Consultations Secretary Austin @Pentagon
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun Hold Joint Media Availability
For more than 70 years, our alliance has been the foundation of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Our two proud democracies share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and we stand shoulder to shoulder against those who would upend the status quo. Now we're closely tracking the unprecedented level of direct military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. In our meetings today, we shared our deep concerns about the deployment of DPRK troops to Russia.
We also discussed how we're going to work together with our allies and partners to respond to this dangerous and destabilizing escalation.
Where Has Our Dutch Mark Rutte Been?
Statement
by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte following the North Atlantic Council briefing on the DPRK’s troop deployment to Russia | Brussels – 28 Sept 2024 |
Good morning.
This morning, a delegation from the Republic of Korea, a close NATO partner, briefed the North Atlantic Council and our other Indo-Pacific partners - Australia, Japan and New Zealand - on North Korea's growing involvement in Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
The delegation included senior representatives from the Republic of Korea's National Intelligence Service and Ministry of National Defence. Allies also shared their intelligence assessments. Today, I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia, and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region.
The deployment of North Korean troops represents: one, a significant escalation in the DPRK's ongoing involvement in Russia's illegal war. Two, yet another breach of UN Security Council resolutions. And three, a dangerous expansion of Russia's war.
NATO calls on Russia and the DPRK to cease these actions immediately.
The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a threat to both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security. It undermines peace on the Korean Peninsula and fuels the Russian war against Ukraine. Pyongyang has already supplied Russia with millions of rounds of ammunition and ballistic missiles that are fuelling a major conflict in the heart of Europe and undermining global peace and security. In exchange, [President] Putin is providing North Korea with military technology and other support to circumvent international sanctions.
This underlines the importance of democracies standing together to uphold our values and to face our shared security challenges, but the deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk is also a sign of [President] Putin's growing desperation. Over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in [President] Putin's war, and he is unable to sustain his assault to Ukraine without foreign support. This is because the Ukrainians are fighting back with courage, resilience and ingenuity.
NATO Allies will continue to support a free and democratic Ukraine, because Ukraine's security is our security. Today, we discussed the need to further strengthen military support to Ukraine. We are actively consulting within the Alliance, with Ukraine, and with our Indo-Pacific partners on these developments, and we continue to monitor the situation closely. Later today, I have scheduled calls with President Yoon of the Republic of Korea, and with Defence Minister Umerov of Ukraine.
Thank you.
North Korean troops in Europe marks turning point Op-ed article by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte | 6 Nov 2024 |
Warmonger Rutte in deep sh*t … I do not think the marriage between him and President Trump will last a calendar year …
Nice to Have a Warmongering Head of NATO | 14 Nov 2024 |
Press conference of the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Transcript Joint Press Conference at the Ādaži Military Base in Latvia
The United States and the "Axis" of Its Enemies: Myths vs. Reality | Carnegie Endowment - 27 Nov 2024 |
The arrival of thousands of North Korean troops to fight alongside the Russian army in Kursk has added urgency to the prevailing narrative that a new "axis" of countries is banding together to oppose the United States. Some U.S. officials have labeled countries such as Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran as a latter day "Axis of Evil." The formulations used by outside observers are no less colorful: "the axis of upheaval," "the Kleptocracy Club," the "axis of revisionist powers," or just CRINK.
Membership in this new axis is fluid. In addition to the four already mentioned countries, it occasionally includes Venezuela or sometimes even Zimbabwe. To be fair, all of these countries have a lot in common. They are autocratic and corrupt. They contribute to or welcome disorder in various corners of the world, often far beyond their borders.
On plenty of occasions, they have sought to challenge the United States and to demonstrate their worry about alleged U.S. support for subverting or outright overthrowing their ruling regimes. They have even been accused of starting World War III against the United States. The July 2024 RAND report from the Commission on the National Defense Strategy warns that the United States "must be prepared to confront an axis of multiple adversaries." But are they truly so aligned as to form an "axis"--a term that evokes the alliance among Germany, Italy, and Japan that the United States and its allies defeated in World War II?
[Update-1]
Iran: the Weird New Secretary General of NATO
NATO chief should answer for growing global insecurity: Iran
The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that “egocentric and totalitarianist policies” of certain NATO members have led to the growing insecurity that has plagued the world, including Europe.
The NATO secretary general “should feel accountable to answer” the mounting insecurity across the world, Baghaei said.
His post came after NATO’s new Secretary General Mark Rutte in an interview with the Financial Times warned US President-elect Donald Trump about what he claimed to be a "dire threat" from China, Iran and North Korea if Ukraine is pushed to sign a peace agreement on terms favorable to Russia.
Rutte also claimed that Russia is giving money to Iran in return for missiles and drone technology and cautioned Trump about it.
"And the money is being used to prop up Hezbollah and Hamas, but also steering conflict beyond the region," he claimed.
END OF UPDATE
KOREA
Yoon Silent After Revoking Martial Law
Yoon silent after martial law lifted as schedule cleared, aides resign | Korean JoongAng Daily |
Blinken Denies Awareness Martial Law Decision
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Humeyra Pamuk of Reuters
QUESTION: Thank you very much for being with us today, Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good to be with you.
QUESTION: Let me start with South Korea. Given the U.S. has thousands of troops in South Korea, did you really have no awareness that martial law was going to be declared until President Yoon's address? And would you have expected to have been informed?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yeah - no, that's correct. We were not aware. We're obviously watching this very carefully. Very good to see that the martial law edict was withdrawn by President Yoon after the parliament voted against it. And for us, this is one of the most critical alliances that we have anywhere in the world. South Korean democracy, it's one of the most powerful stories anywhere in the world. It's very important that any disputes, differences, political differences be resolved peacefully and pursuant to the rule of law. That's what we're seeing now. That's what's so important to sustain.
QUESTION: You're saying you're - you welcome the rescinding of the martial law. Does that mean that you don't think there was justification for it?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, I'm not going to get into the decisions that were made, political decisions that were made in South Korea. All I can say is as Korea's staunch ally, as a country that also believes that Korea has such an important story to tell to the world - because of the extraordinary emergence not only of a democracy but a strong, resilient democracy - we want to see that sustained because it's in our interest and it's a partnership that's critical to us, but also because of what it says to the world. So I think it's very important how our allies resolve any internal differences. As I said, we're watching closely, but it's good to see that the martial law declaration was rescinded and that the political process is moving pursuant to the rule of law.
QUESTION: Have you been able to speak to your South Korean counterpart; and are you trying to talk to him, if no?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: I haven't had an opportunity to speak to him, but we speak on a pretty regular basis just because we have so many things that we're working on together. So I anticipate I'll be speaking over the days ahead.
QUESTION: Final thing on this. The fact that U.S. hasn't been informed and it didn't have an idea about this, some people interpret that as a gap in intelligence. What do you say to that?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, I - again, I can't get into the decision-making that partners make. We are certainly not routinely informed of every decision that any partner may be making anywhere around the world at any given time. As I said, what's important now is to see this process play out peacefully and according to the constitution and the rule of law.
G7 United vs BRICS, China and Russia
Secretary Antony J. Blinken holds a press availability in Italy, November 26, 2024
We've also built on the G7's efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. As I mentioned, this focus today on the presence of North Korean troops in the aggression that Russia is committing against Ukraine, we spent a lot of time on that, but also on China's ongoing support for Russia's defense industrial base - all of which is allowing Russia to continue the aggression against Ukraine, both of which are reminders that European and Indo-Pacific security are joined.
One of the hallmarks of our administration has been to build bridges between Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and other regions, because so many of the issues that we have to face are shared issues, shared concerns, whether they're challenges and threats, or whether they're opportunities. The G7 is increasingly aligned on our view of economic and security risks posed by the People's Republic of China, the policies it's pursuing, even as we recognize the need for constructive engagement.
Over four years we have forged much greater convergence, more than ever before, on common approaches to China - a shared commitment, for example, to economic and security de-risking, dealing with over-capacity and unfair trade practices coming from Beijing, focused together on export controls on the most sensitive technology, working together on investment screening, standing against economic coercion, building mineral supply security, supply chains more generally and their security resilience, and helping to build sustainable infrastructure together around the world.
The bottom line is this: We are much stronger, we're much more effective, when we're acting together, not alone. And just to cite the obvious example in the economic area when we're dealing with policies of concern by China, any of our countries acting alone compared to when we're acting together simply cannot be as effective.
In the case of the United States, we're 20 percent or so of world GDP. When we're acting together with our G7 partners, it's more like 50 percent, and that weight is a weight that can't be ignored.
As a result of the historic investments that we've made at home in the United States as well as in our partnerships abroad, we're now engaging China and the challenges it poses from a position of strength, and that's something that we'll be able to hand off to the next administration.
[Pretty words on Israel-Palestine conflict but supporting genocide ... showing faked empathy while bolstering legal aid to the Jewish State of Israel]
We also spent time discussing the opportunity and indeed the necessity to end conflicts in the Middle East and lay the foundation for a more durable peace now that Israel has achieved its strategic goals in the wake of October 7th. In Gaza, we remain committed to bringing the hostages home and ending the humanitarian crisis that Gaza's children, women, and men are facing every single day.
We agreed with Arab partners that we cannot end the conflict without a plan for the post-conflict - something that we're working on intensely as we speak.
We also reiterated deep concern with Iran's nuclear activities and continued failure to cooperate fully with the IAEA.
Calling on adversaries to fully abide by International Law and UN Treaties or UN Security Council decisions 😂 🤣
The Mongol Hordes: They're Just Like Us | The New Yorker - 25 Dec 2023 |
Scholars now argue that early nomadic empires were the architects of modernity. But do we have the right measure of their success?
Not everyone understood why the Pontiff was there. A caterer at a banquet for the Vatican entourage asked a Times reporter, "What are Catholics again?" But the Pope came prepared. Speaking to diplomats, cultural leaders, and the Mongolian President, he celebrated the religious freedom protected under the Mongol Empire during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries--"the remarkable ability of your ancestors to acknowledge the outstanding qualities of the peoples present in its immense territory and to put those qualities at the service of a common development." He also celebrated "the Pax Mongolica," the period of Mongol-enforced stability across Eurasia, citing its "absence of conflicts" and respect "of international laws."
Onwards towards WWIII ...
$$ Bonds Offing of Petro Yuan KSA-China Relations | 21 Nov 2024 |
China to Issue Dollar Bonds in Saudi Arabia, Deepening Financial Ties | MENA |
China usually issues US dollar bonds in Hong Kong. However, choosing Saudi Arabia for this sale signals a deepening partnership between the two countries. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks Chinese investment to support his Vision 2030 initiative, aimed at reducing Saudi Arabia's oil dependency.
Saudi Arabia's Growing Investment Appeal
Saudi Arabia is increasingly relying on international dollar bond sales to fund its large-scale projects. This year, it has become one of the biggest emerging market issuers. Meanwhile, China is eyeing major Saudi construction contracts as its property market faces challenges at home. Saudi Arabia's solar energy boom has also attracted Chinese companies specializing in solar panels and batteries.
Saudi Arabia to Host Arab-Islamic Summit to Halt Israeli Aggression on Palestinian, Lebanese Territories | SPA News |
LAST CHAPTER ... A DOOMSDAY SCENARIO ⁉️
Joe Is History ... Almost 😡
by Oui on Nov 18th, 2024
Spanning 50 years of U.S. Foreign Policy Leading Democrats in U.S. Congress and his double stints inside the White House.
In his final weeks, Trump and Pompeo wrecked US foreign policy for a bad start of the new administration in transition. Cult of Nero endures ...
