Today’s world news: Canada, the Balkans

Today’s interesting news

• F-35 for Canada. The Canadian Ministry of Defense has announced the purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets. The total inventory is estimated at C$19 billion (US$14.2 billion) and is intended to replace the aging fleet of fighter jets. This is the largest investment in the Canadian Air Force in 30 years. So it reads In the profile Twitter Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand: “The F-35 is Canada’s fighter of the future! These jets will give us the capabilities, technology, operability and weapons we need to meet our missions and meet future threats. Explaining the difficult procurement of the fifth-generation aircraft, Anand explained: “The F-35 is in the market. A highly advanced fighter aircraft. It will ensure our ability to protect the world’s second largest airspace, including Canada’s Arctic Obligations with NORAD and help NATO and Canada address new and emerging threats. Ottawa is therefore seeking to better comply with the two commitments agreed with Washington in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the political-military commitments in the Atlantic Alliance with a specific focus on the ‘Arctic’ region. As underlining its geostrategic role in containing NORAD and NATO’s primary competitor in the Arctic, the Russian Federation. Naturally, Canada’s willingness to arm itself with American-made war-bombs indicates its function as the number one customer state from an industrial perspective. The minister himself implicitly acknowledges it: “This announcement is great news for Canadian workers and businesses. Such a project has the potential to contribute more than $425 million annually to our economy and provide nearly 3,300 jobs annually to Canadian industry over a 25-year period. The infrastructure to host the F-35s is located in Bagotville (Quebec). and Cold Lake (Alberta) will also be built.
  Canada still wants the Arctic
• Sweden-Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson He promised Such items were discussed last year, with Ukraine receiving Archer self-propelled artillery systems.

📺 Ukraine, nothing but a ceasefire!

• Northern Ireland. After months of deadlock, the United Kingdom and the European Union A tentative agreement has been reached Brussels will provide access to London’s computer systems for trading across the Irish Sea. The EU has long complained about the lack of real-time access to an essential platform for monitoring goods crossing sea borders created by trade agreements. Post-Brexit. London has accepted a request from Brussels to share information on exchanges between Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) and Ulster – and therefore within the Kingdom – to build trust and facilitate better understanding. Ireland/Northern Ireland protocol.

Laura Connally’s Charter – 2021

• Hungary-Serbia. Meeting in Budapest His Serbian counterpart Ivica Dačić, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, announced that Hungary would not accept EU sanctions on the Russian Federation, which could affect the security of energy supplies to the Magyar country: “So far we have been exempted from some sanctions. Hungary is not responsible for the war in Ukraine, so the price for this conflict is “We will not tolerate giving in,” Magyar said, referring to the US and Canada He underlined “The prolongation of the conflict and the possible escalation of hostilities create serious risks for Hungary and Serbia; it may not seem so bad to those countries thousands of miles away from the conflict zone, but those who encourage the escalation or prolongation of the war are acting against our national interests. That is why we are interested in ending the armed conflict as soon as possible.” We are
  For his part, Serbian Minister Dačić took the opportunity to clearly outline three insurmountable red lines on the Kosovo issue: “First, all agreements signed so far must be respected and implemented. Second, we cannot recognize Kosovo’s independence until the issue of our mutual relations is resolved and the United Nations Its permission cannot be recognized. Third, the safety of Kosovo Serbs is a top priority. So the Belgrade politician Blackbirds threatened Serbian intervention in the country: “If the KFOR mission and the Kosovo Police do not guarantee the safety of Serbian citizens, the army and security forces of Serbia will be forced to do it in their place. We want to avoid that; We want peace and the implementation of international agreements. Dačić later compared the case of Crimea and Donbass (illegal annexation and separatism) to his former southern province (people’s right to self-determination) and criticized the Western policy of “double standards” based on territorial integrity. Although Hungary has recognized Kosovo’s sovereignty since 18 March 2008, Minister Szijjardo He promised Budapest will vote against admitting Pristina to European international organizations (EU and Council of Europe) because “it would only risk a compromise” between the parties.
  Government of Victor Orban He was confirmed as a thorn in NATO’s (Eastern) side and a contradiction in the EU.
• Srpska-Russian Republic. Thousands of Bosnian Serbs They gathered on the outskirts of the capital Sarajevo on January 9 to celebrate an unconstitutional holiday linked to the 1990s war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The military-style march was also attended by the separatist leader of Republika Srpska, the wider governing body of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (49% territory) – Milorad Todic publicly declares his allegiance to Russia. About 2,000 Bosnian Serb security forces marched through Lukavica, the capital’s eastern district under administration. srpska – Display of guns, armored vehicles and helicopters. Participated in the parade Even the local branch of the Night Wolves (Night Wolves), a violent Russian motorcycle club that strongly supports the policies of President Vladimir Putin. During the “National Day” celebrations, Todic acknowledged that the war in Ukraine had undermined the separatist plans of Bosnian Serbs and that the biggest political crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 26 years was fueling anguish and discontent in Banja Luka (the capital). of Republika Srpska). As pro-Russian motorcyclists marched under the watchful eye of Todic and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dasic, loudspeakers echoed their mission to “promote Orthodox Christianity and make Republika Srpska as powerful and eternal as Mother Russia.” At the same time, the folk phenomenon represented a spreading Serbian revival, widespread Pan-Slavism, and above all permanent inter-ethnic instability in the Western Balkans. All alchemical materials in the hands of Moscow.

Article by Laura Connally – 2016

• Visa war. China Suspended visas For South Korean and Japanese audiences, Seoul e Tokyo For Chinese travelers for reasons related to the spread of Covid-19.
• China’s warning to Australia. Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian at a rare press conference at the Chinese Embassy in Canberra He announced Australia should be wary of its relationship with Japan, bearing in mind that Japanese troops have attacked there get down They could do it again during World War II. “If we forget history, history will repeat itself,” Xiao said: “During World War II, Japan invaded Australia, bombed Darwin, killed Australians and treated Australian prisoners of war inhumanely. It also appears that the Chinese ambassador was wrong to say that Tokyo She did not apologize for her actions. Defense ties between Japan and Australia have recently been strengthened through joint military exercises under the supervision of China’s main geopolitical rival, the United States, a common ally.

Laura Connally’s Charter – 2022

Nerd limes Geopolitical Anniversaries of 10th January