On July 14 Iran and its P5+1 negotiating partners agreed a "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" to resolve western concerns over the goals of Iran's nuclear programs. The deal marks the end of 36 years of western sanctions on Iran. Upon affirmation of the JCPOA by the full United Nations Security Council,
most sanctions
in force against Iran will be terminated.
The P5+1
consists of
the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany, which has supplied ...
... Confidence in Trust in Relations
between Russia and the West
There has to be an autonomous status of the districts in eastern Ukraine and free regional elections as soon as possible. Concerning Crimea, I don´t see a solution in the short run. Western sanctions against this territory will stay for a long time. Russia’s actions violated international law, so as the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. The only way out would probably be a new referendum on the future of Crimea under international supervision....
... future OSCE PA role with the focus on Ukraine crisis and prospects for relationship between Europe and Russia.
Opinions have been voiced that time has come to change the key and regard Russia as part of Europe rather than plunge into confrontation, the sanctions being vestiges of the past and hardly effective as foreign policy tools since they damage both Russia and European countries. Many said that the OSCE seems the least efficient organization in the Ukraine context.
It was the third Helsinki+40 ...
Japan’s Ukrainian principles
Japan joined the sanctions policy initiated by the West against Russia from day one of the escalations in the situation in Ukraine. The first three packages of Japanese sanctions were aimed not so much at punishing Russia, as at demonstrating solidarity with the West on the Ukrainian issue. Starting with ...
... economic sanctions are the defining and consistent feature of this new chapter, though Russia’s actual and potential responses are becoming increasingly important.
So far, Russia’s “internal diseases” have harmed it much more than Western sanctions. Likewise, the sanctions do not undermine the stability of the Russian political regime. On the contrary, the “personal” sanctions contribute to the Putin-driven soft nationalization of the elites, and the state can more than make ...
... offending peaceful Georgia and its president. I did not add any insulting word about Saakashvili for myself. But some three months later, Miliband’s advisers leaked the episode to mass media for some reason, besides strongly distorting it.
On sanctions and alliances
- Nevertheless then there was ‘reset’ of relations with America, relations with the West were sorted out, and now all has gone backward after the events in Ukraine and the situation around Crimea.
- If it was not for Crimea and South-Eastern Ukraine, the West would have invented something else. The goal was set to unbalance Russia at ...
... support the independence of the DPR and LPR doubled over the past several months. The Russian President is under pressure either to supply the DPR and LPR with significant amounts of heavy weaponry or to introduce a peace-keeping contingent into Ukraine. Western sanctions do not only put Putin in a crossfire but,
in the opinion of Western experts
, strengthen the positions of Russian nationalists, especially in the armed forces and security services. Faced with these challenges, the President may abandon his ...
... developing markets in the region just as high as in Europe. The partnership between China and Russia has both political and economic dimensions.
Russia and China have similar positions on many global policy issues, including the events in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia. For all the importance of the gas contract signed by the two countries, partnership agreements in other economic sectors and major Chinese investment plans in Russia are no less significant.
I recently participated in a number ...
... banks but left Rossiya and Sobinbank out of the system.
NASA/Joel Kowsky
American and Russian flags inside the Mission
Control Center in Korolev
Simultaneously, the international rating agencies S&P and Fitch Ratings, citing the potential impact of Western sanctions on Russia’s economy and business environment, downgraded the outlook for Russia’s long-term foreign-currency ВВВ and local-currency ВВВ+ ratings to negative from stable
[6]
. Without a doubt, this has reinforced investors’ ...
