War in Ukraine: Strengthened ties between Moscow and Beijing, Russia wants to erase the identity of the enemy… an update on the situation
Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Tuesday, October 15, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.
Russia-China talks on strengthening defense ties
Russia and China have held "substantial" on military and defense issues with the aim of strengthening their ties, the Russian Defense Minister said on Tuesday, as Moscow and Beijing seek to consolidate a "limitless" partnership concluded in 2022.
"The military departments of Russia and China are united in their assessment of global processes, and they have a common understanding of what needs to be done in the current situation", Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said in a message posted on the Telegram channel of the Russian Defense Ministry.
Andrei Belousov said he met with Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia for “highly substantive” talks. After the meeting, China's Defense Ministry said the two sides hoped to deepen and expand military relations and maintain high-level exchanges. Belousov's visit to Beijing came as China is conducting military exercises around Taiwan, which it considers Chinese territory.
Beijing has cast the exercises as a warning against “separatist” moves on the island. In February 2022, China and Russia concluded a "limitless" partnership during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing, less than three weeks before Russian forces invaded Ukraine. In May, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping promised a "new era" of partnership between the two countries.
The two leaders also agreed to deepen their "strategic partnership", Andrei Belousov said on Tuesday without elaborating, adding that he was confident that "fruitful work and adoption of significant and important decisions are on the horizon".
Last week, the Russia has said it stands with China on Asian issues, criticizing in particular the United States' desire to expand its influence in the region and the“deliberate attempts” to stir up tensions around Taiwan. The United States claims that China is supporting Russia's war effort in Ukraine by supplying it with so-called “dual-use” equipment, including microelectronics, which can be used to make weapons.
China, for its part, says it does not supply either side with weapons and that its regular trade with Russia should not be interrupted or restricted.
Russia wants to erase Ukraine's identity
Russia, which plunders or “destroys” many historical sites, seeks to “erase the historical and cultural identity of Ukraine”, the Council of Europe said on Tuesday, denouncing “Moscow's genocidal intent”.
In a statement on the destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has “once again condemned the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. recognized".
The continental organization deplored "the Russian Federation's continued attacks on cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, in violation of international humanitarian law".
“Given that more than a thousand cultural sites have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war, the Congress stressed that the targeting and looting of cultural sites appeared to reflect a systematic policy aimed at erasing Ukraine's historical and cultural identity, amounting to genocidal intent,”, the declaration adopted on Tuesday insists.
Russia was also a member of the Council of Europe, but was expelled in March 2022, a few weeks after its aggression against Ukraine.
“The Russian Federation must pay compensation for damage to historical, cultural and religious heritage", recalls the Council of Europe, which set up a Register of Damage Caused by the Russian Federation's Aggression Against Ukraine at the beginning of April.
In its statement, the Congress "calls on local and regional authorities throughout Europe to step up their efforts to help Ukraine by establishing genuine partnerships for cultural heritage".
Established in 1949, the Council of Europe is an international organisation based in Strasbourg that brings together the 46 signatory countries of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
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