Category: Government

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday conceded defeat in Sweden’s tightly contested election, paving the way for an opposition bloc of four right-wing parties to form a new government.

 

She said the right-wing bloc, which includes a far-right anti-immigration party, has secured a narrow majority in the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament.

 

“Tomorrow I will request my dismissal as prime minister,” Andersson told a news conference.

 

She will, however, lead a transition government until the next administration takes power.

 

Andersson also announced that she will continue to lead the Social Democrats, stressing that her party stands ready to cooperate with anyone “who wants to be part of the solution to the problems that Sweden is facing.”

 

Ulf Kristersson, leader of the traditional right-wing Moderates, said the right-wing bloc has “received the mandate for change that we asked for.”

 

“I am now beginning the work to form a new government of action,” he said on social media.

 

“I want to gather, not to split,” he added, thanking voters for their support.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to invade Ukraine “has already begun,” a British government spokesman said on Monday.

 

The remarks by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman came hours after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “looks highly likely.”

 

Following a meeting with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Truss said NATO allies were “stepping up preparations for the worst-case scenario.”

 

The 10 Downing Street spokesman said on Truss’ comments that it was “our assessment.”

 

“The intelligence we’re seeing suggests Russia intends to launch an invasion and that President Putin’s plan has already begun, in effect,” he said.

 

“We’re seeing elements of the Russian playbook that we would expect to see in those certain situations start to play out in real time.”

 

Reiterating that the UK was working with NATO allies, he said intelligence reports suggest that Russia still intends to launch an invasion and “we stand ready to act as needed.”

 

“But, crucially, we still think there is a window for diplomacy, as we’ve seen with discussions over the weekend, and we want to explore those.”

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukraine on Monday denied Moscow’s claims that it sent “saboteurs” into Russia.

 

“No, Ukraine did NOT: Attack Donetsk or Luhansk; Send saboteurs or APCs (armored personnel carriers) across the border; Shell Russian territory; Shell Russian border crossing; Conduct acts of sabotage,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

 

Kuleba underlined that his country also “does not plan any such actions.”

 

“Russia, stop your fake-producing factory now,” he added.

 

Earlier, Russian Defense Ministry alleged that two Ukrainian armored vehicles were destroyed while trying to infiltrate Russian territory.

 

Five “infiltrators” were killed in the clash, said a ministry statement, in an incident that could fuel the already high tensions between the two countries, as well as the West.

 

“Units of the Southern Military District together with a unit of border guards of the Federal Security Service of Russia prevented a violation of the state border of Russia by a sabotage and reconnaissance group from the territory of Ukraine,” it said.

 

The ministry also claimed that the armored vehicles entered Russia “to rescue saboteurs” who had already infiltrated the country’s territory.

 

“Both cars were knocked out. Five soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were eliminated, there were no casualties among the Russian military,” it said.

 

Cross-border shelling claims

 

Earlier on Monday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported the destruction of a Russian border checkpoint by a projectile fired from Ukrainian territory.

 

On Saturday, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case after what it called the shelling of the Rostov region from Ukraine.

 

According to investigators, unidentified persons fired shells from multiple missile launcher systems at border areas in the Tarasovsky district.

 

At least two missiles hit the ground just 300 meters from the settlement of Mityakinskaya, the investigators said.

 

The incidents have not been independently verified by Anadolu Agency. The US has claimed Russia is trying to invent provocations – false flag operations – in order to justify a possible invasion.

 

Separately, pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s Donetsk region claimed a group of saboteurs blew up a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons and tried to reach the Russian border.

 

Tensions rose dramatically in eastern Ukraine last week, with reports of a growing number of cease-fire violations, multiple shelling incidents, and evacuation of civilians from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

 

The US administration has accused Russia of amassing nearly 150,000 troops along the Ukrainian border and claimed an attack may be imminent.

 

Moscow has repeatedly denied any plan to invade Ukraine and instead accused Western countries of undermining Russia’s security through NATO’s expansion toward its borders.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday he plans to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Geneva on Thursday.

 

Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Lavrov said the two diplomats will discuss the recent developments regarding the Russian proposals on security guarantees.

 

“Such a meeting is scheduled for this week, for Feb. 24 in Geneva. We will be guided by the positions that you have approved and that you defend in contacts with your colleagues and which, of course, we will actively promote at the level of the Foreign Ministry,” Lavrov reported to Putin.

 

On Feb. 18, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Blinken accepted Lavrov’s invitation to meet in person, but this plan remains in force only if Russia refrains from an invasion of Ukraine.

 

Tensions have risen dramatically in eastern Ukraine last week, with reports of a growing number of cease-fire violations, multiple shelling incidents, and evacuation of civilians from the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

 

Western countries have accused Russia of amassing more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that it could be planning a military offensive against its ex-Soviet neighbor.

 

Moscow has repeatedly denied any plan to invade Ukraine and instead accused Western countries of undermining Russia’s security through NATO’s expansion toward its borders.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

US President Joe Biden has “no intention” to send American troops to Ukraine amid escalating tensions with Russia, the White House said on Tuesday.

 

The comments come one day after the Pentagon announced roughly 8,500 Americans troops have been put on heightened alert in the US in case they are needed to deploy to Europe as part of NATO’s Response Force.

 

“We’re working through NATO to plus up support in our eastern flank countries. That is what NATO is there for, and we’re committed to the sanctity of that alliance,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

 

“Just to be clear: there is no intention or interest or desire by the president to send troops to Ukraine. NATO is a forum to support our eastern flank countries, and that is what our focus has been on,” she added.

 

The decision to put the forces on standby comes amid growing tensions in eastern Europe as the West and NATO accuse Russia of preparing for an invasion of Ukraine. Russia has amassed over 120,000 troops on its border with the former Soviet republic alongside a mass deployment of armored vehicles and artillery.

 

A similar buildup has been seen in Belarus, just to the north of Ukraine. In both cases, Russia denies preparing for an invasion, and maintains its forces are there for regular exercises.

 

NATO began to increase its presence in Eastern Europe following Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. That year also saw the Kremlin begin its support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, a policy it has continued for the past eight years.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish television series which has aired for four years in Spain, has brought the Spanish and Turkish communities closer together.

 

Spanish media group, Atresmedia, pioneered bringing Turkish series to Spain and introduced nearly 20 series to the Spanish audience.

 

Atresmedia’s Deputy General Manager Jose Antonio Anton told Anadolu Agency that thanks to Turkish series, a bridge was built between the two cultures.

 

Anton said the supremacy in the television series industry in Spain, which was in the hands of the Americans in the past, has now been passed to the Turks.

 

Atresmedia’s Deputy General Manager Jose Antonio Anton

 

“The impact of Turkish TV series on Spanish society has increased day by day. So much so that Spanish families, who named their children Jonathan when American TV series was influential in Spain, began to name them Mustafa,” he said.

 

What is Fatmagul’s Fault? was the first Turkish TV series that was introduced in 2018 to the Spanish audience by the media group, said Anton.

 

“Over time, we saw that the TV series we broadcast broke rating records. The stories, scenes and acting in Turkish serials were very popular in Spanish society,” he said.

 

“Turkish TV series has raised the bar in the TV series industry, which was dominated by American, French, British and Latin Americans in the past. Some productions show the modern face of Turkey to Europe and break down the prejudices,” he added.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The speaker of Turkey’s parliament held bilateral talks in Spain’s capital on Saturday as part of the 143rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

 

Mustafa Sentop met with Meritxell Batet, the assembly’s host and president of Spain’s lower legislative chamber, the Congress of Deputies. He also held separate meetings with Burundian Senate head Emmanuel Sinzohagera and Puan Maharani, the speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Representative Council.

 

Sentop also held a bilateral meeting with the chairman of Indonesia’s Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation, Fadli Zon.

 

Bilateral ties were at the top of the agenda during the meetings, as were joint steps to be taken under 143rd IPU Assembly.

 

During his meeting with Sinzohagera, the Turkish parliament chief also underlined that bilateral consultations would be very useful for developing a common approach on global and regional issues.

 

Sentop noted that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a productive meeting in September with his Burundian counterpart Evariste Ndayishimiye during the 76th UN General Assembly.

 

He added that with Turkey and Burundi opening embassies in each other’s capital, bilateral relations and cooperation had gained significant momentum.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The elections were held in an organized manner, in full compliance with Nicaraguan legislation in this area, Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow, following a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Felix Plasencia.

 

Lavrov condemned the US appeal not to recognize the results of the election, stressing that only the people of Nicaragua have the right to judge the legitimacy of the electoral process in the country.

 

The minister recalled that the pressure on Nicaragua began “neither today nor yesterday, but back in 2018, when Nicaragua became the object of undisguised interference in its own internal affairs.”

 

“And, unfortunately, attempts to overthrow the current leadership of Nicaragua continue and are not particularly camouflaged,” Lavrov said.

 

The minister then announced Russia will send observers to the Venezuelan regional election slated for Nov. 21.

 

For his part, Plasencia welcomed the results of the Nicaraguan elections and slammed the attempts to interfere in Nicaragua’s internal affairs.

 

He also suggested organizing a meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter, comprising 19 countries, in Russia “in the shortest possible time.”

 

Nicaragua held on Sunday general elections and more than 4.5 million voters out of 6.5 million people in the country voted for candidates for the presidency, deputies of the National Assembly, and the Central American Parliament.

 

In addition to the alliance led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front, from which the current head of state, Daniel Ortega, is running for the presidency, six other political parties participated in the campaign, including a regional one.

 

The voting process was monitored by observers from all political forces participating in the elections, and by more than 200 independent observers from Russia, the US, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, and Latin American countries.

SOURCE: ANADOLU AGENCY