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The following is a joint statement by Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Re-public, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Russia held an informal meeting at the UN today to promote a false narrative about its occupation of Crimea, which it seized in violation of international law in 2014. We condemn Russias human rights abuses and military build-up on the peninsula. We strongly reject Russias attempted annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Russias actions are of global concern and inconsistent with international law, including the UN Charter, and contrary to the Helsinki Final Act.

Todays event distorted the realities on the ground in Crimea and only served the interests of Russias occupation. If Russia is truly interested in increasing understanding on the situation in Crimea, it would allow UN, OSCE, and Council of Europe envoys, as well as humanitarian workers, international human rights monitoring missions, and human rights non-governmental organizations, immediate and unimpeded access to Crimea.

As we saw during the March 12 High-Level Arria-formula meeting on Crimea hosted by Estonia and with 23 co-sponsors, as well as during the February 23 General Assembly Debate, Ukraine has the support of the international community in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We call on Russia to immediately end its occupation, stop human rights abuses, release all Ukrainian prisoners it unjustly holds, cease its aggressive actions in Ukraine, respect its inter-national obligations, and implement its commitments under the Minsk agreements. We reiterate our support for the efforts of the Normandy format and our firm commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in line with the Minsk agreements and with full respect of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Link:
Defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine - GOV.UK

Thanks to modern technologies, rescuers in eastern Ukraine will be able to respond more effectively to crises and provide security to community residents.

Mariupol, 16 March 2021 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with the financial support of the governments of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, has made a large-scale supply of modern equipment to the rescue units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

From now on, rescue units in the three oblasts will be able to use new equipment 233 modern tablet computers, 69 desktop computers, an interactive panel, routers and a laptop to determine the exact location of an accident or emergency, plan routes and communicate with residents in danger.

Each tablet comes with protective glass, a shockproof case, a car mount and a charger. They have an interactive map with the location of fire hydrants, reservoirs, SES units, defensive structures, essential infrastructure facilities, potentially dangerous objects, added maps of forest districts and other information that will be useful during rescue operations.

Rustam Pulatov, lead of the Community Security and Social Cohesion component of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, said that the programme continues to provide systematic support for the work of rescuers in Ukraine's eastern communities.

"We express our gratitude for the dedicated work of the SES units in eastern Ukraine and strive to focus all our efforts on the systematic and practical support of rescuers, Pulatov said. The daily use of modern tools and technologies will strengthen the ability of communities to respond to emergencies."

The modernised equipment will help rescuers respond more effectively to crises, for example, by more accurately determining the victim's location, or through the faster processing of operational information on firefighting by the operational dispatch service for transmitting to subordinate units of the SES Main Department.

Roman Silin, the head of the services Telecommunications, Information Technologies and the 112 System in Donetsk Oblast, commented on the need for and the importance of the equipment the service has received.

"We thank our UN RPP partners for the technical assistance and modern equipment, Silin said. It will significantly improve the quality of rescuers' work, reducing the time taken to receive and process information and, as a result, saving many lives."

UNDP donated the equipment under the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, with the financial support of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. The total value of the equipment is US$ 124,988 (over UAH 3.4 million).

In February, UNDP, together with the EU, supplied disinfection equipment to SES units in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Twelve international partners support the Programme: the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden & Switzerland.

Media inquiries

Maksym Kytsiuk, Communications Specialist, United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, maksym.kytsiuk@undp.org or +380 63 576 1839

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UNDP handed over new equipment to rescuers in eastern Ukraine - Ukraine - ReliefWeb

In a report seen by Reuters, Ukraines State Service on Food Safety said, [the exports] will happen even given that restrictions are still in place in areas where there have been cases of the disease and that safe products can be supplied from unaffected areas.

Previously, detection of bird flu cases meant a ban on exports from the entire country. The new export regime will come into force on 20 March.

Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has been spreading rapidly in Europe, putting the poultry industry on alert after previous outbreaks led to the culling of tens of millions of birds.

Ukraine reported an outbreak of bird flu among backyard birds in the southern part of the country in early December and since then the export has been suspended.

The overall export of poultry meat from Ukraine rose 4% in 2020 to 431,000 tonnes.

Read more about this story here.

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Ukraine to resume poultry exports to EU from bird flu-free zones - The Poultry Site

Turkey's vast experience in carrying out collaborative projects between the public and private sector is what lead to Ukraine's decision to invite Turkish investors to participate in the country's $10 billion (TL 78.98 billion) "grand construction project," Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey Andrii Sybiha said.

Noting that the project is already underway, Sybiha said in an interview on Monday with Turkish economics daily Dnya that they are interested in carrying out projects with experienced Turkish partners.

Sybiha also highlighted that the establishment of industrial parks could be a promising area.

We want to work on this issue with Turkey, he said, noting that in December Ukraine passed a law called "State Support for Large Investment Projects.

Except for tax exemptions, state or public land will be provided for the relevant companies to realize the project and investment in question. Moreover, construction and equipment work will be done with the state or local budget. The investment in question must amount to at least 20 million euros ($23.85 million). In the Great Construction project, projects with a budget of approximately $10 billion will be implemented in five years, including the construction of a total of 24,000 kilometers (around 14,900 miles) of roads, as well as bridges, rail systems, airports and the large ring road project within the framework of Kyiv, the ambassador explained.

Sybiha noted that when the Ukrainian prime minister came to Turkey, he visited the city hospital in the capital Ankara.

Its capacity, size as well as the quality of construction impressed him. Therefore, Ukraine is very keen to build hospitals like this right now, he said, adding that he anticipates a delegation will soon visit Turkey.

Sybiha highlighted a decentralization reform recently enacted in Ukraine that enables local governors to receive an additional mandate while at the same time, a large budget was provided to these administrations to develop their own regions and provinces.

They have gained one-on-one independence. It is useful to work with the regions, taking into account the said independence and budget allocation. There are also certain infrastructure projects in the regions, he said, stressing that they want the involvement of Turkish companies.

Stating that almost every city in the country has an airport in need of modernizing or finishing as well as mentioning plans to launch recycling and water projects, he underlined that Turkish firms could demonstrate their experience and knowledge through the collaborations.

Further commenting on economic relations between the two countries, the Ukrainian diplomat said that Turkey and Ukraine overcame the challenge to their trade relations successfully during a period when world economies were grappling with the pandemic.

He also highlighted the important agreements signed across a variety of fields during the pandemic. The joint projects and cooperation between Ankara and Kyiv cover a wide range of sectors, with defense and industry being the primary fields of cooperation.

The trade volume between the two countries reached $4.3 billion during the first 11 months of last year, according to the Ukrainian ambassador citing his countrys official data.

Sybiha said the total volume will be around $5 billion once the statistics for the entire 12-month period are released, equating to almost the same volume of trade in 2020 as in 2019 despite the pandemic.

Responding to a question regarding the free trade agreement (FTA) expected to be reached between the parties, Sybiha said there are some reasons for 2021 to be a determinative and conclusive year for the signing of this kind of agreement.

Our negotiating parties continue their meetings despite the pandemic. They present mutual offerings. When we consider all those developments it's likely to ink such a deal this year, he said.

More:
Kyiv invites Turkish firms to invest in $10B construction project | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Need to brush up on the NL Central ahead of the Cardinals' new season? We've got you covered

ST. LOUIS Here's an overview of every NL Central team heading into the 2021 season:

2020: 34-26, first place, lost to Marlins in first round of playoffs.

Manager: David Ross (second season).

Hes Here: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Jake Arrieta, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Brandon Workman, INF Eric Sogard, RHP Kohl Stewart, C Austin Romine, OF Jake Marisnick, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Shelby Miller, RHP Robert Stock, INF Sergio Alcntara.

Hes Outta Here: RHP Yu Darvish, OF Kyle Schwarber, LHP Jon Lester, LHP Jos Quintana, OF Albert Almora, Jr., C Victor Caratini, 2B Jason Kipnis, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, OF Billy Hamilton, OF Jos Martnez.

Projected Lineup: CF Ian Happ (.258, 12 HRs, 28 RBIs, .866 OPS), 1B Anthony Rizzo (.222, 11, 24, .755 OPS), 3B Kris Bryant (.206, 4, 11), C Willson Contreras (.243, 7, 26, 37 runs), SS Javier Bez (.203, 8, 24), LF Joc Pederson (.190, 7, 16 with Dodgers), RF Jason Heyward (.265, 6, 22, .848 OPS), 2B Nico Hoerner (.222, 0, 13) or David Bote (.200, 7, 29).

Rotation: RH Kyle Hendricks (6-5, 2.88 ERA), RH Zach Davies (7-4, 2.73 for Padres), RH Jake Arrieta (4-4, 5.08 for Phillies), RH Alec Mills (5-5, 4.48), RH Trevor Williams (2-8, 6.18 for Pirates) or RH Adbert Alzolay (1-1, 2.95).

Key Relievers: RH Craig Kimbrel (0-1, 5.28, 2 saves), RH Brandon Workman (1-4, 5.95, 9/12 saves for Red Sox and Phillies), RH Ryan Tepera (0-1, 3.92), RH Dan Winkler (0-0, 2.95), LH Andrew Chafin (1-2, 6.52 for Diamondbacks and Cubs), RH Rowan Wick (0-1, 3.12, 4 saves), LH Kyle Ryan (1-0, 5.17, 1 save), RH Shelby Miller (1-3, 8.59 for Rangers in 2019).

Outlook: Rizzo, Bryant and Bez are coming off down years, and they are eligible for free agency after this season. The rotation took a hit when Darvish was traded to San Diego. It remains to be seen if Kimbrel can carry over his strong finish in 2020 into this season. But the rest of the NL Central isnt exactly imposing, so its not hard to imagine the Cubs contending for another playoff appearance. Rizzo, Bryant and Bez struggled with the unusual circumstances surrounding last years pandemic-shortened season, and Bryant was hampered by injuries. A return to form for any one of them would help the Cubs improve on their .220 team batting average from a year ago. While the loss of Darvish is a big blow, Davies is coming off a strong season in San Diego. Arrieta is looking to regain the form he showed during his first stint in Chicago, and Williams was a 14-game winner with Pittsburgh in 2018. The Cubs also are hoping Kimbrel has solved the issues he had at the beginning of last season. The closer had a 1.29 ERA over his last 15 games last year, including 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his only playoff appearance.

2020: 30-28, second place, lost to Padres in first round of playoffs.

Manager: Mike Shildt (third season).

Hes Here: 3B Nolan Arenado, 3B Jose Rondon.

Hes Outta Here: 2B Kolten Wong, OF Dexter Fowler, LHP Austin Gomber, RHP John Brebbia, C Matt Wieters, 1B Rangel Ravelo.

Projected Lineup: 2B Tommy Edman (.250, 5 HRs, 26 RBIs), SS Paul DeJong (.250, 3, 25), 1B Paul Goldschmidt (.304, 6, 21), 3B Nolen Arenado (.253, 8, 26 with Rockies), RF Dylan Carlson (.200, 3, 16), C Yadier Molina (.262, 4, 16), LF Tyler ONeill (.173, 7, 19), CF Harrison Bader (.226, 4, 11).

Rotation: RH Jack Flaherty (4-3, 4.91 ERA), LH Kwang Hyun Kim (3-0, 1.62), RH Adam Wainwright (5-3, 3.15), RH Carlos Martinez (0-3, 9.90), RH Miles Mikolas (did not pitch in 2020).

Key Relievers: RH Alex Reyes (2-1, 3.20), RH Giovanny Gallegos (2-2, 3.60), LH Andrew Miller (1-1, 2.77), RHP Jordan Hicks (did not pitch in 2020), RH Ryan Helsley (1-1, 5.25), RH John Gant (0-3, 2.40), LH Tyler Webb (1-1, 2.08), RH Kodi Whitley (0-0, 1.93), RH Daniel Ponce de Leon (1-3, 4.96).

Outlook: The Cardinals thought they were missing one big piece last season and they landed it when they made a stunning late-offseason trade for Arenado to play third base. He provides protection in the order for Goldschmidt while also adding another Gold Glove winner to what could be the best defense in the National League. The rotation returns intact from last season with the exception of RHP Dakota Hudson, who had Tommy John surgery in September, and the bullpen is deep. Wainwright and Molina are back as one of the longest-tenured batterymates in baseball history, providing plenty of experience for a team that will have a relatively young outfield. Put it all together and the Cardinals believe they can make another postseason run this year.

2020: 31-29, third place, wild card, lost to Braves in first round of playoffs.

Manager: David Bell (third season).

Hes Here: INF Dee Strange-Gordon, INF Kyle Holder, OF Scott Heineman, OF Tyler Naquin, RHP No Ramirez.

Hes Outta Here: RHP Trevor Bauer, RHP Raisel Iglesias, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, SS Freddy Galvis, C Curt Casali.

Projected Lineup: LF Jesse Winker (.255, 12 HRs, 23 RBIs), RF Nick Castellanos (.225, 14, 34), 1B Joey Votto (.226, 11, 22), 3B Eugenio Suarez (.202, 15, 38), 2B Mike Moustakas, (230, 8, 27), CF Shogo Akiyama (.245, 0, 9) or Nick Senzel (.186. 2, 8), SS Kyle Farmer (.266, 0, 4), C Tucker Barnhart (.205, 5, 13).

Rotation: RH Luis Castillo (4-6, 3.21 ERA, 89 Ks), RH Sonny Gray (5-3, 3.70, 72 Ks), RH Tyler Mahle (2-2, 3.59, 60 Ks), LH Wade Miley (0-3, 5.65), RH Michael Lorenzen (3-1, 4.28).

Key Relievers: RH Tejay Antone (0-3, 2.80, 45 Ks), RHP Lucas Sims (3-0, 2.45), LH Amir Garrett (1-0, 2.45, 1 save), LH Sean Doolittle (0-2, 5.87 in 7 2/3 IP for Washington).

Outlook: Despite more offseason subtractions than additions, confidence is high in Reds camp. Bell believes the team was just hitting its stride last September when it won 11 of the last 14 regular-season games to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years. There are questions about pitching without Bauer, the NL Cy Young Award winner who signed a free-agent contract with the Dodgers, and Iglesias, the veteran closer who was traded to the Angels. But the Reds feel they have a solid staff. Galvis left to sign with Baltimore, leaving Farmer, Strange-Gordon and others to compete for the shortstop job. Cincinnati hit a major league-worst .212 during the 60-game 2020 season and will need better performances out of veterans like Votto, Suarez, Castellanos and Moustakas to make another run in what shapes up as a soft NL Central. Around 12,000 fans will be allowed to attend games at Great American Ball Park to begin the season.

2020: 29-31, fourth place, wild card, lost to Dodgers in first round of playoffs.

Manager: Craig Counsell (seventh season).

Hes Here: 2B Kolten Wong, CF Jackie Bradley Jr., 3B Travis Shaw, C Luke Maile, INF Daniel Robertson, RHP Jordan Zimmermann.

Hes Outta Here: OF Ryan Braun, LHP lex Claudio, OF Ben Gamel, 1B/3B Jedd Gyorko, RHP Corey Knebel, INF Eric Sogard.

Projected Lineup: 2B Kolten Wong (.265, 1 HR, 16 RBIs, .350 OBP with Cardinals), LF Christian Yelich (.205, 12, 22, .356 OBP), 1B Keston Hiura (.212, 13, 32, NL-high 85 strikeouts), CF Lorenzo Cain (.333, 0, 2, opted out after 5 games) or Jackie Bradley Jr. (.283, 7, 22 with Red Sox), RF Avisal Garca (.238, 2, 15) or Bradley, 3B Travis Shaw (.239, 6, 17 with Blue Jays), SS Orlando Arcia (.260, 5, 20) or Luis Uras (.239, 0, 11), C Omar Narvez (.176, 2, 10).

Rotation: RH Brandon Woodruff (3-5, 3.05 ERA, 91 Ks in 73 2/3 innings, NL-leading 13 starts), RH Corbin Burnes (4-1, 2.11, 88 Ks in 59 2/3 IP), LH Brett Anderson (4-4, 4.21), RH Adrian Houser (1-6, 5.30), RH Josh Lindblom (2-4, 5.16) or LH Eric Lauer (0-2, 13.09) or RH Freddy Peralta (3-1, 3.99, 47 Ks in 29 1/3 IP) or RH Jordan Zimmermann (0-0, 7.94 with Tigers).

Key Relievers: LH Josh Hader (1-2, 3.79, 13/15 saves, 31 Ks in 19 IP), RH Devin Williams (4-1, 0.33, 53 Ks, 8 hits allowed in 27 IP, NL Rookie of the Year), RH Eric Yardley (2-0, 1.54), LH Brent Suter (2-0, 3.13), RH Brad Boxberger (1-0, 3.00 with Marlins), RH Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 5.87, 21 Ks in 15 1/3 IP), RH Justin Topa (0-1, 2.35, 12 Ks in 7 2/3 IP).

Outlook: The Brewers chances of reaching the playoffs for a fourth straight season depend on whether they can get more offense after hitters up and down their lineup failed to meet expectations last season. The Brewers are counting on Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP, to regain his All-Star form. Hiura, Garca and Narvez also must bounce back from disappointing seasons. Milwaukee should benefit from having Cain for a full season after he sat out most of the 2020 campaign. The additions of Bradley and Wong both left-handed hitters and Gold Glove winners should balance the lineup and help out the pitching staff. Woodruff and Burnes provide a solid 1-2 punch, but the Brewers must get more consistency from the rest of their rotation. Milwaukee probably wont blow many leads with Williams and Hader anchoring the bullpen. City health officials are permitting spectators to fill 25% of American Family Fields seating capacity at the start of the season.

2020: 19-41, fifth place.

Manager: Derek Shelton (second season).

Hes Here: INF Todd Frazier, RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP David Bednar, RHP Wil Crowe, RHP Sean Poppen, RHP Miguel Yajure, C Michael Perez, INF Wilmer Difo, LHP Chasen Shreve, C Tony Wolters, OF Brian Goodwin, OF Dustin Fowler.

Hes Outta Here: RHP Jameson Taillon, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Trevor Williams, 1B Josh Bell, RHP Keone Kela, INF/OF Jose Osuna, LHP Derek Holland, LHP Nik Turley, RHP Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP Nick Burdi.

Projected Lineup: 2B Adam Frazier (.230, 7 HRs, 23 RBIs), LF Bryan Reynolds (.189, 7, 19, 5 OF assists), 3B KeBryan Hayes (.376, 5, 11 in 24 games), 1B Colin Moran (.247, 10, 23, 10 2Bs), RF Gregory Polanco (.153, 7, 22), C Jacob Stallings (.248, 3, 18), SS Kevin Newman (.224, 1, 10) or Erik Gonzalez (.227, 3, 20) or Cole Tucker (.220, 1, 8), CF Brian Goodwin (.215, 6, 22 with Reds and Angels) or Dustin Fowler (.224, 6, 23 with Oakland in 2018).

Rotation: RH Mitch Keller (1-1, 2.91 ERA in 5 starts), LH Steven Brault (1-3, 3.38), RH Chad Kuhl (2-3, 4.27), LH Tyler Anderson (4-3, 4.37 with Giants), JT Brubaker (1-3, 4.94) or Wil Crowe (0-1, 1.35 in 3 games with Washington).

Key Relievers: RH Richard Rodriguez (3-2, 2.70, 4/5 saves), RH Kyle Crick (0-1, 1.59), RH Michael Feliz (0-0, 32.40 in 3 games), LH Sam Howard (2-3, 3.86), RH Chris Stratton (2-1, 3.90), RH Duane Underwood (1-0, 7.36 with Cubs), RH Cody Ponce (1-1, 3.18), LH Chasen Shreve (1-0, 3.96 with Mets), RH Trevor Cahill (1-2, 3.24 with Giants).

Outlook: The Pirates are in the midst of a massive reset as general manager Ben Cherington enters his second season on the job. Gone are familiar faces like Taillon and Bell, among others, their departures via trade part of a plan dedicated to stockpiling prospects in the hope that enough pan out down the road to return Pittsburgh to contention. While the future looks (sorta) bright, the present figures to be bumpy. The Pirates finished with the worst record in the majors in 2020 and head into 2021 with a roster that has even less major league experience. Hayes was even better than advertised during his September call-up and finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He and Keller are the linchpins whose individual development this season could be far more important than anything that happens in the win/loss column. Bounce-back seasons from Reynolds and Polanco (likely in his final months with the team) would help the offense, but even in a division that might be the worst in the NL if not the majors, expectations are really, really low. Fans will be allowed back at PNC Park this spring, but given the lack of buzz in general the Pirates may be hard-pressed to even fill those seats after the initial were glad baseball is back crowd gets its fix.

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NL Central Overview | A look at every team in the central as 2021 season draws near - KSDK.com