President Putin accepts invitation to visit North Korea; Myanmar pardons nearly 16,000 prisoners within 1 month

Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts invitation to visit North Korea

Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts invitation to visit North Korea. Photo: ReutersCuong

After the April 25 summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea. Putin accepted the invitation and praised Kim as an open and interesting person. He stressed that it was important to restore the power of international law on the Korean Peninsula, and affirmed that Russia and the United States shared interests in denuclearizing the peninsula. In response, Kim Jong-un thanked Putin for a substantive dialogue on issues of mutual concern and expressed hope that further talks would maintain this spirit.

The Russia-North Korea summit resulted in an agreement between the two leaders to strengthen strategic partnership for maintaining regional peace and security, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). At the same time, the leaders of the two countries agreed to take actions to bring trade and economic relations between Russia and North Korea to a new level.

Opening of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China

General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping delivers the opening speech. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

On the morning of April 26, the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation officially opened in Beijing, China. The Forum was attended by 37 heads of state or government from countries including Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brunei, Cambodia, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uzbekistan, Vietnam; along with about 5,000 delegates from more than 150 countries and 90 international organizations.

This year’s forum, themed “Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future,” will consist of three main parts: the Opening Ceremony, the Leaders’ Roundtable, and the High-Level Dialogue (for ministers, businesses, and academics). This forum is China’s most important diplomatic event this year.

China, Russia, US reach consensus on Afghanistan issue. Photo: Reuters

China, Russia and the United States on April 25 reached a consensus regarding Afghanistan on issues such as sovereignty, internal dialogue, counter-terrorism, etc. At the tripartite talks held in Moscow, the parties expressed respect for Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity as well as its right to choose its own development path.

Through the conference, the parties called on the international community to take measures to promote the peace process in Afghanistan, such as the orderly and responsible withdrawal of foreign military forces from Afghanistan as part of the peace process; preventing the recruitment, training and fundraising of terrorist groups as well as expelling all terrorists and resolving issues through dialogue.

President Macron promises to cut income tax as demanded by protest movement

President Macron answers reporters' questions in his first policy speech since taking office. Photo: Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced sweeping reforms to meet the demands of the Yellow Vests, a protest movement that has been going on since late last year. The Yellow Vests movement began on 17 November 2018 in protest against rising fuel prices but has since expanded to include demands to address economic inequality. Macron said the demands were legitimate and acknowledged that some people had lost faith in the government.

The leader pledged to cut income taxes by 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion), offset by cutting public spending, eliminating tax breaks for businesses and increasing working hours. In addition, the plan includes raising pensions, promoting decentralization, rebalancing the number of elected representatives and easing regulations on holding referendums.

Myanmar President Win Myint has granted unconditional amnesty to 6,948 prisoners across the country in a move aimed at “bringing joy to Myanmar citizens and addressing human rights issues.” More than 9,000 prisoners were released on April 17, the first day of the Myanmar New Year.

Min Tun Soe, a spokesman for the prison service, said most of the pardoned inmates were involved in drug-related crimes. Another prison official said the pardon did not include inmates held in Yangon.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay added that another 6,000 prisoners would be released in a third amnesty at an as-yet-unspecified date.