Zelensky Asks NATO for More Air Defense Equipment & more–3rd Oct 2023

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday the 28th of September to discuss the war's status and troop needs.

Zelensky requested additional air defense systems to protect Ukraine's power plants, which Russia damaged last winter.

Stoltenberg reaffirmed NATO's support and granted $2.5 billion dollars worth of ammunition contracts. He emphasized that a stronger Ukraine could end Russia's aggression.

Ukraine aspires to join NATO, which Russia deems an existential threat. The Kremlin said Western security agencies and NATO assets were involved in a missile attack.

France and the UK continue supplying Ukraine with weapons and ammunition.

Since we mentioned Russia, the country is seeking to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council, eighteen months after it was suspended due to its invasion of Ukraine. The UN has listed Russia as a candidate for the council's twenty twenty-four- twenty twenty-six term, with a vote scheduled for the 10th of October.

This move has garnered opposition from Western nations, particularly NATO members, who argue that because of Russia's actions in Ukraine, the country cannot take part in such international bodies.

Russia's human rights record has faced intense scrutiny during its invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin over allegations of deporting Ukrainian children to Russia.

Western nations have strongly opposed Russia's candidacy, citing violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses in Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also opposes Russia's return, calling for accountability for its actions.

In twenty twenty-two, ninety-three UN member states supported Russia's suspension from the council, while twenty-four voted against it, and fifty-eight abstained. However, Russia remains one of the UN Security Council's five permanent members.

Speaking of Moscow’s troubles with international organizations, on Friday the 29th of September, countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency (or IAEA) passed a resolution demanding Russia's immediate withdrawal of unauthorized military personnel from Ukraine's Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (or ZNPP) and the return of the plant to Ukrainian authorities.

The ZNPP, located in southern Ukraine, is the largest nuclear power facility in Europe. The resolution also proposes the permanent stationing of IAEA observers at the plant.

The IAEA’s action underscores the international concern over the security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia, fearing potential accidents or nuclear incidents that could have catastrophic consequences.

The resolution reflects the ongoing efforts to maintain the integrity and safety of Ukraine's nuclear infrastructure while addressing the broader geopolitical issues surrounding the conflict.

On the other side of the Caucasus, the same day the IAEA resolution passed, Armenia formally lodged a statement of claim against Azerbaijan with the International Court of Justice, seeking the application of temporary measures under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (or CERD).

The lawsuit outlines ten key points and calls on Azerbaijan to refrain from any actions that might violate its obligations under CERD. It further urges the country to avoid any direct or indirect actions that could lead to the displacement of ethnic Armenians who still reside in Nagorno-Karabakh. This legal action reflects Armenia's efforts to address alleged violations of international law and protect the rights of ethnic Armenians in the region.

Moving on, Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Karanvir Singh, a member of the terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International. Recall that a Red Notice is an international alert for a wanted person, not an arrest warrant, but it alerts police in all member countries about internationally wanted fugitives.

Interpol believes that Karanvir Singh is hiding in Pakistan and that he is a key figure within the Babbar Khalsa organization, serving as the right-hand man to terrorists Wadhwa Singh and Harvinder Singh Rinda, who have also reportedly fled to Pakistan.

Interpol lists Karanvir Singh, as wanted by India for various charges, including criminal conspiracy, murder, arms offenses, raising funds for terrorist acts, and being a member of a terrorist organization.

The issuance of this Red Corner Notice comes during a diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, which sparked because of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments about Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In other news, The International Monetary Fund (or IMF) announced on Thursday the 29th of September that its executive board has approved an eighteen-month loan of $1.3 billion dollars for Morocco under the resilience and sustainability facility arrangement.

This funding aims at helping Morocco address climate vulnerabilities, increase its resilience against climate change, and achieve decarbonization, in addition to financing for sustainable development.

Furthermore, the idea is to support Morocco's transition to a greener economy and strengthen its preparedness and resilience against natural disasters, including those resulting from climate change.

This funding comes in the wake of an earthquake that hit Morocco on the 8th of September, and the IMF and the World Bank have been closely working with Moroccan authorities to assess the situation and ensure that they are prepared for various contingencies.

Let’s talk about South America. President Santiago Peña of Paraguay has issued a threat to withdraw from negotiations on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement if a deal is not reached before the 6th of December when Paraguay takes over the presidency of the Mercosur bloc from Brazil.

He criticized the pace of negotiations and expressed concerns about the EU's sustainability proposals. This EU-Mercosur trade deal, initially brokered in twenty nineteen, has faced delays in ratification due to various concerns raised by member states, including Ireland.

Key issues include deforestation in Brazil, potential impacts on the EU beef market, and differing standards for EU farmers and primary producers in Mercosur countries.

The deal, if ratified, would allow an additional 99,000 tons of beef from Mercosur countries to enter the EU tariff-free. The EU has sought more commitments on sustainability and climate change from Mercosur nations in recent communications. President Peña wants to focus on trade agreements with other regions, such as the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, if the EU and Mercosur don’t reach an agreement.

Next up, according to UNICEF, "Africa's deadliest storm in recorded history" displaced over 16,000 children in eastern Libya. These children face psychosocial challenges due to disrupted access to crucial services like healthcare, education, and clean water.

With children making up about 40% of the affected population, unfortunately, UNICEF believes hundreds of kids might have died.

Waterborne illnesses are a growing threat due to broken water systems, sewer networks, and potential groundwater contamination, especially in Derna, where roughly 50% of water systems were damaged. UNICEF is responding by providing relief supplies, medical aid, hygiene kits, winter clothing, school materials, and water purification tablets.

They've also deployed teams to offer psychosocial support to children dealing with emotional trauma.

And to close this edition, Roberta Metsola, The president of the European Parliament, has expressed support for the appointment of a United Nations envoy to evaluate the possibility of resuming talks to reunify Cyprus.

She conveyed the European Union's legislative body's stance to Antonio Guterres, the U.N. Secretary-General, during her visit to New York. Metsola emphasized that Europe "would never be complete as long as Cyprus remains divided."

Cyprus has been ethnically divided for decades, with U.N. peacekeepers maintaining a buffer zone between the Turkish Cypriot north and the Greek Cypriot south. Previous reunification efforts have ended in failure, and the talks have been at a standstill since twenty seventeen.

Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus, has made resuming reunification negotiations a priority. However, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has insisted that any settlement must recognize the statehood of Turkish Cypriots, breaking from the previous agreement of reunification as a federation of Turkish and Greek-speaking zones.

The island's division has contributed to tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly regarding disputes over offshore gas deposits and Turkey's territorial claims in Cyprus' economic zone.

That’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

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