Fierce fighting in Avdiivka between Russian and Ukrainian forces, tensions in the Middle East from Rafah to Lebanon, the opening of the Munich Security Conference... are some of the outstanding international events in the past 24 hours.
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| Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in an Arctic prison. (Source: TASS) |
The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some of the day's outstanding international events:
Russia-Ukraine
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Germany on February 16, according to an announcement on his Telegram channel.
Posting a photo at an airport with the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin and a German foreign ministry official, President Zelensky said he would discuss “a new security architecture for Ukraine,” noting that Kiev was working to end the conflict “as soon as possible on fair terms” for the Eastern European country.
In Germany, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz and President Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement.
According to the plan, Mr. Zelensky will travel to Paris on the same day to sign a similar agreement with France. (Reuters, AFP)
* The West failed in its attempt to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia in Ukraine, according to Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev on February 16.
Speaking in Bishkek at a meeting of the UN Security Council secretaries, Mr. Patrushev assessed that the international situation had deteriorated to an unprecedented level "because the West wants to maintain its dominant position in world affairs at all costs."
“The most striking example is the situation around Ukraine; the West wanted to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia there. But that attempt was unsuccessful,” the Russian official stressed. (Sputnik)
* Russia makes progress in Avdiivka: On February 16, Russian sources said that the country's army advanced on the southern flank of the city of Avdiivka, establishing control over two more strongholds, "Cheburashka" and "Vinogradniki-2".
By the morning of the same day, the Russian army's attack groups (VS RF) had consecutively captured three fortified positions on the southern flank.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said there was fierce fighting in Avdiivka and they were preparing new positions around the industrial hub as Russia stepped up its offensive.
AFP quoted the assessment of the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian army as saying that the situation in Avdiivka, Ukraine, is now more difficult than the months-long battle in Bakhmut, which was controlled by Russia in May.
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Europe
* Russia says it has "exhausted" goodwill gestures towards the West: On February 16, speaking at a conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov mentioned the possibility of restoring relations with Western countries.
Relations will be restored "one day, it doesn't depend on us. This is the West's problem," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov affirmed that Russia has "made many concessions and gestures of goodwill", as President Vladimir Putin told an American journalist last week, but "the reserves of these gestures have been exhausted", while Moscow has received "some very different gestures" in return . (TASS)
* Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic prison , according to an announcement from the Russian Federal Prison Service on February 16.
“Mr. Navalny felt unwell after going for a walk and almost immediately lost consciousness,” the statement said.
Medical staff and ambulance crews were immediately mobilized but resuscitation measures did not bring positive results. Medical staff confirmed that the convict had died. Russia is investigating the cause of death.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had received a report on the incident. (TASS)
* The Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024 opened at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich, southern Germany, on February 16. This annual global conference will last until February 18, focusing on discussing defense and foreign policy.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are among the world's top officials attending MSC 2024. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh are also expected to attend the event.
The conference began with a focus on global security challenges, including the future of global governance and multilateralism, democratic resilience, climate security, nuclear security, migration and the future of artificial intelligence (AI).
The state of the international order as well as regional conflicts and crises – from Ukraine to Sudan and the Middle East – will top the agenda on February 17.
The final day of the conference will feature discussions on Europe's role in the world and the European Union's (EU) relations with its partners.
* Tense Belarus-Ukraine border: On February 16, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that "a number of saboteurs", including Ukrainian and Belarusian citizens, were detained that morning in the border area between the two countries within the framework of an "anti-terrorist operation".
According to the leader, the arrested subjects “crawled across the border carrying explosives with the aim of causing destruction mainly in Russia and Belarus.”
Earlier, on February 15, Belarus introduced an anti-terrorist regime in the Lelchitsky district of Gomel province bordering Ukraine. (Sputnik)
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Asia
* Possibility of improving Japan-North Korea relations: On February 15, Ms. Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean President Kim Jong-un, left open the possibility of improving relations with Japan, including Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's visit to Pyongyang under certain conditions, such as not raising the issue of abducted citizens.
Regarding this, on February 16, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said that the country "pays attention" to Kim Yo-jong's statement, but Tokyo will not accept Pyongyang's statement that the abduction issue has been resolved.
The United States affirmed its support for all forms of diplomacy and dialogue between Japan and North Korea. (Kyodo, Yonhap)
* Japan will test the MQ-9B Sea Guardian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the East China Sea, at Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in April 2024.
The information was released by Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara on February 16, emphasizing that the goal is to test whether UAVs can partially take on surveillance functions. (Sputnik)
* US and South Korean marines conduct joint winter exercises in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea, as part of a regular bilateral exercise program.
About 110 South Korean and US Marines and various support equipment are participating in the exercise, which began on February 6 and is expected to end on February 20. The exercise mainly focuses on combat training, survival skills and maneuvers in snowy weather conditions in mountainous terrain. (Yonhap)
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Middle East
* US President warns Israel about Rafah operation: In a new phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 15, US President Joe Biden warned about Israel carrying out an operation targeting the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
"The President... reiterated his view that no military operation should be undertaken without a credible and feasible plan to ensure the safety and support of civilians in Rafah," the White House said. (AFP)
* Israel rejects international recognition of a Palestinian state, saying "such recognition, after the massacre of October 7, 2023, would provide a huge reward for terrorism and would prevent any future peace agreement".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Israel categorically rejects international dictates regarding a lasting solution with the Palestinians,” adding that a peace deal can only be the result of “direct negotiations without preconditions.” (AFP)
* US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hopes for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of hostages.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in the capital Tirana on February 15, Mr. Blinken said that the US and its partners including Qatar, Egypt and Israel are "working very, very actively" on this issue with the goal of "trying to find an agreement."
Stressing that there are “very difficult issues that need to be resolved,” Mr. Blinken said the country is “determined to do everything we can to move forward and see if we can reach an agreement.” (Reuters)
* Lebanon has filed a complaint with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) about Israel's series of attacks on civilians in Lebanon, saying it was "the most violent and bloody act since October last year".
Earlier, the Lebanese Prime Minister condemned the killing of seven members of a family in the southern city of Nabatieh in Israeli attacks on February 14. (AFP)
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America
* Venezuela has suspended the operations of the UN Human Rights Office and ordered 13 of its staff members to leave the South American country within 72 hours.
On February 15, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil declared that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had an "abusive" attitude when interfering in the internal affairs of this Caribbean country.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Gil said that Venezuela will review all technical cooperation terms under the memorandum of understanding signed with the above agency in 2019 within 30 days. (AP)
* Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Egypt , affirming that Brasília is ready to upgrade relations with Cairo to a “Strategic Partnership”.
President Lula da Silva emphasized that Brazil and Egypt have many similarities in socio-economic development, in which the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the fields of agriculture, defense, science and technology.
In addition, Mr. Lula da Silva said that Egypt's official entry into the BRICS group of major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) would be an opportunity for the two countries to join hands to build world peace. (Al Monitor)
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Africa
* Egypt begins building wall near Rafah: The New York Times (NYT) cited satellite images and construction workers as saying that Egypt has begun building a wall on the southern border of the Gaza Strip, near the city of Rafah, where the Israeli army is preparing for a military operation.
A contractor and an engineer told the newspaper that the Egyptian military had tasked them with building a 5-meter-high concrete wall to cover a 5-square-kilometer area. However, it was unclear whether the facility was intended to prevent Gazans from crossing the border.
An Egyptian government spokesman declined to comment on the matter.
* Ethiopia calls on the African Union (AU) to actively participate in the Group of 20 leading developed and emerging economies (G20).
“The AU’s full participation in the G20 provides Africa with a unique platform to contribute to global governance and decision-making. We must therefore ensure that Africa’s voice is heard and our participation is meaningful,” Ethiopian Foreign Minister Taye Atske Selassie stressed.
The AU was granted full membership at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India in September 2023. Before the AU joined the bloc, South Africa was the only African country with a seat in the G20.
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