Iran's presidential election begins, with a vote today. The plots will operate from 5:30 Moscow time to 22:30 Moscow time.
ANADOLU AGENCY @anadoluagency
President of Iran is not supreme power, the general leadership of the country is exercised by the supreme leader & ndash; Khamenei. Four people are running for president, the favorite is the head of the judiciary, Ibrahim Raisi, who represents the Conservatives.
Raisi's opponents are the secretary of the council of expediency, an advisory body under the top leader: Mohsen Rezai (conservative), former head of the central bank Abdolnasera Hemmati (reformer) and deputy speaker of parliament Amirhossein Kazizade-Hashemi (conservative).
Experts believe that in the person of Raisi is the supreme leader of Khamenei, who previously held the presidency (1981-1989), preparing the successor at the highest position. If Raisi becomes president, Iran's foreign policy will not change, analysts say: negotiations on a nuclear deal and the fight to lift US sanctions will remain high on the agenda and continue the “ proxy war ''; for influence in the Middle East & ndash; in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) again hit Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip. This time the shelling was caused by incendiary balloons launched into the air. “In response to the launch of explosive balloons from Gaza toward Israel, we fired rockets at military targets and instead of firing rockets,” they told the Israeli Defense Forces.
The IDF has clarified that it has increased its preparedness for various scenarios and will continue to strike at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Recall that this morning the air raid sirens started in southern Israel. Security forces have clarified that the cause was not rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel, but fire.
By CNN Assistant President of the United States for national security, Jake Sullivan announced details of talks between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in Geneva, during which the US leader spoke about Washington's ability to respond to cyber attacks against hackers.
“ The United States has significant opportunities in cyberspace and other spheres … and President Biden is ready to seize them if Russia fails to stop the actions of hackers from its territory, & # 39; & # 39; said Sullivan. He added that such statements by President Biden should not be taken as a threat.
“This is an objective statement of what President Biden is willing to do to protect … critical infrastructure,” the Assistant National Security Secretary summed up.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Na At the plenary session of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, he said that Pyongyang should be prepared for both a dialogue with the US authorities and a possible confrontation.
South Korea's Ryonghap agency with reference to the Korea Central Telegraph Agency (CTAC).
It should be noted that during his speech, Kim Jong-un analyzed the political direction of US President Joe Biden's administration towards the DPRK and also spoke about the strategic and tactical measures that need to be built in relations with Washington.
The DPRK leader further called for efforts to “have stable control” of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea Efim Fix se decided to remind the chairman of the contact group for resolving the situation in Donbass, the first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, that the construction of the North Crimean canal was financed from the USSR budget.
& quot; Crimea occupied a separate position … The peninsula received funding from the union center and partly from Ukraine … The North Crimean canal was built at the expense of the USSR budget … the main financial resources came from the union center, & # 39; & # 39; said.
In addition, according to Fix, the human resources of other republics of unions lured to supply the steppe districts of Crimea. & # 39; & # 39;
said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova that there are currently 17 U.S. citizens in Russian prisons. She also said that according to diplomats, there are about a hundred Russians in American prisons.
“ Only among those who serve US citizens in Russia, & # 39; & # 39; added the diplomat, “ also to have Russian citizenship.“`
The day before, President Vladimir Putin announced at the end of the summit with US leader Joe Biden that he had discussed the issue with him and believed that in his case it could be achieved. compromise.
During a press conference in Geneva after the summit of Russian and American Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, the Russian leader had to answer essentially the same question – on the pressure put by the interviewers on the Russian opposition, as well as on criminal proceedings against Alexei Navalny and a ban on the activities of related organizations.
Photo: Still from the video
This topic was also addressed the last question of the event. A Canadian journalist said her nine-year-old daughter asked Putin to ask why minors in Russia were “forbidden to attend a protest rally.” The girl is already worried about serious topics. At the same time, he did not repeat himself, as before at the press conference, over and over again, reminiscent of American policy towards foreign agents. And he decided to close the topic completely.
“We need to look around and say: how wonderful this world is … The leaders of the two countries, the greatest nuclear powers, are coming together to make this world a safe, reliable and prosperous home. for all the inhabitants of our planet … They will talk about keeping rivers clean, seas clean, so that there is no drought, so that there is enough food for everyone .. So that no one gets sick … & # 39; & # 39; – Putin has focused on the main, in his view, topics of the last summit.
He concluded that he would very much like to see his talks with Biden in the context of these global issues.
Putin said of the video: Navalny “deliberately wanted to be detained”
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in the National the radio stated that Prague must build a new relationship with Moscow. He said that consultations on the subject would take place in the near future with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and parliamentary parties.
“Undoubtedly, we need to establish new relationships,” the RIA quoted. After the Prime Minister, the Czech Republic is a sovereign country and no one has the right to interfere in its affairs, and this is a topic that it intends to discuss in parliament and on the basis of discussion. When asked whether the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation should discuss existing differences, he answered in the affirmative, following the example of the US-Russia summit: `Undoubtedly. & # 39; & # 39;
Biden's first meeting between US President and Vladimir Putin took place less than five months after taking office. After his inauguration, Trump, who spoke in favor of improving relations with Russia, took almost two years to attend a summit with a Russian leader in Helsinki. Valery Garbuzov, director of the US and Canadian Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented on the difference.
AP Photos:
– I think the main thing is in this “loop”, “says the expert. – Because the accusation against Trump, which was taken very seriously in America, blocked his steps at every turn. As soon as he said something good about Russia and Putin, a wave of criticism immediately began. But then Special Prosecutor Mueller's commission worked to summon all those involved and suspects to speak, the atmosphere apparently not contributing to the negotiations with who “put” you in the White House (as Trump's criticism convinced) Americans).
So imagine yourself: if, for example, Trump decided to meet Putin, he would be immediately controlled by all his enemies, who trumpeted in one voice that “this is a recommendation to the person who took part in his election.” destiny. “p>
All this, of course, hampered Trump in the Russian direction. This is, in fact, the main reason why Trump left so many bad things in his relations with Russia that no American president left them during the Cold War – and not all of them together! The same penalty fence that now surrounds us. Although, of course, there are reservations that the sanctions regime is not complete, that it restricts only businesses in certain industries, but these are key, very important sectors and we do not need these sanctions. Russia should develop, move forward and receive investment in all sectors of the economy whenever possible. And sanctions prevent that.
The era of trumpism is gone, Trump is now out of power, a new page has been opened – and that should be used. And build relationships by removing old rubble and shaping a new agenda.
American journalists scandal at Putin-Biden meeting: video
Watch video on topic
– Every American president traditionally embarks on a European tour after entering the White House – just like Biden now. This tour includes meetings with European allies of the United States, and Biden had to solve serious problems at these meetings, because Trump fought everyone and fell out with Western European allies. Biden's job, then, was to provide assurances that America played in its former role, that it knew how to speak to allies as equals, and not the way Trump spoke to them — benevolently, arrogantly, demanding all financial problems.
And in this format, Biden proposed a meeting with President Putin. It was an initiative of the American party – and I think it was right that the Russian president reacted to it. Every opportunity should be used to resume dialogue. Even after this highly known conversation with Biden, which exploded Russian-American relations so much that it even led to the dismissal of the Russian ambassador.
As for Xi Jinping, I think it's his turn. Speaking of two powers that are considered countries that have challenged the United States, experts and journalists are worried about who America is more afraid of – Russia or China? Biden, for example, said in one of his interviews that Russia was a major threat to the United States because it was trying to destroy a world order that existed before.
I must say that America has collided, perhaps because of the first time a challenge is coming from two strong poles – China and Russia. However, the content of these calls is different.
If we talk about China, of course, it is a competitor with which there are many contradictions, but it must be understood that the United States cannot live without it. Who will saturate the whole consumer market with goods? Today, China does 80 percent, America is not able to fulfill this mission alone. Who will provide the United States with such opportunities to locate its factories in order to take advantage of cheap labor close to sales markets? China. And who is one of the main creditors of the US federal government? Without China, the US federal government would not be able to implement all of its numerous social programs and military budgets.
Just as America and China are interconnected, no states are interconnected. It is no coincidence that there has been talk of a united US-Chinese economy. America cannot exist without China. Once upon a time, forty years ago, the United States participated in China's economic reforms, invested there – and China grew. And now this economic giant has begun to threaten his teacher.
The US government therefore faces the challenge of choosing a model for the model of American-Chinese interaction that includes both trade wars and competition. However, this should be seen as a mechanism for regulating confrontation and contradictions. Finally, you can create a model that combines attraction and rejection. And if there are no interventions that Trump has arranged – and I think no one but him can do what he has done – then relations between the United States and China can be leveled and kept afloat.
As for America's relations with Russia, we must think about them. The model has not yet been developed by either party or by joint efforts. And this should be a model based on concessions and compromise, if possible in the widest possible areas. Of course, there will remain areas where no compromise is possible. I think it needs to be in parentheses for now. The less they are discussed, the better the other problems are solved.
The Faces of Putin and Biden at the Geneva Meeting: Dramatic Shots
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan intends soon time to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He talked about it on Thursday after returning from Azerbaijan.
Commenting on the events in Nagorno-Karabakh, Erdogan noted that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev plans to negotiate with Putin.
“; I will also meet Putin soon, said Erdogan, quoted by NTV.
Erdogan also said that the country could deploy its military bases on the territory of Azerbaijan in accordance with previously signed agreements.
