European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced its proposal for a ninth package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday evening.

The Commission proposes to add almost 200 additional individuals and entities to the EU’s sanctions list. This includes the Russian armed forces, as well as individual officers and defence industrial companies, members of the State Duma and Federation Council, ministers, governors and political parties. “This list covers key figures in Russia’s brutal and deliberate missile strikes against civilians, in the kidnapping  of Ukrainian children into Russia, and in the theft of Ukrainian agricultural products,” says the press release by the Commission.

Secondly, the Commission proposes to introduce sanctions against three additional Russian banks, including a full transaction ban on the Russian Regional Development Bank “to further paralyse Putin’s cash machines”.

Third, the Commission suggests imposing new export controls and restrictions, particularly for dual-use goods. This includes key chemicals, nerve agents, electronics and IT components that could be used by the Russian war machine.

Fourth, the sanctions will cut Russia’s access to all sorts of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Commission proposes to ban the direct exports of drone engines to Russia and the export to any third countries, such as Iran, which could supply drones to Russia.

Proposed economic measures against the Russian energy and mining sector include a ban on new mining investments in Russia.

Ursula von der Leyen also said that the Commission aims to target the Russian propaganda machine by taking four additional channels off the air and all other distribution platforms. 

She added that this package comes on top of the full EU import ban on Russian seaborne oil that came into force this week, as well as the global oil price cap agreed between the G7.

“Russia continues to bring death and devastation to Ukraine,” said von der Leyen. “We stand by Ukraine and we are making Russia pay for its cruelty.”

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Press release

Strasbourg, 09.12.2022 – The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has deeply deplored again the absence of response of the Russian authorities to its earlier appeals to implement the Georgia v. Russia (I) judgment from the European Court of Human Rights concerning the arrest, detention and collective expulsion of Georgian nationals in 2006-2007, and strongly exhorted the Russian authorities to pay the long-overdue just satisfaction. The Committee has also urged the Russian authorities to start executing the judgment in the case Georgia v. Russia (II) related to the armed conflict in Georgia in 2008.

In the Interim Resolution (*) published today on the Georgia v. Russia (I) case the Committee of Ministers recalled that, despite ceasing to be a member of the Council of Europe on 16 March 2022, the Russian Federation is still required to implement judgments of the European Court, and the Committee of Ministers continues to supervise their execution.

According to the European Court’s judgment of January 2019, Russia inter alia had to pay to the Georgian government 10 million euros in respect of non-pecuniary damage suffered by a group of at least 1,500 Georgian nationals. The Committee deeply deplored the continued absence of the information from the Russian authorities and reiterated again its most profound concern that the payment of the just satisfaction and default interest accrued has not been made despite the passage of over three years since the deadline for payment expired on 30 April 2019.

The Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers will create and publish a register of just satisfaction owing in all inter-state cases against the Russian Federation and will keep it regularly updated as regards the default interest accrued so that both the issue and the sums due can remain under close public scrutiny.

The Committee of Ministers has also adopted the Interim Resolution on the second interstate case, Georgia v. Russia (II). The European Court’s judgment on this case has become final in October 2021 and concerned various violations in the context of the armed conflict between Georgia and the Russian Federation in August 2008.

The Committee has urged again the Russian authorities to submit to the Committee of Ministers a plan on the execution of this judgment and to investigate the serious crimes committed during the active phase of hostilities as well as during the period of occupation. It has firmly reiterated again its profound concern about the inability of Georgian nationals to return to their homes in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and its insistence that the Russian Federation, which has effective control over these regions, ensure without delay safe return of persons wishing to return to their homes. The question of just satisfaction in this case remains pending at the Court.

The Committee of Ministers will restart the examination of the execution of both cases in March 2023.  

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(*) An Interim Resolution is a form of decision adopted by the Committee of Ministers aimed at overcoming more complex situations requiring special attention.

On December 6, 2022, the 45^th plenary meeting of the 77^th session of the UN General Assembly was held. During the meeting, the General Assembly considered the draft resolution "International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023", submitted by Turkmenistan under agenda item 14 "Culture of Peace".

Presenting the draft resolution, the Turkmen delegation stressed that the President of Turkmenistan for the first time put forward the global initiative "Dialogue is a guarantee of peace" in December 2021 during the International Conference "Policy of peace and trust - the basis of international security, stability and development".

The delegation of Turkmenistan noted that the draft resolution "International Year of Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace, 2023" was prepared after a wide range of consultations between UN member countries, taking into account all constructive opinions and proposals.

The document reflects the fundamental purposes and principles of the UN Charter, above all the obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means and the determination to save future generations from the scourge of war. The draft resolution confirms that inclusive dialogue in its various manifestations plays an important role in strengthening relations and cooperation among member states.

Presenting the draft resolution, the delegation of Turkmenistan paid special attention to the fact that on December 11 this year Turkmenistan will host the International Conference “Dialogue is a Guarantee of Peace”, which will create a platform for a broad exchange of views on the topics covered in the draft resolution and lay the foundation for launching 2023 Global Campaign for Dialogue as a Guarantee of Peace. The delegation of Turkmenistan invited all member countries and agencies of the United Nations to take an active part in the upcoming Forum.

After discussions, this resolution was adopted by consensus. The resolution was co-sponsored by 68 member countries of the Organization.

6 декабря 2022 года состоялось 45-ое пленарное заседание 77-ой сессии Генеральной Ассамблеи ООН. В ходе заседания Генеральная Ассамблея рассмотрела проект резолюции «Международный год диалога как гарантии мира, 2023 год», представленный Туркменистаном под пунктом 14 повестки дня «Культура мира».

Представляя проект резолюции, туркменская делегация подчеркнула, что Президент Туркменистана впервые выдвинул глобальную инициативу «Диалог - гарантия мира» в декабре 2021 года в ходе Международной конференции «Политика мира и доверия - основа международной безопасности, стабильности и развития».

Делегация Туркменистана отметила, что проект резолюции «Международный год диалога как гарантии мира, 2023 год» был подготовлен после широкого спектра консультаций между странами-членами ООН при учёте всех конструктивных мнений и предложений.

В документе отражены основополагающие цели и принципы Устава ООН, прежде всего обязательства по урегулированию споров мирными средствами и решимость избавить грядущие поколения от бедствий войны. Проект резолюции подтверждает, что инклюзивный диалог в его различных проявлениях играет важную роль в укреплении отношений и сотрудничества между государствами-членами.

Представляя проект резолюции, делегация Туркменистана обратила особое внимание на то, что 11 декабря текущего года в Туркменистане состоится Международная конференция «Диалог – гарантия мира», которая создаст площадку для широкого обмена мнениями по тематике, затрагиваемой в проекте резолюции, и заложит основу для запуска в 2023 году Глобальной кампании во имя Диалога, как гарантии мира. Делегация Туркменистана пригласила все страны-члены и учреждения системы Организации Объединённых Наций принять активное участие в предстоящем Форуме.

После обсуждений данная резолюция была принята консенсусом. Соавторами резолюции выступили 68 стран-членов Организации.

The first C919 jet, China's homegrown aircraft, was delivered to its first customer, China Eastern Airlines (CEA) on Friday. This 90-second time-lapse video will show you the manufacturing process of the aircraft.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service