“The Council today established the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), a civilian mission under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy,” the statement said.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “The Ukrainian authorities have embarked on the critical path of civilian security sector reform and have requested the support of the European Union. The EU is deploying this mission to assist Ukraine in this reform, including police and the rule of law.”
Ashton said that the mission would provide “strategic advice” for the development of effective, sustainable and accountable security services that contribute to strengthening the rule of law in Ukraine, for the benefit of all Ukrainian citizens throughout the country.
- EUAM Ukraine will be an unarmed, non-executive civilian mission, the statement said.
The headquarters of EUAM Ukraine will be in Kyiv, but regional outreach to support advisory tasks
will start as soon as feasible, the statement said.
The July 22s decision allocates a budget of 2.68 euro million for the start-up phase of the mission, that is, until November 30.
Operational planning and other preparations are underway and a civilian response team is in Kyiv.
The formal launch of the mission’s operations will take place once initial operating capability has
been reached. The two-year mandate of the mission will start at that point, the statement said.
- Before the EU foreign ministers’ meeting, it was expected that the bloc’s response to the downing over eastern Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 would be a major point on the agenda.
- The United States has said that the aircraft went down after being hit by a missile launched from territory under control of pro-Russian forces.
Amid outrage over the downing of the aircraft – causing the deaths of 298, two-thirds of them Dutch among a significant number of other EU citizens – some were pushing for a tougher response against Moscow for its backing for the pro-Russian forces in Ukraine.
But, as euronews reported, some EU countries are concerned about potential reprisals from Russia, which supplies about 30 per cent of EU nations’ gas demand.
Reports from the EU foreign minister’s meeting said that it began with a minute of silence for the victims of the MH17 downing.
http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/07/22/eu-foreign-ministers-approve-sending-police-mission-to-ukraine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eu-foreign-ministers-approve-sending-police-mission-to-ukraine
22/7/14
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Related:
Putin warns of attempts to destabilize Russia (National Security Council meeting)
Russia to Respond Adequately to NATO Expansion (Vladimir Putin)
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Venizelos’ statement on the situation in Ukraine, following the EU Foreign Affairs Council (Brussels, 22 July 2014)
Ukraine votes to call up more military reserves to protect border. (The army is under orders not to use air strikes and artillery in the cities)
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US Loses Patience with Europe: Washington Wants Tough Russia Sanctions
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Sanctions against Russia will have a negative impact on economies of many European countries, such as Britain, Italy, France, and Holland, with Germany being hit the hardest, the Telegraph reported on Tuesday....
ReplyDelete“Germany is Russia’s biggest European investor, with German companies pouring in £13 billion last year [over $22 billion]. Eckhard Cordes, head of Germany’s Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, said a decline in trade this year was already putting some 25,000 jobs at risk in Germany,” the Telegraph reports.
According to the article, although British Prime Minister David Cameron was the one who spoke for implementing further sanctions against Russia, Britain’s economy will also be hurt.
“Where possible sanctions would bite the hardest, would be the financial sector. Russian companies are well represented on the London Stock Exchange, and UK Trade and Investment market. It 'is helping Moscow realize its ambitions to become an international financial center.' London is also a prime destination for Russian businesses, and Russian oligarchs are major property owners in Britain. The energy sector could also be hit,” it says in the article.
Despite Barack Obama’s calls to impose broader sanctions against Russia, French leaders decided not to stop country’s lucrative defense contracts with Russia and confirmed France would meet its obligations under the contract worth $1.6 billion for two Mistral-class helicopter carriers to be built for Russia.................http://en.ria.ru/business/20140722/191117224/REVIEW-Broader-Sanctions-Against-Russia-to-Hurt-EUs-Domestic.html
Moskau: Kreaturen des Westens in Kiew lassen sich ihr Handeln diktieren...
ReplyDeleteAn der Macht in Kiew stehen nach Worten des Sekretärs des russischen Sicherheitsrates, Nikolai Patruschew, Kreaturen des Westens. „Sie haben ihre Souveränität gewissermaßen eingebüßt und lassen sich ihr Handeln (vom Westen) diktieren“, sagte Patruschew am Dienstag in Moskau nach einer Sitzung des russischen Sicherheitsrates.
„Wir sprechen von bunten Revolutionen, wir sprechen darüber, dass eine lenkbare Opposition geschaffen wird. Im Ergebnis kommen (in Kiew) Kreaturen des Westens an die Macht.“ Sie (Machthaber) ignorierten objektive Informationen und die Notwendigkeit, diese Informationen zu analysieren. Sie gäben das, was sie hören und sehen wollten, als Wahrheit aus, wobei sie sich nicht selten auf soziale Netze beriefen. „Aber es gibt Mittel objektiver Kontrolle, die diese oder jene Ereignisse festhalten. Ohne Zweifel dürfen solche Daten nicht ignoriert werden“, betonte Patruschew.
http://de.ria.ru/russia/20140722/269080808.html
Les miliciens ont déclaré qu'ils avaient eu capturé un mercenaire suédois néo-nazi Mikael Skillt près de la ville de ville Perevalsk (région de Lougansk). On ignore pour l’instant quel sera son sort...
ReplyDeleteLe mercenaire est arrivé en Ukraine en mars dernier. Il participait aux émeutes sur le Maïdan du côté des radicaux du mouvement Praviy Sektor (Secteur droit). C’est le seul étranger à avoir combattu dans les rangs du bataillon Azov, et participé à l'assaut de Marioupol.
Skillt se vantait de ses succès dans les réseaux sociaux en publiant des photos, sur lesquelles il posait avec des armes. Le Suédois a été décoré par le commandement militaire de Kiev pour le meurtre des miliciens.
Il y a quelques jours, un employé de journal italien Il Giornale a fait un reportage depuis une base de la formation du bataillon Azov.
Skillt a accordé une interview, dans laquelle il ne cachait pas son origine, sa profession, ni son visage sous un masque.
Le Suédois a indiqué qu’il ne combattait pas en Ukraine pour l'argent, mais pour les convictions politiques.
Le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères a demandé des commentaires aux autorités suédoises sur cet incident.
Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_07_22/Un-mercenaire-suedois-neo-nazi-capture-par-la-milice-populaire-0789/
The European Union will produce a new wider list of Ukraine sanctions targets on Thursday (July 24), including Russian personalities and entities, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said.
ReplyDeleteThe EU had decided to accelerate the "targeted measures agreed" at an EU leaders’ summit last week, which had set an end-July deadline, Ashton said Tuesday (July 22), adding that officials would submit the new list on Thursday.
EU has no unity on sanctions against Russia — FT...
ReplyDeletePolitical rifts inside the EU have not allowed the European Community to agree on the introduction of new sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine, The Financial Times writes on Wednesday.
“Europe’s foreign ministers failed to agree new sanctions against Russia for its alleged role in the downing of MH17 despite a push by Britain, Sweden and a group of eastern European countries for an arms embargo to be imposed on the Kremlin,” the newspaper notes, summarizing the results of a meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.
“But an embargo met resistance from other EU countries, particularly France, which was forced to defend its decision to continue honouring a €1.2bn contract to sell Mistral-class helicopter assault ships to Russia,” FT writes. As a result, the “options for broader economic sanctions — including blocking Russian access to Europe’s capital markets and limits on military and other “sensitive technologies”, including in the energy sector,” are to be formulated by Thursday, the newspaper writes.
It also drew attention to the criticism of UK Prime Minister Davis Cameron voiced by Paris on Tuesday. A number or prominent politicians, including Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, head of the French ruling Socialist Party, urged London not to attack the plans on the Mistral ships. “This is a false debate led by hypocrites,” Mr. Cambadelis said. “When you see how many [Russian] oligarchs have sought refuge in London, David Cameron should start by cleaning up his own backyard.”
Previously, Cameron, the foreign ministers of Latvia and Lithuania both publicly chastised Paris over the deal, and Carl Bildt, Sweden’s outspoken foreign minister, said: “To deliver arms in this situation is somewhat difficult to defend, to put it mildly,” FT writes.
“The sanctions fight demonstrated deep divisions over Russia remained within the EU even after the MH17 downing,” the newspaper summarized.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/741890
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that France's decision to deliver a Mistral warship to Russia was "completely inappropriate"...
ReplyDeleteWhile the EU was discussing imposing sanctions on Russia over the downing of Malaysian airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in which 298 people died, French President Francois Hollande said Monday that the first Mistral warship would be delivered to Russia as planned in October.
"Clearly we think it's completely inappropriate," said Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman. "And we've told them they should not do it."
Quoting Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama, Harf said the downing of the civilian airliner should be a wake-up call for the Europeans to do more about Ukraine.
The contract between Russia and France for the warships is a €1.2 billion ($1.62 billion) deal that was signed by then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011.
The deal covers two Mistral helicopter-carrier warships and is the first contract that a NATO member country signed to supply Russia with military equipment.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/363178--us-slams-france-over-decision-to-supply-warship-to-russia
Opening remarks by Commissioner Füle at the plenary session of the Foreign Affairs Council on Eastern Partnership....
ReplyDeleteCommissioner Füle participated today in the plenary session of the Foreign Affairs Council on Eastern Partnership and this is what he said in the beginning: 'Events in Ukraine since Vilnius have tested our determination and commitment. I believe they have demonstrated the following four elements:
1) They have demonstrated how important the values and principles the EU holds dear are for the strength of our partnership – the Eastern Partnership is not a unilateral policy imposed on them but a genuinely joint policy.
2) we respect the sovereignty of our partners and their sovereign choices. Respect for territorial integrity and national sovereignty is a precondition for stability – in partner countries and in Europe.
3) we denounce those who are trying to turn the Eastern Partnership into something it is not – a zero-sum game, a battle for spheres of influence, and support our partners to withstand the pressures of that logic.
4) Signature on 27 June of the Association Agreements including the DCFTAs with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine was a historic milestone opening up a qualitatively new level of relations.
A. Implementation is now the key. The EU will be alongside partners every step of the way. The more ambitious and willing partners are, the more concrete results can be achieved. We continue exploring ways in which we can help partners meet challenges through strong political support combined with provision of technical and financial assistance. We do so also in reaction to developments in the region, in the case of Moldova for instance in response to the Russian trade measures. Moldova is benefiting from frontloading of assistance and we are jointly looking at ways of speedy provisional application of the AA/DCFTA in order for Moldova to be able to draw early benefits from the increased quota under the agreement.
There has been crucial progress on visa liberalisation: Moldovan citizens are already enjoying visa free travel and we hope other partners will attain the same goal.
It is crucial that all sectors of society are engaged in our efforts. I therefore welcome the very active role of the Civil Society Forum. Not less important is the engagement with parliaments, the elected representatives of the people; local and regional authorities in in providing an important link between central administration and citizens. The future challenge will be to ensure that civil society becomes part of the design and implementation of reforms. Cooperation and joint ownership of the process will create confidence and trust, providing stronger foundations for democracy to flourish.......http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-236_en.htm?locale=en
22/7/14