China and Iran sign 25-year strategic cooperation agreement | France24 |

China commerce ministry said on Thursday that Beijing will try to safeguard the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and defend the legitimate interests of Sino-Iranian relations.

The United States and the other Western powers party to the deal are at odds with Tehran over which side should first return to the accord, which was abandoned by former US President Donald Trump in 2018.

.@HassanRouhani : The Islamic Republic of #Iran clearly and unequivocally declares that it will resume full implementation of its commitments once the P5+1 fully comply with their obligations.#JCPOA pic.twitter.com/uRzanwN5N5

— IranGov.ir (@Iran_GOV) February 16, 2021

Iran, China determined to boost long-term strategic ties, fight terrorism: President Rouhani | PressTV |

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Iran and China are firmly determined to improve "strategic and long-term" cooperation in various political and economic fields and fight terrorism and extremism in the region.

Pointing to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Beijing, Rouhani urged both sides to speed up the implementation of agreements signed in the field of important infrastructural and developmental projects.

The president commended China's support for Iran in the international scene, including its stance on the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed between Tehran and major world powers, and the fight against the US unilateralism and extremism.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani stressed the importance of making collective efforts to fight terrorism and extremism in the region and said Iran's Iran's Hormuz Peace Initiative (HOPE), a mechanism aimed at ensuring regional security through the efforts of the region's own constituents, can play a leading role in this regard.

The Iranian president emphasized that the US military presence in the West Asian region is the root cause of regional instability and censured the Americans' meddlesome measures.

Pleased to welcome my Chinese friend & counterpart, FM Wang Yi, to Tehran.

Excellent exchange on expansion of global, regional and bilateral cooperation in the context of our comprehensive strategic partnership, culminated in the signing of a historic 25-year strategic roadmap. pic.twitter.com/ebMfxGyFHv

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) March 27, 2021

EU said Turkey must "urgently" resume accepting migrants from Greece, where thousands are being held in camps.[_link]

— DW News (@dwnews) March 30, 2021

Human Rights pushed back for time being ... rewriting history of Europe and the Middle East. As Europe rejects Russia as a possible partner, it affirms Russia in a role of pariah state.

Bush designated certain countries as pure Evil, the Obama and Biden administration are gross violators of using tools of censure, sanctions and economic warfare.

As new generations are educated in the 21st century to a new normal in the digital age, the western world will see the Internet and privacy tested to its maximum. The enemy states too have mastered the cyber world and asymmetric warfare for its defenses and economic gain.

The EU has been send on a mission to bring dictator Erdogan of Turkey inside the  fold of NATO and offer further EU benefits.

The renewed talks in Vienna on the Iranian nuclear deal is a sweetener from Washington, the carrot to take the EU for a ride. After a few months of tough talk, Biden will enter a modified JCPOA agreement. The EU will have to accept expansion of NATO into the Middle East to offset the threat of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The first steps have been set by the Trump administration, or as Psaki and Biden firmly names it, the `former' administration and the .... president.

Biden was the architect o the Maidan Revolt, so his focus will be to offer the Ukraine NATO membership before 2025. The same offer will be made to Georgia and Azerbaijan as a key state in Caspian Sea fossil fuel and advanced position vs. Iran, Russia and China.

US foreign policy and Euro-Caspian energy security: The time is now to build the Trans-Caspian Pipeline | Atlantic Council |

Energy and Security from the Caspian to Europe | U.S. Congress - 2012 |

Finally, Congress should swiftly pass the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for NATO Act. My legislation would place NATO allies on equal footing with free trade partners under U.S. law in providing for automatic licenses for U.S. LNG exports. Unlike in past years, U.S. domestic shale natural gas production affords us the opportunity to directly alleviate the dependency
of our NATO allies in the Baltics, Central and Southeastern Europe, and Turkey on Russian supplies, and further isolate Iran, while benefiting the U.S. economy by opening new markets.

The Gulf States Are urging its massive wealth gained during the Bush administration invasion and occupation of Iraq to change politics on the ground in key MENA countries: Egypt, Sudan, Morocco and possibly Iraq and a bit more politically stable (read Sunny politicians) in  Lebanon.

In all for Joe Biden, the focus will be Ukraine, JCPOA, Turkey ... Palestijns and Kurds will be neglected. They play no role in his master plan. One person has target on his back, Assad of Syria. He needs to go as the Assad regime has been a roadblock for two decades now. The Biden administration has already confirmed the Trump gift of the Golan Heights to Israel and East-Jerusalem has been nominated.

PS I wrote this ahead of publication of my latest diary ...

'Sapere aude'

Commend the signing of 13 important documents and 2 commercial contracts between 🇺🇦 & 🇶🇦. Our countries have and realize great potential for deepening cooperation. Grateful to Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and PM, Minister of Interior Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani for hospitality. pic.twitter.com/6dYXePyJyu

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 5, 2021

Israel, Russia agree to cooperate on internal security matters [_link]

— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) April 7, 2021

Ohana said the signing came after "years of efforts." He also thanked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 as part of measures against oligarchs and top government officials for Russia's "malign activity around the globe." Kolokoltsev was designated under an executive order pertaining to Russia's military involvement in Ukraine.

The head of the 🇷🇺 delegation at the 1️⃣4️⃣th #CrimeCongressUN in Kyoto, Minister of @mvd_official V.A.#Kolokoltsev emphasized in his speech the need to develop a universal convention on combating information crime under the auspices of the #UN.1/2 pic.twitter.com/rZsfmUybsu

— Russian Mission Vienna (@mission_rf) March 8, 2021

Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council, the situation in Donbas and the U.S. support for Ukraine | April 2, 2021 |

Biden vows US backing for Ukraine as Russia amasses

NATO Military Committee Chairman visits Ukraine | April 6/7 2021 |

The Ukrainian President visited his armed forces frontline positions yesterday. He's had more than enough opportunities to bring peace to the region but has chosen a different path, tempted by the dangling carrot of the West. #Donbass pic.twitter.com/r8AsCG6cCM

— Dean O'Brien - BA (Hons) (@DeanoBeano1) April 9, 2021

2013 US Congress and LNG for its NATO partners ...

When we look to the U.S. interests and certainly domestic economic benefits, we also need to look to the issue of the geopolitical implications of our being able to export. As both of you have noted, Russia has a major role as a supplier of natural gas and is a non-reliable exporter to the European countries. They use it as a political tool, punishing our European allies, especially eastern Europe, and use it to try to divide the EU and NATO countries as they put pressure on individual countries to adopt policies favourable to Russian positions.

I have a bill, H.R. 580, the Expedited LNG for American Allies Act, that would expand the ability to export LNG to our NATO partners and to Japan to allow expedited approval for that export. This is a bill that initially had been championed by Senator Lugar. It is a bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation. I think it would be very important to give that expedited opportunity, not only increasing our markets, lowering the overall bureaucratic process for export, but also have an impact in the Pacific region with respect to Russia's export.

[Source: Committee  on  Oversight  and  Government  Reform - March 19, 2013 |]

What year did the Maidan Troubles start to develop in Kiev?

'Sapere aude'

Why The U.S. Might Want War In Ukraine

CNN said that the US is considering sending warships to the Black Sea amid Russia-Ukraine tensions. That the U.S. is 'considering' this is however disinformation:

The United States has notified Turkey that it intends to deploy two warships to the Black Sea amid rising tensions with Russia, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said on Friday.

Washington made the notification just over two weeks ago, as required under the Montreux Convention on passage through the Straits.

The warships will stay in the Black Sea until 5 May.

"One US warship will arrive on 14 April, and another on 15 April to the Black Sea. And they will leave on 4 May and 5 May, respectively," a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

The tensions in the Ukraine have built up after the Ukraine transferred heavy forces to the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk, raised Nazi flags and made a lot of noise about reconquering the renegade provinces as well as Crimea.  

U.S. to send two warships to Black Sea, Russia voices concerns


'Sapere aude'

President @RTErdogan met with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at Huber Villa in Istanbul. [_link] pic.twitter.com/PivwCcGMF7

— Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications (@Communications) April 10, 2021

Turkish, Ukrainian presidents meet in Istanbul | Anatol Agency |

BTW Press not welcome!

'Sapere aude'

To those who called for Colin Kaepernick to lose his job for 'disrespecting the military", the doors of the church are now open. [_link]— Keith Reed (@K_dot_RE) April 10, 2021

Lawsuit: Virginia Police Officers Threatened, Pepper Sprayed Army Officer During Stop

More across the globe in old colonial racist countries with extreme right on the rise ...

Black senior adviser quits UK government in wake of racism report

Racist tweets by Rotterdam police ... no sanctions, racism not endemic!!

Professor of Immigration Law Peter Rodrigues on discrimination within Rotterdam police force

This America is so fu***-up!

'Sapere aude'

Not so! Biden has sent the NATO and EU-27 instructions the West needs to appease Erdogan's Turkey at any cost.

After invoking Chapter 5 due to the attack of 9/11 and entering a brief bombing raid on the Afghan Taliban regime, NATO and Europe rolled into the expeditionary force of the U.S. Armed Forces. After the Afghan expedition, NATO was instructed to enter an illegal war in Iraq and uncomfortable regime change in Libya followed shortly thereafter into Syria. The Obama era of human rights and R2P policy was a propaganda spin to make the Middle East into the image of the West and capitalism. Europe became a partner in US proxy wars of aggression and flaunting International law, by-passing the UN Security Council and institutions like the ICC in The Hague.

The 8 years of George Bush brought enormous wealth into the pockets of allies of the Gulf States minus Iraq, Iran and Libya.

Venezuela was already nominated to fall as Cuba would fall and Obama/Biden sought Atlantic Council policy of making the provincial power, the Russian Federation, a pariah state after policy decision for enlargement during NATO summit in Bucharest of March 2008.

 NATO's Response to Hybrid Threats

Foreword by General Philip M. Breedlove Supreme Allied Commander Europe

NATO and the Middle East:  A Positive Agenda for Change | March 23012 |

I have always wondered where decisions are made, I have come to the conclusion that the military commanders in NATO and the intelligence alliance of 5- or 9-Eyes are the architects of war. Political leaders of the nations outside the UNSC do not have a voice and are the water carriers with instructions from the White House and the NATO Commander in Brussels. Stoltenberg like De Hoop Scheffer has no voice in decision making.

From the diaries ...

Trump's Revival of anti-EU Sentiment in Warsaw

As part of its 2010 Lisbon agreement, NATO also invited Russia to cooperate on missile defense. Although NATO and Russia have had different views on missile defense, there are numerous successful areas of U.S.-Russian and NATO-Russian military cooperation and the NATO-Russia Council continues to have active discussions on missile defense cooperation, including a joint theater missile defense exercise program.

The United States and NATO believe that cooperation on missile defense can enhance the security of both NATO and
Russia and such cooperation could also send a vitally important signal to Iran that we are united in opposition to any Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

So, why did the NATO allied nations provoke the Russian Bear within the coup d'état in Kiev of February 2014? The powers of a Deep State. McCain et al after the failure under George Bush in Ukraine - 2004 - and Georgia - 2008 -. Indeed, Obama did write history.

Open Skies Help Keep the Peace With Russia

Under the Trump administration, leadership and policy went complete haywire ...

New Fascist Pariah States America and Israel Lashing Out

Videos of Russian military exercises near Ukraine border spark panic on social media [_link] pic.twitter.com/WGc3cDry5W

— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) April 12, 2021

CNN - Ukrainian Trains With Heavy Weapons Going East Are 'Russian Aggression'

'Sapere aude'

Study reveals alarming trend in US death rates since 2000 | The Guardian |

Despite spending far more than other wealthy countries on healthcare, the United States has relatively higher mortality rates and lower life expectancy - attributed to a plethora of factors including obesity, opioid overdoses, gun violence, suicides, smoking, road accidents and infant deaths.

Boo-hoo!! [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) April 13, 2021

Over 100 top corporate leaders convened in a "first-of-its-kind" virtual meeting to plan a concerted response to the Republican-backed voting rights restrictions that have swept the nation. 

The move comes amid a fissure between the GOP and Corporate America following the latter's denunciation of HB 202, a sweeping anti-voting bill passed by the Georgia state legislature late last month. When the MLB pulled its All-Star game from Atlanta in protest of the newly-minted law, many GOP Senators accused corporate America of falling into the hands of the "radical leftists."

Last month, when 100 major corporations signaled their opposition to HB 202, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose PAC received some $475 million from corporate donors last year alone, told Corporate America to "stay out of politics."

"The full-throated capitalist response is not happening here in the United States because the people who control the government have just not endured that much pain," says @profgalloway [_link] pic.twitter.com/ZKPXnWvEK2

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) April 12, 2021

I think it all comes back to one central theme: income inequality. Capitalism is sort of this gangster construct that leverages a species' selfishness and creates all sorts of prosperity from that selfishness. But the key to successful capitalism has always been a middle class.

At the turn of the millennium, America was the only superpower, and we had the most prosperous middle class in the world. In the past 20 years, the key feature of China's rise into a superpower has been adding several hundred million people to its middle class. But for the past 50 years in America, we have decided to transfer wealth from the middle class to the shareholder class.

I called President @ZelenskyyUa to express serious concern about Russia's military activities in and around Ukraine & ongoing ceasefire violations. #NATO firmly supports #Ukraine's sovereignty & territorial integrity. We remain committed to our close partnership.

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) April 6, 2021

Trump admin approves new sale of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine | ABC News - Oct. 2, 2019 |

UK Operation ORBITAL explained: Training Ukrainian Armed Forces

Military from five NATO states to take part in Ukrainian-British drills | UNIAN Info - Apr. 3, 2021 |

'Sapere aude'

#BREAKING Russia "does not want a direct conflict" with US, even if it will "continue destabilization efforts against Ukraine": US intelligence annual report pic.twitter.com/kWsYPQRKcs

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 13, 2021

Biden proposes summit with Putin amid Russian military buildup on Ukraine's border | ABC News |

'Sapere aude'

#US President #JoeBiden to remove American troops from #Afghanistan before this year's 20th anniversary of the #September11 attacks [_link]

— Arab News (@arabnews) April 13, 2021

Russia is committed to keep Crimea under its full influence and with the NATO marching orders into Ukraine, Putin will always defend its Russian speaking citizens in the Donbas ... whatever it takes. Ukraine and the repeated attempts by the West for regime change in 2004 - 2008 - 2014. Corruption by the oligarchs has never ceased.

What Will Ukraine Do Without Uncle Joe? | Foreign Policy - Oct. 20, 2016 |

No one in the U.S. government has wielded more influence over Ukraine than Vice President Joe Biden. As the Obama administration's point person on Ukraine policy, he has rallied support for Kiev in the face of Russian military intervention and cultivated a personal rapport with its leaders. But he has delivered tough love as well, delaying financial aid more than once over concerns about rampant corruption.

With Biden's tenure as vice president about to expire, the next U.S. president will have to decide who will take up his unique role as Kiev's go-to guy. The transition comes at a pivotal moment for the festering war in Ukraine, America's increasingly tense rivalry with Russia, and Europe's growing fatigue with Kiev's incessant corruption.

Even President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has been reluctant to help shoulder the complete burden of Ukraine's woes, in part out of fear of provoking a direct confrontation with Moscow. In 2014, Russian troops seized and annexed the Crimean Peninsula and then reportedly deployed Moscow's own soldiers to eastern Ukraine to back separatists there. At the time, Obama overruled Biden and most of his advisors in deciding against arming Ukrainian soldiers.

Obama was worried about triggering an escalating military standoff between Kiev and Moscow that Russia probably would win and was mindful of European capitals' strong opposition to the move. Instead, Obama pushed for economic sanctions against Russia and agreed to have Germany and France lead diplomatic efforts with Kiev and Moscow to resolve the conflict.

But the fighting has continued, and patience for Russia is running out in Congress, where some lawmakers now favor slapping fresh economic sanctions on Moscow. Senior diplomats are also frustrated at the state of the fraying Minsk peace agreement and believe the time has come for the United States to take a leading role in the talks, instead of deferring to Berlin and Paris.  

❗️ The latest attack by the 🇺🇸 Biden administration against our country cannot go unheeded.

☝️ There ought to be no doubt - not a single round of sanctions will go unanswered.

Full statement: [_link] #NotOurChoice pic.twitter.com/bqOFV49DhJ

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) April 16, 2021

Russia expels US and Polish diplomats over sanctions | DW News |

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Russia would expel 10 US and 3 Polish diplomats in retaliation for them having respectively expelled 10 and 3 Russian diplomats.

Poland Expels Three Russian Diplomats In 'Solidarity' With U.S. | VOA News |

Lavrov additionally noted that eight US officials had been added to Russia's sanctions lists and that Moscow would take moves to limit and even stop the activity of US non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that it says are interfering in Russian politics.

Moscow also recommended the US recall Ambassador John Sullivan -- Russia recalled its US ambassador in March, in response to US President Joe Biden calling Russian President Vladimir Putin "a killer" in a televised interview.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has steadfastly warned of "inevitable" retaliation, noting that, "Washington should realize that it will have to pay a price for the degradation of bilateral ties.'' Though Lavrov emphasized Moscow could undertake more "painful measures" in the future, he said it would refrain from doing so at this juncture.

Russia Bans Top Biden Officials as Tensions Soar | The Moscow Times |

Russian Prosecutors Seek to Label Navalny Groups as 'Extremist'

Breaking! President #Putin won't meet #Biden in near future, Kremlin says.
💪 🇷 🇺 [_link]

— Enrico Kremlin-affiliated :) (@Russ_Warrior) April 15, 2021

US President suggested considering the possibility of holding a personal summit meeting in the foreseeable future

'Sapere aude'

BREAKING: #Merkel & #Macron tell #Russia & #Putin to pull his forces back as #Ukrainian navy threatens to SHOOT Russian #FSB boats. [_link]

— John Basham 🇺🇲 (@JohnBasham) April 16, 2021

As the EU-27 states are struggling post-Brexit, a new EU Commission, a global Covid-19 pandemic ... the global powers are succeeding in bilateral agreements to make Brussels irrelevant. In addition, a powerful German voice is absent as the country is divided in four parts: Greens-CDU-CSU and the AfD.

EU Defense Cooperation: Progress Amid Transatlantic Concerns | Carnegie Endowment |

Sovereign Europe, dangerous world: Five agendas to protect Europe's capacity to act | ECFR |

Retooling America's alliances to manage the China challenge | Brookings Institute |

NATO 2030: United for a New Era

'Sapere aude'

".. we need .. a united Europe. That is why we, together with France and the Netherlands, have commenced work on a European strategy for the #IndoPacific, set to be in place by the end of the year. EU foreign ministers will begin consultations this month." [_link]

— Friso Dubbelboer (@FrisoDubbelboer) April 13, 2021

A very sensitive subject, both my grandfather's served in WW2 in the British Indian Army, it's rare hearing of the exploits of their units, however the Pakistani and Indian armies inherited these units and histories and do commemorate then often. [_link]

— Yasser Hussain (@yasserthoughts) April 21, 2021

Carlson admired Dan White, who murdered Harvey Milk and SF Mayor George Moscone. Key FoxNews star supported gay murder. [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) April 22, 2021

Don't ever forget that last night @TuckerCarlson accused those 12 Americans on that jury of not being smart enough, decent enough, or American enough to follow their oaths & arrive at a verdict based on the evidence presented in court. The evidence.

What an elite twit Tucker is.

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) April 21, 2021

Wow! Good for you @WalshFreedom thank you! People change and you have more than most. #BlackLivesMatter [_link]

— Sophia A. Nelson (@IAmSophiaNelson) April 22, 2021

Outre l'égalité homme-femme, la désescalade en Méditerranée orientale doit se poursuivre.

La Turquie doit accepter les arrêts de la CEDH.

Ce sont nos conditions pour renforcer notre coopération sur l'économie et la migration avec la Turquie.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 26, 2021

President Sassoli,
President Michel,

Honourable Members,

I am the first woman to be President of the European Commission. I am the President of the European Commission. And this is how I expected to be treated when visiting Turkey two weeks ago, like a Commission President, but I was not.

I cannot find any justification for the way I was treated in the European Treaties. So, I have to conclude, it happened because I am a woman. Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie? In the pictures of previous meetings, I did not see any shortage of chairs. But then again, I did not see any woman in these pictures, either.

Honourable Members,

Many of you will have made quite similar experiences in the past. Especially the female members of this House, I am sure, know exactly how I felt. I felt hurt and left alone: As a woman and as a European. Because this is not about seating arrangements or protocol. This goes to the core of who we are. This goes to the values our Union stands for. And this shows how far we still have to go before women are treated as equals. Always, and everywhere.

EU chief says 'sofagate' shows need to tackle sexism: 'I felt hurt' | SCMP |

US police killings of Black Americans amount to crimes against humanity, international inquiry finds [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) April 27, 2021

The #US @DHSgov will investigate the potential threat of domestic violent #extremism within its own ranks, the department said on Monday.[_link]

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) April 27, 2021

#US-based NGO Human Rights Watch has accused #Israel of the crime of #Apartheid for the first time in the organization's 43-year #History.

Report by: @tovahlazaroff [_ link]

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) April 27, 2021