Asian countries and the Ukrainian crisis

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), one of Britain`s oldest strategic think tanks, believes India and China are helping Russia build ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons by acquiring chips and technology from the West. According to a report by the institute, India, for example, buys American, British, Dutch, Israeli and other technologies and resells them to Russia.    Russia cannot build Iskanders, air defense systems or radars without Western chips and technology. The drafters of the report demand a thorough check on how technology is leaked in Russia through third countries .

  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The Israeli minister flew to Azerbaijan for talks on the purchase of various types of goods amid the war in Ukrain e, Yisrael Hayom (https://www.israelhayom.co.il/business/article/10256674?utm_source=telegram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=prezident-azerbajdzh) reported. In particular, in the course of the visit will be discussed the supply of urea, which is in demand in the Israeli agriculture. Urea plant of state company Socar will become supplier for the needs of Israeli agriculture. Import of Azerbaijani oil to Israel and import of wheat will also be discussed. So far, Russia and Ukraine have accounted for 30% of all imports of this type of product to Israel.

  The scale of threats to US cybersecurity from China is "unprecedented", FBI Director Christopher Wray told CBS News' 60 Minutes. He said that since the start of the war in Ukraine, the FBI has been actively helping to combat Russian hackers, but at the same time the scale of cyber attacks from "the People's Republic of China and especially from the Chinese Communist Party" has increased dramatically. "They are targeting our innovations, our trade secrets, our intellectual property on a scale unprecedented in history. Their programme is bigger than that of any other major countries combined," he said, noting that the FBI opens new investigations related to China every 12 hours. There are already more than 2,000 of them, and the Chinese have "stolen more personal and corporate data of Americans than all countries combined."   Hackers from China are hitting e very sector of the US economy "from agriculture to aviation, from high tech...

The Japanese authorities were outraged at the comparison of Emperor Hirohito with Hitler and Mussolini in a video posted on the official Twitter of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The video, dedicated to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, contained parallels to what happened during World War II. "Putting it in the same line is completely incorrect and deeply regrettable. Through the Japanese embassy in Ukraine, we have issued a reprimand to the Ukrainian government demanding its removal," Yoshihiko Isozaki, deputy secretary-general of the Japanese cabinet, said. The video was removed, replaced by another one without the emperor's mention, and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry published an apology on its Twitter account.

Malaysian Ambassador in Moscow Bala Chandran has expressed hope that talks will start with Russia on the supply of semiconductors and electronics. He expressed confidence that "any request from the Russian side for supplies of such products would be considered", although he was not aware of any government-level talks at the moment , RIA Novosti reported (https://telp.cc/Kpg). "I am very happy that you think Malaysia could become a supplier of high-tech equipment to Russia," he said, stressing that Malaysia is "one of the largest semiconductor exporters with an annual volume of $8.7 billion and the electronics sector accounts for almost 6 per cent of Malaysia's GDP".

Turkey promotes the so-called "Hong Kong model" of reconciliation, under which Russia is offered to receive the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk and the Crimean peninsula for "long-term use". The Moscow-based Institute of the Middle East, which provides expert analytical services to Russian government agencies on Middle Eastern issues, writes about it. The reconstruction of Donetsk and Luhansk will be done at the expense of the Russian side. After a certain period of time (various periods of time are mentioned, on average 50 years), Russia will have to return these territories to Ukraine. As the Turkish side insists, this model is a win-win model for both sides of the conflict. ▪️ For Ukraine - because it will receive a Russian commitment, guaranteed by international observers, that it will get back the territories it considers its own and, as can be seen, no Ukrainian leadership will be able to retain its power by agreeing to the contrary. Thus, Ukraine wil...

"What draws attention is the insulting and inherently biased statement by Russian journalist Tigran Keosayan. His statement may reflect the views of some sections of the Russian public and political establishment, but it does not reflect the spirit and content of cooperation between our countries and existing agreements at the level of heads of state," Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aibek Smadirov told Interfax, according to. "Such statements poison the atmosphere of good-neighbourly relations and play into the hands of the opponents of the strategic partnership. I believe he will be included in the list of persons undesirable for entry into Kazakhstan," the representative of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said. In a video on his YouTube channel, Keosayan made threats against Kazakhstan over the cancellation of the May 9 parade (https://telp.cc/KXj): "Guys, did you really think that Russia will evaporate somewhere? Will it emigrate to Mars or do you think...

Experts from the Institute of Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research (IPMR) of Uzbekistan proposed organizing free English language courses. In this way, it would be easier to reorient Uzbeks to labor markets in English-speaking countries and reduce dependence on Russia, the Institute believes. "The high dependence of migrant workers' incomes on Russia (https://t.me/asian_states_in_ukrainian_crisis/801) increasingly aggravates the situation not only in the labor market, but also in the country as a whole. For these reasons, it is already necessary to consider new opportunities for labor exports," reads the publication (https://telp.cc/Kzz) on the website of the institute. Its authors point out that $5.6 billion or 70% of remittances received by Uzbekistan in 2021 came from Russia. That same year, the number of Uzbek migrant workers in Russia was 1,036,305 (according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations).   The mos t attractive destinations for the promotion...

China only pretends to be Russia's best friend, whereas it only acts in its own interests, notes Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, in an article in Kommersant. "Beijing does many things that the sanctions regime still allows it to do: it pumps gas from Russia, buys metals, oil, coal and other raw materials, and many of these goods are sold to the PRC at a substantial discount. China does not do everything that is prohibited by the sanctions: its dependence on Western markets, capital and especially technology is too great to risk access to them for the sake of the Russian market. Beijing takes into account that almost all imports (except weapons and some civil engineering products) from Russia can be bought elsewhere, and Russia is far from being the largest market for exporters," the analyst says. Gabuev notes that until the end of active hostilities and the West's subsequent rethinking of the contours of the sanctions regime, Beijing wi...

 The U.S. sees the Ukrainian conflict as a tool to push for a European-Russian clash, writes (https://telp.cc/KAg) in the Oman Daily Observer trade and economic affairs expert Murtada bin Hasan bin Ali. What does he think the Americans want? ▪️ to stop the expansion of Russia's northern pipeline to Western Europe, to find an alternative to Russian gas in preparation for a complete halt to its use ▪️ engaging the EU in war and depleting it economically and militarily to revitalize the arms market that America needs to stimulate its economy. ▪️ to stop Chinese economic expansion, which is spreading rapidly around the world. ▪️ deplete Russia in the war in Ukraine

 Pumping additional amounts of gas through the Southern Gas Corridor could make a significant contribution to Europe's efforts to diversify its sources, Nikos Tsafos, an analyst with the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Trend.az (https://telp.cc/KBc). However, it is unclear how much additional gas can be provided and within what timeframe, Tsafos said. "Perhaps there will be some measures to reduce imports from Russia, rather than stopping it completely. The loss of Russian gas would have huge consequences for Europe. In the short term, liquefied natural gas (LNG) can only make up for some of the lost volumes. Europe will have to engage in rationing to cope with a complete cessation of Russian gas supplies," the analyst added.

 Denis Gonchar, director del cuarto departamento para los países de la CEI del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores ruso, ha declarado que Rusia está pasando activamente a los acuerdos en moneda nacional con Azerbaiyán y Armenia: cerca del 30% del comercio con Bakú se realiza en rublos, y Ereván ha empezado a pagar el gas con ellos, informó RBC (https://telp.cc/KBm). Como señala Gonchar, Rusia sigue siendo uno de los principales socios económicos de Azerbaiyán y líder entre los importadores de productos petrolíferos azeríes . Subrayó que "las relaciones entre Rusia y Azerbaiyán están poco expuestas a factores externos negativos y se están adaptando rápidamente a una situación atípica".   Según el canal de Telegram Caucasian Bureau (https://t.me/Caucasian_bureau/36377), la empresa energética azerbaiyana SOCAR dijo que la información aparecida en los medios de comunicación rusos de que la empresa paga el gas ruso en rublos no es cierta.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that as a country that has been subject to unilateral sanctions for years, Iran cannot recognize similar sanctions and embargoes against other countries. Stressing that Iran is not a supporter of war, he called for an end to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, IRNA reported. The diplomat also said the US invaded Iraq "based on lies" but no country has imposed sanctions against Washington. "The US cannot be the police, judge , jury and everything else in the world," Khatibzadeh said.  

"Both sides [Russia and Ukraine] had equal opportunities to prevent war. However, both sides began to receive distorted information, and as a result the conflict began. Both sides misled the presidents," said Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov in an interview (https://telp.cc/KwS) with the Kabar news agency. According to him, "Instead of trying to stop the war, the people who threw wood on the fire are intensifying the feud. On the contrary, there would be no war if they insisted on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. It was signed not only by Russia and Ukraine, but also by Germany and France. Zhaparov stressed that his country will continue to remain neutral in the conflict: "We are a small state. We have no influence. Would they win immediately if we supported one side ?".

 SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) - South Korea's military on Monday detained a Marine who flew to Poland without authorization a month ago, apparently to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Military police captured him upon his arrival home earlier in the day, according to the Marine Corps. The man, whose name was not released to the media, left for Poland on March 21. He subsequently attempted to enter Ukraine across the Polish border, but was denied access to the war-torn country. Since then, South Korean military and diplomats tried to persuade him to return home. They were unable to force him to fly back home in a region outside South Korea's jurisdiction. "We will take stern action in accordance with law and regulations after investigating why he had left his duty area," the Marine Corps said in a statement. By law, active duty service members must obtain prior approval before traveling overseas on leave. Otherwise, they can be punished for desertion. South K...

Journey into politics: the situation in Ukraine

Belarus intends to buy some of the sanctioned goods in Uzbekistan. This was stated by Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko during a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulla Aripov in Tashkent, centralasian.org (https://telp.cc/KFv) reports.  "Under certain restrictions that exist on the part of the so-called collective West," Belarus wants to buy yarn, metal, food, fruit and vegetable products, Golovchenko noted, adding that the demand for these goods in Belarus is high and stable. Belarus intends to buy some of the sanctioned goods in Uzbekistan. This was stated by Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko during a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulla Aripov in Tashkent. "Belarus is interested [in increasing imports of goods from Uzbekistan], especially now, under certain restrictions that exist on the part of the so-called collective West. We are ready to increase the supply of Uzbek goods [to Belarus]," Golovchenko said. Prime Minister of Belaru...

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has said that the intensification of relations with the United States has nothing to do with the events in Ukraine. According to him, Kyrgyzstan is ready to sign an agreement not only with America, but also with other states.  "As a small country, we should have respectful relations with all countries. Why should we meddle in big world politics. It is ridiculous to listen when they start teaching how to conduct foreign policy to those who wander and cannot feed their families. We need to develop trade and economic ties... We need to take care of getting rid of our foreign debt and boosting our economy. That is why we need to sign economic agreements with all countries , not only the US," he told Kabar (https://telp.cc/KGX).    

 Mazhilis deputy Amanzhan Zhamalov said that after the introduction of sanctions to develop import substitution Russian business is flooded with money. Because of this, Kazakhstan's commodity producers may go bankrupt, the correspondent of Tengrinews.kz reports. "Russia has adopted an urgent package of measures to support its business and industry. Another import substitution policy has been adopted. Preferential financing is being increased. Russian business is literally being flooded with money.     On the one hand, it is good for the Kazakhstani people who will be able to buy cheap Russian goods. But on the other hand - we have our own goods and businesses in Kazakhstan, where our citizens work and receive salaries. All of them will suffer from growing Russian imports," Zhamalov pointed out in a parliamentary request to the prime minister. The MP noted that most Kazakhstani businesses have loans. If they lose market and income, they will inevitably go bank...