Ukraine withdraws from arms deal with CIS; Boat capsizes in DR Congo, 150 missing

Ukraine withdraws from arms deal with CIS

First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv. Photo: reuters.com

On April 17, the Council of Ministers of Ukraine decided to annul the 1995 agreement between Ukraine and the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on standards for weapons and military equipment. The reason for the decision was that Ukraine switched to the standards of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the field of weapons and military equipment.

First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv said that the above agreement is not implemented in practice in Ukraine because of the use of GOST standards (of the Soviet Union and Russia today), which Ukraine has now abolished 90% of and replaced with European standards. In addition, the Constitution of Ukraine has stipulated the strategic direction of joining NATO, and Ukraine will switch to NATO standards in the field of weapons and military equipment.

Ms. Federica Mogherini. Photo: Azernew

European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on April 16 once again reaffirmed the bloc’s stance of not recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. This also means that the European Union once again refuses to support US policy in the Middle East.

Speaking at the final session of the European Parliament ahead of the elections in late May 2019, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stressed that the European Union does not recognize Israel's sovereignty over the territories occupied since 1967, in accordance with international law and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

Fund raised to restore Notre Dame Cathedral reaches 1 billion euros

The roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was damaged after a fire on April 16, 2019. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

As of April 17, the fund to support the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in France has reached 1 billion euros (1.13 billion USD), just 2 days after a devastating fire collapsed most of the roof of the 850-year-old cathedral. In addition, Air France said it will provide free flights for experts to support the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

On the same day, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that the country will invite architects from around the world to submit designs to rebuild the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral. Earlier, in a televised speech, French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed that Notre Dame Cathedral will be restored to a more beautiful state and pledged that this process will be completed within 5 years. President Macron also called for solidarity among the people.

Boat capsizes in DR Congo, killing 3 and leaving 150 missing

Rescuers are rushing to find missing victims. Photo: Africa News

According to local sources, a boat accident in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 3 people. Rescuers have only rescued about 30 people and more than 110 others are missing. The cause of the accident is still unknown. The incident occurred on April 15 on Lake Kivu - one of Africa's largest lakes, located on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

“I am deeply saddened by the boat capsizing on Lake Kivu. The number of missing people is estimated at 150. My condolences to the families of the victims. I am closely following the situation to identify and punish those responsible,” said President Antoine Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On April 17, several sources from the Japanese government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party revealed that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had decided not to visit the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo from April 21-23, but only send offerings there. The reason given was that Prime Minister Abe did not want to affect relations with China in preparation for the success of the G20 Summit in Japan in June.

The Yasukuni Shrine is a shrine to more than 2.5 million Japanese who died in World War II, including Class A war criminals. Japan-China relations cooled when Prime Minister Abe visited the Yasukuni Shrine in December 2013.