Negotiations are currently underway with Russia on the status of the “grain deal” after Moscow announced yesterday that it was suspending participation in it, Bloomberg reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed Turkish official.
“Negotiations with Russia on the Black Sea “grain deal” are being held on Sunday, they will continue on Monday, a representative of the Turkish authorities said,” the agency reports.
According to the source of the agency, there are grounds for optimism, despite the current situation.
He also said that ships that have reached Istanbul are being inspected, but no new ships loaded with grain are leaving Ukrainian ports at the moment.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington “strongly urges” the Russian government to resume its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and “completely comply with the agreements.”
Blinken’s statement, released by the State Department, dismisses that the failure to implement the agreement will have a direct impact on low- and middle-income countries and world food prices, as well as exacerbate humanitarian crises and food security.
Washington “urges all parties to continue this critical life-saving initiative.”
As reported, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the withdrawal of Moscow from the agreements on the export of grain from the ports of Ukraine. They claim that allegedly Ukraine, with the participation of British specialists, carried out an attack “against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian ships involved in ensuring the security of the” grain corridor “.
On July 22, representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN signed an agreement in Istanbul on the creation of a sea corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain from the ports of Chornomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny for a period of 120 days.
About 13,000 Ukrainians of Jewish origin have repatriated to Israel since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while the number of repatriates from Russia amounted to 26,000, that is, about one in eight Russian Jews left the country, writes The Guardian on Sunday.
According to the publication, another 35,000 Russians of Jewish origin are awaiting paperwork.
“The repatriation process has been expedited for Ukrainians who are classified as refugees, but unexpected demand from Russia has stunned the Jewish Agency, a quasi-state body that facilitates immigration… However, the work of the Jewish Agency is under threat. In July, the Russian Ministry of Justice recommended closing the organization,” – writes the publication.
The article notes that despite pressure from its Western allies to take a decisive stance, Israel tried to remain neutral in the Russian war in Ukraine, as it relies on Moscow to facilitate its military operations in Syria, but the threat of closing the offices of the Jewish Agency prompted the acting Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to warn that such a move would deal a serious blow to bilateral relations.
Since 1950, Israel has experienced several waves of aliyah from countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen, as well as an influx of more than 1 million people from the USSR and its independent republics after 1989. According to Ukrainian-born Knesset member Yuli Edelshtein, who spent three years in a Siberian penal colony, history repeats itself. “Danger has been a part of the Jewish experience in Russia for generations. Nobody will ever forget this… This time people leave in a hurry – they are driven by fear,” he said.
Russian citizens in Israel are still accepted as tourists. Five new private agencies have also opened to help Jewish Russians make aliyah. “Municipal administration offices across the country have seen a surge in the number of people looking for documents to support their claims of Jewish ancestry. Many of those turning to the authorities for help are mothers desperate to get their sons out of the country,” it said. in the article.
Source: http://theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/16/ukrainians-russians-jews-jewish-roots-flee-israel-aliyah
The Norwegian authorities, following Finland, are considering the possibility of closing the Russian-Norwegian border for Russian citizens to cross it against the backdrop of a full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, the country’s government said on Friday.
“If necessary, we will quickly close the border, the changes can take effect as soon as possible. Compared to Finland, fewer people arrive in Norway, and the situation is different here. Storskog is the only border crossing with Russia. We are in close dialogue with the police and customs about the situation at the border and carefully screening everyone who arrives,” Minister of Justice and Emergencies Emily Enger Mehl explained.
As noted in the government, the partial mobilization announced in Russia and a possible travel ban for Russian citizens may increase the risk of illegal border crossing by the Russian Federation against the backdrop of Russia’s escalation of military aggression in Ukraine. From Friday, police helicopters will overfly the Finnmark region. The police also control Storskog and the area beyond.
According to the Minister of Justice and Emergencies, the police helicopter is a useful tool for monitoring the border area from the Norwegian side.
The authorities also recalled that in May, Norway tightened the requirements for issuing visas to Russians, in particular, there were significantly fewer tourist visas issued.
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.
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.
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