Russia thanks North Korea for this, former Israeli minister comments on the situation

German Foreign Minister returns to Israel, Taliban wants to join BRI, Russia criticizes IOC for 'racism'... are some notable international news in the past 24 hours.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on October 19. (Source: GPO)

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's international news highlights.

* Russia intercepts US smart bombs : On October 18, the Russian Defense Ministry said: "During the day, air defense systems intercepted four missiles of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and one US-made JDAM guided bomb." Russian air defenses shot down 51 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Donetsk, the settlements of Chervonaya Dibrova in the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Lozovoye in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Kamenskoye, Chervonogorka, Novofedorivka in Zaporizhzhia province, Cossack Camp, Sahi in Kherson province and Zhovtneve in Kharkov province. (TASS)

* Russia thanks North Korea for supporting military operations in Ukraine: On October 18, speaking at a reception hosted by North Korea the same day, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov affirmed that Moscow "appreciates Pyongyang's principled and steadfast support" for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

“Likewise, Russia extends its full support and solidarity to the aspirations of the DPRK in its chosen development path,” Lavrov said, according to a quote on the Russian Foreign Ministry website. The Russian foreign minister said the visit provided a “valuable opportunity” to review and outline practical steps to implement the agreements reached between the two leaders.

Lavrov arrived in Pyongyang on October 18 for meetings seen as setting the stage for a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has stepped up cooperation with North Korea. Lavrov’s two-day visit comes a month after the North Korean leader made a rare visit to Russia, during which he invited Putin to Pyongyang and discussed military cooperation.

TASS (Russia) previously said that Mr. Lavrov could inform the North Korean side about the results of President Putin's visit to China. (TASS)

* 10 people died after attacks in Ukraine : On October 18, in his nightly speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the casualties after the explosion that morning at a building in Zaporizhzhia had increased to 5 people.

Earlier, a 31-year-old woman was killed in an attack near the village of Obukhivka in Dnipropetrovsk, while two people were killed in an attack on the night of October 17 in Kherson. Later that day, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry found two bodies in the rubble of a food store hit by a missile in Mykolaiv. (Reuters)

* VSU makes progress in the south: On October 18, writing on Telegram , General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who is responsible for the military operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) in the south, said: “(Forces from Tavria) are continuing their offensive. They have achieved some success in Rabotino”.

Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesman for Ukraine's southern forces, made a similar claim. Speaking on television, the official said that shelling around Avdiivka had decreased. However, Ukrainian troops there were still preparing for any possible scenario. The VSU is also trying to regain control of some areas in the east. (Reuters)

* US intelligence: Israel did not attack hospital in Gaza: On October 18, writing on social network X , US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said: "While we continue to gather information, our current assessment, based on analysis of aerial imagery, classified information as well as open sources, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in the Gaza Strip yesterday."

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said the incident appeared to have originated from an “errant missile launch” by another “group,” based on data the Department of Defense showed me. (AFP)

* More than 1,000 Russian citizens and their families are trapped in the Gaza Strip: On October 18, speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the Middle East, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated: “More than 2 million residents in this area still do not have water, food, medical care, fuel and electricity. The only checkpoint on the border with Egypt is Rafah. However, this area is currently under rocket attack and therefore, is not open to civilians and humanitarian goods. Among those trapped in the military blockade in the Gaza Strip, there are about 1,000 Russian citizens and their family members.”

Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said that 1,000 Russian and CIS citizens, including their families, were in the southern Gaza Strip waiting for the Rafah crossing to open. According to him, the situation in the area was “close to catastrophic”. (TASS)

* Israel welcomes India 's help : On October 18, Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon affirmed that the Jewish State welcomes any help from New Delhi to free more than 200 people held hostage by the Hamas movement.

He stressed that Israel was touched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture of solidarity after the Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,400 people. “Hamas commanders are living a life of luxury in places like Istanbul and Qatar. We understand that India has a special place in the world. Many countries are trying to put pressure on Hamas to secure the release of innocent civilians. If India can talk to those who have influence over them, we welcome that,” the Israeli ambassador said.

Meanwhile, Israel has agreed to provide limited humanitarian aid to Gaza, an agreement announced by US President Joe Biden during a visit to the country. (Hindustan Times)

* Former Israeli Defense Minister comments on the conflict : On October 19, Mr. Benny Gantz, former Defense Minister and current Chairman of Israel's opposition National Unity Party, commented that Israel's conflict with the Hamas movement will last for months and may expand to the northern front.

According to him, the country's reconstruction will take years and only when this work is completed can Israel declare victory. The former defense minister assessed that the goal of the conflict is not only to defeat Hamas, but also to ensure that the southern part of the Jewish state becomes "absolutely safe". (Sputnik)

* UK calls for de-escalation of Israel-Hamas conflict : Speaking at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on October 19, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed: "It is important that the conflict does not escalate across the region. That is why I must talk to as many people as possible across the region."

He pledged that Britain would stand by Israel “in its darkest hours”, welcomed the decision to allow aid into Gaza, and insisted Israel was doing everything it could to minimise civilian casualties.

“I know that you are taking every precaution to avoid harming civilians, in stark contrast to Hamas, which seeks to endanger civilians,” the leader said. “I welcome your decision yesterday to ensure that the routes into Gaza will be open to facilitate humanitarian aid. I am proud to stand here with you.

In Israel's darkest times, we will always stand in solidarity. We will stand with the people of Israel and we want your country to win.”

On the same day, the British Prime Minister's Office said that Mr. Sunak and Mr. Netanyahu discussed the need to prevent any further escalation of the current conflict with Hamas. The statement said: "Both leaders stressed the need to prevent any regional escalation of the conflict and the importance of restoring peace and stability to the region." (Reuters)

* US coordinates with Egypt on aid to Gaza : On October 19, General Michael Kurilla, Commander of the US Central Command, arrived in Cairo, Egypt to discuss with host country President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi about the Israel-Hamas conflict and the transportation of relief goods to the Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, Mr. Sisi emphasized Egypt's efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating, the importance of the international community's efforts to prevent the crisis. Cairo also assessed that the appropriate transportation of relief goods is a top priority in the context of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Earlier, after direct negotiations in Israel and tense phone calls with Egypt, US President Biden said that a limited number of trucks will be allowed to pass through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to Gaza from October 20. This will be the first international aid shipment to Gaza since October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

But state leaders and officials remain concerned that aid shipments could be used to smuggle weapons into the country, while Egypt is cautious that opening its borders could bring tens of thousands of refugees into the country. (Reuters)

Southeast Asia

* Cambodia, Laos appreciate the comprehensive strategic partnership : On the morning of October 19, meeting on the sidelines of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing, China, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Lao General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith appreciated the achievements of the long-term and comprehensive strategic partnership established in 2019.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen and expand cooperation in many areas, including defense, education, energy, as well as exchange visits between high-ranking leaders.

Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed his support for maintaining the “Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam trilateral disaster relief joint exercise” in September 2022. At the same time, he mentioned a number of initiatives related to promoting tourism cooperation through implementing the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam trilateral tourism cooperation called “Three countries, one destination” and establishing direct flights from Phnom Penh-Vientiane-Phnom Penh.

For his part, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith expressed his belief that under the leadership of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the relationship between the two countries will continue to develop. The Lao President also expressed his support for the Cambodian Prime Minister's initiative on trilateral tourism cooperation "Three countries, one destination".

Prime Minister Hun Manet also accepted the invitation of President Thongloun Sisoulith to pay an official visit to Laos at an appropriate time in the future. (Fresh News)

* China calls for efforts to combat cross-border crime with Thailand : On October 19, during talks with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two countries need to step up efforts to crack down on cross-border crime, telecommunications fraud and online gambling.

China's state-run CCTV news agency quoted Xi as saying that China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Thailand within the multilateral framework. (Xinhua)

South Asia

* Taliban wants to officially join China's BRI : On October 19, in an interview in Beijing after the BRF ended, Taliban's Acting Minister of Commerce, Haji Nooruddin Azizi said: "We have asked China to allow us to become part of the BRI Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor... (and) are discussing the technical issue, today."

The Taliban will send a technical team to China to “better understand” the issues that are hindering participation in the BRI, the official said, without elaborating. “China, which invests all over the world, should also invest in Afghanistan… we have everything they need, such as lithium, copper, iron… Afghanistan is now ready for investment,” the official added.

Asked about security challenges, Mr. Azizi affirmed that security is one of the priorities of the Taliban government. However, the official of this force also affirmed that after 20 years of war, many areas are safe. (Reuters)

Northeast Asia

* Russia - North Korea pledge to find diplomatic solution for Korean peninsula : On October 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui discussed in Pyongyang.

During the talks, “(the two sides) exchanged views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. The sides demonstrated their shared commitment to a political and diplomatic solution to the problems there and their readiness to make joint efforts to reduce tensions in the region,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The two countries' foreign ministers affirmed their determination to counter the US's "hegemonic ambitions", as this makes the Asia-Pacific region more tense. (Sputnik)

* Mr. Putin accused the IOC of " racism " against Russian athletes : On October 19, speaking at a sports forum in the Urals city, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared: "Thanks to some leaders of the modern International Olympic Committee (IOC), we have discovered that an invitation to the Olympics is not an unconditional right for the best athletes. Instead, it is a kind of privilege and you can get it not based on sports results but on some political gestures."

He stressed that the Olympics themselves could be used as a tool to exert political pressure on people who have nothing to do with politics. In fact, this is racial and ethnic discrimination, he said. He also noted that some sports officials “simply give themselves the power to determine who gets an Olympic medal and who doesn’t.”

The Russian leader made the announcement ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, when Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from competing under their national flags. The IOC still has to make a final decision on whether athletes from Russia and Belarus, Moscow’s key allies in the war in Ukraine, will be allowed to compete next summer.

Last week, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee's membership for recognizing sports bodies in four Moscow regions annexed from Ukraine. (Sputnik)

* Switzerland assesses the situation at the border with Italy : On October 19, speaking at a meeting in Luxembourg, Federal Council member and Swiss Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said that the country has no plans to tighten controls at the border with Italy.

She said Bern did not want to impose strict border controls with Rome. However, the country has increased its border staff. Switzerland now prefers selective controls over strict measures.

Earlier, to cope with the large number of refugees and migrants, Germany announced that it would apply border control measures with Switzerland. According to Ms. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Bern understands Berlin's decision, especially after a recent tragic accident in the southeastern region of Germany. (TTXVN)

* German Foreign Minister continues to visit the Middle East : On October 19-20, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock continued to visit Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. Notably, this visit took place shortly after her visit to Israel and Egypt last week.

According to the German Foreign Ministry, Ms. Baerbock plans to use every opportunity during the trip to discuss with all those in contact with Hamas to free the hostages being held by the group. At the same time, the trip will focus on the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The German foreign minister is expected to hold talks with her Jordanian counterpart. She will also participate in political negotiations in Tel Aviv, as this is a “conflict against Hamas”, not “against Palestinian civilians”. Discussions with representatives of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other relevant stakeholders are also planned.

Germany's foreign minister continues to support the Jewish state in confronting Hamas, affirming that "Israel has the right to self-defense" within the framework of international law. (Reuters)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tin-the-gioi-1910-nga-cam-on-trieu-tien-vi-dieu-nay-cuu-bo-truong-israel-nhan-dinh-tinh-hinh-246737.html