make international relations more democratic. So far, our Western colleagues, who claim to be promoting democracy in all other countries, have avoided signing any multilateral documents that would stipulate stronger democracy in the global system of interstate relations.

In this context, Russia as an independent centre of political power will continue to promote a positive international agenda in the interests of global stability. We are not forcing anything on anyone, we are not claiming national exceptionalism, or, worse still, the right to act as we please. Our relations with our partners are based on international law, the central role of the UN, as well as on respect for the interests, traditions and distinctive character of all nations.

We have no need for confrontation or the arms race. However, Russia will protect its own interests, sovereignty and independence consistently and efficiently, using the instruments at its disposal. President Vladimir Putin spoke about this many times, including in the March 1 Address to the Federal Assembly. The West must at long last accept the fact, that developing a one-sided relationship with us does not pay, that they will not gain unilateral advantages at our expense, and that security in the Euro-Atlantic and Asia Pacific regions and across the rest of the world must be equal and indivisible.

We have been consistently advocating a broad dialogue on the priority questions, including the maintenance of all elements of strategic stability with due regard for the factors affecting it in the current conditions. The presidents of Russia and the US spoke about this during a telephone conversation on March 20. We hope that our leaders' awareness of the importance of this topic will not be dampened by bureaucratic red tape or fall victim to domestic political intrigues.

Russia stands for working consistently to strengthen arms control and WMD non-proliferation regimes based on the principles of openness and predictability. Russia has completed the destruction of its chemical weapons, implemented its obligations under the New START treaty and is encouraging the US to work together to settle the problem of conversion of part of the US strategic delivery vehicles, as this is stipulated in the treaty. We have submitted to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament our proposals for drafting a convention for the suppression of chemical and biological terrorism, as well as a Russian-Chinese initiative on preventing the placement of weapons in outer space.

Russia will continue to contribute to a political and diplomatic settlement of many conflicts, in particular, in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the situation with the Korean Peninsula. We will continue to promote the sustainable development of partnership within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) through deeper Eurasian integration and we will help settle problems arising between our neighbours.

As President Putin said in his Address to the Federal Assembly, "let us sit down at the negotiating table and devise together a new and relevant system of international security and sustainable development for human civilisation." The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Collective Security Organisation (CSTO) and BRICS are contributing to our common movement towards this goal. The G20, where both the G7 and BRICS countries are represented, has solid potential in this sphere as well. Russia is ready for honest, open and equal cooperation based on and mutual respect with everyone who is sincerely interested in a common peaceful future and prosperity for the humankind.

USA
Author: Adam Reese
Source: www.ethnews.com

An official with Russia's central bank has said that a proposed pan-EAEU payments network could be launched on an Ethereum-based platform.

Olga Skorobogatova, the Central Bank of Russia's first deputy governor, has projected that a proposed payments network, which would serve the entirety of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), could eventually be deployed atop an Ethereum-based platform called Masterchain.

According to an article from the state-owned media outlet Tass, on April 3, 2018, Skorobogatova stated: "We are currently discussing the possibility of creating new technologies for transmitting messages and payments across the EAEU as a supranational infrastructure. It would enable us to use blockchain's distributed ledger technologies within the EAEU's space, settle payments and transmit financial information sidestepping current payment systems."

Though previous statements on the establishment of a "single payment space," including one from Vladimir Putin, seemed to leave the door open for the issuance of a P2P cryptocurrency, the latest report focused on bank-to-bank transactions. According to Skorobogatova, the platform will be rolled out first in Russia, then across the union's other member states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The Masterchain platform was developed by the central bank, the Russian FinTech Association (which is closely linked to the central bank and lists Skorobogatova as its supervisory board chair), and other Russian banks. Its prototype was first launched in 2016.

In comments delivered toward the end of 2017, Skorobogatova suggested that, in addition to building a payments network across the EAEU, Russia might consider participating in the development of a digital currency that would serve the union as a whole.

Those same remarks appeared to indicate that such a currency could also be issued on behalf of the BRICS countries – as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are collectively known. It's unclear whether Skorobogatova envisioned a single currency for all BRICS and EAEU countries, or two separate currencies, both of which would be valid in Russia. At the time of the statement, she offered no insight into how notorious geopolitical rivals China and India might be enticed into accepting a common currency.

In February 2018, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called for an EAEU-wide policy on cryptocurrency regulation.

About a week earlier, a Russian legislator had submitted a bill proposing a national digital currency called the cryptoruble.

On March 22, Jesse Lund, IBM's head of blockchain solutions for financial services, said that the central bank of at least one country, which has been coordinating with his firm, would be launching a national digital currency in the near future.

China
Source: www.focac.org

Some African regional and continental bodies believe the BRICS-led New Development Bank has the potential to help the continent address its challenges.

This view was expressed during recent discussions in Johannesburg, South Africa, between the NDB, civil representatives and other banks and stakeholders.

The NDB was established by BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to help them and other emerging economies address developmental challenges. Its headquarters opened in Shanghai in 2016 and the NDB Africa Regional Center, or ARC, was opened in Johannesburg last year.

Oxfam South Africa Executive Director Siphokazi Mthathi says the opening of the ARC is an opportunity to help fund Africa's infrastructure development, as well as a chance for BRICS to ensure that development financing is sensitive to the needs of the poor, the marginalized and women.

"Oxfam South Africa believes that the bank needs to establish a structural framework for engagement with civil society organizations that will promote the transparent and accountable manner in which projects are chosen, implemented and monitored. As part of this, the bank needs to consider environmental and social safeguards that take into account community needs. A lot is expected from us in the South and we dare not fail," says Mthathi.

Tumi Moleke, the ARC's acting manager, says BRICS has agreed to add members. Moleke did not say when the new members will be added. But he says the organization is not in a hurry to add members but is prioritizing fulfilling its mandate to see that projects are funded. The NDB has so far approved seven projects worth $1.5 billion.

Moleke says: "BRICS is committed to the African Agenda 2063. The ARC will work to support Africa. It will assist in receiving projects, then their preparation and attracting resources for them."

Moleke says the bank is willing to engage civil society and hear concerns, which will be brought to the attention of the NDB board of directors.

Bob Kalanzi, capacity development officer at the office of the CEO of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the implementing agency of the African Union, welcomes the NDB. He says the bank will assist in the implementation of Agenda 2063 and addressing priority areas. Kalanzi says that since South Africa is a member of the AU, it should leverage on its BRICS membership to address Africa's challenges. He says the NDB has the potential to drive industrialization in Africa and increase development.

"The NDB presents a wonderful opportunity coming from the South as a complementary funding model to the traditional North," Kalanzi says. "We hope that terms and conditions will be relaxed. This would support financial, technical transfer to drive participation in infrastructure projects to improve intra-Africa trade and the continent's contribution to global trade."

Thembi Langa, senior program officer at the finance and investment unit for the Southern African Development Community, says the NDB presents opportunities for development in the region and on the continent. She says that, with South Africa being a BRICS member, the region will benefit from projects funded by the NDB that overlap in other countries. She says they could work with NDB in equity participation and cofinancing.

"We see the NDB not a threat to us but as a partner in development. The NDB will enhance infrastructural projects," says Langa. "The banks address the development aspect which we stand for to achieve our overarching goals of poverty alleviation in the region."

Sibulele Poswayo of the Inequality Movement says the NDB should address issues that affect the needs of women. She says it should also address inequality by promoting infrastructure projects that promote economic inclusivity.

Bongani Msimanga, environmental analyst at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, says the bank will meet with the NDB to see how they can work together. Msimanga says there are many projects in Africa that require funding that his bank cannot afford on its own. He says the NDB will complement his bank's work.

Russia
Source: russianconstruction.com

The Ministry of Construction and Housing of Russia has prepared all the necessary documentation for negotiating with the New Development Bank (NBR) — an international bank set up by the BRICS member states — to get a loan.

This is what the press office of the Ministry told Construction.RU on Wednesday. Earlier, in January 2018, the Ministry of Construction and Housing of Russia held preliminary talks with the NBR on the issue of granting Russia a loan in the amount of about 17 billion rubles ($295 million). These funds are planned to be spent for the implementation of a project for the development of water supply systems in Russian cities.

In the event of a positive outcome of the negotiations, the received amount will be distributed among the regional municipalities located in the Volga River basin. It is there that a large number of cities and industrial enterprises are located. According to the head of the Construction Ministry, Mikhail Menn, first of all, it is necessary to modernize the water supply systems in small and medium-sized cities that are not attractive enough for investors and need financing for housing and utility services' projects.

Kenya
Source: techtrendske.co.ke

It took the chance encounter of being held hostage in the Congo in the 1990s to awake in James Beeland Rogers Jr. (the Singapore-based veteran investor, businessman, adventurer, and author), a realization of the great future that awaits Africa.

"When you are that close to the ground, you can see what is false, what is real and what has true potential," says Rogers, who has been an active investor across the African continent since escaping from that harrowing – yet life-affirming – experience. This potential was once again confirmed while driving across the continent at the dawn of the millennium on another of his world trips, a journey which was described in his bestseller 'Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip'.

Though currently bullish on capital markets in China and Russia, Rogers believes Africa could be the ultimate adventure, and he highlights how the continent (unencumbered by legacy infrastructure and technologies) has followed in China's footsteps by leapfrogging straight to mobile (M-Tech). Africa is expected to unlock its real potential through the aggressive adoption of a fully inclusive mobile economy – buying and selling everything, sending and receiving information, making appointments, transferring funds and much more, all in an instant.

"My daughters are 10- and 15-years old and they will probably never go to a bank or a post office or a doctor. We won't be able to send letters or cash a cheque, as these institutions will simply cease to exist. We will operate in a totally cashless society," adds Rogers, who believes that Blockchain could be one of the great catalysts for the explosion of economic opportunities across Africa.

The benefits that Blockchain transactions will bring to cross-border payments, commodities, fuel, and airtime as settlement methods, suggests that the transition to a cashless society is imminent.

"Blockchain is changing everything we know and, because Africa is coming straight to it, it will instantly change everything we do. It's a reality, already," states Rogers, who also expects to see a raft of new policies and legislation being tabled to further enable the mobile economy.

Savvy investors such as Rogers and billionaire businessman Richard Branson, have been active on the African continent for decades, but the emergence of a new vision for Africa has awoken throughout mainstream consciousness following 2018's blockbuster Black Panther movie. The spell-binding vision of the visually enticing, high-tech world of the Kingdom of Wakanda, that deliciously blends future tech with the richness of age-old African architecture and cultural styling, is emblematic of Africa's ability to fast-track into the future of technology. This technological growth spurt offers an unprecedented opportunity for the people of the continent, to take ownership of new economic opportunities as they arise on the global market.

Rogers has always had his finger on the pulse of new markets or to point a finger where he sees trouble brewing, and his views on financial markets are often controversial. He remained pessimistic about Russia for 48 years, since he first visited the Soviet Union in 1966, but now holds less faith in the more traditional markets such as the US and Europe. He currently sees greater potential building in the superpowers of the developing world – Russia, China and South Africa.

Positioned as the great connector between Africa and the rest of the world, Rogers highlights South Africa as highly bankable for Africans and for international investors alike: he believes the continent is in the right place at the right time. The BRICS countries also represent over 40% of the world's population, which is a significant statistic because, in a world where leapfrogging technology is making it possible for developing nations to skip steps in their economic evolution, these countries hold incredible economic potential and market force. South Africa's recent ascendency to the chairmanship of BRICS and South African businessman, Dr Iqbal Survé's presidency of the BRICS Business Council, also puts the country in the highly enviable position as a leader of the developing world.

"I'm not an expert at actually creating technology, but I know it has the power to re-shape Africa, providing countless opportunities for new businesses and profits. Through what Amazon and Google have done in other countries around the world, they have pretty much laid the blueprint for Africa. Companies with a footprint like Sagarmatha Technologies, with their expertise and leadership, are now perfectly positioned to apply these learnings to what is essentially virgin territory. There's a market of at least one billion people across the continent, all hungry for information, the ability to transact and they are primed to be unlocked."

Far from detracting from the potential for Africans to be doing it for Africans, Rogers believes that the rapid spread of technology will enhance this burgeoning promise.

"Africa as a continent is under-developed, but it has a gigantic, innovative and extremely hardworking population who are hungry for advancement and who are prepared to grab it with both hands. They are primed and ready to push the right buttons. If you can find competent management in African-based companies, jump in with both feet. The sky will be the limit," says Rogers.

South Africa
Source: www.enca.com

JOHANNESBURG - Brics countries - led by South Africa - are going to prioritise the digital economy in the development of cheaper, quicker and faster digital and mobile technology.

Brics compromises five major emerging national economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The incoming chairman of the Brics Business Council, Dr. Iqbal Survé, said the "4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)" was characterised by dramatic and disruptive change in the ways societies are run.

He said that if the third Industrial revolution was associated with the rise of computer technology - the 4IR would be associated with supercomputing, blockchain technologies, and artificial intelligence.

"[This] is fundamentally different to the previous three revolutions because for the first time that which was a figment of our imagination can begin to happen - humans can be replaced in virtually every sphere of productive life," said Dr. Survé, in his address at the Brics Business Council 2018 Midterm meeting held in Shanghai on Thursday, 27 March.

"At its most promising, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is an unprecedented opportunity for the Brics countries and Africans, who have hitherto been largely excluded from the 4IR tidal wave, to embrace and fully participate in the technology metamorphosis, to co-create Africa's own digital future and assist its people to move from low to moderate prosperity and better living standards."

He said as part of the work plan, the Skills Development Working Group of the Brics Business Council would host the second Brics Skills Competition in South Africa at the end of September 2018, with a focus on skills required in the future.

"Focus areas will include Cyber Security, the Internet of Things, Data Analytics; Industrial Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing. An MOU to be proposed on Cooperation on Skills development for the 4IR for the BBC Annual Meeting in July," he said.

The news comes as Singapore-based veteran investor, Jim Rodgers, on Tuesday said that South Africa was a highly bankable investment destination for Africans and for international investors alike, adding that the country's recent ascendancy to the chairmanship of Brics also puts it in the highly enviable position as a leader of the developing world.

Sagarmatha Technologies, an integrated multi-sided platform technology group in which Quantum Fund co-founder Rodgers is a shareholder, will list on the main board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on Friday.

The listing is contingent on raising a minimum amount of R3 billion, in conjunction with a private placement of 189,298,334 ordinary no par value shares at R39.62 per share in a bid to raise R7.5 billion.

The company has identified key strategic points for citizen growth and knowledge empowerment within the context of the 4IR as it rolls out across Africa.

"I'm not an expert at actually creating technology, but I know it has the power to re-shape Africa, providing countless opportunities for new businesses and profits. Through what Amazon and Google have done in other countries around the world, they have pretty much laid the blueprint for Africa," Rodgers said.

"Companies with a footprint like Sagarmatha Technologies, with their expertise and leadership, are now perfectly positioned to apply these learnings to what is essentially virgin territory. There's a market of at least one billion people across the continent, all hungry for information, the ability to transact and they are primed to be unlocked."

Far from detracting from the potential for Africans to be doing it for Africans, Rogers said he believes that the rapid spread of technology will enhance this burgeoning promise.

"Africa as a continent is under-developed, but it has a gigantic, innovative and extremely hardworking population who are hungry for advancement and who are prepared to grab it with both hands," Rodgers said.

"They are primed and ready to push the right buttons. If you can find competent management in African-based companies, jump in with both feet. The sky will be the limit."

In the statement released on Tuesday, Dr. Survé said the Council approved the release of the Brics Digital Economic Development Initiative and endorsed the proposal of setting up a working group on the digital economy.

The Brics countries represent more than 40 percent of the global population and said the opportunity for developing countries to leapfrog technology, unencumbered by needing massive investments in legacy infrastructure and technologies, offered an incredible opportunity for training and developing human talent within the countries.

The Brics economies seek to unlock the potential for growth through the digital economy through the aggressive adoption of a fully inclusive mobile economy.

Dr Survé said that this was particularly exciting for the South African economy, with its highly developed digital infrastructure and highly prised lifestyle.

India
Source: www.theindiasaga.com

• Aetna International white paper highlights antibiotics resistance as a serious hazard to public health~
• 7 Lakh deaths per year due to Antimicrobial Resistance. Expected to reach 1 Crore per annum by 2050~
• Antibiotic consumption to increase by 99% in BRICS countries~
• Agricultural consumption of antibiotics expected to rise by two-thirds by 2030 causing a serious threat to environment~

New Delhi : India is amongst the world's largest consumers of antibiotics for human health. A recent white paper by Aetna International titled 'Antibiotic resistance: Toward better stewardship of a precious medical resource' highlights the need for immediate action to contain the situation. Multiple factors, such as high burden of disease, poor public health infrastructure, rising incomes and the unregulated sale of cheap antibiotics have amplified the crisis of antibiotics resistance in India. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is causing around 7 Lakh deaths worldwide and the death toll may reach 1 crore per annum by 2050.

A 12-country survey by the World Health Organisation in 2015 demonstrates that at least 75 percent of respondents from four countries including India reported taking an antibiotic within the last six months, compared with just 35 percent of those from Barbados. As per a Lancet report, resistant infections are more expensive to treat and patients infected with resistant strains of bacteria are more likely to require longer hospitalisation. In the US alone, over 2million people suffer from illness due to drug resistant bacteria every year. This costs the United States an additional Rs.1,30,000 Crores(20 billion US dollars) in healthcare spends. In BRICS countries, antibiotic consumption is expected to increase by 99%. Agricultural consumption of antibiotics, which is primarily used to promote growth and not treat disease in animals, was estimated at 63,151 tons in 2010 and is expected to rise by two-thirds by 2030. Research shows that 75-90% of antibiotics given to animals pass through to the environment. This promotes drug resistant bacteria that infect humans and animals. A partial solution to the problem of antibiotic usage in agriculture would be to reduce people's reliance on meat as a source of nutrition. The UK-based Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advocates that going meat-free for one day a week can improve your health and the environment.

Addressing the growing concerns around the Antibiotic Resistance worldwide, one of the contributors to the white-paper, Dr. Prashant Kr Dash, Chief Medical Officer, vHealth by Aetna said, "The majority of Indians think antibiotics can cure illnesses such as common cold and gastroenteritis, which is a wrong perception. The majority of these infections are caused by viruses and antibiotics have no role in their treatment. This problem of inappropriate antibiotic use is compounded by their easy availability at pharmacies. In many cases, patients experience unwanted serious side effects of antibiotics like an allergic reaction, diarrhea, vomiting, kidney failure, changes in blood sugar levels and toxic effects on the heart and liver. This persuaded us to collate this study which will create awareness on the issue and draw attention to the alarming health crisis being faced globally."

On Aetna International's plan tocombat antibiotic resistance in India, Mr. Manasije Mishra, Managing Director, India Health Organisation & Aetna India said, "Antibiotic resistance is a crisis that effects everyone globally. We need to address this issue now with a global, multifaceted strategic solution. In India, with our vHealth by Aetna teleconsultation service, Aetna is taking a three-stage approach that emphasizes antimicrobial stewardship in clinical training audit medical consultations, the identification incorrect antibiotic usage in patients and offers counselling on appropriate usage, dosage, duration and rationale of using antibiotics. By these means, we are initiating steps to help combat the growing threat of AMR in the country."

South Africa
Author: Becker Semela
Source: www.ann7.com

THE University of the Free State (UFS) researchers will represent the institution at the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) Summit in May. The 10th annual Brics Summit will be held in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli, leader of the UFS research team alongside Dr Victor Okorie from the department of urban and regional planning, in collaboration with Prof Lere Amusan of North-West University, will ensure that water and food security is a prominent feature on the gathering's agenda.

Mphambukeli said the project, titled Exploring the Political Economy of Water and Food Security Nexus in Brics and Africa, will debut at the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Brics Think Tank Forum. "The key to water security is attitudinal change by means of education and conscientisation," she said. She is adamant about what holds the potential to drive behavioural adjustments in the way society interacts with water. Okorie said strides towards reducing the demand for water had to be made and research efforts should be geared towards effecting changes at DNA level.

"Meaning we need to explore water-wise ways that enable crops and animals to thrive optimally, the project also looks at social dimensions of water such as flushing a toilet. "Research activities on redesigning toilets, especially the urinal, where more than nine litres of water are used to flush less than one cubic centimetre of urine, are timely in the context of managing water and the food nexus crises," Okorie said.

He said combining the genetic and social approaches would allow them to produce more with a smaller water footprint. "This can be made possible by implementing precision agriculture which is about estimating and applying exact quantities of water and nutrients needed for the production of crops or the raising of livestock," Okorie said. Prof Amusan said the team intended to propose functional solutions that take the quality of water into consideration.

"Equitable production and distribution of water depends on endorsing policies of co-production between citizens, governments and the public sector. "Brics member states mutually consider water and food security as an issue of paramount significance, hence its feature on this prestigious summit's agenda," Amusan said.