Turkey will not recognize Russia’s request to annex the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey has said.
“Türkiye did not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea in an illegitimate referendum in 2014 and has emphasized its strong support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty on every occasion. In accordance with this stance adopted in 2014, we reject Russia’s decision to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey said in a statement on its website.
The ministry said that this decision, which constitutes a grave violation of the established principles of international law, cannot be accepted.
“We reiterate our support to the resolution of this war, the severity of which keeps growing, based on a just peace that will be reached through negotiations,” the ministry said.
Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe will increase by 40% to 11.5 billion cubic meters in 2022, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
“In 2022, our export will reach 22 billion cubic meters, of which 11.5 billion cubic meters will be supplied to consumers in Europe. In 2021, 8.2 billion cubic meters was supplied to Europe. This means a 40% increase in the supplies in 2022,” Aliyev said at the ceremony for putting into commercial operation the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) in Sofia on Saturday.
In accordance with the agreements with the European Union, Azerbaijan plans to at least double its gas export to Europe by 2027.
For that purpose, Baku has begun consultations with its partners on the issue of expansion of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) to 32 billion cubic meters of gas a year and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to 20 billion cubic meters of gas a year, Aliyev said.
“We have already begun consultations with our partners on the expansion of the TANAP from 16 billion cubic meters to 32 billion cubic meters and the TAP from 10 billion cubic meters to 20 billion cubic meters. Because without it it will be difficult to ensure additional supplies,” the president said.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan has the capabilities to increase the gas export volumes by starting extraction at some other gas deposits.
In Ukraine on Sunday, it is expected to rain at times, at night in the western and northern regions, in the daytime on the Left Bank (except Luhansk region), in some places significant rain, in some places a thunderstorm, reports Ukrhydrometeorological center.
South wind with transition to northwest, 7-12 m/s, gusts of 15-20 m/s in the daytime on the Right Bank.
Temperature at night 9-14 °, in the daytime 13-18 ° (in the highlands of the Carpathians during the day 4-9 °); in the southern part and eastern regions at night 12-17 °, in the daytime 18-23 °, in the Crimea up to 26 °.
In Kyiv on October 2, it sometimes rains. South wind with transition to northwest, 7-12 m/s, daytime gusts of 15-20 m/s.
The temperature at night is 10-12°, during the day about 15°.
According to the Central Geophysical Observatory. Boris Sreznevsky in Kyiv on October 2, the highest temperature during the day was 26.2 ° in 1890, the lowest at night -2.5 ° in 1902.
On Monday, October 3, at times light rain, at night in most of the southern and central regions without precipitation.
Northwest wind with transition to southwest, 7-12 m/s, in Ukraine, except for the southern part, gusts of 15-20 m/s in places.
Temperature at night 3-8° warm, daytime 8-13°; in the southern and eastern parts at night 7-12 °.
In Kyiv on October 3 at night in some places, during the day light rains everywhere.
Wind northwest with transition to southwest, 7-12 m/s, gusts of 15-20 m/s in places.
Temperature at night 6-8° warm, daytime 11-13°.
The number of international travel from January to July 2022 increased to 474 million, which is almost three times more than in the same period last year, according to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“The number of international travel almost tripled from January to July 2022 (plus 172%) compared to the same period in 2021 to 474 million. This means that the industry has recovered 57% from pre-pandemic levels. A sustained recovery in international tourism is being fueled by pent-up travel demand, as well as the lifting or easing of anti-COVID restrictions,” the organization explained.
As noted in the UNWTO, as of mid-September, anti-COVID restrictions ceased to operate in 86 countries around the world.
According to the organization, 207 million international trips were made in June and July 2022, twice as many as in the same period last year. The same months account for 44% of the total number of all arrivals in seven months. Most of the trips were made in Europe – 309 million.
According to the UNWTO, international tourism in Europe and the Middle East is recovering at the fastest pace. From January to July 2022, the number of trips reached 74% and 76% of the 2019 levels, respectively.
“In seven months, the number of international trips in Europe increased by 190% compared to the same period in 2021. This is due to high demand for intra-regional travel, as well as an increase in the number of tourists from the United States. In the Middle East, in January-July 2022, the number of international arrivals almost quadrupled: in July, the number of travels exceeded the pre-pandemic level by 3%, primarily due to pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia,” the organization noted.
As for the Americas, international tourism there recovered to 65% and 60% of the 2019 level and grew by 103% and 171%, respectively, compared to January-July last year.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the number of international travel is still significantly lower (down 86%) compared to 2019. However, compared to 2021, the number of trips increased by 165%.
According to the UNWTO, some sub-regions have been able to restore international travel to 70-85% of pre-pandemic levels. Thus, the Southern Mediterranean, Europe lag behind by 15% from the pre-pandemic 2019, the Caribbean – by 18%, Central America – by 20%, Western and Northern Europe – by 26% and 27%, respectively.
The Convention on the Joint Transit Procedure (CCTP) or the so-called “customs visa-free” for Ukraine came into force on Saturday: goods are already flowing into and out of the country under such a procedure, the Ministry of Finance reported.
“Today, October 1, Ukraine entered into force and business opened up the possibility of international movement of goods with 35 other participating countries under one transit document,” the press release says.
The Ministry of Finance clarified that the first country from which the cargo was sent for delivery to Ukraine under the joint transit procedure was Germany: Ukrainian customs officers already see the T1 transit declaration in the NCTS electronic transit system and are waiting for the truck to arrive.
In Ukraine, the first transit declaration for leaving the country was also issued: according to it, the cargo now follows through Poland to Germany.
Currently, the system is also awaiting the arrival of goods at the customs office of departure and other declarations, according to which the goods will be placed under the joint transit procedure and delivered to the customs offices of destination on the territory of the countries participating in the Convention, the report says.
The Ministry of Finance recalled that in accordance with the “customs visa-free” for the delivery of goods from one country to another, a single transit document is submitted: from the customs office of departure to the customs office of destination. This speeds up the passage of customs formalities at the border and reduces the associated costs for businesses. According to the forecast of the Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union of the European Commission (DG TAXUD), Ukraine can enter the top ten countries in terms of the number of transit declarations.
“Customs is responsible for controlling the goods. We in the EU are striving to spend less time for control at the border, and more inside the country. In Ukraine, so far, most goods travel without checking inside the country – all control work takes place directly at the border. Therefore, queues form at the border. NCTS solves most of this problem: it is possible to submit a declaration to the system in advance, after checking inside the country, to put the necessary seals that are recognized in the EU. Then at the border, you only need time to read the barcode number, as it is done in a supermarket,” summed up the international expert of the Program for Public Financial Management in Ukraine (EU4PFM) Vytenis Alishauskas.
Ališauskas, CUSTOMS, customs visa-free, MINISTRY OF FINANCE, TRANSIT
On Friday, the UK announced its decision to expand sanctions against Russia in the field of IT technologies, audit services, and engineering.
The government’s message notes that, in particular, in the IT sector, consulting services for the Russian Federation will now be prohibited. It is also prohibited “to provide legal services for transactions in a number of commercial areas.” Restrictive measures apply to the advertising sector, auditing.
“The UK also bans the export to Russia of approximately 700 items of goods that are important for Russian industry and technology development,” the statement said.
It also notes that the British authorities have decided to summon Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin to the British Foreign Office.
