Category: Russian Federation

MIL-OSI Analysis: Jews were barred from Spain’s New World colonies − but that didn’t stop Jewish and converso writers from describing the Americas

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Flora Cassen, Senior Faculty, Hartman Institute and Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies, Washington University in St. Louis

An auto-da-fé − a public punishment for heretics − in San Bartolome Otzolotepec, in present-day Mexico. Museo Nacional de Arte via Wikimedia Commons

Every few years, a story about Columbus resurfaces: Was the Genoese navigator who claimed the Americas for Spain secretly Jewish, from a Spanish family fleeing the Inquisition?

This tale became widespread around the late 19th century, when large numbers of Jews came from Russia and Eastern Europe to the United States. For these immigrants, 1492 held double significance: the year of Jews’ expulsion from Spain, as well as Columbus’ voyage of discovery. At a time when many Americans viewed the explorer as a hero, the idea that he might have been one of their own offered Jewish immigrants a link to the beginnings of their new country and the American story of freedom from Old World tyranny.

The problem with the Columbus-was-a-Jew theory isn’t just that it’s based on flimsy evidence. It also distracts from the far more complex and true story of Spanish Jews in the Americas.

In the 15th century, the kingdom’s Jews faced a wrenching choice: convert to Christianity or leave the land their families had called home for generations. Portugal’s Jews faced similar persecution. Whether they sought a new place to settle or stayed and hoped to be accepted as members of Christian society, both groups were searching for belonging.

Jewish religious items at the Museo Metropolitano in Monterrey, Mexico.
Thelmadatter/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

We are scholars of Jewish history and have been working on the first English translations of two texts from the 16th century. “The Book of New India,” by Joseph Ha-Kohen, and the spiritual writings of Luis de Carvajal are two of the earliest Jewish texts about the Americas.

The story of the New World is not complete without the voices of Jewish communities that engaged with it from the very beginning.

Double consciousness

The first Jews in the Americas were, in fact, not Jews but “conversos,” meaning “converts,” and their descendants.

After a millennium of relatively peaceful and prosperous life on Iberian soil, the Jews of Spain were attacked by a wave of mob violence in the summer of 1391. Afterward, thousands of Jews were forcibly converted.

Synagogue of El Tránsito, a 14th-century Jewish congregation in Toledo, Spain.
Selbymay/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

While conversos were officially members of the Catholic Church, neighbors looked at them with suspicion. Some of these converts were “crypto-Jews,” who secretly held on to their ancestral faith. Spanish authorities formed the Inquisition to root out anyone the church considered heretics, especially people who had converted from Judaism and Islam.

In 1492, after conquering the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella gave the remaining Spanish Jews the choice of conversion or exile. Eventually, people who converted from Islam would be expelled as well.

Among Jews who converted, some sought new lives within the rapidly expanding Spanish empire. As the historian Jonathan Israel wrote, Jews and conversos were both “agents and victims of empire.” Their familiarity with Iberian language and culture, combined with the dispersion of their community, positioned them to participate in the new global economy: trade in sugar, textiles, spices – and the trade in human lives, Atlantic slavery.

Yet conversos were also far more vulnerable than their compatriots: They could lose it all, even end up burned alive at the stake, because of their beliefs. This double consciousness – being part of the culture, yet apart from it – is what makes conversos vital to understanding the complexities of colonial Latin America.

By the 17th century, once the Dutch and the English conquered parts of the Americas, Jews would be able to live there. Often, these were families whose ancestors had been expelled from the Iberian peninsula. In the first Spanish and Portuguese colonies, however, Jews were not allowed to openly practice their faith.

Secret spirituality

One of these conversos was Luis de Carvajal. His uncle, the similarly named Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva, was a merchant, slave trader and conquistador. As a reward for his exploits he was named governor of the New Kingdom of León, in the northeast of modern-day Mexico. In 1579 he brought over a large group of relatives to help him settle and administer the rugged territory, which was made up of swamps, deserts and silver mines.

A statue in Monterrey, Mexico, of Luis Carvajal y de la Cueva.
Ricardo DelaG/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

The uncle was a devout Catholic who attempted to shed his converso past, integrating himself into the landed gentry of Spain’s New World empire. Luis the younger, however, his potential heir, was a passionate crypto-Jew who spent his free time composing prayers to the God of Israel and secretly following the commandments of the Torah.

When Luis and his family were arrested by the Inquisition in 1595, his book of spiritual writings was discovered and used as evidence of his secret Jewish life. Luis, his mother and sister were burned at the stake, but the small, leather-bound diary survived.

A 19th-century depiction of the execution of Luis de Carvajal the Younger’s sister.
‘El Libro Rojo, 1520-1867’ via Wikimedia Commons

Luis’ religious thought drew on a wide range of early modern Spanish culture. He used a Latin Bible and drew inspiration from the inwardly focused spirituality of Catholic thinkers such as Fray Luis de Granada, a Dominican theologian. He met with the hermit and mystic Gregorio López. He discovered passages from Maimonides and other rabbis quoted in the works of Catholic theologians whom he read at the famed monastery of Santiago de Tlatelolco, in Mexico City, where he worked as an assistant to the rector.

His spiritual writings are deeply American: The wide deserts and furious hurricanes of Mexico were the setting of his spiritual awakenings, and his encounters with the people and cultures of the emerging Atlantic world shaped his religious vision. This little book is a unique example of the brilliant, creative culture that developed in the crossing from Old World to New, born out of the exchange and conflict between diverse cultures, languages and faiths.

A glimpse of Luis de Carvajal’s spiritual writings, photographed in New York City.
Ronnie Perelis

More than translation

Spanish Jews who refused to convert in 1492, meanwhile, had been forced into exile and barred from the kingdom’s colonies.

The journey of Joseph Ha-Kohen’s family illustrates the hardships. After the expulsion, his parents moved to Avignon, the papal city in southern France, where Joseph was born in 1496. From there, they made their way to Genoa, the Italian merchant city, hoping to establish themselves. But it was not to be. The family was repeatedly expelled, permitted to return, and then expelled again.

Despite these upheavals, Ha-Kohen became a doctor and a merchant, a leader in the Jewish community – earning the respect of the Christian community, too. Toward the end of his life, he settled in a small mountain town beyond the city’s borders and turned to writing.

After a book on wars between Christianity and Islam, and another one on the history of the Jews, he began a new project. Ha-Kohen adapted “Historia General de las Indias,” an account of the Americas’ colonization by Spanish historian Francisco López de Gómara, reshaping the text for a Jewish audience.

A 1733 edition of ‘Divrei Ha-Yamim,’ Ha-Kohen’s book about wars between Christian and Muslim cultures.
John Carter Brown Library via Wikimedia Commons

Ha-Kohen’s work was the first Hebrew-language book about the Americas. The text was hundreds of pages long – and he copied his entire manuscript nine times by hand. He had never seen the Americas, but his own life of repeated uprooting may have led him to wonder whether Jews would one day seek refuge there.

Ha-Kohen wanted his readers to have access to the text’s geographical, botanical and anthropological information, but not to Spain’s triumphalist narrative. So he created an adapted, hybrid translation. The differences between versions reveal the complexities of being a European Jew in the age of exploration.

Ha-Kohen omitted references to the Americas as Spanish territory and criticized the conquistadors for their brutality toward Indigenous peoples. At times, he compared Native Americans with the ancient Israelites of the Bible, feeling a kinship with them as fellow victims of oppression. Yet at other moments he expressed estrangement and even revulsion at Indigenous customs and described their religious practices as “darkness.”

Translating these men’s writing is not just a matter of bringing a text from one language into another. It is also a deep reflection on the complex position of Jews and conversos in those years. Their unique vantage point offers a window into the intertwined histories of Europe, the Americas and the in-betweenness that marked the Jewish experience in the early modern world.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Jews were barred from Spain’s New World colonies − but that didn’t stop Jewish and converso writers from describing the Americas – https://theconversation.com/jews-were-barred-from-spains-new-world-colonies-but-that-didnt-stop-jewish-and-converso-writers-from-describing-the-americas-258278

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Students from Kazakhstan completed an internship on cross-border e-commerce in China

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — Thirty-two students from the International Kazakh-Chinese Language College recently completed a three-month internship on cross-border e-commerce at the China-Kazakhstan International Boundary Cooperation Center (ICBC) “Khorgos” in the city of the same name in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), the city’s press service said.

During the internship, students from Kazakhstan mastered the skills of presenting products live, and also learned how to manage accounts on short video platforms and cross-border logistics, and tried to present specific products to consumers in the two countries in Kazakh and Chinese.

According to Arna Alibek, one of the interns, she managed to learn how to conduct cross-border e-commerce, present products via live broadcasts, shoot videos and disseminate this knowledge in Khorgos. She added that if there was such an opportunity, she would like to go to Hangzhou, known as China’s e-commerce hub, and try to promote Kazakhstan’s products to China there.

In recent years, the fast-growing Central Asian e-commerce market has attracted increasing interest from global e-commerce merchants. For many Chinese companies looking to enter the Central Asian market, Kazakhstan is the first port of call.

In 2024, the volume of the e-commerce market in Kazakhstan reached about 3.2 trillion tenge, accounting for 14.1 percent of all retail trade in the country during the reporting period, The Tenge reports, citing a source from the Bureau of National Statistics.

In May of this year, the major Chinese online trading platform Taobao, which topped the ranking of the most downloaded mobile apps in many foreign countries, began operating in Kazakhstan, allowing consumers to receive information about products and their prices in Russian, as well as pay for purchases in the national currency, without resorting to online translators. Notably, this is the first time that Taobao has launched a multilingual app in a non-English-speaking country. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: China is ready to maintain trade and economic contacts with the US – Deputy Minister of Finance

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — China is willing to maintain economic and trade exchanges with the United States on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, so as to benefit both countries and the world, Vice Finance Minister Liao Min said in a statement released by the ministry on Friday.

Liao Min made the remarks during a meeting with Harvard University Professor Graham Allison on June 20. The two sides held an in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations, bilateral economic and trade ties, and issues of common interest.

Guided by the important agreements reached by the two heads of state, the China-US negotiating teams on trade and economic issues have reached fundamental agreement on implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during the telephone conversation on June 5 and on the framework of measures to consolidate the results of the trade and economic talks in Geneva, which has played an important role in stabilizing both China-US relations and bilateral trade and economic ties, Liao Min noted.

He stressed that China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, while at the same time being willing to maintain economic and trade contacts with the United States on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, so as to benefit both countries and the whole world.

Mr. Allison, in turn, said that relations between the US and China are one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, and it is extremely important for both sides to maintain and deepen communication.

He noted that China has made significant progress in advancing economic reforms, expanding openness and creating a fair market environment. Given the high interdependence of the US and Chinese economies, further deepening trade and economic exchanges is in the common interests of both countries and the entire world, he concluded. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Toyota Begins Construction of Electric Vehicle Plant in Shanghai

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

SHANGHAI, June 27 (Xinhua) — Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation on Friday began construction of a plant to produce Lexus brand electric vehicles in Shanghai, east China.

The new plant, located in Shanghai’s Jinshan District and also including a battery development and production base, will roll out its first vehicles as early as 2027, with an initial production capacity of 100,000 units per year.

Jiang Juwang, director of the Jinshan District Investment Promotion Office, said that although Jinshan is not an auto hub, the fact that it is located in the geometric center of the Yangtze River Delta allows it to bring together component suppliers, research and development centers and auto companies based in Shanghai.

This “one-hour supply chain radius” enables Toyota to make local purchases for key production processes, Jiang Juwang said.

Remarkably, the entire process from the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement between the Shanghai government and Toyota on April 22 to the start of construction of the plant took just over two months. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: One killed, 11 injured in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIRUT, June 27 (Xinhua) — One woman was killed and 11 others were injured on Friday when an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment in the Lebanese city of Nabatieh, the local Public Health Emergency Operations Center said in a statement.

The Israeli attack was the second largest on Nabatiyeh since a ceasefire agreement ended fighting last November, the National News Agency reported.

The current airstrikes began on Friday at around 11:00 local time, targeting the heights of Kfar Tebnit, Upper Nabatieh and Kfar Remen, in the area of former Israeli military outposts. Warplanes reportedly carried out more than 20 strikes within 15 minutes.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Why energy markets fluctuate during an international crisis

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Skip York, Nonresident Fellow in Energy and Global Oil, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Stock and commodities traders found themselves dealing with various price swings as energy markets responded to Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Imagesf

Global energy markets, such as those for oil, gas and coal, tend to be sensitive to a wide range of world events – especially when there is some sort of crisis. Having worked in the energy industry for over 30 years, I’ve seen how war, political instability, pandemics and economic sanctions can significantly disrupt energy markets and impede them from functioning efficiently.

A look at the basics

First, consider the economic fundamentals of supply and demand. The risk most people imagine in the current crisis between Israel, the U.S. and Iran is that Iran, which is itself a major oil-producing country, might suddenly expand the conflict by threatening the ability of neighboring countries to supply oil to the world.

Oil wells, refineries, pipelines and shipping lanes are the backbone of energy markets. They can be vulnerable during a crisis: Whether there is deliberate sabotage or collateral damage from military action, energy infrastructure often takes a hit.

For instance, after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Iraqi forces placed explosive charges on Kuwaiti oil wells and began detonating them in January 1991. It took months for all the resulting fires to be put out, and millions of barrels of oil and hundreds of millions of cubic meters of natural gas were released into the environment – rather than being sold and used productively somewhere around the world.

Scenes of Kuwaiti life during and after the Gulf War of 1990 and 1991 include images of oil wells burning as a result of Iraqi sabotage.

Logistics can mess markets up too. For instance, closing critical maritime routes like the Strait of Hormuz or the Suez Canal can cause transportation delays.

Whether supply is lost from decreased production or blocked transportation routes, the effect is less oil available to the market, which not only causes prices to rise in general, but it also makes them more volatile – tending to change more frequently and by larger amounts.

On the flip side, demand can also shift radically. During the 1990-1991 Gulf War, demand rose: U.S. forces alone used more than 2 billion gallons of fuel, according to an Army analysis. By contrast, during the COVID-19 pandemic, industries shut down, travel came to a halt and energy demand plummeted.

When crisis looms, countries and companies often start stockpiling oil and other raw materials rather than buying only what they need right now. That creates even more imbalance, resulting in price volatility that leaves everyone, both consumers and producers, with a headache.

Regional considerations

In addition to uncertainties around market fundamentals, it’s important to note that many of the world’s energy reserves are located in regions that have not been models of stability. In the Middle East, wars, revolutions and diplomatic disputes there can raise concerns about supply, demand or both.

Those worries send shock waves through the world’s energy markets. It’s like walking on a tightrope: One wrong move – or even the perception of a misstep – can make the market wobble.

Governments’ economic sanctions, such as those restricting trade with Iran, Russia or Venezuela, can distort production and investment decisions and disrupt trade flows. Sometimes markets react even before sanctions are officially in place: Just the rumor of a possible embargo can cause prices to spike as buyers scramble to secure resources.

In 2008, for example, India and Vietnam imposed rice export bans, and rumors of additional restrictions fueled panic buying and nearly doubled prices in months.

In those scrambles, the role of investor speculation enters the picture. Energy commodities, such as oil and gas, aren’t just physical resources; they’re also traded as financial assets like stocks and bonds. During uncertain times, traders don’t wait around for actual changes in supply and demand. They react to news and forecasts, sometimes in large groups, which can shift the market just with the actions that result from their fears or hopes.

The events on June 22, 2025, are a good example of how this dynamic works. The Iranian parliament passed a resolution authorizing the country’s Supreme Council to close the Strait of Hormuz. Immediately, oil prices started rising, even though the strait was still open, with oil tankers steaming through unimpeded.

The next day, Iran launched a missile strike on Qatar, but coordinated in advance with Qatari officials to minimize damage and casualties. Traders and analysts perceived the action as a de-escalatory signal and anticipated that the Supreme Council was not going to close the strait. So prices started to fall.

It was a price roller coaster, fueled by speculation rather than reality. And computer algorithms and artificial intelligence, which assist in making automated trades, only add to the chaos of price changes.

Shipping activity in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz decreased after Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

A broader look

International crises can also cause wider changes in countries’ economies – or the global economy as a whole – which in turn affect the energy market.

If a crisis sparks a recession, rising inflation or high unemployment, those tend to cause people and businesses to use less energy. When the underlying situation stabilizes, recovery efforts can mean energy consumption resumes. But it’s like a pendulum swinging back and forth, with energy markets caught in the middle.

Renewable energy is not immune to international crisis and chaos. The supply is less affected by market forces: The amount of available sunlight and wind isn’t tied to geopolitical relations. But overall economic conditions still affect demand, and a crisis can disrupt the supply chains for the equipment needed to harness renewable energy, like solar panels and wind turbines.

It’s no wonder energy markets are so jittery during international crises. A mix of imbalances between supply and demand, vulnerable infrastructure, political tensions, corporate worries and speculative trading all weave together into a complex web of volatility.

For policymakers, investors and consumers, understanding these dynamics is key to navigating the ups and downs of energy markets in a crisis-prone world. The solutions aren’t simple, but being informed is the first step toward stability.

Skip York is a nonresident fellow for Global Oil and Energy with the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. He also is the Chief Energy Strategist at Turner Mason & Company, an energy consulting firm.

– ref. Why energy markets fluctuate during an international crisis – https://theconversation.com/why-energy-markets-fluctuate-during-an-international-crisis-259839

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Seven killed, 16 injured in road crash in central Philippines

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

MANILA, June 27 (Xinhua) — Seven people were killed and 16 others were injured when a mini dump truck crashed in Silay, central Philippines’ Negros Occidental province, on Friday morning, local authorities said.

All the deceased worked in the city administration. The accident occurred when they were returning from an environmental event.

Authorities say the driver apparently lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle then rolled over.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The number of private sector businesses is growing in China

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — The number of private sector businesses in China reached 185 million by the end of May, up 2.3 percent year on year, official data showed Friday.

According to the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China, the private sector, which includes private enterprises and sole proprietors, accounted for 96.76 percent of the total number of business entities in the country.

The number of private enterprises has exceeded 58 million, up 5.2 percent year-on-year. These enterprises have been steadily increasing investment in technological innovation and actively developing strategic new industries such as new energy and high-tech mechanical engineering, becoming a key pillar of industrial modernization and stable economic growth.

The number of individual entrepreneurs by the end of May this year increased by 1% year-on-year to 127 million. The department noted that flexible and diverse business models in the areas of retail, catering and household services make it possible to meet the diverse needs of the population.

In 2024, private enterprises accounted for more than half of China’s foreign trade and tax revenue, and more than 80 percent of urban employment. More importantly, they play a major role in strengthening the country’s innovation capacity, accounting for more than 70 percent of technological achievements.

To optimize the private sector development environment, ensure fair market competition, and promote the growth of both the private economy and entrepreneurs, China passed the Law on Encouraging the Development of the Private Sector earlier this year. The law strengthens legal guarantees and gives new impetus to the key driver of the world’s second-largest economy. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: China’s cultural industry revenue hits record high in 2024

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — Revenues of major enterprises in China’s cultural and related industries are set to hit a record high in 2024, official data showed Friday.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of China, the total income of such enterprises for the period was 19.14 trillion yuan (about 2.67 trillion US dollars), which is 7.1 percent more than a year earlier.

The GSU data showed that all nine major sectors of the cultural industry achieved significant revenue growth in 2024. In particular, the cultural media production, news and information services, content creation and creative design services sectors saw rapid revenue growth of 11.2 percent, 8.6 percent, 8.4 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively, year-on-year.

According to the NBS, the cultural industry revenue in the eastern and central regions of the country was 14.18 trillion yuan and 2.87 trillion yuan, up 7.8 percent and 7.3 percent year on year, respectively, higher than the national average.

In 2024, the above-mentioned enterprises invested 162.5 billion yuan in R&D, up 1.7 percent year-on-year. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 28, 2025
Ukraine calls for EU sanctions on Bangladeshi entities for import of ‘stolen grain’

Source: Government of India

Source: Government of India (4)

Ukraine plans to ask the European Union to sanction Bangladeshi entities it says are importing wheat taken from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, after its warnings to Dhaka failed to stop the trade, a top Ukrainian diplomat in South Asia said.

Russian forces have occupied large parts of Ukraine’s southern agricultural regions since 2014 and Kyiv has accused Russia of stealing its grain even before the 2022 invasion. Russian officials say there is no theft of grain involved as the territories previously considered part of Ukraine are now part of Russia and will remain so forever.

According to documents provided to Reuters by people familiar with the matter, the Ukraine Embassy in New Delhi sent several letters to Bangladesh’s foreign affairs ministry this year, asking them to reject more than 150,000 tonnes of grain allegedly stolen and shipped from Russian port of Kavkaz.

Asked about the confidential diplomatic communication, Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, said Dhaka had not responded to the communication and Kyiv will now escalate the matter as its intelligence showed entities in Russia mix grain procured from occupied Ukrainian territories with Russian wheat before shipping.

“It’s a crime,” Polishchuk said in an interview at Ukraine’s embassy in New Delhi.

“We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures.”

Ukraine’s diplomatic tussle with Bangladeshi authorities has not been previously reported.

The Bangladesh and Russian foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

A Bangladeshi food ministry official said Dhaka bars imports from Russia if the origin of the grain is from occupied Ukrainian territory, adding that the country imports no stolen wheat.

Amid the war with Russia, the agricultural sector remains one of the main sources of export earnings for Ukraine, supplying grain, vegetable oil and oilseeds to foreign markets.

In April, Ukraine detained a foreign vessel in its territorial waters, alleging it was involved in the illegal trade of stolen grain, and last year seized a foreign cargo ship and detained its captain on similar suspicions.

The EU has so far sanctioned 342 ships that are part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which the bloc says enable Moscow to circumvent Western restrictions to move oil, arms and grain. Russia says Western sanctions are illegal.

‘NOT DIAMONDS OR GOLD’

A Ukraine official told Reuters Ukrainian law prohibits any voluntary trade between Ukrainian producers, including grain farmers in the occupied territories, and Russian entities.

The Ukraine Embassy has sent four letters to Bangladesh’s government, reviewed by Reuters, in which it shared vessel names and their registration numbers involved in the alleged trade of moving the grain from the Crimean ports of Sevastopol and Kerch, occupied by Russia since 2014, and Berdiansk, which is under Moscow’s control since 2022, to Kavkaz in Russia.

The letters stated the departure and tentative arrival dates of the ships that left from Kavkaz for Bangladesh between November 2024 and June 2025.

The June 11 letter said Bangladesh can face “serious consequences” of sanctions for taking deliveries of “stolen grain”, and that such purchases fuel “humanitarian suffering.”

The sanctions “may extend beyond importing companies and could also target government officials and the leadership of ministries and agencies who knowingly facilitate or tolerate such violations,” the letter added.

In a statement to Reuters, Anitta Hipper, EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the vessels in question were not currently subject to any restrictive measures.

The sanctions regime was designed to act against activities that undermine the food security of Ukraine including transportation of “stolen Ukrainian grain” and “any proven involvement of vessels in shipping stolen Ukrainian grain could provide the basis for future restrictive measures,” she added.

The Russia-controlled territories, excluding Crimea, accounted for about 3% of the total Russian grain harvest in 2024, according to Reuters’ estimates based on official Russian data. Russian grain transporter Rusagrotrans says Bangladesh was the fourth largest buyer of Russian wheat in May.

Ambassador Polishchuk told Reuters their intelligence shows Russia mixes its grain with that from occupied Ukrainian territories to avoid detection.

A Russian trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that when the grain is loaded for export at a Russian port, it is very difficult to track its origin.

“These are not diamonds or gold. The composition of impurities does not allow for identification,” the person said.

(Reuters)

June 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: How New Regional Pipeline Deals are Driving Africa’s Energy Future

Three significant developments in Africa’s energy landscape made headlines this past month: the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) reached 60% completion, the Republic of Congo finalized a pipeline cooperation agreement with Russia, and Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea signed a deal to advance a joint natural gas pipeline. These milestones underscore increasing momentum behind transnational pipeline projects in Africa, which are not only critical to unlocking hydrocarbon value chains, but also pivotal to industrial growth, regional cooperation and efforts to end energy poverty.

With African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies set to take place in Cape Town from September 29 to October 3, recent advances in the midstream sector underscore the growing role of large-scale infrastructure in securing Africa’s energy future. AEW 2025 will provide a platform to unpack how strategic partnerships and regional integration can transform pipelines from isolated projects into engines of inclusive development.

EACOP: Connecting Uganda to Global Markets

The 1,443-km EACOP is set to link Uganda’s oil fields in the Lake Albert region to the port of Tanga in Tanzania, facilitating the export of up to 246,000 barrels per day. With 60% of the project now completed – including land acquisition, environmental approvals and construction – EACOP is on track to become the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world.

More than just a logistical asset, EACOP represents a critical economic corridor. It is expected to generate thousands of jobs, stimulate local content and unlock ancillary infrastructure such as roads, storage facilities and power lines. By enabling Uganda to monetize its crude reserves, the pipeline also enhances fiscal revenues that can be reinvested into energy access, education and healthcare. At AEW 2025, stakeholders will explore how flagship projects like EACOP can be used as case studies for balancing investment, environmental responsibility and community development, while ensuring African nations retain sovereignty over their resources.

Russia-Congo Deal: A New Axis in Pipeline Diplomacy

Just days after the EACOP update, Russia ratified a bilateral agreement with the Republic of Congo for the construction of the Pointe-Noire-Loutete-Maloukou-Trechot oil pipeline. The agreement lays the groundwork for joint efforts in planning, financing, construction and operation of the pipeline, set to be completed in three years. The move strengthens energy ties between the two countries and opens the door for Russian investment in Congo’s midstream sector, potentially accelerating the development of critical infrastructure needed to monetize and export the country’s hydrocarbon resources.

It also signals a shift in Africa’s external energy partnerships, with Congo turning to non-Western allies to build out its infrastructure and secure long-term offtake agreements. It reinforces the idea that diversified geopolitical engagement can help African nations close the infrastructure gap faster, provided partnerships are structured transparently and with shared development objectives. As African countries look to strengthen global cooperation, AEW 2025 will offer a space to evaluate new alliances, discuss risk-sharing mechanisms and align infrastructure development with continental priorities under the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Nigeria-Equatorial Guinea: A Boost for West African Gas Integration

A recent agreement between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, signed on June 18, aims to fast-track the development of a joint natural gas pipeline, designed to increase cross-border gas trade and support export capacity. This project is expected to deepen energy cooperation between the two countries, facilitate access to cleaner fuels and contribute to the diversification of energy sources in the region. It also exemplifies how collaborative infrastructure development can unlock new economic opportunities, stimulate investments and enhance regional energy security.

Midstream infrastructure companies are also stepping up efforts to improve regional gas trade and distribution. The West African Gas Pipeline Company, backed by Chevron among other shareholders, operates a vital pipeline that transports Nigerian gas to Benin, Togo and Ghana. This pipeline supports power generation and industrial use across multiple West African countries and plays a key role in diversifying the regional energy mix and promoting cross-border gas trade. Meanwhile, the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investments Company, which manages the Mozambique-South Africa Gas Pipeline, recently opened a new office in Maputo, aiming to strengthen regional gas connectivity and market integration.

Pipelines and the Fight Against Energy Poverty

While Africa accounts for 17% of the global population, it accounts for just 3.3% of global power generation. Energy poverty remains a major constraint on industrialization, education, healthcare and entrepreneurship. Pipelines, by moving fuel to where it is needed most – across borders and into domestic markets – can help address this imbalance.

“In addition to exporting crude, new pipelines have the potential to deliver LPG and natural gas to underserved regions, reducing dependence on biomass and accelerating the shift toward cleaner household and industrial energy,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber, adding that coordinated planning between countries can ensure pipelines are multi-purpose and scalable, with clear economic multipliers for local populations.

“AEW 2025 will shine a light on the role of pipelines in achieving universal energy access, examining regulatory frameworks, project finance models and technology solutions that can make these developments more inclusive and efficient,” he notes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

AEW: Invest in African Energies
AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

MIL OSI Africa –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese FM to visit EU headquarters, Germany, France, hold high-level dialogues

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the headquarters of the European Union (EU) from June 30 to July 6 to hold the 13th round of China-EU strategic dialogue, visit Germany to hold the 8th round of China-Germany strategic dialogue on diplomacy and security, and visit France to attend talks with the French Foreign Minister and a meeting of the China-France high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

During his stay in Brussels, Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, will meet and hold talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevost, respectively, according to the ministry’s statement.

The department added that Wang Yi will make the relevant visits at the invitation of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. -0-

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Analysis: Poland, divided between Trump and the EU

Source: The Conversation – France – By Jacques Rupnik, Directeur de recherche émérite, Centre de recherches internationales (CERI), Sciences Po

Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office with Donald Trump on May 25th 2025, ten days before the first round of the Polish presidential election. It is very rare for a sitting US president to receive a candidate in a foreign election.
White House X account

Nawrocki’s narrow victory (50.89%) over Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw and candidate of the government coalition, illustrates and reinforces the political polarisation of Poland and the rise of the populist “Trumpist” right in Central and Eastern Europe. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, there has been much speculation about whether Europe’s geopolitical centre of gravity is shifting eastwards. The Polish election seems to confirm that the political centre of gravity is shifting to the right.

A narrow victory

We are witnessing a relative erosion of the duopoly of the two major parties, Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS), whose leaders – the current Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, and Jarosław Kaczyński respectively – have dominated the political landscape for over twenty years.

Kaczyński’s skill lay in propelling a candidate with no responsibilities in his party, who was little known to the general public a few months ago, and, above all, who is from a different generation, to the presidency (a position held since 2015 by a PiS man, Andrzej Duda). Nawrocki, a historian by training and director of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, has helped shape PiS’s memory policy. He won the second round, despite his troubled past as a hooligan, by appealing to voters on the right.

In the first round, he won 29.5% of the vote, compared to Trzaskowski’s 31.36%, but the two far-right candidates, Sławomir Mentzen (an ultra-nationalist and economic libertarian) and Grzegorz Braun (a monarchist, avowed reactionary, and anti-Semite), won a total of 21% of the vote. They attracted a young electorate (60% of 18–29-year-olds), who overwhelmingly transferred their votes to Nawrocki in the second round.

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Despite a high turnout of 71% and favourable votes from the Polish diaspora (63%), Trzaskowski was unable to secure enough votes from the first-round candidates linked to the governing coalition, including those on the left (who won 10% between them) and the centre-right (Szymon Hołownia’s Third Way movement, which won 5% in the first round).

A Tusk government struggling to implement its programme

There are two Polands facing each other: the big cities, where incomes and levels of education are higher, and the more rural small towns, which are more conservative on social issues and more closely linked to the Catholic Church.
The themes of nationhood – Nawrocki’s campaign slogan was “Poland first, Poles first” – family, and traditional values continue to resonate strongly with an electorate that has been loyal to PiS for more than twenty years. The electoral map, which shows a clear north-west/south-east divide, is similar to those of previous presidential elections and even echoes the partition of Poland at the end of the eighteenth century. The PiS vote is strongest in the part of the country that was under Russian rule until 1918. A more traditional Catholicism in these less developed regions, coupled with a strong sense of national identity, partly explains these historical factors.

The economic explanation for the vote is unconvincing. Over the past 25 years, Poland has undergone tremendous transformation, driven by steady economic growth. GDP per capita has risen from 25% to 80% of the EU average, although this growth has been unevenly distributed. Nevertheless, a relatively generous welfare state has been preserved.

Clearly, however, this growth, driven by investment from Western Europe (primarily Germany) and European structural funds (3% of GDP), does not provide a sufficient electoral base for a liberal, centrist, pro-European government.

It is precisely the government’s performance that may hold the key to Trzaskowski’s failure. Having come to power at the end of 2023 with a reformist agenda, Donald Tusk’s government has only been able to implement part of its programme, and it is difficult to be the candidate of an unpopular government. Conversely, the governing coalition has been weakened by the failure of its candidate.

The main reason for the stalling of reforms is the presidential deadlock. Although the president has limited powers, he countersigns laws and overriding his veto requires a three fifth majority in parliament, which the governing coalition lacks.

The president also plays a role in foreign policy by representing the country, and above all by appointing judges, particularly to the Supreme Court. This has hindered the judicial reforms expected after eight years of PiS rule. It is mainly in this area that Duda has obstructed progress. The election of Nawrocki, who is known for his combative nature, suggests that the period of cohabitation will be turbulent.

What are the main international implications of Nawrocki’s election?

Donald Tusk is now more popular in Europe than in Poland; in this respect, we can speak of a “Gorbachev syndrome”. In Central Europe, the Visegrad Group (comprising Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia) is deeply divided by the war in Ukraine, but it could find common ground around a populist sovereignty led by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. Orbán was the first to congratulate Nawrocki on his victory, followed by his Slovak neighbour Robert Fico. The Czech Republic could also see a leader from this movement come to power if Andrej Babiš wins the parliamentary elections this autumn. Nawrocki would fit right into this picture.

Since Donald Tusk returned to power, particularly during Poland’s EU presidency, which ends on 30 June, the focus has been on Poland’s “return” to the heart of the European process. Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and Poland’s pivotal role in coordinating a European response, the Weimar Group (comprising Paris, Berlin, and Warsaw) has emerged as a key player. Three converging factors have made this possible: the French president’s firm stance toward Russia; the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, breaking a few taboos on defence and budgetary discipline; and Donald Tusk, the former president of the European Council, regaining a place at the heart of the EU that his predecessors had abandoned. A framework for a strategic Europe was taking shape.

However, President Nawrocki, and the PiS more generally, are taking a different approach to the EU: they are positioning themselves as Eurosceptic opponents defending sovereignty. They are playing on anti-German sentiment by demanding reparations 80 years after the end of the Second World War and asserting Poland’s sovereignty in the face of a “Germany-dominated Europe”. The Weimar Triangle, recently strengthened by the bilateral treaty between France and Poland signed on 9 May 2025, could be weakened on the Polish–German flank.

As a historian and former director of the Second World War Museum in Gdansk and the Institute of National Remembrance, Nawrocki is well placed to exploit this historical resentment. He has formulated a nationalist memory policy centred on a discourse of victimhood, portraying Poland as perpetually under attack from its historic enemies, Russia and Germany.

While there is a broad consensus in Poland regarding the Russian threat, opinions differ regarding the government’s desire to separate the traumas of the past, particularly those of the last war, from the challenges of European integration today.

Memory issues also play a prominent role in relations with Ukraine. There is total consensus on the need to provide military support to Ukraine, under attack: this is obvious in Poland, given its history and geography – defending Ukraine is inseparable from Polish security. However, both Nawrocki and Trzaskowski have touched upon the idea that Ukraine should apologise for the crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists during the last war, starting with the massacre of more than 100,000 Poles in Volyn (Volhynia), north-western Ukraine) by Stepan Bandera’s troops.

Alongside memory policy, Nawrocki and the PiS are calling for the abolition of the 800 zloty (190 euros) monthly allowance paid to Ukrainian refugees. Poland had more than one million Ukrainian workers prior to the war, and more than two million additional workers have arrived since it started, although around one million have since relocated to other countries, primarily Germany and the Czech Republic.

Prior to the second round of the presidential election, Nawrocki readily signed the eight demands of the far-right candidate Sławomir Mentzen, which included ruling out Ukraine’s future NATO membership. Playing on anti-Ukrainian (and anti-German) sentiment, alongside Euroscepticism and sovereignty, is one of the essential elements of the new president’s nationalist discourse.

A Central and Eastern European Trumpism?

Certain themes of the Polish election converge with a trend present throughout Central and Eastern Europe. We saw this at work in the Romanian presidential election, where the unsuccessful far-right nationalist candidate, George Simion, came to Warsaw to support Nawrocki, just as the winner, the pro-European centrist Nicușor Dan, lent his support to Trzaskowski. Nawrocki’s success reinforces an emerging “Trumpist” movement in Eastern Europe, with Viktor Orbán in Budapest seeing himself as its self-proclaimed leader. A year ago, Orbán coined the slogan “Over there (in the United States), it’s MAGA; here, it will be MEGA: Make Europe Great Again”. The “Patriots for Europe” group, launched by Orbán last year, is intended to unify this movement within the European Parliament.

American conservative networks, through the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a gathering of international hard-right figures, and the Trump administration are directly involved in this process. Shortly before the presidential election, Nawrocki travelled to Washington to arrange a photo opportunity with Trump in the Oval Office.

Most notably, two days before the election, Kristi Noem, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, was dispatched on a mission to Poland. Speaking at the CPAC conference in Rzeszów, she explicitly linked a vote for Nawrocki to US security guarantees for Poland:

“If you (elect) a leader that will work with President Donald J. Trump, the Polish people will have a strong ally that will ensure that you will be able to fight off enemies that do not share your values. […] You will have strong borders and protect your communities and keep them safe, and ensure that your citizens are respected every single day. […] You will continue to have a U.S. presence here, a military presence. And you will have equipment that is American-made, that is high quality.”

“Fort Trump”, that is how the outgoing President Andrzej Duda named the US military base financed by Poland after a bilateral agreement was signed with Donald Trump during his first term in office, in 2018. Similarly, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the President of the European Commission accusing her of applying “double standards”, pointing out that EU funds had been blocked when the PiS was in power, and claiming that European money had been used to influence the outcome of the Polish presidential election in favour of Trzaskowski. The letter was posted online on the State Department website. Prioritising the transatlantic link at the expense of strengthening Europe was one of the issues at stake in the Warsaw presidential election.

CPAC is playing a significant role in building a Trumpist national-populist network based on rejecting the “liberal hegemony” established in the post-1989 era, regaining sovereignty from the EU, and defending conservative values against a “decadent” Europe. Beyond the Polish presidential election, the goal seems clear: to divide Europeans and weaken them at a time when the transatlantic relationship is being redefined.

Jacques Rupnik ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Poland, divided between Trump and the EU – https://theconversation.com/poland-divided-between-trump-and-the-eu-260007

MIL OSI Analysis –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: What do future IT specialists want: results of a survey by VK and HSE

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

According to the survey, 8 out of 10 school graduates prepare for admission on their own, 69% participate in specialized Olympiads for this purpose, and 60% study in additional courses. Most respondents are convinced that studying at a university should give them the skills necessary for a career (82%) and, as a result, they expect to become sought-after specialists (75%).

When choosing a university, applicants focus on the prestige of the educational institution (76%), the availability of programs in the chosen specialty (74%) and the demand for graduates in the labor market (73%).

63% of respondents expect to continue their education in a master’s program, and 20% – on the employer’s side. After completing their studies, every second respondent (51%) plans to develop IT products and technologies, 18% – to create their own startup, and 9% – to engage in science and research. A fifth of respondents (21%) have not decided on their career plans before enrolling.

Prospective students choose a specialty based on their personal interest in a specific area (79%), the prospects of the field (68%), and the potential for high income from work in this field (55%). The most popular IT areas among the surveyed applicants were artificial intelligence (67%), data analysis (55%), IT infrastructure development (44%), information systems development (41%), and systems programming (37%).

More than half of future IT specialists (52%) are convinced that basic knowledge in AI is necessary regardless of their training profile. Among specific AI specialties, applicants named machine learning (67%), generative AI (55%), computer vision (42%), intelligent systems (35%) and natural language processing (34%) as the most interesting. The list of in-demand specializations among applicants also included recommender systems (29%) and ethical aspects and regulation of AI (17%).

The survey was conducted in June 2025 among 1.3 thousand applicants planning to enroll in IT programs.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of UK Ambassador to ASEAN in Jakarta: Helen Fazey

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Change of UK Ambassador to ASEAN in Jakarta: Helen Fazey

Ms Helen Fazey has been appointed the United Kingdom Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta.

Ms Helen Fazey has been appointed the United Kingdom Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, in succession to Ms Sarah Tiffin.

Ms Fazey will take up her appointment during August 2025.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Helen Mary Fazey

Year	Role
2024 to 2025	FCDO, Deputy Head of Department, Lebanon and Syria
2023 to 2024	Amman, Deputy Head of Mission
2022	FCDO, Deputy Director, Ukraine/Russia Contingency Planning
2020 to 2021	Yerevan, Chargé d’affaires
2016 to 2020	Kyiv, Deputy Head of Mission
2012 to 2015	Jakarta, Counsellor (ASEAN and Regional Security)
2011	FCO, Libya Unit
2008 to 2010	FCO, Western Balkans Department
2005 to 2008	Tripoli, Second Secretary (Political)
2004	Kirkuk, Civil Society Officer (Coalition Provisional Authority), later Second Secretary (Northern Iraq)
2003 to 2004	FCO, Conflict Prevention Department
2002 to 2003	FCO, Near East and North Africa Department
2002	Joined FCO

Media enquiries

Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7008 3100

Email the FCDO Newsdesk (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

Published 27 June 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

June 27, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: The 16th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee closed in Beijing

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — The 16th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) of China concluded in Beijing on Friday.

At the final meeting, the revised Law on Penalties for Violating Public Order and the Law on Combating Unfair Competition were adopted by vote.

The meeting also decided to remove Miao Hua from his position as a member of the Central Military Commission.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The first train on the China-Europe route departed from Ordos to Moscow

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

The first China-Europe train departed from Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, via the Alashankun border crossing to Moscow, carrying high-quality goods from local and surrounding regions. The train departed from Xinjuyuan Railway Station in Ordos.

The total value of container cargo on this train was 13.21 million yuan. The successful launch of this train has created an efficient and stable logistics “corridor” for enterprises in Ordos and surrounding areas to connect them with the key market of Russia, further enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of regional cross-border trade.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Global energy system interconnection standards published to promote green energy

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) — A set of global energy grid interconnection standards covering wind, photovoltaic and pumped storage power plants was released in Beijing on Friday, laying a solid foundation for the global development of clean energy and the integration of transnational power grids.

At a launch event in the Chinese capital, the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) unveiled seven standards in areas such as new-generation power system planning, clean energy resource assessment and cross-border power grid interconnectivity.

In addition, the standards cover technical requirements for connecting photovoltaic and wind power plants to the power grid, testing of alternating current electrical equipment during commissioning, and technical conditions for automatic control systems for pumped storage units.

Speaking at the event, GEIDCO Chairman Xin Bao’an said the standards integrate achievements and innovative practices in energy and electricity technologies from China and other countries. He called them a milestone in the global development of clean energy and the integration of transnational power grids.

By filling the gap in relevant international standards, these innovations will play an important role in accelerating the construction of global energy system interconnection and promoting international cooperation in energy transformation, said Xin Bao’an, also head of the China Federation of Electric Power Enterprises.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai confers decoration on former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Ohashi Mitsuo

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Details
2025-06-25
President Lai meets Japan’s former Economic Security Minister Kobayashi Takayuki
On the afternoon of June 25, President Lai Ching-te met with Kobayashi Takayuki, Japan’s former economic security minister and a current member of the House of Representatives. In remarks, President Lai expressed hope to combine the strengths of the democratic community to build resilient, reliable non-red supply chains, and ensure a resilient global economy and sustainable development. He also expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan can bring about the early signing of an economic partnership agreement (EPA), and that Japan will continue supporting Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), enhancing our own bilateral partnership, as doing so would create win-win situations and further contribute to regional economic security and stability. The following is a translation of President Lai’s remarks: I welcome Representative Kobayashi back to Taiwan for another visit after seven years. During his last visit, he was with a delegation from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Youth Division, and we met at the Executive Yuan. I am very happy to see him again today. Representative Kobayashi has long paid close attention to matters involving economic security, technological innovation, and aerospace policy. He also made a stunning debut in last year’s LDP presidential election, showing that he is truly a rising star and an influential figure in the political sphere. With this visit, Representative Kobayashi is demonstrating support for Taiwan with concrete action, which is very meaningful. Taiwan and Japan are both part of the first island chain’s key line of defense. We thank the many Japanese prime ministers, including former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as current Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, for the many times they have highlighted the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at important international venues, and for expressing opposition to the use of force or coercion to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. I hope that Taiwan and Japan can engage in more cooperation and exchanges to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region in all aspects. In particular, China in recent years has been actively expanding its red supply chains, which threaten the global free trade system and advanced technology markets. Taiwan hopes to combine the strengths of the democratic community to build resilient, reliable non-red supply chains. In the semiconductor industry, for example, Taiwan has excellent advanced manufacturing capabilities, while Japan plays an important role in materials, equipment, and key technologies. I am confident that, given the experience that Taiwan and Japan have in cooperating, we can build an industrial supply chain composed of democratic nations to ensure a resilient global economy and sustainable development. I hope that Taiwan and Japan can bring about the early signing of an EPA in order to deepen our bilateral trade and investment exchanges and cooperation. I also hope that Japan will continue supporting Taiwan’s bid to join the CPTPP, enhancing our own bilateral partnership, as doing so would create win-win situations and further contribute to regional economic security and stability. Taiwan and Japan are democratic partners that share the values of freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights. I firmly believe that so long as we work together, we can certainly address the challenges posed by authoritarianism, and bring prosperity and development to the Indo-Pacific region. In closing, I welcome Representative Kobayashi once again. I am certain that this visit will help enhance Taiwan-Japan exchanges and deepen our friendship. Representative Kobayashi then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for taking the time to meet with him, and noting that this was his second visit to Taiwan following a trip seven years prior, when he came with his good friend from college and then-Director of the LDP Youth Division Suzuki Keisuke, now Japan’s minister of justice. Representative Kobayashi mentioned a Japanese kanji that he is very fond of – 絆 (kizuna) – which means “deep ties of friendship.” He emphasized that a key purpose of this visit to Taiwan was to reiterate the deep ties of friendship between Taiwan and Japan. In addition to deep historical ties, he said, Taiwan and Japan also enjoy a like-minded partnership in terms of economic, personnel, and friendship-oriented exchanges. He went on to say that at the strategic level, Taiwan and Japan also have deep ties of friendship, and that for Japan, it is strategically important that Taiwan not be isolated under any circumstances. Representative Kobayashi emphasized that cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, and even cooperation among Taiwan, Japan, and the United States, are more important now than ever, and that another important focus of this visit is the non-red supply chains referred to earlier by President Lai. He said that as Japan’s first economic security minister and the person currently in charge of the LDP’s policy on economic security, he is acutely aware of the important impact of economic security on national interests, and therefore looks forward to further exchanging views regarding Taiwan’s concrete steps to build non-red supply chains. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Deputy Representative Takaba Yo.

Details
2025-06-16
President Lai meets delegation led by Representative Bera, co-chair of US Congressional Taiwan Caucus
On the morning of June 16, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Representative Ami Bera, co-chair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus. In remarks, President Lai thanked the representatives in Congress for actively voicing support for Taiwan and proposing numerous Taiwan-friendly initiatives to strengthen Taiwan-US ties, helping expand Taiwan’s international space and continuing to place focus on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The president said that we will continue to strengthen bilateral investment and industrial cooperation and create a more comprehensive environment for economic and trade exchanges to jointly enhance economic and developmental resilience. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I am delighted to meet with the delegation and welcome Congressman Bera back to the Presidential Office. Last January, he visited after the presidential election, demonstrating the steadfast backing of the US Congress for democratic Taiwan. This time, as head of a delegation of new members of the House Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, he is continuing to foster US congressional support for Taiwan. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a sincere welcome to Congressman Bera and all our esteemed guests. Over the years, staunch bipartisan US congressional backing of Taiwan has been a key force for steadily advancing our bilateral relations. I thank the representatives in Congress for actively voicing support for Taiwan and proposing numerous Taiwan-friendly initiatives, thereby strengthening Taiwan-US ties, helping expand Taiwan’s international space, and continuing to place focus on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. I want to emphasize that Taiwan has an unwavering determination to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Over the past year, the government and private sector have been working together to enhance Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense resilience and accelerate reform of national defense. The government is also prioritizing special budget allocations to ensure that our defense budget exceeds three percent of GDP this year. I hope that Taiwan-US security cooperation will evolve beyond military procurement to a partnership that encompasses joint research and development and joint production, further strengthening cooperation and exchange in the defense industry. Regarding industrial exchanges, last month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) each visited Texas to see firsthand Taiwan-US collaboration in AI and semiconductors. And the delegation led by Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) sent by Taiwan to this year’s SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC, was again the largest of those attending. All of this demonstrates Taiwan’s commitment to working alongside the US to create mutual prosperity. In the future, we will continue to strengthen bilateral investment and industrial cooperation. And I hope that the legislation addressing the issue of Taiwan-US double taxation will become law this year. I want to thank Congressman Bera for co-leading a joint letter last November signed by over 100 members of Congress calling for such legislation. I believe that by creating a more comprehensive environment for economic and trade exchanges, Taiwan and the US can enhance economic and developmental resilience. In closing, I thank you all for making the long journey here to advance Taiwan-US relations. Let us continue working together to promote the prosperous development of this important partnership. Congressman Bera then delivered remarks, saying that on behalf of the delegation, it is an honor for him to be here once again, it being last January that he and Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart visited and congratulated President Lai on his election victory, noting that theirs was the first congressional delegation to do so. Congressman Bera said that this is an important time, not just for the US and Taiwan relationship, but for all relationships around the world. When we look at conflicts in Europe and in the Middle East, he said, it is incumbent upon democracies to hold the peace in Asia. He emphasized that is why it is important for them to bring a delegation of members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee, adding that he believes for all of them it is their first trip to Taiwan. Congressman Bera said that while this is a delegation of Democratic members of Congress, in a bipartisan way all of Congress continues to support the people of Taiwan. As such, in this visit he brings support from his co-chairs on the Taiwan caucus, Congressman Díaz-Balart and Congressman Andy Barr. He also took a moment to recognize the passing of Congressman Gerald Connolly, who was a longtime friend of Taiwan and one of their co-chairs on the caucus. Congressman Bera mentioned that there is always a special bond between himself and President Lai because they are both doctors, and as doctors, their profession is about healing, keeping the peace, and making sure everybody has a bright, prosperous future. In closing, he highlighted that it is in that spirit that their delegation visits with the president. The delegation also included members of the US Congress Gabe Amo, Wesley Bell, Julie Johnson, Sarah McBride, and Johnny Olszewski.

Details
2025-06-13
President Lai meets delegation led by French National Assembly Taiwan Friendship Group Chair Marie-Noëlle Battistel
On the morning of June 12, President Lai Ching-te met a delegation led by Marie-Noëlle Battistel, chair of the French National Assembly’s Taiwan Friendship Group. In remarks, President Lai thanked the National Assembly for its long-term support for Taiwan’s international participation and for upholding security in the Taiwan Strait, helping make France the first major country in the world to enact legislation to uphold freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait. The president also said that exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and France are becoming more frequent, and that he hopes this visit by the Taiwan Friendship Group will inject new momentum into Taiwan-France relations and help build closer partnerships in the economy, trade, energy, and digital security. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: First, I would like to welcome Chair Battistel, who is once again leading a visiting delegation. Last year, Chair Battistel co-led a delegation to attend the inauguration ceremony for myself and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao. This is her fourth visit, and first as chair of the Taiwan Friendship Group, which makes it especially meaningful. This delegation’s visit demonstrates strong support for Taiwan, and on behalf of the people of Taiwan, I want to express my sincerest welcome and thanks. France is a pioneer in promoting free and democratic values. These are values that Taiwan cherishes and is working hard to defend. I want to express gratitude to the French Parliament for their long-term support for Taiwan’s international participation, and for upholding security in the Taiwan Strait. The French Parliament’s two chambers have continued to strongly support Taiwan, with the passage of a resolution supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations in 2021, as well as the passage of the seven-year Military Programming Law in 2023. This has made France the first major country in the world to enact legislation to uphold freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait. Through it all, the Taiwan Friendship Group has played a key role, and I want to thank all of our distinguished guests for their efforts. Over the past few years, Taiwan and France have continued to deepen cooperation in areas including the economy, technology, culture, and sports. At the Choose France summit held in Paris last month, Taiwanese and French enterprises also announced they will launch cooperation in the semiconductor and satellite fields. The VivaTech startup exhibition, now being held in France, also has many Taiwanese vendors participating. Exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and France, whether official or people-to-people, are becoming more and more frequent. I hope that this visit by the Taiwan Friendship Group will inject new momentum into Taiwan-France relations, building closer partnerships in the economy, trade, energy, and digital security. To address current geopolitical and economic challenges, Taiwan will continue to join forces with France and other like-minded countries to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and contribute our concerted efforts to global prosperity and development. Once again, I want to welcome our visitors to Taiwan. I hope to continue our joint efforts to create a more prosperous future for both Taiwan and France. Chair Battistel then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for extending this invitation. Last year on May 20, she said, she and her delegation attended the presidential inauguration ceremony, so she was delighted to visit Taiwan once again with the French National Assembly’s Taiwan Friendship Group and bear witness to their friendship with Taiwan. Chair Battistel noted that this visit has given them an opportunity to strengthen Taiwan-France relations in areas including the economy, culture, the humanities, and diplomacy, and conduct exchanges with numerous heads of government agencies and research institutes. It has also been an opportunity, she said, to witness the importance of exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan in areas including energy, semiconductors, youth, and culture, and the impact created by important issues of mutual concern, including AI and disinformation, on the security of many countries. Chair Battistel praised Taiwan for its youth development efforts, and said that under the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative, 30 Taiwanese young people have embarked on a visit to France, with itineraries including the United Nations Ocean Conference and the VivaTech exhibition, as well as the city of Toulouse, which is strategically important for the aerospace industry. Members of the group are also conducting exchanges at the French National Assembly, she said. Chair Battistel stated that the Taiwan-France partnership is growing closer, and that she hopes to continue to strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation, as supporting peace for Taiwan supports peace around the world. The delegation also included Taiwan Friendship Group Vice Chair Éric Martineau, as well as National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs Vice Chair Laetitia Saint-Paul and Deputies Marie-José Allemand and Claudia Rouaux. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by French Office in Taipei Deputy Director Cléa Le Cardeur.

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2025-06-05
President Lai hosts state banquet for President Bernardo Arévalo of Republic of Guatemala
At noon on June 5, President Lai Ching-te hosted a state banquet at the Presidential Office for President Bernardo Arévalo of the Republic of Guatemala and his wife. In his remarks, President Lai noted that Taiwan and Guatemala have both undergone an arduous democratization process, and therefore, in face of the continuous expansion of authoritarian influence, must join hands in brotherhood and come together in solidarity to safeguard our hard-earned freedom and democracy. President Lai also expressed hope that both countries will work together and continue to deepen various exchanges and cooperation, taking a friendship that has lasted over 90 years to new heights. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: Once again, I would like to offer a warm welcome to President Arévalo and First Lady Lucrecia Peinado, who are leading this delegation to Taiwan. President Arévalo’s previous visit to Taiwan was 31 years ago. Back then, Taiwan did not have direct presidential elections, and the nation was continuing to make progress toward democratization. Today, 31 years later, Taiwan has conducted direct presidential elections eight times, with three transfers of power between political parties. On this visit, I am sure that President Arévalo will gain a deep appreciation for Taiwan’s free and democratic atmosphere. Taiwan and Guatemala have both undergone an arduous democratization process. A little over 200 years ago, the people of Guatemala took a stand against colonial oppression, seeking national dignity and the freedom of its people. Eighty-one years ago, President Arévalo’s father, Juan José Arévalo, became Guatemala’s first democratically elected president, establishing an important foundation for subsequent democratic development. Our two peoples have democracy in their blood. Both know the value of freedom and democracy and are willing to take a stand for those values. Therefore, in face of the continuous expansion of authoritarian influence, our two countries must join hands in brotherhood to respond to threats and challenges, and come together in solidarity to safeguard our hard-earned freedom and democracy. I hope that both countries will work together to continue to deepen various exchanges and cooperation, taking a friendship that has lasted over 90 years to new heights. I hope that on this visit, in addition to gaining a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s political, economic, and social development, President Arévalo can also reacquaint himself with the democratic vitality and cultural diversity of Taiwan by sampling various gourmet delicacies and once again experiencing the beauty of our scenery and warmth of our people. Guatemala is a very beautiful country. In the future, I hope to have a chance to personally experience that beauty, explore Mayan civilization, and savor local Guatemalan coffee. In closing, I wish the visiting delegation a smooth and successful trip, and beautiful, unforgettable memories. May President Arévalo enjoy the best of health, and may the diplomatic friendship between our two countries endure. President Arévalo then delivered remarks, stating that at different times and by different means, the people of Taiwan and Guatemala have relentlessly sought to defend freedom and democracy. We share the same expectations, he said, and are walking the right path amid today’s complex international circumstances. President Arévalo stated that Taiwan and Guatemala are true democratic nations, where the government’s goal is to serve all the people. He noted that this is far from easy under current circumstances, as many authoritarian regimes use their long-term hold on power to safeguard the interests of select groups and neglect the wellbeing of the population as a whole. President Arévalo said that last week Guatemala commemorated the 40th anniversary of its constitution, which was enacted in 1985 and is Guatemala’s ultimate guide, setting the foundation for democracy and clearly outlining the path ahead. He said that over the past 40 years, Guatemala has continued to follow the democratic blueprint established by the constitution and end the civil war so that the nation could make the transition to real democracy. Although more than a few ambitious people have attempted to destroy that process from within, he noted, the people of Guatemala have never given up the pursuit of democracy as an ideal. President Arévalo stated that our two sides’ coming together here is due to such shared values as freedom and democracy as well as the idea of serving all the people. He underlined that the governments of both countries will continue to work hard and provide mutual support to smooth out each other’s path of democracy, freedom, and justice. President Arévalo emphasized that the government of Guatemala will always be Taiwan’s ally, and that he firmly believes Taiwan is Guatemala’s most reliable partner on the path of democracy and economic prosperity and development. The president said he hopes this visit will be the first step towards setting a new course for the governments and peoples of both countries. Also in attendance at the banquet were Guatemala Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ramiro Martínez, Minister of the Economy Gabriela García, and Guatemala Ambassador Luis Raúl Estévez López.

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2025-06-05
President Lai welcomes President Bernardo Arévalo of Republic of Guatemala with military honors
On the morning of June 5, President Lai Ching-te welcomed with full military honors President Bernardo Arévalo of the Republic of Guatemala and his wife, who are leading a delegation of cabinet members visiting Taiwan for the first time, demonstrating the deep and enduring alliance between our nations. In remarks, President Lai noted that over the past few years, bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and Guatemala has grown closer and more diverse, and said that moving forward, based on a foundation of mutual assistance for mutual benefit, we will continue to promote programs in line with international trends, spurring prosperity and development in both our nations. The military honors ceremony began at 10:30 a.m. in the Entrance Hall of the Presidential Office. After a 21-gun salute and the playing of the two countries’ national anthems, President Lai and President Arévalo each delivered remarks. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: Today, President Arévalo and First Lady Lucrecia Peinado are leading a delegation of cabinet members visiting Taiwan for the first time, demonstrating the deep and enduring alliance between our nations. On behalf of the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I want to extend my sincerest welcome. Last year, our two countries celebrated the 90th anniversary of diplomatic ties, providing mutual support all along the way. Especially over the past few years, bilateral cooperation has grown closer and more diverse. We have a long record of remarkable results, whether in terms of medicine and public health, education and culture, technological cooperation, or economic and trade exchanges. Moving forward, based on a foundation of mutual assistance for mutual benefit, Taiwan and Guatemala will continue to promote programs in line with international trends. We will continue to strengthen exchange and cooperation for young people, as well as scholarship programs, and actively cultivate high-tech and information and communications technology industry talent, spurring prosperity and development in both our nations. Although separated by a great distance, the peoples of both countries are closely connected by their ideals and values. I am confident that with President Arévalo’s support, bilateral exchanges and cooperation will become closer and more diverse, beginning a very promising new chapter. I wish the visiting delegation a smooth and successful trip. President Arévalo then delivered remarks, saying that on behalf of the government and people of Guatemala, he is honored to visit the Republic of China (Taiwan), this beautiful nation, and to receive full military honors, which reflects the mutual respect between our two nations as well as our solid friendship. Especially as this state visit comes as we celebrate 90 years of formal diplomatic ties, he said, he has brought the foreign minister, economics minister, private secretary to the president, and social communication secretary as members of his delegation, in the hope of our ties embarking on a new chapter. President Arévalo said that Guatemala-Taiwan ties have in recent years been growing steadily on a foundation of mutual understanding and cooperation, making significant progress, and that our peoples have also cultivated sincere friendships and cooperative relationships across many fields. Our nations are especially promoting public health, education, agricultural technology, and infrastructure, he said, key fields which are conducive to economic and social development. He expressed his hope that on such good foundations of the past, we can further strengthen our bilateral ties for the future. President Arévalo stated that through this state visit they not only want to reaffirm the good bilateral ties between our nations, but that they also hope to define a trajectory for the future of our cooperation in the direction of expanding economic cooperation, building economic and trade alliances, and facilitating investment to foster a Taiwan-Guatemala relationship that benefits both peoples. He then expressed gratitude to the people of Taiwan for helping Guatemala over the past 90 years and reaffirmed the unwavering support of Guatemala for the Republic of China (Taiwan). On the occasion of this visit, he said, he hopes to extend a friendly hand to the people of Taiwan, adding that he looks forward to our nations continuing to take major steps forward on the road of mutual assistance and prosperity. Also in attendance at the welcome ceremony were Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman, and members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan.

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2025-05-20
President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era. The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: GUU presented its experience in implementing supplementary education programs at the IV Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

On June 26, 2025, the IV Eurasian Economic Forum ended in Minsk. As part of the business program, Rector of the State University of Management Vladimir Stroyev spoke at the session “Labor migration as a resource for sustainable economic growth of the EAEU member states: creating conditions for attracting and developing qualified and scientific specialists within the EAEU” with a report “Experience in implementing additional professional education programs in the EAEU space”.

In his speech, Vladimir Stroyev emphasized the importance of creating a common educational space for training management personnel capable of working effectively in the context of integration processes. Particular attention was paid to the activities of the scientific and educational consortium “Eurasian Network University” (ENU), which unites 39 universities from seven countries of the Eurasian space. The State University of Management, as one of the initiators of the consortium, is actively involved in the development and implementation of joint educational programs aimed at improving the qualifications of civil servants and business representatives.

In 2024, with the support of Rossotrudnichestvo, 324 quotas were allocated for training in additional professional education programs. The geography of students covered five EAEU countries, including the Republic of Belarus, where 260 students were trained, the Kyrgyz Republic – 37 students, the Republic of Kazakhstan – 10 students, Armenia – 5 students. Among the key programs is “Strategic Planning and Macroeconomic Forecasting: Theoretical Foundations and Practice of the EAEU”, developed jointly with experts from the Belarusian State University of Economics, the Kyrgyz University of Economics named after M. Ryskulbekov and the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The final event of the Forum was the plenary session “Strategy for Eurasian Economic Integration: Results and Prospects” with the participation of the heads of state of the EAEU member states. During the discussion, issues of digitalization of customs procedures, development of transport infrastructure and harmonization of approaches to labor migration were considered. The participants of the meeting noted the importance of continuing work to deepen economic cooperation.

The State University of Management continues to expand partnerships and introduce innovative training formats that meet the challenges of the time. The experience of the State University of Management in implementing international educational projects confirms its role as a leading university in training managers for the Eurasian space.

Photos from the photo bank of the official website of the EEC.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: REPORT on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on North Macedonia – A10-0118/2025

Source: European Parliament

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on the 2023 and 2024 Commission reports on North Macedonia

(2025/2021(INI))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of North Macedonia, of the other part [1],

– having regard to North Macedonia’s application for membership of the European Union, submitted on 22 March 2004,

– having regard to the European Council decision of 16 December 2005 to grant North Macedonia EU candidate country status,

– having regard to the European Council conclusions of 19-20 June 2003, including the annex thereto entitled ‘The Thessaloniki agenda for the Western Balkans: Moving towards European integration’,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 September 2021 establishing the Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance (IPA III)[2],

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1449 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 on establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans [3],

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 February 2020 entitled ‘Enhancing the accession process – A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020)0057),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 8 November 2023 entitled ‘2023 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy’ (COM(2023)0690), accompanied by the Commission staff working document entitled ‘North Macedonia 2023 Report’ (SWD(2023)0693),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 8 November 2023 entitled ‘New growth plan for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2023)0691),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 20 March 2024 on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews (COM(2024)0146),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 24 July 2024 entitled ‘2024 Rule of Law Report’ (COM(2024)0800), accompanied by the Commission staff working document entitled ‘2024 Rule of Law Report – Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in North Macedonia’ (SWD(2024)0830),

– having regard to the Commission communication of 30 October 2024 entitled ‘2024 Communication on EU enlargement policy’ (COM(2024)0690), accompanied by the Commission staff working document entitled ‘North Macedonia 2024 Report’ (SWD(2024)0693),

– having regard to the Reform Agenda of North Macedonia as approved by the Commission under the Reform and Growth Facility on 23 October 2024,

– having regard to the declarations of the EU-Western Balkans summits of 13 December 2023 and of 18 December 2024 in Brussels as well as the declarations of the EU-Western Balkans summits held in Sofia, Zagreb and Brdo pri Kranju in 2018, 2020 and 2021 respectively, and the Declaration on the Common Regional Market and the Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans agreed on 10 November 2020 at the Sofia Summit within the Berlin Process,

– having regard to the Council conclusions of 18 July 2022 on Enlargement – North Macedonia and Albania and the Council conclusions on Enlargement of 17 December 2024,

– having regard to the final report of 23 September 2024 of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Election Observation Mission on North Macedonia’s presidential election on 24 April 2024 and parliamentary elections on 8 May 2024,

– having regard to the Berlin Process launched on 28 August 2014,

– having regard to the Treaty of friendship, good neighbourliness and cooperation between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, signed on 1 August 2017 and ratified in January 2018;

– having regard to the Final Agreement for the settlement of the differences as described in the United Nations Security Council resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), the termination of the Interim Accord of 1995, and the establishment of a strategic partnership between Greece and North Macedonia, agreed on 17 June 2018, also known as the Prespa Agreement,

– having regard to the joint staff working document entitled ‘Objectives and Indicators to frame the implementation of the Gender Action Plan III (2021-25)’ (SWD(2020)0284) accompanying the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 25 November 2020 entitled ’EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III – An ambitions vision for gender equality and women’s empowerment in EU external action (JOIN(2020)0017), as well as the Country Level Implementation Plan (CLIP) for North Macedonia,

– having regard to the 2023 European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) Report on North Macedonia, adopted on 29 June 2023 and published on 20 September 2023,

– having regard to the declaration and joint recommendations adopted at the 23rd meeting of the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, held on 27 and 28 February 2025 in Skopje,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on North Macedonia, and in particular its resolution of 24 October 2019 on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania [4],

– having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

– having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (A10-0118/2025),

A. whereas North Macedonia has held EU candidate country status since 2005 and successfully completed the screening process in December 2023;

B. whereas the aspirations of citizens of North Macedonia to become part of the EU have led to progress in terms of democracy and socio-economic reforms, while the EU accession process continues to experience regrettable delays for various reasons;

C. whereas the EU has mobilised approximately EUR 210 million in macro-financial assistance loans since 2020, aimed at stabilising the Macedonian economy, aiding its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating its reform progress;

D. whereas North Macedonia is a partner that is aligned with the EU’s common foreign and security policy in the vast majority of cases and has played a constructive role in the region; whereas North Macedonia’s recent abstention from United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-11/7 of 24 February 2025 on Ukraine and its co-sponsorship of an alternative resolution led by the United States indicates an unexpected and regrettable shift in its foreign policy alignment;

E. whereas North Macedonia participates in EU military crisis management operations, including EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

F. whereas the Council reached new conclusions in July 2022 which mean that North Macedonia needs to adopt the outstanding constitutional changes, in line with its commitments, so that the opening phase of accession negotiations can be completed immediately;

G. whereas the geopolitical changes, the war in Ukraine, disinformation and misinformation have a strong impact on all European countries, both politically and economically;

H. whereas North Macedonia remains a target of foreign malign influence operations, including efforts to fracture the country’s social fabric and weaponise anti-EU sentiment, notably via Serbian-language tabloids and media outlets, which function as regional amplifiers of Kremlin narratives and enjoy considerable influence; whereas North Macedonia expelled 13 Russian diplomats between 2018 and 2023 for activities incompatible with their diplomatic status, suggesting an ongoing presence of covert influence networks; whereas China has sought to expand its influence through information control, investment diplomacy and coercive clauses in infrastructure loan agreements;

I. whereas North Macedonia’s authorities have proposed solutions for constitutional change that did not meet the conditions of the July 2022 Council conclusions;

J. whereas any accession country is expected to respect democratic values, the rule of law and human rights, and to abide by EU law;

K. whereas the Council has not excluded unequivocally the adoption of further new conditions for the starting of accession negotiations;

L. whereas the EU has consistently demonstrated its recognition of the Macedonian language and identity;

1. Reiterates its full support for North Macedonia’s continued and persistent commitment to join the EU and for the necessary transformative changes that are required to fulfil the accession criteria; commends the country’s commitment to European integration and encourages continued efforts in advancing EU-aligned reforms, despite the challenges and setbacks that have tested the patience and trust of the Macedonian society;

2. Underlines that EU accession remains a matter of political will in fulfilling the criteria and implementing the commitments undertaken, in terms of both making the necessary reforms and adopting the necessary constitutional amendments;

3. Recalls the need to maintain the momentum and credibility of the EU integration process; notes that North Macedonia continues to demonstrate commitment to EU integration and alignment with EU policies; calls for the swift advancement of accession negotiations, while noting the importance of adopting the constitutional amendments; urges the European Council to signal, publicly and unequivocally, that the Council intends to swiftly and unconditionally take the positive decision to enter into the next phase of accession negotiations with North Macedonia once the conditions of its conclusions of 18 July 2022 have been fulfilled, while fully respecting the Macedonian language and identity; encourages all political parties in North Macedonia to engage in constructive dialogue to achieve the necessary consensus on these amendments, which would strengthen the country’s multi-ethnic character and accelerate its progress towards EU membership; believes that strengthening the links between the multiple ethnicities is essential for improving social cohesion and ensuring more effective governance; calls on the Member States, the Council and the Commission to safeguard the predictability and credibility of the accession process, also with a view to maintaining popular support for accession in enlargement countries;

4. Welcomes the successful completion of the screening process for North Macedonia at the end of 2023; encourages North Macedonia to adopt the constitutional amendments that the country committed to making and implementing, as required by the Council, in order for the accession negotiation process to proceed;

5. Commends the commitment of the Macedonian people to EU integration and the support they show to this project two decades on from starting the process; urges the Commission to do the utmost to help the authorities of North Macedonia accomplish the necessary steps before entering into the next negotiation phase as well as further along the negotiation process, to help deliver on the expectations of citizens and the country and to explore all measures for gradual integration into the EU structures, thus increasing trust in the EU and its democratic values;

6. Recalls that the accession process should not be used to settle bilateral disputes, obstruct merit-based progress on the European path or outweigh the broader strategic interests of the Union, but that such disputes must rather be addressed through open dialogue and genuine cooperation; underlines that accession negotiations should follow a clear path, guided by objective criteria and solely based on merit and the fulfilment of the accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria), which require in-depth reforms across fundamental areas, as well as the presence of stable institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and the protection of minorities;

7. Affirms the importance of unequivocally recognising and respecting the Macedonian language and identity as an integral part of the nation’s heritage and constitutional order, but also of European values; notes that the European institutions, in country reports and official documents, consistently refer to the Macedonian language in line with international recognition and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement; reaffirms that the respect for linguistic, cultural and national identity is a fundamental component of the EU accession process and a cornerstone of democratic societies which will be further affirmed with the accession to the family of European nations;

8. Repeats its calls for the EU’s capacity to act to be enhanced through a reform of its decision-making, including through the introduction of qualified majority voting on the intermediate steps in the accession process, in particular at the start of negotiations and the opening and closing of individual negotiating clusters and chapters;

9. Welcomes the new Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans which will provide EUR 750 million in grants and loans to North Macedonia when it meets the conditions set out in its Reform Agenda; welcomes, in this context, the excellent and ambitious Reform Agenda, which sets clear, transparent goals and targets, and calls on the authorities to focus on its rigorous implementation; underlines the need to focus on incentivising reforms and reinforcing economic stability as well as on public administration, governance, the rule of law and the fight against corruption, decarbonisation and the green transition, digitalisation, connectivity and human capital development, while addressing social challenges;

10. Notes the funds being received by North Macedonia from individual Member States and the good cooperation between them; warns however about strengthening alliances with illiberal regimes;

11. Commends North Macedonia on its continued commitment to the EU integration process and regrets the delays in the accession process; welcomes the stability of and encourages continued efforts to secure interethnic relations and the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement;

12. Encourages North Macedonia to achieve tangible results in complying with the EU’s expectations under the negotiating framework and the Council conclusions of July 2022, including relevant constitutional changes, in line with the country’s commitments;

13. Urges North Macedonia to intensify efforts to strengthen the rule of law and judicial independence, including in judicial appointments and the functioning of the Judicial Council, to counter corruption, reform its public administration and improve the transparency and concentration of media ownership; encourages further implementation of systemic measures to ensure transparency and efficiency in governance;

14. Expresses its profound sorrow and heartfelt solidarity following the tragic Kočani nightclub fire that led to the death of more than 50 young people and injuries to more than 150 others and offers its condolences to the victims and their families; commends the rapid use of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the help provided by the Member States to save as many lives as possible; commends neighbouring and EU countries, in particular Greece and Bulgaria, for the immediate support and solidarity they showed and the medical treatment they provided to victims;

Functioning of democratic institutions

15. Notes that, while democratic institutions in North Macedonia function satisfactorily, political polarisation remains a major stumbling block to necessary reforms; calls on the political parties represented in the country’s parliament to work together to reach an agreement on those reforms;

16. Welcomes the adoption of new rules of procedure by the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia (Sobranie), facilitated by the European Parliament within the framework of the Jean Monnet Dialogue; stresses, however, that persistent political polarisation continues to delay important reforms and appointments; emphasises that cross-party collaboration and an improved political climate remain vital to accelerate the implementation of EU-related reforms and strengthen democratic institutions;

17. Notes with concern that about half of all laws enacted by the Sobranie in 2023 were approved through shortened procedures; calls on the Sobranie to improve its legislative planning, coordination and quality through proper consultation procedures and parliamentary oversight, in particular with a view to the conclusions of the Jean Monnet Dialogue and to avoid fast-track procedures;

18. Stresses that, while the 2024 parliamentary and presidential elections were competitive, and democratic and amendments to the Electoral Code have been made, comprehensive electoral reform is still needed; calls strongly for the implementation of the outstanding recommendations made by the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission through an inclusive revision of the Electoral Code, while underlining the importance of insulating future electoral processes from malign foreign interference and information manipulation, including through the adoption of robust cybersecurity and online campaign transparency rules;

19. Calls for improved regulation of the financing of political parties and campaigns, including measures to increase transparency regarding the funds and expenses of political parties; urges a revision of the rules on state advertising in commercial media and paid political advertisement; emphasises the need for functioning oversight mechanisms to ensure integrity in party financing and for equal and adequate media access for political parties and independent candidates;

20. Calls for the continued modernisation of a merit-based public administration, addressing systemic challenges of politicisation, strengthening transparent recruitment processes, and reforming local self-government to provide better social services for citizens and to develop tailor-made local and regional development strategies; urges the authorities to step up their efforts and adopt and implement the necessary legislation with a view to improving public trust in the administration and fostering a resilient and capable public service that can effectively respond to contemporary challenges and serve the needs of the community; commends the 2023-2030 public administration strategy and the related action plan for 2023-2026 adopted in July 2023; acknowledges that they cover all relevant reform areas and set out a clear baseline, objectives and targets, thus identifying crucial policy challenges; regrets, however that the implementation rate remains low;

21. Calls for further steps to ensure the systemic accountability of public institutions through meaningful and public stakeholder consultations, including with regard to the implementation of the Reform Agenda, and to provide feedback from the consultations conducted; commends the law on general administrative procedures that is providing for simplification, but strongly recommends that it be implemented systematically across the administration;

22. Urges the authorities of North Macedonia to refrain from opaque, politicised dismissals from, and appointments to, positions within independent bodies and agencies, as well as to ensure that the institutions are adequately funded and that decisions and recommendations are implemented consistently; notes with regret the continued lack of progress in strengthening the office of the Ombudsman;

Media and civil society

23. Welcomes North Macedonia’s steady progress in assuring media freedom; recalls however, the need for continued reforms to ensure an independent and resilient media landscape, including reforming the legal framework governing online and offline media to align fully with the European Media Freedom Act [5], addressing persistent challenges in media ownership transparency, digital media disclosure and media concentration; underlines the need for media reform that prioritises anti-concentration measures to safeguard journalistic integrity; emphasises the urgent need to counter malign foreign influence in the media landscape, including disinformation disseminated by actors linked to Russia and China;

24. Calls on the authorities to adopt a legal framework that effectively protects journalists, human rights defenders, environmental activists and other stakeholders from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), and to implement the provisions of the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive [6];

25. Urges the authorities to ensure full transparency and unimpeded access to information for citizens;

26. Notes with concern the reinstatement of government advertising in commercial media in North Macedonia; stresses the heightened risk of this measure opening the media market to disruption and undue political influence, thus endangering media independence and media pluralism; reiterates its calls for the comprehensive reform of the rules governing state financing and political party advertising in the media, noting the lack of transparency, the ongoing misuse of state funds for political advertising, and the continued risk of compromising media independence through opaque funding mechanisms; calls strongly for these reforms to be adopted and implemented before the local elections planned for autumn 2025;

27. Underlines the need to strengthen the independence and capacity of the media regulator, the public service broadcaster and the regulator of electronic communication;

28. Encourages action to enhance the editorial and financial independence, impartiality and professionalism of public service broadcasters and media regulators, while noting the continued delay in appointing key oversight bodies and the need for comprehensive modernisation efforts; calls for stricter transparency and ownership rules to expose covert influence, including foreign-sponsored media content, and for the establishment of mechanisms to identify and disrupt coordinated foreign disinformation networks;

29. Notes that certain Chinese diplomatic entities have financed paid content and opinion pieces in Macedonian media outlets without clear labelling; recalls that a 2023 analysis found that Russian state-affiliated actors had used Serbian media proxies to disseminate narratives hostile to NATO and to claim that the EU is pressuring North Macedonia to ‘abandon its identity’;

30. Expresses concern over the ongoing threats and attacks against independent journalists and media professionals, including misogynistic online harassment targeting women journalists, often targeting those reporting on the rule of law, corruption and justice; welcomes the assignment of a dedicated prosecutor to monitor these attacks on journalists and oversee the establishment of cyberbullying reporting mechanisms; calls for stronger measures to protect media professionals from physical and non-physical threats, harassment and the inappropriate use of language by public figures;

31. Encourages North Macedonia to continue the efforts to combat hate speech in all of its forms and targeting all groups, to proactively prevent and thoroughly investigate all instances of hate speech, hate crimes and intimidation, systematically prosecute related attacks, with a view to achieving convictions and ensuring the safety and security of their targets, such as journalists, people belonging to minorities, communities such as Bulgarians, and other vulnerable groups;

32. Expresses concern about the rise in hate speech and growing threats from disinformation in online media, over which the national Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services has no regulatory authority; calls for strengthened measures to support investigative journalism, fact-checking capabilities and media literacy and to improve the legal framework and interinstitutional capacity in order to combat hate speech, disinformation and foreign interference; is concerned by widespread disinformation campaigns which call into question democratic values and the country’s goal of EU membership; calls, in this regard, for the support of the EU institutions to help the country mitigate these malicious effects; welcomes civil society initiatives promoting media fact-checking, digital literacy in schools and the combating of the spread of hate speech, and notes that nearly 50 % of the citizens of North Macedonia have adopted false narratives about international events, particularly regarding the war in Ukraine, underscoring the urgency of reinforcing societal resilience against malign information manipulation;

33. Underlines that civil society is vital in fostering democracy and pluralism and promoting good governance and social progress; welcomes the country’s vibrant and constructive civil society, which plays a very crucial and positive role in the reform process, and recalls that further efforts are needed to ensure inclusive, timely and meaningful consultation and transparency, as well as formal mechanisms for cooperation; welcomes, against this backdrop, the recent initiation of the process for re-establishing the Council for Cooperation with and Development of the Civil Society Sector and calls for enhanced cooperation between the government and civil society, especially in mitigating the implications for civil society of the recent ‘freeze’ of US Agency for International Development (USAID) funds; notes that, while civil society organisations operate in an overall enabling environment, legal and financial frameworks need to be implemented to ensure that their public funding is increased and that public funding mechanisms are transparent; is concerned about reports of an increase in hostile statements towards civil society and encourages the Ministry of Internal Affairs to work with civil society organisations to develop a security protocol for human rights defenders to ensure their protection against threats from non-state actors; calls strongly for further enhancement of the role of civil society by ensuring that it continues to be meaningfully included in the decision-making process and by consulting the Venice Commission before adopting future legislation related to non-governmental organisations (NGOs);

Fundamental rights

34. Commends North Macedonia for ratifying most international human rights instruments; expresses concern, however, about the level of implementation, the lack of progress in gender equality, the rise of anti-gender movements and the increase in their influence, which have a negative impact on legislative and policymaking processes; urges the government to fully implement the Istanbul Convention; calls on the authorities to adopt the new Law on Gender Equality and to strengthen formal government structures designed to promote gender equality and improve the status and rights of women at all levels, as well as to ensure the effective implementation of the gender equality strategy and the national action plan, notably by ensuring adequate funding, enhancing interinstitutional coordination and aligning national policies with the EU acquis;

35. Urges the authorities to ensure the full and effective implementation of the existing legal framework for the protection of victims of gender-based and domestic violence, by allocating sufficient budgetary resources for prevention, and by improving access to support services, protection mechanisms and the enforcement of legally guaranteed social and economic rights of survivors; notes, against this background, the adoption in 2023 of the Law on Payment of Monetary Compensation to Victims of Violent Crimes, which integrates the standards of the Istanbul Convention to provide better protection for victims of gender-based violence; urges the authorities, furthermore, to strengthen their efforts to reduce and mitigate gender-based violence and domestic violence, and to increase shelter capacity and personnel, as well as the number of well-trained and gender-sensitive law enforcement officers, judges, medical personnel and social workers;

36. Notes, with concern, the dire situation of young women in prison, including juvenile girls aged between 14 and 16, who lack education and job skills training and are often overmedicated, with insufficient healthcare; urges the authorities of North Macedonia to take urgent measures to improve the detention conditions for all inmates, to reduce corruption and stop inhuman treatment, and to enhance the probation and reintegration of ex-prisoners into society;

37. Urges North Macedonia to fully implement the recommendations outlined in the 2023 ECRI report on North Macedonia in order to effectively address the human rights violations identified;

38. Welcomes the fact that interethnic relations remain stable and the Ohrid Framework Agreement continues to be implemented; commends North Macedonia’s efforts in strengthening minority rights protections, while encouraging further financial support; calls for adequate funding and staffing for institutions protecting the rights of non-majority communities; calls on political representatives of minority communities to avoid promoting divisive ethnic narratives echoing policies that caused profound suffering and wars in the region’s recent past; urges North Macedonia to fully implement the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as regards the ‘One society for all and interculturalism’ strategy; calls on North Macedonia to provide sufficient funding and staff for the Language Implementation Agency and the Agency for Community Rights Realization; regrets that North Macedonia did not ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; awaits a final decision on the contested Law on the Use of Languages, which may have an impact on interethnic relations;

39. Welcomes the progress the country has achieved in aligning its legislative and institutional framework for the rights of the child with the EU acquis and international human rights standards; notes the progress in implementing the strategy for deinstitutionalisation and welcomes the successful relocation of children from institutions to foster care or small group homes; notes with concern, however, the continued instances of child violence and discrimination, including against Roma children; calls, therefore, for the country to set up a national body responsible for coordinating all policies relating to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the optional protocols thereto;

40. Encourages North Macedonia to take meaningful steps toward recognising and incorporating national minorities and communities into its constitution, fostering inclusivity, protecting diversity, fighting discrimination and strengthening social cohesion in line with European values and democratic principles; calls on North Macedonia to fully guarantee equal rights and opportunities for all ethnic communities in the country;

41. Notes that persons with disabilities continue to face significant barriers as the country’s legislation is still not aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; welcomes the national strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities for 2023-2030 and calls strongly for its proper implementation, including in regard to ensuring a sufficient number of educational assistants, in order to effectively and smoothly include children with disabilities in the education process;

42. Welcomes the first court ruling on hate speech against the LGBTIQ+ community, but calls strongly for the systematic prosecution of all instances of hate speech, hate crimes and intimidation, as well as for the inclusion of hate speech in the Criminal Code and for the state institutions responsible to keep adequate statistics on cases of hate speech and hate crimes;

43. Notes with concern the widespread hate speech on social media, particularly towards Roma, LGBTIQ+ persons and other marginalised groups; urges all political actors to amend the Law on Civil Registry and ensure swift and unimpeded legal gender recognition on the basis of self-determination, to uphold human rights, ensure dignity, and establish a clear and accessible legal process in line with international standards; recommends that the new Law on Primary Education maintain explicit protection against discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, ensuring alignment with national and international commitments; encourages the Assembly of North Macedonia to promptly (re-)establish an active interparliamentary LGBTIQ+ group to support and advance LGBTIQ+ rights;

44. Calls on North Macedonia to strengthen migration management, improve alignment with the EU acquis and address persistent challenges in handling regular and irregular migration while upholding fundamental human rights; welcomes enhanced cooperation on border management and the strengthening of the country’s capacity to manage migration flows and combat migrant smuggling, human trafficking and other organised crime; encourages the continued development of asylum procedures and integration policies and the improvement of reception conditions, in alignment with EU migration frameworks; stresses the importance of regional cooperation in migration management and urges the EU to provide further support in terms of resources, technical assistance and capacity-building in order to address migration challenges effectively;

45. Calls on North Macedonia to step up its efforts in the fight against human trafficking, notably by further aligning the Criminal Code with the EU acquis and its legislation on drugs;

Rule of law

46. Notes, with serious concern, that the country’s track record in fighting corruption, including high-level corruption, has worsened, as also evidenced by its decline in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, particularly owing to Criminal Code amendments that have weakened the legal framework, resulting in the termination of many ongoing cases; reiterates that this decline underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms; calls strongly for the anti-corruption framework to be strengthened and for effective accountability to be ensured, in particular in high-level corruption cases, through proper investigation, prosecution and convictions; urges a review of recent amendments to the Criminal Code in relation to sentencing standards and the statute of limitations, in order to ensure that the prosecution of corruption, especially of complex and high-level cases, is not negatively affected;

47. Recalls that sufficient financial and human resources are needed to ensure effective and consistent application of dissuasion, prevention, detection, investigation and sanction mechanisms for public office holders through broad measures covering conflicts of interest, lobbying, codes of ethics and whistle-blower protection;

48. Notes that the perceived level of trust in the judiciary remains very low and that further efforts are needed to prevent undue influence and intimidation; underlines the lack of progress in the implementation of the 2020 strategies for human resources management in the courts and in the public prosecutor’s office; calls strongly for the critical shortage of judges and prosecutors, which impacts the quality and efficiency of justice, to be addressed; calls for the independence and transparency of judicial bodies to be strengthened and for the funds necessary for their effective functioning to be allocated;

49. Calls for the strengthening of the Judicial Council and the Council of Prosecutors and for the allocation of necessary funds, while ensuring their independence; strongly urges political actors to cease interfering in judicial institutions;

50. Notes, with concern, the lack of progress in preventing and fighting corruption, and that financial investigations remain problematic; underlines how corruption continues to severely affect crucial policy areas; calls for the operational capacity and cooperation of agencies responsible for fighting organised crime and financial crime to be significantly strengthened, including through ensuring the necessary financial resources; encourages the country to improve its fight against organised and economic crime and cybercrime through a strengthened partnership with Europol, the European Cybercrime Centre and Eurojust; calls on North Macedonia to enhance its efforts to combat money laundering;

51. Calls for all necessary measures to be put in place to effectively counter organised crime; urges the authorities to improve coordination through the National Coordination Centre for the Fight Against Organised Crime as well as to allocate the necessary funds and staffing to the Office of the Basic Public Prosecutor for Organised Crime and Corruption; underlines the need to direct particular attention and resources towards uncovering money-laundering schemes;

52. Notes, with concern, North Macedonia’s partial alignment with the EU acquis in the fight against organised crime; reiterates its call for further alignment with the EU acquis and for systematic financial investigations, stepping up the freezing, confiscation, management and disposal of illegally acquired assets;

53. Calls for a thorough and transparent investigation of the Kočani nightclub fire on 16 March 2025, to bring to justice the persons responsible, and also for the legislation to be updated and thoroughly implemented to prevent similar tragedies and ensure better public safety and regulatory compliance to protect citizens;

54. Calls for the swift implementation of the ongoing reforms in the security and intelligence sectors, and for the independence of security and intelligence bodies to be strengthened through the establishment of appropriate regulatory frameworks, while also enhancing democratic oversight mechanisms; notes, with concern, that the National Security Agency is still located on the premises of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, calling into question its status as an independent state administration body;

55. Commends North Macedonia’s strong determination to counter hybrid threats; welcomes the government’s initiative to create a national strategic framework to counter disinformation as well as the adoption of the national cybersecurity strategy 2025-2028; calls for further efforts to build resilience against foreign interference and information manipulation; underlines the need to work on a national strategy to build resilience against disinformation as a security threat to the state, including through enhanced cybersecurity measures and strategic communication as well as education and media literacy; calls for the full operationalisation of EU mechanisms, such as the rapid alert system, to detect malign foreign influence in real time during key democratic processes, including elections;

56. Is deeply concerned that North Macedonia and other EU accession countries in the Western Balkans are being particularly hard hit by foreign interference and disinformation campaigns, including hybrid threats, strategic corruption, opaque financial flows and coercive investment practices, notably originating in Russia and China; is alarmed by Hungary’s and Serbia’s roles in advancing China’s and Russia’s geopolitical objectives; notes, in this context, the risk of dependence on China caused by asymmetrical loan agreements, as well as the recent loan from Hungary, which appears to be sourced from China;

Socio-economic reforms

57. Recommends that North Macedonia continue to pursue steps to improve the business climate and infrastructure, strengthen education and digital infrastructure, and enhance social protection systems and their connection to employment initiatives; welcomes the inclusion of human capital-related reforms in the Growth Plan Reform Agenda and calls on North Macedonia to dedicate sufficient effort to implementing these reforms to achieve sustainable results in the development of human capital for children and young people, as the foundation of resilient societies and sustainable growth;

58. Welcomes the adoption of the Reform Agenda and the multiannual work programme under the Reform and Growth Facility for North Macedonia, which will provide support for small and medium-sized enterprises, cut red tape and digitalise the public system, and welcomes the steps provided for in the Reform Agenda regarding the digital infrastructure roll-out and the new Law on Electronic Communications, aligning the national legislation with the relevant EU acquis and keeping up with the digital transition worldwide;

59. Encourages labour market activation strategies for young people, the long-term unemployed, and low-skilled individuals, as well as for women, persons with disabilities and Roma, and calls for these measures to be properly evaluated; takes note of the long-term improvement in unemployment rates, notes, however, that this must be accompanied by a rise in real wages, the improvement of working conditions and the protection of workers’ rights, including trade union rights; calls for the full implementation of the Law on the Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes;

60. Encourages North Macedonia to advance its digital transformation, particularly by improving the digital skills of all citizens and by providing online access to public services; recognises the demographic challenges faced by North Macedonia, including population decline, the emigration of young professionals, and an ageing workforce, and underlines the need to address the brain drain, especially in the medical, technological and educational fields; calls for the implementation of targeted policies to reverse the brain drain, enhance family-friendly social policies and attract return migration; encourages cooperation with the EU on demographic resilience strategies, including labour market incentives, housing support for young families, and investment in education and skills development to align with future job market needs; calls for increased support for innovation and competitiveness;

61. Welcomes the positive effects of the Youth Guarantee on the reduction of youth unemployment; calls on North Macedonia to intensify its efforts to reduce the unemployment rate of young people aged between 15 and 24, which remains high at 29.3 %; underlines the need to address social challenges, ensure quality employment policies, foster upward social cohesion and convergence towards EU standards and support progress on the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights;

62. Welcomes the efforts to amend the labour law; urges full alignment of the Law on Working Relations with EU directives to effectively guarantee the right to equal pay for equal work, ensure pay transparency and enhance protection against discrimination based on pregnancy and maternity; insists on the need to strengthen the competencies and capacities of the State Labour Inspectorate to ensure effective protection of workers’ rights, including safeguards against labour discrimination;

63. Commends North Macedonia for joining the single euro payments area (SEPA), recognising this as an important step toward deeper financial integration with the European market and the facilitation of faster, more efficient cross-border transactions; urges North Macedonia to introduce structural reforms to strengthen the economy and secure the country’s debt sustainability;

64. Welcomes the calls for the prompt integration of all of the Western Balkans into the EU’s digital single market at the earliest opportunity, which would crucially benefit the creation of a digitally safe environment;

65. Urges the authorities to fully implement existing legal provisions to ensure access to primary healthcare services, with a particular focus on sexual and reproductive health for women, mothers and children, and eliminate barriers related to geography, finances or other hardships; calls for targeted measures to support vulnerable groups of women in accessing healthcare, including Roma women, rural women and those living in poverty;

66. Welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the Strategy for Inclusion of Roma 2022-2030; regrets, however, that the strategy lacks a clear approach to participation, empowerment and capacity building; calls on the authorities to implement the respective action plans, ensuring proper monitoring and meaningful and transparent participation of civil society organisations, notably from the Roma community;

Environment, biodiversity, energy and transport

67. Welcomes the adoption of the Energy Law in 2025 and underscores its importance for guaranteeing a safe, secure and high-quality supply of energy as well as for creating an efficient, competitive and financially sustainable energy sector; encourages the authorities to continue on this ambitious path and recalls that additional efforts are needed to fully meet the targets for energy efficiency, renewable energy, security of supply and emissions reductions; urges the country’s authorities to align their environment and climate change legislation with the EU acquis and to ensure its enforcement; notes, with concern, the lack of progress on climate action and the pending adoption of key legislation; stresses the need to integrate gender equality and social inclusion into climate action planning so that women, low-income households and marginalised communities are actively consulted and benefit equitably from the transition;

68. Welcomes the European Investment Bank’s continued financial and technical support in North Macedonia, including strategic infrastructure projects such as the Rail Corridor VIII, the Skopje wastewater treatment plant, and municipal water infrastructure development; calls for an inclusive and just transition which protects the socially vulnerable, by mobilising public and private financing for the green transition, fully operationalising dedicated funding mechanisms and leveraging EU and international support; stresses the need to address the problems of a lack of specialised staff and weak institutional and administrative capacity, which undermine quality control and the adequate performance of environmental impact assessments;

69. Notes, with concern, that air and water quality and wastewater management remain particularly challenging issues for the country; urges the central government and local authorities to step up their efforts in order to improve air quality and reduce potentially lethal pollution; recalls that the situation is particularly alarming in Skopje, which has consistently been one of the most polluted cities in Europe;

70. Recognises North Macedonia’s great potential as a regional hub with regard to the use of renewable energy sources; urges North Macedonia to fully align its environmental impact assessment with the EU acquis, with a particular focus on secondary legislation concerning small hydropower projects;

71. Stresses the urgent need to prioritise environmental protection; strongly urges the authorities to adopt the necessary legislation and to step up measures on biodiversity, water, air and climate action, and regional waste management, including through comprehensive impact assessments, rigorous prosecution of environmental crime and proper public consultation that allows for the meaningful and transparent involvement of local communities, NGOs and scientific institutions;

72. Calls on North Macedonia to establish legal protections for Emerald Sites designated under the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention) to safeguard them from environmentally harmful projects; encourages the country to expand its protected areas, with a view to fulfilling the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets; reiterates the urgent need to adopt the law on the re-proclamation of Mavrovo National Park to ensure the continuation and completion of its essential conservation efforts; encourages North Macedonia to include Jablanica on its list of protected areas, thus ensuring the conservation of habitats that are critical to the survival of species;

73. Encourages the authorities of North Macedonia to implement stricter protection and management strategies for the habitats of endangered species, as well as for the species themselves, particularly the Balkan lynx, including rigorous enforcement of laws against wildlife crimes, specifically illegal killing and poaching, to safeguard biodiversity;

74. Welcomes North Macedonia’s continued cooperation with Kosovo and Albania regarding the transboundary Sharr Mountains National Park; encourages North Macedonia to intensify and speed up collaborative efforts with its neighbouring countries to designate transboundary protected areas and establish coherent transboundary management plans;

75. Stresses the need to tackle financial challenges faced by national parks to improve various aspects, including human resources and overall management, with the aim of strengthening their role in biodiversity conservation, providing recreational opportunities and supporting local economies;

76. Welcomes the progress made in the construction of the Corridor VIII of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and commends the completion of the Kriva Palanka–Dlabochica–Stracin expressway; urges, however, the authorities of North Macedonia to step up their efforts to prioritise sustainable transport and upgrade energy infrastructure work towards integration in European networks and regional connectivity as well as to address persistent delays in the development of critical infrastructure, including through bilateral negotiations; calls on the Commission to assist in these efforts where needed;

77. Calls for additional efforts to accelerate progress on all priority sections of the core network for both rail and road, including by increasing the number of border crossings wherever possible; notes the strategic importance of Corridor VIII for the EU’s and NATO’s geostrategic autonomy, serving as a key logistics route along NATO’s southern flank;

Regional cooperation and foreign policy

78. Welcomes North Macedonia’s valuable and significant contributions to regional cooperation and stability via its engagement in regional economic and diplomatic initiatives such as the Berlin Process, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and the implementation of common regional market agreements, underlining the importance of their inclusiveness;

79. Welcomes the country’s commitment to nurturing good neighbourly relations and acknowledges its role as a model for the peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding; emphasises, in this regard, the importance of full implementation of international agreements with tangible results in good faith by all sides, including the Prespa Agreement with Greece and the Treaty of friendship, good neighbourliness and cooperation with Bulgaria; calls for consistent commitment to dialogue and cooperation with neighbouring countries to strengthen regional stability and foster mutual trust; calls for the further promotion of people-to-people contacts across south-eastern Europe;

80. Expresses concern about the so-called ‘Serbian world’ project and that some representatives of the Government of North Macedonia have been advocating and promoting this concept; condemns the participation in meetings that attempt to establish a sphere of influence undermining the sovereignty of other countries and the stability of the region;

81. Recalls the need to open up Yugoslav secret service archives (UDBA and KOS), kept in both North Macedonia and Serbia; emphasises the need to open these archives region-wide to deal with the totalitarian past in a transparent way, with a view to strengthening democracy, accountability and institutions in the Western Balkans;

82. Welcomes North Macedonia’s continued commitment to Euro-Atlantic security; commends North Macedonia’s active role in the OSCE, in particular its chairmanship of the OSCE in 2023 in a complex geopolitical environment, and substantial contributions to EU crisis management missions and military operations; commends the country’s alignment with the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy, including its clear-cut response to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine by aligning with the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia and Belarus and providing support to Ukraine; welcomes the signing of a security and defence partnership with the EU in 2024;

83. Regrets, however, that North Macedonia, was the only country in the Western Balkans to abstain on the European resolution on Ukraine in the UN General Assembly in February 2025 and instead co-sponsored the US resolution, alongside countries such as Georgia and Hungary, representing a negative signal regarding North Macedonia’s alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and with the collective European commitment to upholding peace, international law and democratic principles;

84. Acknowledges North Macedonia’s NATO membership as a significant geostrategic contribution to regional security and Euro-Atlantic stability, including through the country’s active participation in NATO missions and operations and its strategic role in fostering peace and cooperation in the Western Balkans, as well as through the ongoing modernisation of its armed forces and reforms in the fields of crisis management, critical infrastructure and cyber defence; highlights the fact that NATO membership strengthens North Macedonia’s defence capabilities, enhances security coordination with EU and NATO allies, and serves as a deterrent against external destabilisation efforts; encourages North Macedonia to deepen cooperation with the EU and NATO on countering hybrid threats, including through cybersecurity coordination, joint disinformation tracking and resilience-building, and to pursue its efforts to deter external destabilisation attempts; encourages North Macedonia to continue its investment in defence modernisation and alignment with NATO strategic priorities in order to further solidify its role as a reliable security partner;

85. Welcomes the agreement concluded at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana on reduced roaming costs; calls, in this respect, on the authorities, private actors and all stakeholders to facilitate achieving the agreed targets of a substantial reduction of data roaming charges between the Western Balkans and the EU and further reductions leading to prices close to the domestic prices by 2027; welcomes the entering into force of the first phase of implementation of the roadmap for roaming between the Western Balkans and the EU;

86. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the President, Government and Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia.

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Introducing the Victory Graduation Program

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

On June 4, 2025, the State University of Management will host the Victory Graduation. We present the program of the event.

The theme of the graduation this time corresponds to the Year of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. And this is not only because the history of their country is always remembered and honored at the State University of Management. Completion of education for each student is also a significant victory in life.

First of all, we will announce important information: – All graduates receiving diplomas with honors and special awards must register on July 4, the day of graduation. Without registration, you will not be called on stage!

Registration will take place at checkpoint No. 6: – from 12:00 to 12:55 for bachelors; – from 17:00 to 17:55 for masters.

The graduation program includes: – a formal diploma presentation ceremony; – photo zones; – a photo booth where everyone can get memorable photos; – a sea of unforgettable emotions.

The time and place of the presentation of diplomas by institute can be found on the attached cards.

Access to the university territory is provided upon presentation of an identity document. Parents and friends will be able to enter the territory together with the graduate, having registered through checkpoint No. 6.

We look forward to seeing everyone!

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: 2024-03-27 at 16h49 The four crises and seven structural shifts of the last eight years Prime Minister António Costa took stock of the last years in government

Source: Government of Portugal (PM)

António Costa took stock of the government’s action in the last eight years, where he was Prime Minister, during a press conference held in the official residence.<.>

António Costa also referred to the financial system’s greater stability. “The state-owned bank, which many felt should be privatised and that it would be impossible to capitalise, is today not only solvent, but also generated due revenue for the Portuguese economy and citizens”, the Prime Minister claimed.

The wildland fires crisis

The second crisis noted by the Prime Minister was that of wildland fires, the answer to which included restructuring the civil protection system and a budget reform, which offered prevention a clear priority over fighting. As a result, “if we were to add up the entire area burnt down in the six years between 2018 and 2023 [the result] is 60.7% of the area burnt down in 2017 alone”, he stressed.

The Covid-19 pandemic

The country’s response to this third crisis was “worthy of note”, claimed the Prime Minister. “We were the first country in the world to reach a vaccination coverage of 85%. And the efforts to support the economy and households allowed us to be one of the countries that best came out of the pandemic”, he added.

The inflationist crisis

The fourth crisis arose from the effects of the pandemic, which was still felt, and the war between Russia and Ukraine. This conflict “worsened a situation that came from the pandemic, with the breakdown in supply chains, which led us to the greatest inflationist crisis of the last 30 years”.

The rises in interest rates by the European Central Bank to respond to rising inflation “in a society such as hours where mortgages have a high significance and the variable rates are clearly dominant”, together with rising food costs, shot up household costs.

“From the start of 2022 to October 2022, inflation soared. We hit 10.1% inflation in October 2022 and since then we have been on a slow, yet sure, trajectory to lower inflation, until we hit 2.1% last February and the forecast is we will remain on that lowering trajectory”, said the Prime Minister.

SEVEN STRUCTURAL SHITS

Higher growth

The Prime Minister stated that between 2000 and 2015 the country alternated between recession and stagnation. “Only in one year of these 15 did we grow above the European average: in 2009. From 2016 onwards, the reality has been quite different “, he said. “In these eight years, the country grew ten times more than what it had grown in the previous 15”, he signalled, noting the 2.1% growth, including in the two pandemic years, “where product naturally fell drastically”.

More jobs and more income

The creation of jobs and improvement in employment conditions contributed to this economic growth. “Today, we have a record number of people working in Portugal: 5 million people. That is an additional 629 thousand jobs than in 2015. And in a context where it was possible to not just to have minimum wages grow 62%, but also average wages having grown 27.7%”, the Prime Minister indicated.

In addition to the rise in the minimum wage, the Prime Minister also noted rising pensions and improvement in net income.

Always in line with the Social Security Basis Law, in these eight years, average pensions rose 23.3%, “with all the rises set down in the law, as well as extraordinary rises to counter inflation”.

The improvement in net income came from the “successive drops in income tax IRS” and the “successive measures of non-monetary transfers that cut household expenses”, such as making school books free, reforming the costs of public transports, increasing the number of households that benefit from energy social rates and the “significant” cut in pubic university fees, that went from more than one thousand euros to 697 euros per annum.

A more qualified country

This was the shift the Prime Minister considered “perhaps brings the greatest consequences for the future”. António Costa mentioned the “highly significant” drop in early dropouts, where this year we are below the EU average for 2030, and the rise in the number of youths aged 30 to 34 years who completed higher educaiton in 2015, which can only rise, since “if we look at the youths who are 20 years old, 39% attended university in 2015, and today it’s 54%”.

A more competitive economy

“Every year, we beat records in attracting foreign direct investment. Every year, we beat corporate investment records and corporate investment went up 85% between 2015 and 2023”, the Prime Minister stated, advocating that “what offers a modern economy competitiveness is its capacity to have qualified jobs, being more innovative, and this is what enables that innovation”.

António Costa also added that the rise in exports, which in 2022 accounted for more than 50% of GDP, and the change in the nature of exports. “Exports of high and medium tech goods increased 71% over these last eight years, which means that complexifying, qualifying, and the added value of our economy have been clearly on the rise”.

Less inequality

“Today we have 600 thousand people less in poverty or social exclusion, and especially 226 thousand children less living in poverty or social exclusion”, said the Prime Minister.

Taking the lead in fighting climate change

The sixth shift had to do with the country’s position in taking the lead in fighting climate change. “We were the first country in the world, at the2016 Marrakesh COP to undertake the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Our Climate Law imposed on us a greater ambition of hitting that target in 2045 rather than 2050”.

Since 2017, Portugal has cut back its GHG emissions by 17% “due to the public transport policy and bringing targets such as closing down coal-fuelled power stations forward and increasing the capacity to generate energy using renewables”, the Prime Minister signalled.

Advances in the State reform

The last structural shift mentioned by the Prime Minister had to do with the advances in the State reform, namely concerning the decentralisation of powers, such as transferring the PSP’s traffic tasks to the Lisbon and Porto municipal police, making Carri or STCP (public transport) municipal, or the agreement with the National Portuguese Municipalities Association (ANMP) to transfer powers. Lastly, António Costa referred to the reform of the Regional Development Coordination Committees (CCDR), that are now more democratised and with greater autonomy.

View the Prime Minister’s presentation here

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: 2024-03-27 at 16h49 The four crises and seven structural shifts of the last eight years Prime Minister António Costa took stock of the last years in government

Source: Government of Portugal (PM)

António Costa took stock of the government’s action in the last eight years, where he was Prime Minister, during a press conference held in the official residence.<.>

António Costa also referred to the financial system’s greater stability. “The state-owned bank, which many felt should be privatised and that it would be impossible to capitalise, is today not only solvent, but also generated due revenue for the Portuguese economy and citizens”, the Prime Minister claimed.

The wildland fires crisis

The second crisis noted by the Prime Minister was that of wildland fires, the answer to which included restructuring the civil protection system and a budget reform, which offered prevention a clear priority over fighting. As a result, “if we were to add up the entire area burnt down in the six years between 2018 and 2023 [the result] is 60.7% of the area burnt down in 2017 alone”, he stressed.

The Covid-19 pandemic

The country’s response to this third crisis was “worthy of note”, claimed the Prime Minister. “We were the first country in the world to reach a vaccination coverage of 85%. And the efforts to support the economy and households allowed us to be one of the countries that best came out of the pandemic”, he added.

The inflationist crisis

The fourth crisis arose from the effects of the pandemic, which was still felt, and the war between Russia and Ukraine. This conflict “worsened a situation that came from the pandemic, with the breakdown in supply chains, which led us to the greatest inflationist crisis of the last 30 years”.

The rises in interest rates by the European Central Bank to respond to rising inflation “in a society such as hours where mortgages have a high significance and the variable rates are clearly dominant”, together with rising food costs, shot up household costs.

“From the start of 2022 to October 2022, inflation soared. We hit 10.1% inflation in October 2022 and since then we have been on a slow, yet sure, trajectory to lower inflation, until we hit 2.1% last February and the forecast is we will remain on that lowering trajectory”, said the Prime Minister.

SEVEN STRUCTURAL SHITS

Higher growth

The Prime Minister stated that between 2000 and 2015 the country alternated between recession and stagnation. “Only in one year of these 15 did we grow above the European average: in 2009. From 2016 onwards, the reality has been quite different “, he said. “In these eight years, the country grew ten times more than what it had grown in the previous 15”, he signalled, noting the 2.1% growth, including in the two pandemic years, “where product naturally fell drastically”.

More jobs and more income

The creation of jobs and improvement in employment conditions contributed to this economic growth. “Today, we have a record number of people working in Portugal: 5 million people. That is an additional 629 thousand jobs than in 2015. And in a context where it was possible to not just to have minimum wages grow 62%, but also average wages having grown 27.7%”, the Prime Minister indicated.

In addition to the rise in the minimum wage, the Prime Minister also noted rising pensions and improvement in net income.

Always in line with the Social Security Basis Law, in these eight years, average pensions rose 23.3%, “with all the rises set down in the law, as well as extraordinary rises to counter inflation”.

The improvement in net income came from the “successive drops in income tax IRS” and the “successive measures of non-monetary transfers that cut household expenses”, such as making school books free, reforming the costs of public transports, increasing the number of households that benefit from energy social rates and the “significant” cut in pubic university fees, that went from more than one thousand euros to 697 euros per annum.

A more qualified country

This was the shift the Prime Minister considered “perhaps brings the greatest consequences for the future”. António Costa mentioned the “highly significant” drop in early dropouts, where this year we are below the EU average for 2030, and the rise in the number of youths aged 30 to 34 years who completed higher educaiton in 2015, which can only rise, since “if we look at the youths who are 20 years old, 39% attended university in 2015, and today it’s 54%”.

A more competitive economy

“Every year, we beat records in attracting foreign direct investment. Every year, we beat corporate investment records and corporate investment went up 85% between 2015 and 2023”, the Prime Minister stated, advocating that “what offers a modern economy competitiveness is its capacity to have qualified jobs, being more innovative, and this is what enables that innovation”.

António Costa also added that the rise in exports, which in 2022 accounted for more than 50% of GDP, and the change in the nature of exports. “Exports of high and medium tech goods increased 71% over these last eight years, which means that complexifying, qualifying, and the added value of our economy have been clearly on the rise”.

Less inequality

“Today we have 600 thousand people less in poverty or social exclusion, and especially 226 thousand children less living in poverty or social exclusion”, said the Prime Minister.

Taking the lead in fighting climate change

The sixth shift had to do with the country’s position in taking the lead in fighting climate change. “We were the first country in the world, at the2016 Marrakesh COP to undertake the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. Our Climate Law imposed on us a greater ambition of hitting that target in 2045 rather than 2050”.

Since 2017, Portugal has cut back its GHG emissions by 17% “due to the public transport policy and bringing targets such as closing down coal-fuelled power stations forward and increasing the capacity to generate energy using renewables”, the Prime Minister signalled.

Advances in the State reform

The last structural shift mentioned by the Prime Minister had to do with the advances in the State reform, namely concerning the decentralisation of powers, such as transferring the PSP’s traffic tasks to the Lisbon and Porto municipal police, making Carri or STCP (public transport) municipal, or the agreement with the National Portuguese Municipalities Association (ANMP) to transfer powers. Lastly, António Costa referred to the reform of the Regional Development Coordination Committees (CCDR), that are now more democratised and with greater autonomy.

View the Prime Minister’s presentation here

MIL OSI Europe News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Russia advocates for multilateralism and stronger UN at G20 Sherpa meeting

Source: South Africa News Agency

Russia advocates for multilateralism and stronger UN at G20 Sherpa meeting

Russia’s G20 Sherpa, Svetlana Lukash, has highlighted the importance of multilateralism for ensuring global stability and sustainability, calling for ongoing dialogue and the strengthening of the United Nations.

“Multilateralism is the only thing that can keep the world together today and save us from collapse, save the economy from complete fragmentation, and ensure global growth and sustainability,” she said.

Despite the current challenges of economic fragmentation and geopolitical tensions, Lukash said she remained optimistic.

“We must continue dialogue, no matter what divisions exist in our minds and policies.“

Lukash was speaking on the sidelines of the G20 Sherpa meeting on Thursday, where the world’s largest economies and organisations are convening at Sun City Resort in the North West.

Lukash is the Deputy Head of the Presidential Expert Directorate within the Presidential Executive Office of Russia.

“I think the G20 is very well placed to keep multilateralism as a flag for all humanity. But indeed, what we always keep in mind is that we have the United Nations, and that is the main platform that we need to cherish and need to strengthen.“

She also cast the spotlight on South Africa’s groundbreaking G20 Presidency as a pivotal moment for inclusive international dialogue.

Lukash believes that the strategic vision of multilateralism extends beyond traditional diplomatic frameworks.

By inviting diverse stakeholders and opening dialogue with African neighbours and Global South representatives, Lukash said South Africa aims to create a more representative international platform.

“I think just having the Presidency in Africa for the first time and putting the interests of Africa and of the Global South on the top of the G20 agenda already gives the strongest signal to the world community that the time has changed.”

She is of the view that the G20 should not be a closed forum where only 20 economies discuss issues that matter to the entire world.

“What South Africa’s Presidency did is help open the G20 in the interests of the global majority. That is amazing. So, I really praise what the Presidency is doing this year.”

The Sherpa said the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November represents a critical opportunity to demonstrate how multilateral approaches can address complex global economic challenges.

Lukash also recognised the ongoing geoeconomic fragmentation and geopolitical tensions, which include sanctions and tariff wars.

However, she believes that the key multilateral priorities should focus on reforming global institutions such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), addressing geopolitical tensions, and developing more inclusive mechanisms for economic cooperation.

Despite geoeconomic fragmentation and tensions, Lukash said Russia sees the G20 as crucial for global economic cooperation, particularly in trade, energy, and finance.

She told journalists that Russia’s key priorities for the G20 agenda align with South Africa’s goals, focusing on inclusive global growth, job creation, artificial intelligence governance, and critical minerals.

The Sherpa also praised the bilateral relations between South Africa and Russia, particularly in economic cooperation and investments, and expressed full support for South Africa’s G20 priorities.

She said she was also grateful that South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile recently attended the St Petersburg International Economic Forum during his working visit to Russia.

“We, as Russia, tried to ensure that he spent that time very productively, ensured a lot of discussions with all the government of the Russian Federation, aimed at increasing our cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations by ensuring investments and common economic cooperation between all countries.

“[The Deputy President] very rightly points out the main issues that the investments need to be shifted to the countries of the Global South, and that’s what our President and the Deputy President discussed.”

Lukash has assured the South African government that Russia will support them “completely” in all their priorities and goals.

“We will do our best to make your G20 Leaders’ Summit a success.” – SAnews.gov.za

Gabisile
Thu, 06/26/2025 – 17:45

MIL OSI Africa –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Workers of the Zvezda shipyard received keys to 160 new apartments

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

The Zvezda shipyard handed over the keys to 160 apartments in new buildings in the city of Bolshoy Kamen to its workers on the eve of the professional holiday – Shipbuilder’s Day. The construction of two eight-story buildings by the shipyard marked the beginning of the formation of the new microdistrict Sadovy in the coastal zone.

The apartments with panoramic sea views are completely ready for occupancy: interior decoration is complete, plumbing and electric stoves are installed, and balconies are glazed. Sports and children’s playgrounds, as well as parking for residents’ vehicles, have been created on the adjacent territory. In total, eight buildings with 600 apartments with a total area of over 28 thousand square meters will be built in the microdistrict during the year.

The Sadovy microdistrict is the next stage of the project to build housing for Zvezda workers. Today, the number of Zvezda shipyard employees has already exceeded 5,700 people. Taking into account the expansion of the shipyard’s activities and the increase in the number of workers and their families, the population of Bolshoy Kamen will increase by almost a third. Providing shipbuilders with housing and infrastructure is one of the shipyard’s priority tasks; the total number of apartments will exceed 5 thousand in seven microdistricts.

The housing construction program for shipbuilders has been implemented since 2016. During this time, 38 residential buildings in five microdistricts have been commissioned and occupied, including seven buildings built by the Government of Primorsky Krai.

Reference:

The Zvezda shipbuilding complex is being created in the city of Bolshoy Kamen in Primorsky Krai on the instructions of the President of Russia, with Rosneft acting as the project operator. The shipyard is designed to produce large-tonnage vessels with a displacement of up to 350 thousand tons, ice-class vessels, special vessels and other types of marine equipment.

SSC Zvezda closely cooperates with various educational institutions: it organizes targeted training, organizes internships and employment of graduates, holds Enterprise Days and job fairs. In addition, in 2024, SSC Zvezda’s own corporate Center for Professional Training began operating, designed to train and improve the skills of personnel in more than 30 specialized areas.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft June 27, 2025

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Young scientists discussed innovations in energy installations

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The Rybinsk State Aviation Technical University named after P. A. Solovyov hosted the All-Russian scientific conference — the XXV school-seminar of academician A. I. Leontyev “Problems of gas dynamics and heat and mass transfer in power plants”. Students, postgraduates, young scientists and specialists in the field of hydrogas dynamics and thermal physics participated in it.

The founder and director of the school until 2021 is Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Ivanovich Leontiev, a world-famous scientist, laureate of the international Global Energy Prize, who headed the National Committee of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Heat and Mass Transfer, and Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Plenary reports were presented by leading Russian thermal physicists, colleagues and students of A. I. Leontiev, including Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences N. A. Pribaturin, P. A. Strizhak, L. S. Yanovsky, professors L. A. Dombrovsky, S. A. Isaev, V. I. Terekhov and others.

Associate Professor of the Higher School of Applied Mathematics and Computational Physics of the Physics and Mechanical Institute Sergei Galaev gave a plenary report on “Flow and heat transfer in finned channels designed for cooling turbine blades.”

Young researchers from SPbPU took an active part in the meetings. Associate Professor of the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Engineering Elizaveta Kolesnik presented a report on “Modeling of Film Condensation Processes on a Vertical Plate by the VOF Method”. Assistant of the Higher School of Nuclear and Thermal Energy of the Institute of Power Engineering Pavel Bobylev spoke about the intensification of heat exchange during boiling on a finned surface.

Traditionally, the event included a discussion of sectional poster presentations with the selection of the best in each section. The distinguished authors were awarded diplomas and prizes.

Assistant of the Higher School of Applied Mathematics and Wind Engineering Anna Podmarkova presented a report “Analysis of the Efficiency of Ventilation with Multi-Jet Supply of Incoming Air”. Postgraduate student Vladislav Adiatullin devoted his presentation to self-oscillating modes of the flow of counter-wall jets in a rectangular cavity. Student of the Applied Mathematics and Physics program Tatyana Korskova presented a report “Numerical Study of Air Mixing in a Ventilated Space with Supply of an Incoming Jet Through an Oscillator”. Student of the Applied Mathematics and Physics program Daniil Ageyev presented a study of free air convection near a single horizontal finned tube.

Following the results of the school-seminar, four Polytechnic students were among the section winners. Assistant of the Higher School of Applied Mathematics and Wind Engineering Elena Babich shared her research on the flow structure and local heat transfer during supersonic flow past a cylinder limited at the ends by parallel plates. Student of the Higher School of Applied Mathematics and Technical Electrification Sergey Knyazev spoke about a comprehensive study of heat transfer during flow past a cylinder with turbulators. Student of the Applied Mathematics and Physics program Denis Kuchiev presented a report on “Numerical modeling of turbulent free convection in a layer with volumetric heat release using LES and RANS approaches”. PhD student of the PhysMechanics Department Daria Popova devoted her presentation to modeling non-stationary processes in a cooled stage of a turbine based on the harmonic balance method.

The conference provided a deep analysis of the current problems of the industry, including modeling of flows, heat exchange in complex systems and advanced materials. Koprino Bay on the Volga bank contributed to concentrated work. The calm atmosphere, remoteness from the bustle of the city and the availability of the necessary infrastructure created comfortable conditions for scientific work. I was pleasantly surprised that my work received a positive assessment from experts. Recognition of the relevance and significance of the study by colleagues is an important incentive for further work, – shared Denis Kuchiev.

Read more on the website.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Innovations in tribology: leading experts gather at the Polytechnic University

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The Polytechnic University hosted the All-Russian scientific conference with international participation BALT TRIBO 2025. Tribologists gathered at the International Scientific and Educational Center BaltTribo-Polytechnic of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of SPbPU to discuss current issues in the industry.

Young specialists and renowned scientists from leading universities, research institutes, the Russian Academy of Sciences and industrial organizations have gathered here today. Also participating in the conference are specialists developing tribological equipment and research methods: the companies FianumLab and Tribotest from Moscow, RealInProekt and Scientific from St. Petersburg. I wish everyone fruitful work, interesting discussions and vivid impressions, – Director of IMMiT Anatoly Popovich addressed the participants.

The conference brought together representatives from Russia, China, the USA, Belarus, Uzbekistan and other countries who are engaged in scientific and applied research in the field of tribology – the science of friction, wear and lubrication.

The program included oral, remote and correspondence presentations, as well as a master class on working on a fully automated modular multifunctional friction machine MFT-5000 manufactured by Rtec-Instruments (California).

The topics of the reports covered a wide range of issues: tribological materials science, physics of surfaces and contact interactions, technologies for modifying and applying coatings, research and development of lubricants, biotribology, chemmotology, nanotribology, tribodiagnostics, tribotesting, as well as the application of tribological knowledge in medicine, transport and mechanical engineering.

The co-chairs of the conference were the director of the Institute of Metallurgy and Metallurgy, Anatoly Popovich, and the head of the International Scientific and Educational Center BaltTribo-Polytechnic, Margarita Skotnikova.

Following the event, participants were given the opportunity to publish their materials in a collection indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) and assigned a DOI. The best works were recommended for publication in the journal Materials Physics and Mechanics and in the collection of works published by Springer.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Summer Davos 2025: Attendees Enjoy Night Scenery of Haihe River

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

On the evening of June 26, 2025, Chinese and foreign participants of the 2025 Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin took a yacht ride on the Haihe River. On the same day, the 16th annual meeting of emerging world leaders of the World Economic Forum (WEF), also known as “Summer Davos”, closed in Tianjin.

Photo: Zou Hong, China Daily correspondent

On the evening of June 26, 2025, Chinese and foreign participants of the 2025 Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin took a yacht ride on the Haihe River. On the same day, the 16th annual meeting of emerging world leaders of the World Economic Forum (WEF), also known as “Summer Davos”, closed in Tianjin.

Photo: Zou Hong, China Daily correspondent

On the evening of June 26, 2025, Chinese and foreign participants of the 2025 Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin took a yacht ride on the Haihe River. On the same day, the 16th annual meeting of emerging world leaders of the World Economic Forum (WEF), also known as “Summer Davos”, closed in Tianjin.

Photo: Zou Hong, China Daily correspondent

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: The cast of the film crew for the series “Panorama of Rivers and Mountains” has been announced

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

On the first day of the opening of the 30th Shanghai TV Festival, the cast of the TV series of the same name based on Sun Ganlu’s novel “Panorama of Rivers and Mountains” was officially announced. The project stars Zhang Ruoyun as the lead role, Chen Daoming as the producer, Wan Jun as the director, and Wang Juan as the screenwriter.

The action of the series “Panorama of Rivers and Mountains” takes place in 1933. Underground communists led by Chen Qianli, ignoring mortal danger, carry out a secret operation “Panorama of Rivers and Mountains”.

MIL OSI Russia News –

June 27, 2025

Category: Russian Federation

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A Central and Eastern European Trumpism?

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Curriculum vitae

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