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Hong Kongs arrest of 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen in May signals Beijings growing oppression of religious freedom in Hong Kong amid its widening clamp down on freedoms in the financial hub, according to Andrew Bremberg, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Hong Kong police on May 11 arrested 90-year-old Zen, former head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, along with four other pro-democracy figures allegedly linked to a fund supporting Hong Kong protesters. The arrests were made under the citys national security law, which was imposed by Beijing in June 2020 and has been used to quash dissent in the city.

In several months leading up to his arrest we saw in state media outlets repeated, increased mentions of the [Chinese Communist] Partys concern about the influence that religion was having, Bremberg said in an interview on NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

This was laying the groundwork for greater crackdowns and arrests, he added.

Zen has long been an advocate of religious and civic freedoms in Hong Kong and mainland China and has spoken out against the communist regimes growing authoritarianism, including its imposition of the national security law and the persecution of Roman Catholics in China.

Bremberg, president of the Washington-based advocacy group Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, said the allegations against Zen were an excuse used by the Chinese regime to detain him.

The Chinese Communist Party can create whatever pretext it wants, as an excuse for any individuals arrest. Weve seen this across the board, he said.

Beijings religious oppression in Hong Kong today was an inevitability, according to Bremberg.

As part of the CCPs broader crackdown on Hong Kong, the destruction of democracy and self-governance in Hong Kong, it obviously now leads to greater religious oppression, he said.

Bremberg noted that communist regimes have a history of arresting and harassing prominent religious leaders.

Throughout the last 100 years of communist regimes weve seen religion, churches and other religious figures have always been viewed as a threat to communism, he said.

The advocate pointed to historical examples of prominent religious leaders arrested by the Soviet regime in Central and Eastern Europe.

He singled out the case of Cardinal Jzsef Mindszenty, the highest Catholic official in Hungary, who was arrested in 1948 and then sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1956, Mindszenty was released during the Hungarian Revolution. The cardinal later fled to the U.S. embassy in Budapest as Soviet troops entered Hungary to crush anti-communist protests. He stayed inside the embassy grounds until 1971 before being exiled to Vienna.

Americans should be concerned about Zens arrest, Bremberg said.

Religious liberty has always been a bedrock of the American way of life, he said, pointing out that the founding of the United States stems from immigrants coming to the United States from Europe seeking the freedom of belief.

Crackdowns on religious liberty are frequently the first sign of increasing persecution and totalitarianism and violations of human rights across the board by any regime, he added.

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Hannah Ng is a reporter covering U.S. and China news.

Originally posted here:
Arrest of 90-Year-Old Catholic Cardinal in Hong Kong Signals Beijing's Increasing Persecution: Former US Ambassador - The Epoch Times

HUAC Chairman Harold Velde left Philadelphia in 1953 with an admission of defeat.

The witnesses refused to talk, Velde said in his closing monologue. Instead, they say nothing. One can only draw the conclusion that, though many witnesses have emphasized that they are not today members of the Communist Party, they do not wish to help destroy the Communist conspiracy.

With that, Velde gaveled the hearings to a close.

HUAC may not have achieved its stated goals in Philadelphia. But it had done something. It upended the lives of the teachers in its crosshairs.

The temptation here is to essentialize to draw a clean narrative from the aftermath.

Did HUAC and the subsequent firings destroy these people? Did it stiffen their resolve?

The answer, as always, falls somewhere in between.

Life was certainly different after HUAC at times uncomfortable or worse. Children of the fired teachers recalled play dates canceled and friendships severed in the wake of the hearings.

I didnt feel people hated me, but its clear they were very scared, said David Drasin, whose father, Sam, was among those fired.

Davids mother, Sylvia, wouldve likely been fired, too, but she died of cancer shortly before the hearings began. The family pressed on because it had to.

For John Ehrenreichs parents, Joe and Freda, the firings were a bump in an already bumpy road.

In the late 1940s, Joe, stricken with tuberculosis, left teaching temporarily and moved to a sanitorium. To make up for the lost income, Freda got a job as a school counselor.

Fredas job was a lifeline for the family, but soon after the HUAC hearings she suffered a serious heart attack and had to quit. Within a year, Joe had been fired and Freda sidelined by ill health.

We were pretty poor, said John. We did continue to get some help from my uncles and from some of the family friends. But things were tight.

The scramble for jobs led the teachers in all sorts of unpredictable directions. Herman Beilan became a traveling salesman. A former teacher named William Soler worked at a dental supply firm. Another, Solomon Haas, became an exterminator. Isadore Reivich got into the dry cleaning business.

For some teachers, the events set off by the HUAC interrogation seemed to throw their lives completely off axis.

English teacher Sophie Elfont lived alone in a small apartment in Philadelphias Germantown neighborhood. She never married or had children. Relatives described her as exceptionally bright and caring, but not well-suited to withstand the attention that came with her firing.

Afterward, her world seemed to narrow.

It was devastating for her, said nephew Mark Elfont.

Another relative told me she scratched out a living working for a clipping service. Shed scour the newspaper every day, cutting out articles for a coterie of clients.

She was able to maintain our independence, but it wasnt easy, her nephew said. She certainly did not have an easy life.

Sophie died in 1987. She was alone, Mark Elfont said so alone that it took about two days before anyone discovered her body.

She had dedicated her body to science, so there was no funeral, said Mark Elfont.

Theres a pull toward the tragic here perhaps as a way to indict the government, to prove how reckless it was in its pursuit of these teachers.

But to leave you with just those stories would be misleading. Because many of the fired teachers had rich, varied lives in the decades that followed.

Nathan Margoliss wife, Adele, wrote several beloved books on sewing.

John Ehrenrichs dad, Joe, had a long career as a technical writer.

The unions last president, Francis Fritz Jennings, became a lauded historian.

Perhaps the most interesting post-HUAC life belongs to one of the few Black teachers fired, Goldie Watson. In the years after, Watson hosted a radio show for homemakers and owned an apparel store.

She also kept a defiant foot in the political world, and worked her way back into the mainstream. In 1967, Philadelphia Mayor James Tate appointed Watson deputy commissioner of records. Shortly afterward, she became the administrator of a prominent urban revitalization program.

In the early 1970s, her political ascent culminated with an ideological twist. Conservative Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, a persistent foe of political and cultural outsiders, appointed Watson as one of his top deputies.

Its hard to imagine that a Black former Communist would get and take a high-profile job in the Rizzo administration. But professor Nicholas Toloudis thinks Watson saw Rizzo much the same way she saw the Communist Party: a means to an end.

She saw the Communist Party as being a toolbox, said Toloudis. The crowbars and the things in that toolbox were things she would use to pry open the segregated institutions of the United States.

Rizzo was a very different type of toolbox, but one Watson thought she could use in her singular pursuit a pursuit she explained to The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1974:

If youre trying to find out what Im all about its that I decided early on in my life that I was going to use whatever talents I had to help other Black people, Watson said.

Somewhere between the lives of Goldie Watson and Sophie Elfont, youll find the story of the Intille family.

Angelina Intille grew up in South Philadelphia one of 10 children in an immigrant family from Italy. She was also the only one of those 10 to continue her education beyond high school, according to her son, Joe.

The studious Angelina fell in with a mostly Jewish group of kids from the neighborhood. Many of them went on to become teachers, Angelina included. Joe, her son, does not think his mom was an active member of the Communist Party just that she was part of the same crowd.

Joes dad was decidedly not part of that crowd. He was a refinery worker with a tendency to gamble away his paycheck, Joe said. He also physically abused Angelina, according to Joe.

One day in the mid-1940s 1946 or 1947, Joe thinks Angelina gathered up her three boys and moved out while her husband was at work. She moved in with Bessie Stensky, another one of the Philadelphia teachers who ended up testifying before HUAC.

Joe, about 8 years old at the time, suddenly found himself in a world of school-teacher-activists.

The names splashed across the front page of the newspapers in 1953 were the people who helped raise him. People like fired teacher Eleanor Fleet and her husband, Irv a kind of male role model for Joe who got him interested in science and technology.

In February 1954, Angelina Intille and her housemate, Bessie Stensky, were among the second wave of Philadelphia teachers to testify before HUAC during hearings held in Washington. Intille, like the rest of the teachers, had already been suspended from the school district. Later that year, she and the others would permanently lose their jobs.

A single parent, Intille needed work, quickly. She and a few of the other fired teachers found jobs at the Sklar School, which served students with special needs. Another group landed at a progressive independent school in the suburbs called The Miquon School.

Joe, then in high school, made a little extra money working as an exterminator for fired teacher Solomon Haas.

That pattern repeated itself. The fired teachers got jobs together. The kids of fired teachers ended up working for each others parents, hanging out, or even, on one occasion, going to prom together.

HUAC hadnt blown them apart.

It bonded them, said Joe Intille.

Even though the union was in various states of decay, as a network of people, it remained intact well after the Supreme Court ruled against Herman Beilan in 1958.

To have a group like that 50 people, said Joe Intille. Whoever heard of such a thing?

As the next decade dawned, the groups legal luck began to turn.

Angelina Intille, Goldie Watson, and two other teachers had already launched a separate challenge based on the fact that their firings had come in a slightly different order than Beilans.

In 1960, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in their favor and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal. Angelina was free to teach again. And she did just that.

Seven years later, in 1967, the high court took up a case about a group of state university professors in New York who were fired for refusing to sign a loyalty oath. This time, the court reversed the precedent it had established in the early days of the Red Scare all the way back in 1952.

Invoking the concept of academic freedom, the majority said the Constitution did protect teachers like the ones fired in Philadelphia.

It was close. A 5-4 decision. But it meant the saga was over.

A few months later, a tiny article ran on page 17 of The Philadelphia Inquirer: Schools Rehire 4 Who Balked at Red Probe

Most of the teachers had moved on. But a handful applied for reinstatement and went back to work nearly 14 years after theyd been suspended

One of them was Judy Gandys father, Herman Beilan.

Why did he return to the school district that had so publicly fired him? Judy figures money was probably a factor. But her dad also loved teaching.

He was completely committed to teaching. Even when he was not in the classroom, said Judy Gandy. He would teach me at home.

Herman Beilan was in his late 50s by the time he resumed his public school teaching career.

Gandy remembers he would take the city bus to work every morning. And he would bring the newspaper along with him, folded up in quarters so that he could read without taking up too much room or inconveniencing the other riders.

He was trying to occupy his brain, which is kind of standard for him, said Gandy.

Herman Beilan and his friends were fired on the front page of the paper and rehired on page 17.

The world had moved on. In some ways, thats probably why they were re-hired.

By the late 1960s, there were new fronts in the culture war. As time passed, those fronts moved further and further from people like Herman Beilan.

When Beilan died in 1981, the Inquirer ran an obituary on page 31. It didnt mention his firing or the Supreme Court case that bears his name.

Angelina Intille also finished her career as a teacher in Philadelphias public schools. But just because she ended up back where she started, doesnt mean the family came through unscathed.

Her son, Joe, ended up in the Navy stationed, of all places, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where his assignments had a distinctly anti-Communist flavor. When he became a civilian, Joe worked as a technical writer. In the mid-1960s, he says he took a job that required a security clearance which the government then denied him because of his moms past.

The clearance denial cost Joe his job, and he ended up selling insurance for a couple of years to stay afloat. Finally, Joe says a government panel in D.C. agreed to review his case.

Theyre sitting up on this counter up there and Im sitting down on the chair and theyre grilling me about my mother and myself, Joe recalled. Why should I get a clearance?

To get his career back, he made a promise to the U.S. government.

I had to promise them that I would not associate with my mother, Joe said.

Joes older brother joined the Air Force and ended up with the same dilemma needing a security clearance to secure a promotion. For Joes brother, it was a breaking point.

It left a very bad taste in my brothers mouth about my mom, said Joe. He basically held it against my mom and never forgave her.

Even though Joe suffered the same consequences, he felt the opposite.

Im not ashamed of any of this, as a matter of fact, I brag about it because I was proud of my mom, said Joe. She stood by her principles.

As for that promise he made to the government about cutting his mom out of his life? He never intended to keep it.

No. No, Joe said. My mothers my best friend.

Angelina eventually remarried, retired, and moved to Florida.

She died in 2004.

Following a generational trend, many of the teachers retired to South Florida. But in their case, it was more than mere coincidence.

All of them all moved up to Lake Worth and they all moved into the same condo complex, said Joe. It was about 20 people.

The Pine Ridge Condominium Complexes sit just southwest of Palm Beach, a sprawling patchwork of two-story buildings and man-made ponds. Pine Ridge doesnt sound like the type of place where youd find a group of accused Communists from Philadelphia. But in the 1980s and 1990s, you could do just that.

Alan Soler the son of two fired teachers, William and Esther remembers visiting his parents and chuckling to himself as they sat around the pool with their friends reminiscing about the glory days of Communism. With near unanimity, the descendants of the fired teachers say their parents and grandparents remained dedicated to left-wing causes and ideology their entire lives.

Alan found the poolside chatter amusing and a bit hypocritical, given the material pleasures of a South Florida condo complex.

But its also a telling image.

Three or four decades after the government called them a threat to the nation, here they were, lounging in the Florida sun.

Theyd made it through. And theyd made it through together.

See the rest here:
Schooled: Revisiting the Philly school system's Communist purge - WHYY

The CPUSAs strategy at this moment, in this general point in time, is to strengthen the all-peoples front against the extreme right, at least some of which can be called fascist. When we use the terms people, peoples, and all-peoples front what we used to call popular we are saying this is a multi-class front. Not just the working class.

So our all-peoples front against the extreme right, against a developing fascist movement, is different from a united front against fascism that other left-wing parties call for. Historically, Marxist-Leninists used the term united front to mean the united working class. (Maoists use the term united front the way Leninists use the term popular front and peoples front. And for this reason, the Inside/Outside Project, because it unites some parties and movements from both traditions, uses the term broad democratic front.) We want a united working class to fight the extreme right, but we want much more than that.

We want the working class to lead the all-peoples front. Does it at present? That is debatable. Either way, if the working class does not lead the front, our task is to make it so. Regardless, the front already exists, and it involves or should involve all strata of the working class as well as other working peoples.

Unionized and nonunionized workers

In 2021, 14 million wage and salary workers belonged to unions, a drop of 241,000 from the prior year. The percent of that number in unions (the union membership rate) was 10.3% (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Obviously, nonunionized workers far outnumber unionized ones.

Unemployed

They belong to the working class but are a special element of it. I personally know how easy it is to give up hope while unemployed. For a variety of reasons, white unemployed workers might be especially prone to extreme-right ideology.

Farmworkers

These are rural area wage-earning workers, too often neglected because social change movements are concentrated in urban areas. In a typical year, 2.5 million people are wage earners working on farms. About 2 million are employed on crop farms, and about 70% of these workers were born in Mexico (Wilson Center). Thus, the issues of farm workers and immigration rights are tightly interconnected. Farm workers are especially unprotected. Workers employed in agriculture are not eligible for time and a half their regular rates of pay when they work more than 40 hours per week (Department of Labor). (In New York State, the threshold is 60 hours.) So they face especially harsh exploitation.

All-class social movements

Examples are the African American equality movement, struggles for Latino/Hispanic equality, the womens equality organizations, LGBTQ struggles, the youth and student movements, and immigrant rights organizations. Every one of these social movements involves the working class and other classes. These movements are the greatest allies of the working class, and some hold positions more advanced than the programs of some unions. Included are organizations fighting on many fronts as well as single-issue groups.

Farmers and ranchers

In 2017, there were slightly more than 2 million farms and ranches. However, around 85,000 large farms owning 2,000 or more acres comprised nearly 60% of all farmland. There were only around 275,000 small farms owning 1 to 10 acres, and that represented just one-tenth of 1% of all farmland (CNBC).

Small business owners

The U.S. Small Business Administrations Office of Advocacy defines a small business as one employing fewer than 500 employees. There are nearly 32 million of them, but 81% (25.7 million) have no employees.

Given the level of development of socialist and progressive forces and the balance of forces, the all-peoples front also includes some elements of the capitalist class. After all, in this current period, we are attempting to stop the development of fascism; we are not launching an anti-monopoly coalition or attempting to overthrow capitalism. This does not mean that all the peoples victories are only defensive. It does mean that we are by no means in a general anti-capitalist phase.

The strike waves of the last two years; the unprecedented Black Lives Matter demonstrations; progressive electoral victories here and there, especially in the Deep South and other deep red regions: these and other victories are part of the all-peoples front. From my vantage point, the danger is to misinterpret these actions as evidence that something more advanced has superseded the all-peoples front.

When writing about the 1905 Democratic Revolution and the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party (which became the Communist Party of that country), Lenin wrote, a Social-Democratic Party which operates in a bourgeois society cannot take part in politics without marching, in certain cases, side by side with bourgeois democracy (Two Tactics). When he wrote that, Russia had revolutionary and republican capitalists on one side, and liberal and monarchist capitalists on the other. His Bolshevik wing of the Russian party sometimes marched in parallel with the first group but did not merge into it.

This necessity of sometimes working alongside some elements of the capitalist class but not becoming engulfed by it stands true even in countries with a long democratic history (however limited that democracy has been). This is especially so right now in the U.S. because of our currently very limited trade union movement and our small organized left.

The two-party system is an additional force throwing the organized left into the world of capitalist politics. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have ever challenged capitalist rule in America, though the Democrats have a progressive and socialist wing and the Republicans have become dangerously reactionary. Socialist parties that stand aloof have much more limited contact and influence with mass movements in our country. If we feel the pain of workers and oppressed people, then we must conclude that it is a position of privilege to merely stand on the sidelines and only bark about what is wrong. Workers and especially oppressed people deserve solutions, and we must be part of the movements to remedy our societys wrongs. Right now, not in the distant future.

Yes, the various elements of the front unite based on common issues. However, in our political system, this will always boil down to this or that candidate, since practically every election involves a single-member district. Which given candidate in a given electoral district supports most of the issues that progressives favor?

One cannot be a dialectical and historical materialist and ignore the two-party reality of today. Then theres the anti-democratic nature of the Senate, in which the Democratic Party represents 41.5 million more people than the Republican Party, yet holds the same number of seats. Add to this the filibuster, and we have a situation in which the country is ruled by a minority that routinely blocks popular legislation. Democratic Party Senators Joe Manchin (W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) were able to sabotage President Bidens plans for two reasons: 1) The Democrats control the Senate only via Vice President Kamala Harriss tiebreaker role, and 2) the Republican Party, including the Never Trumpers, has been the Party of No since President Obama.

Wishing we had a massive left-wing party in a parliamentary system, or something even better, is an idealist waste of time. We must look at where reality is today and strategize on how to make it much better. Some democratic reforms could make critical differences. Included on this list would be expanding voting rights, creating independent redistricting commissions, eliminating the Electoral College, and reversing Citizens United some of those demands are herculean and will require Democratic supermajorities in the Capitol and many state capitals. Standing to the side and lecturing people in struggle about how terrible the situation is, but refusing to help elect candidates who pledge to make better laws, does not begin to do enough.

It also ignores what the Party program correctly points out: The Democratic Party has been the main vehicle used by African American and Latino communities to gain representation, as well as the main mechanism used to elect labor, progressive, and even left activists to public office, especially at the local level. African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian people have more reason than any social group to give up. Yet their leaders and organizations have not done so and are still fighting like mad. How dare any left political party or movement tell them they are wrong.

Unions have not had the support of the federal government for several generations. And most states have been hostile, not supportive. Yet unions and their leaderships have also not given up. When I hear left-wing nonprofit organizations and leaders tell trade unionists that they are wasting their time by supporting less-than-socialist candidates in the Democratic Party, I get a visceral reaction, an instinctive repulsion.

Indeed, the all-class nature of the all-peoples front is especially evident in our electoral system. When most or all campaigns are non-ending, with essentially unlimited spending, many elections must involve at least some capitalist funding, especially on the level of governor, other state-wide offices, the U.S. Senate, and increasingly so members of the U.S. House. And without debate, capitalists are highly involved in our presidential elections.

The few socialist legislators serving in Washington, D.C., and Albany, NY, who refuse all capitalist contributions are the exception some capitalist funding goes to nearly every progressive legislator.

Communist candidates cannot accept money from billionaires and monopolies. But we cant impose our position on every progressive and left-of-center liberal candidate. If we do, we will end up with only a few candidates to support. The task of halting the extreme right requires a much broader electoral front. How does our Party march side by side with antiextreme-right elected officials from a capitalist party? Primarily through the mass movements, nearly all of which are involved in every election we have.

Our tactics must jibe with our strategy. What exactly do we mean by tactics? Lenin answered, By the Partys tactics we mean the Partys political conduct, or the character, direction, and methods of its political activity (Two Tactics). At the least, we must not be sectarian. Instead, we should be broad in our approach. We should not hammer on the shortcomings of elements of the all-peoples front. Many forces of the front do that already; there is no need for us to pile on. Communists, more than any other political force, must work to build up the coalitions involved.

This is true especially after primary elections are over and voters face the choice of a decent liberal candidate or an extreme rightist. Harsh criticism of a Democratic candidate, who will either defeat or lose to an extreme-right Republican, serves no positive purpose. Some on the left think they must cleanse their brains and souls by telling the masses how flawed the better candidate is. In an age of rampant misinformation, which hits people from many sides, this is an especially poor tactic. Nearly half of the population gets its news sometimes or often from social media (most likely Facebook) (Pew Research). Watch segments from the three cable news networks Fox, Newsmax, and One America News. See which stories they pound on and which they ignore, and you will learn why some voters have no idea of where progressives truly stand. In such a world of misinformation, we must keep things straightforward when talking to voters.

Avoiding harsh criticism of Democrats in general election time periods is particularly difficult for parties and movements that back social democratic/democratic socialist candidates and the most progressive of the rest. These candidates are winning primaries nearly exclusively in the darkest blue districts. So during their campaigns, there are contrasts only with other Democrats and not the extreme-right Republicans. Sometimes, there seems to be an inability to turn off such criticism after primary season has ended. On a federal level are the examples of Bernie Sanderss voters who couldnt bring themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016 or Joe Biden in 2020.

That objective situation produces an ironic outcome: corporate Democrats take all the heat, and Republicans, regardless of party faction, are rarely mentioned. I am on email lists of several social change organizations working to elect democratic socialist and progressive legislators. I have yet to see a critique of Republicans from two of them. I am guessing these two organizations are in large company with other social change movements.

Leftists who tell people to not bother voting, that voting is a waste of time, are committing terrible errors. The extreme right is expending vast amounts of time, energy, and money trying to limit voting rights, to minimize or eliminate democracy. That alone should tell progressives and leftists to fight like hell to expand the electorate, to never counsel people to not vote. Electoral struggle is a necessary path of struggle.

We must avoid getting a contact high by surrounding ourselves with only like-minded activists. Instead, I prescribe sobriety tests by working with the people. Some of the general mass of voters are deeply confused by primary elections. I know this because when I do mass work for general elections, I sometimes hear, But I already voted this year. And the statements are not coming from early voters. We must accept the reality that many voters do not understand the basic civics of the primary versus the general.

In my mass work for the Working Families Party, when attempting to gather signatures to place candidates on the WFP line, some WFP-registered voters tell me they are registered with the Democrats and not the WFP. They are wrong, and I know it, because my information is from the Board of Elections. Meaning, these people have never voted in a primary. Otherwise, they would have learned at their polling sites that they were not eligible to vote in the Democratic Party primary since they were registered with the WFP. This is not, by any means, to pick on the WFP. I think the mass movements especially need to clarify this to Democratic Party voters, elements of which constitute the major pillars of the future anti-monopoly coalition.

This is the reality of where things stand. Lenin told us that scientific thinking demands that account should be taken of all the forces, groups, parties, classes and masses operating in a country. He added that policy should not be determined by mere desires and views, and by the degree of class consciousness and readiness of the most advanced group or party (Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder). We must heed his advice. The all-peoples front against the extreme right is the strategy to bring us forward.

The opinions of the author do not necessarily reflect the positions of the CPUSA.

Images: Top, Indivisible (Facebook); Farmworker, United Farm Workers (Facebook); Rev. Raphael Warnock campaigning for Senate (Facebook); Amazon Labor Union activists, ALU (Facebook); Poor Peoples Campaign march, PPC (Facebook); I voted, Daniel Parks (CC BY-NC 2.0).

The rest is here:
As the far right grows, so should the all-people's front - Communist Party USA

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference after a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels on Friday. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP hide caption

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference after a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels on Friday.

BRUSSELS The European Union's executive arm on Friday recommended making Ukraine a candidate for EU membership, a first step on what was expected to be a long road for the war-torn country to join the 27-nation bloc.

The European Commission delivered its proposal to award Ukraine candidate status after a fast-tracked analysis of answers to a questionnaire. The Ukrainian government applied for EU membership less than a week after Russia invaded the country.

"Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective," commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "We want them to live with us, the European dream."

The leaders of the bloc's existing members are scheduled to discuss the recommendation during a summit next week in Brussels. The European Commission's endorsement, while a strong sign of solidarity with Ukraine, is likely to take years or even decades to materialize into EU membership.

Along with Ukraine, the European Commission also recommended giving neighboring Moldova EU candidate status. The commission also reviewed Georgia's application but said the Caucasus nation first needs to fulfill a number of conditions.

Adding new members requires unanimous approval from all existing EU member nations. They have expressed differing views on how quickly to add Ukraine to their ranks. Ukraine's bid received a boost when the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania visited the country Thursday and vowed to back its candidacy.

To be admitted, potential newcomers need to demonstrate that they meet EU standards on democratic principles and they must absorb about 80,000 pages of rules covering everything from trade and immigration to fertilizer and the rule of law.

Before Russia's war in Ukraine, the European Commission repeatedly expressed concern in recent years about corruption in Ukraine and the need for deep political and economic reforms.

"Yes, Ukraine deserves a European perspective. It should be welcomed as a candidate country, on the understanding that important work remains to be done," von der Leyen said Friday. "The entire process is merits-based. It goes by the book and therefore, progress depends entirely on Ukraine."

Ukraine currently has has an association agreement with the EU, which is aimed at opening Ukraine's markets and bringing it closer to Europe. It includes a far-reaching free trade pact. Von der Leyen said that due to the 2016 agreement, "Ukraine has already implemented roughly 70% of the EU rules, norms and standards."

"It is taking part in many important EU programs," she continued. "Ukraine is a robust parliamentary democracy. It has a well-functioning public administration that has kept the country running even during this war."

Von der Leyen said the country should continue to make progress in the fields of rule of law and fighting corruption. She also cited the need to speed up the selection of high court judges.

Expediting Ukraine's application by declaring it an official candidate would challenge the EU's normal playbook for adding members. The degree to which Ukraine's request for a fast-track accession represents a change in the EU's standard operating procedure is evident from the experiences of other aspiring members.

Turkey, for example, applied for membership in 1987, received candidate status in 1999, and had to wait until 2005 to start talks for actual entry. Six so-called Western Balkan countries Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo have been in the EU waiting line for decades, and only Serbia and Montenegro have the candidate status that was proposed for Ukraine.

At their June 23 summit, EU heads of state and government therefore face a delicate balancing act: signaling to Ukraine that the door is ajar while reassuring other aspiring members and some of the bloc's own citizens that they aren't showing favoritism to Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday he was grateful to the European Commission's recommendation to put his country and Moldova on the membership path. He called it "the first step on the E.U. membership path that'll certainly bring our victory closer."

Zelenskyy added that he "expected a positive result" from the EU summit in Brussels.

Earlier Friday, Zelenskyy said it was in all of Europe's interest to see that Moscow is defeated in his country.

Speaking at an annual discussion forum in North Macedonia, Zelenskyy said that Russian's actions even before the war have "challenged every nation on the continent, every region of Europe."

"Today, there is not a single country left in Europe that would not have suffered from at least one of the many manifestations of Russian anti-European policies," he said.

___

Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade.

Read more:
Commission recommends making Ukraine a candidate for European Union membership - NPR

Despite the growing deficit in multilateralism, exacerbated by the rise in power political competition, the European Union remains mobilized to work closely with the United Nations, which has kept functioning even at the height of the cold war, the blocs foreign affairs chief told the Security Council today.

The multilateral system is under pressure like never before, observed Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, noting that the bloc, with multilateralism in its DNA, has invested in the United Nations both politically and financially. Bloc members back United Nations initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement on climate change and work on human rights, he added.

However, with the return of power politics, the deficit in multilateralism has deepened, he said. The Russian Federations war against Ukraine has compounded global problems, with tens of thousands of dead and over 5million refugees the fastest growing refugee crisis since the Second World War. This is not a European war, he declared, adding: This is an attack on the foundations of the UN and this Security Council, by a permanent member of the Council.

The European Union is fully mobilized to keep Ukraine economically afloat and militarily able to defend its people, he continued, stressing that bloc sanctions are not the cause of food shortages and target only the Kremlins ability to finance the military aggression not the conduct of legitimate trade.

Elsewhere in the world, the European Union continues to help prevent and solve conflicts and crises, he noted. Over 4,000people are deployed by the European Union in 18crisismanagement missions and operations on three continents, always working in close cooperation with the United Nations, including operations in the Mediterranean, off the Somali coasts and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the ensuing discussion, members stressed the importance of the United Nations-European Union partnership, outlining the blocs contribution to the world bodys initiatives, including peacekeeping, sustainable development, climate action and human rights. They also exchanged views on the European and global security arrangement, as well as European Union sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Albanias Foreign Minister, Olta Xhaka, said Moscows aggression poses a challenge to the values of freedom, democracy and justice that bind Europeans together, pointing out that increased insecurity will always result in increased defence spending, which could lead to a decrease in investments in other areas, such as innovation, education and public services. She also noted that Western Balkan States made a choice to invest in their future for more development, increased security and stronger institutions accountable to their citizens. This is the value of European Union enlargement, she stressed.

Frances delegate highlighted the European Unions contribution to the United Nations peacekeeping, noting that the blocs member States collectively deploy nearly 5,300personnel in those missions around the world, also paying tribute to 683European personnel who were killed in these operations since1948. She added that Brussels sanctions have only one objective to bring Moscow back to adherence to the Charter of the United Nations.

Echoing that, the representative of the United States said the European Union clearly demonstrated its support of the values of the Charter through its actions to uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity after the Russian Federations unjust, unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine.

However, the Russian Federations representative refuted such claims, reporting that the relations between the European Union and his country have now completely collapsed, as the bloc adopted a policy of strategically pressing his country out of Europe. Despite his countrys warnings, the Union went down a path towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and undertook geopolitical absorption of space around it, pitting the East against the West. It also adopted a policy of transforming the economic alliance into a military and political one. Given the obvious hostility of the Union towards his country, the Kremlin has no choice but to reconsider basic approaches to the development of relations with the bloc.

Injecting an African perspective, Gabons representative highlighted the importance of burden-sharing in crisis management and said the partnership between the United Nations and the European Union is illustrated in Africa, where the two bodies work side by side in Somalia, Central African Republic and Libya. In Africa, security risks flowing from repeated abuses by extremist groups undermine shared values of liberty and democracy, he said, voicing support for trilateral cooperation among the African Union, European Union and the United Nations.

Chinas delegate urged the European Union to play an active role in international relations by resisting the revival of confrontation by camps and blocs, respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and help establish balanced, sustainable global and regional security mechanisms. He also called on the bloc to be more attentive to the needs of developing countries and increase donations to the United Nations humanitarian and development work.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Ghana, Mexico, Ireland, Norway, India, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Kenya and the United Kingdom.

The meeting began at 10:03a.m. and ended at 12:16p.m.

Briefing

JOSEP BORRELL, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, in its capacity as an observer, via video-teleconference, recalled that the United Nations was created 72years ago to prevent war, build global cooperation, safeguard the sovereign equality of all and protect the rights of both States and people. Gradually, the Organization developed into a system of rules, norms and organizations addressing the full range of international relations. Even at the height of the cold war, the United Nations kept functioning. All States, no matter their size or political orientation, committed to respect international law and core principles, above all the non-use of force in international relations. For its part, the European Union with multilateralism in its DNA, has invested in the United Nations both politically and financially. Bloc members back United Nations initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement on climate change and work on human rights, among others.

However, the multilateral system is under pressure like never before, he observed. Science and technology are advancing, but diplomacy and rule-making are not or not enough. With the rise in power political competition, the deficit in multilateralism he talked about at last years briefing has since worsened. The Russian Federations war against Ukraine has amplified these problems, with tens of thousands of dead and over 5million refugees the fastest growing refugee crisis since the Second World War. But, make no mistake; this is not a European war. This is an attack on the foundations of the UN and this Security Council, by a permanent member of the Council, he declared.

The European Union is fully mobilized to keep Ukraine economically afloat and militarily able to defend its people, its territorial integrity and its democracy, he continued, calling on every United Nations member, big and small, to help Ukraine by doing the same. In the face of aggression, no one can be neutral. No one can live safely in a world where the illegal use of force is normalized or tolerated. This war is sending ripple effects throughout the world and has compounded a pre-existing food crisis with yields already suffering because of climate change. The Russian Federation is blocking at least 20million tons of Ukrainian grain that cannot reach global markets. That is the equivalent of 300massive ships that should be docking at ports all over the world. Instead, Moscow is bombing Ukraines ports, infrastructure and farmland. Indeed, just after President Vladimir V. Putin spoke with the Chair of the African Union, Russian forces bombed Ukraines second largest grain silo in Mykolaiv.

The bloc fully supports United Nations efforts to re-open Ukraines ports and resume deliveries of grain to the world, he stated. Team Europe stands by its partners and supports the United Nations role, including the Global Crisis Response Group. The European Union has already increased its support for some of the most affected regions, pledging 1billion for the Sahel and Lake Chad regions and over 600million for the Horn of Africa. Rejecting the Russian Federations disinformation, he pointed out that European Union sanctions are not the cause of food shortages. They target the Kremlins ability to finance the military aggression not the conduct of legitimate trade. These sanctions do not prohibit the import and transportation of Russian agricultural goods, nor for fertilizers, nor for payment for such Russian exports. Furthermore, European Union financial sanctions only apply on the blocs territory.

The European Union continues to help prevent and solve conflicts and crises around the world, he noted. Over 4,000 people are deployed by the European Union in 18crisis management missions and operations on three continents, always working in close cooperation with the United Nations, including operations in the Mediterranean, off the Somali coasts and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also outlined how the European Union engages in other places, including Syria, Iran, the Sahel, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Myanmar, Yemen and Venezuela.

Statements

OLTA XHAKA, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania and Council President for June, speaking in her national capacity, noted that the unprovoked, unjustified war in Ukraine has entered its fourth month. Its consequences are not only felt in Ukraine; it has also seriously affected global trade and induced sharp food insecurity worldwide. Further, she stressed that this aggression poses a challenge to the values of freedom, democracy and justice that bind Europeans together. Underscoring the need to keep trade open for food, fuel and fertilizer, she called for an immediate end to the blockade of Ukrainian ports. She also pointed out that increased insecurity will always result in increased defence spending, which could lead to a decrease in investments in other areas such as innovation, education and public services.

She went on to say that the European Union is a central actor in global political, development and humanitarian issues. It is the largest financial contributor to the United Nations not only to the regular budget, but also to official development assistance(ODA) and peacekeeping missions projecting its humanitarian, development and conflict-resolution actions worldwide. This is particularly important for Western Balkan States, all involved in various stages of Euro-Atlantic cooperation. Such States have made that choice to invest in their future for more development, increased security and stronger institutions accountable to their citizens. This is the value of European Union enlargement, she stressed, adding a call for the bloc to speed up its efforts to facilitate dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, which should lead to mutual recognition.

NATHALIE BROADHURST ESTIVAL (France) highlighted the European Unions contribution to the United Nations peacekeeping, noting that the blocs member States collectively represent the second-largest share of the peacekeeping budget and deploy nearly 5,300personnel in those missions. Since1948, 683European personnel were killed in these operations. The European Union is present on all fronts, deeply engaged in the Sahel, off Libyan shores, Somalia, Gaza, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mozambique. Since the start of the Russian Federation aggression, the bloc has mobilized more than 4.6billion to help Ukraine. European Union sanctions have only one objective, which is to bring Moscow back to adherence to the Charter of the United Nations. The fight against terrorism cannot serve as a pretext for non-compliance with international humanitarian and human rights laws. Also expressing concern about disinformation in cyberspace, she stressed the need to apply the human rights-based approach to the governance of the digital space.

RICHARD M. MILLS, JR. (United States) welcomed the European Unions significant security engagement in Africa, where 11of its current 18missions are either in or off the coast of the continent. Further, the European Union clearly demonstrated its support of the values of the Charter through its actions to uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity after the Russian Federations unjust, unprovoked and illegal war against Ukraine. The Russian Federations actions are spiking global food insecurity. International sanctions do not target agricultural exports, despite that countrys misinformation suggesting otherwise and European Union efforts to address this crisis are welcomed. He also noted that Ukraines European Union neighbours have opened their borders to refugees, spotlighting the blocs temporary protection directive that affords social and protection benefits to all fleeing the conflict. Recalling the High Representatives words regarding statements suggesting that all sides bear responsibility for the conflict, he said that such statements may be diplomatically clever but are morally indefensible.

DAI BING (China) said that, amid the complicated changes to the international landscape, his country supports the United Nations-European Union partnership. The bloc should take the lead in upholding the principles of the Charter and observing international law and universally recognized norms for international relations. It should also respect the sovereignty and political independence of States, as well as non-interference in domestic affairs. As well, it should play an active role in international relations by resisting the revival of confrontation by camps and blocs under the banner of multilateralism. Humanity is an indivisible security community, he stressed, urging the bloc to respect the legitimate security concerns of all countries and help establish a balanced sustainable global and regional security mechanisms. He called on the European Union to be more attentive to the needs of developing countries and increase donations to the United Nations humanitarian and development work.

HAROLD ADLAI AGYEMAN (Ghana) welcomed the European Unions new consensus on the role of development cooperation which has strengthened the nexus among security, development and humanitarian aid, adding his hope it will have a transformative impact on fragile situations in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. The Sahel region has become a breeding ground for terrorists and violent extremists who are making in-roads into other parts of Africa, he said, welcoming renewed commitment in support of the counter-terrorism efforts in the region, among other efforts. Also acknowledging cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations in Syria, Yemen and Myanmar, to name a few, he encouraged an enhanced partnership of the European Union in the Middle East Quartet for a negotiated solution to the Question of Palestine. He also noted that the war against Ukraine has created Europes worst security and humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War. The ramifications of the war on the rest of the world have been severe, with millions of people experiencing new levels of food insecurity, rising cost of living across the world, and widespread sociopolitical instability in several countries. The war in Ukraine must stop, he stressed, urging support for the bloc in exploring solutions to the supply chain disruptions for food, energy and global financing as a result of the war.

JUAN RAMN DE LA FUENTE RAMREZ (Mexico) pointed out that, while the affront to Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity generated a strong cohesion within the European Union, the military escalation did not generate conditions to reduce tensions or establish a possible ceasefire. He expressed hope that all available dialogue and mediation tools are used to move towards a negotiated solution. Mexico shares the principles of the Charter with the European Union and all Member States, since all agreed to respect them without exception, he said. He also stressed that it is also essential to share in efforts to mitigate the multiple consequences triggered by the conflict in Ukraine. The global increase in food prices and resulting food insecurity has a greater effect on developing countries which do not have the resources to respond. Further, 19of the 69economies identified as being at the greatest food risk because of the crisis are in the Latin America and Caribbean region. He expressed hope that agreement on an exit route for grain can be reached with the necessary urgency and that, when the time is right, the Council will speak with a single voice.

GERALDINE BYRNE NASON (Ireland) stressed that the European Unions strategic partnership with the United Nations is a cornerstone for the blocs policy and actions in support of international peace and security. A key priority for the European Union-United Nations partnership must continue to be on United Nations missions and operation transitions, ensuring that any reconfiguration takes place in a responsible, planned and gender-responsive manner. She also underlined the need to ensure addressing climate-related security risks in the prevention and peacebuilding work across the European Union and the United Nations. Noting that the bloc is the worlds leading humanitarian and development assistance donor and a key partner to the Organization in crisis management, she stressed that both now have a crucial role to play in ensuring a rapid and effective response to the deepening global food security crisis driven by Russian Federations senseless war in Ukraine. There are around 20million metric tons of grain trapped in Ukraine, she noted, stressing that European Union sanctions do not affect the trading of food, between the Russian Federation and third countries. She also noted that, the bloc and its member States are making an overall contribution of more than 5billion in humanitarian and development assistance for global food security, up until2024.

TRINE HEIMERBACK (Norway) pointed out that the war against Ukraine has caused the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War and is threatening global food security. She commended the European Unions leading role in Europes response to the Russian Federations attack, and for defending fundamental global principles and international law. The [European Union] has played a historically important role in transforming Europe from a continent of war to a continent. Now, when peace again is broken in Europe, we need a strong [European Union], she said. She went on to note that EUFOR Altheas contribution to maintaining peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina is vital, as is the blocs commitment to the peace and security architecture on the African continent, including through the African Union Mission to Somalia(AMISOM), African Union Transition Mission in Somalia(ATMIS) and the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel). She also spotlighted its leading role in the fight against climate change and its action plan on women, peace and security. The Russian Federations war on Ukraine has consequences way beyond European soil, she said, calling for rapid global action to increase food security, and to prevent the threat of a worldwide wave of hunger.

VASSILY A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) said that, with each passing year, the European Unions global policies depart from the post-war ideals of its founding fathers. Further, the relations between the Union and his country have now completely collapsed, he said, blaming Brussels. Sharing the vision for a common European future, the Russian Federation, in1994, signed an agreement on partnership and cooperation with the European Union, which Moscow implemented. Citing the Charter for European Security, which enshrines, among others things, the principle of indivisible security and the 2005road map setting out that Russian Federation-European Union cooperation aimed at contributing to the establishment of a greater Europe without dividing lines, he noted: There were hopes that this will permanently end geopolitical competition in Europe, he said, Rather, it quickly became clear that the ideals of the blocs founding fathers were consigned to the past.

The bloc, instead, embraced a policy of strategically pressing the Russian Federation out of Europe, he pointed out. Despite his countrys warnings, the Union adopted a path towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) and undertook geopolitical absorption of space around it, pitting the East against the West. It also adopted a policy of transforming the economic alliance into a military and political one, including recent calls by the Polish leadership to build a defence system in Europe targeted at the Russian Federation. In addition, the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union required Ukraine to break ties with the Russian Federation. The European Union and the United States staged an anti-constitutional coup that started a bloody civil war in Ukraine, which has lasted the past eight years. In addition, the Union turned a blind eye to violations by the Kyiv regime in Donbas of the Minsk agreements. Given the obvious hostility of the European Union towards the Russian Federation, his country has no choice but to reconsider basic approaches to the development of relations with the bloc, describing it as degenerating into NATOs geopolitical shadow.

MICHEL XAVIER BIANG (Gabon), highlighting the importance of international burden-sharing for crisis management, said that the partnership between the United Nations and the European Union is illustrated in Africa, where the two bodies work side by side in Somalia, Central African Republic and Libya. In Africa, security risks flowing from repeated abuses by extremist groups undermine shared values of liberty and democracy. He voiced his support for trilateral cooperation among the African Union, European Union and United Nations. He further called for strengthened dialogue between the African Unions Peace and Security Council and the European Unions Political and Security Committee, noting that, while Africa must provide African solutions to African challenges, the support of international partners is necessary for more effective action. The increasingly regional nature of crises calls for the United Nations to be better connected to realities on the ground, he added, stating that the involvement of regional actors allows for more effective stabilization processes and a better understanding of persistent threats.

RAVINDRA RAGUTTAHALLI (India) noted that, in the Balkans, the European Union is at the forefront in promoting economic prosperity and peace. It is also an important member of the Quartet in the Middle East Peace Process and in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The role of the bloc has also been growing in Africa, alongside the African Union and League of Arab States, with complementary efforts addressing conflict resolution and security challenges, including terrorism. As well, the European Union has a critical role to play in addressing challenges to the security environment. However, it is also natural to expect the bloc to do much more to advance the comprehensive reform agenda of global multilateral architecture, including in the Security Council. Stressing that the Ukraine conflict is having a destabilizing effect with broader regional and global implications, he called for the European Union to play a leading role in alleviating the adverse impact the crisis on people living in vulnerable countries and further urged it to step up efforts to make the fight against terrorism a collective one fought with zero tolerance and without any double speak.

MOHAMED ABUSHAHAB (United Arab Emirates) cited the European Unions contributions to peace and stability in the wider European region, facilitating the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, as well as implementation of the Dayton Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina through EUFOR-Althea. Noting more than a quarter of Ukraines population remains displaced and nearly 5 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe, he commended the blocs work in assisting countries hosting those fleeing their homes in search of safety. In the meantime, its support to humanitarian organizations and civilians in need with 373million in assistance has been a crucial lifeline for civilians. He further highlighted financial support for the World Food Programme(WFP) cash-assistance programme, as developing countries face new pressures due to increases in the price of basic food materials. Welcoming the donation of more than 400million doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility as part of the European Union member States deliveries of more than 1.4billion doses worldwide, he nonetheless affirmed that the pandemic is ongoing, and the bloc and other key donors must work to ensure that vaccine equity is achieved across the globe.

RONALDO COSTA FILHO (Brazil) noted that the European Union has launched 37Common Security and Defence Policy missions since2003, with 211ongoing civilian missions and 7military missions/operations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He also highlighted the blocs commitment to the Western Balkans, especially in facilitating dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina although the Brussels Dialogue still seeks to achieve a comprehensive normalization of relations, an objective of paramount importance to the stability of the region. As well, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo Mission also contributes to the stability in that territory, while in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the bloc launched the military Operation Althea, following the decision by NATO to hand over its own peacekeeping mission in the country in2004. Calling for European Union missions to always be aligned with the mandates established by the Council and the principles enshrined in the Charter, he urged the bloc to consider in advance the possible unintended consequences of unilateral measures, such as sanctions.

JAYNE TOROITICH (Kenya), drawing attention to the European Unions historical strong partnership with the African Union and its subregional organizations, welcomed the outcomes of the sixth European Union-African Union Summit in February, which focuses on commitments to combat instability, radicalization and terrorism. Similarly, support for African-led peace support operations was demonstrated during the recent reconfiguration of AMISOM to ATMIS. These collaborative efforts have also been instrumental in facilitating Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) initiatives, including the South Sudan peace process. She called for support for adequate training, capacitybuilding and equipment to scale up autonomous peace operations of African defence and security forces, African-led Peace Support Operations and for ongoing discussions on the use of assessed contributions for operations authorized by the Council. While the international community must make active use of efforts by regional and subregional organizations, the principle of national ownership and priority for regional leadership should remain the guiding pillar in maintenance of international peace and security.

BARBARA WOODWARD (United Kingdom) noted that 2022has been a challenging year for Europe, the international community, United Nations, the multilateral system and the rules-based international norms due to the Russian Federations illegal, unprovoked war in Ukraine. She welcomed the positive role played by the European Union and other regional organizations in promoting diplomacy and multilateralism and in supporting the Security Council on matters of international peace and security. The United Kingdom supports an outward-looking European Union, she said, praising the blocs efforts towards restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, its partnership with the African Union, its contributions to United Nations peacebuilding and its efforts in the Western Balkans. Seven months have passed since the 2021United Nations climate change conference, and the European Union and the United Kingdom are coordinating efforts to deliver a net-zero climate-resilient transition. At a time of global instability with increasing inflation, debt and food insecurity she said that the bloc and her country are united in their determination to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Mr. BORRELL, taking the floor a second time, echoed the words of many speakers particularly Ghana, Gabon and Kenya who highlighted the important role of regional and subregional organizations in addressing global challenges. He also agreed with Chinas representative regarding avoiding a world organized around opposing blocs, as this would breed greater insecurity. He welcomed the representative of Indias comments on the Indo-Pacific strategy. Turning to Ukraine, he thanked the Russian Federations representative for lecturing him on the historical role of the European Union and how it was conceived by its founding fathers. However, he noted: I think I have better interpreters of my history. The European Union is not a military union, but it cannot be indifferent to what is happening in its neighbourhood and the aggression from which Ukraine one of its most important partners is suffering. While the causes of the war can be endlessly discussed, one thing is clear: there are Russian troops in Ukraine, but there are no Ukrainian troops in the Russian Federation, making the aggressor clear. He urged concentrated efforts to avoid the next step of this drama a big wave of hunger in the world which will happen if the Russian Federation continues blocking the export of wheat from Ukraine. It is not the European Union who is blocking these exports or bombing the storage of wheat, he added.

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European Union Committed to Partnership with United Nations Despite Regional Conflicts, Bloc's High Representative Tells Security Council | Meetings...