Latest news with #BlackSea
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Georgia's foreign-agents act ‘a serious setback': EU officials
BRUSSELS: A new law in Georgia that from Saturday requires NGOs and media outlets to register as 'foreign agents' if they receive funding from abroad is a 'serious setback,' for the country, two top EU officials said. Alongside other laws on broadcasting and grants, 'these repressive measures threaten the very survival of Georgia's democratic foundations and the future of its citizens in a free and open society,' EU diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas and EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in a joint statement. They stressed that the law, which they dubbed a tool 'by the Georgian authorities to suppress dissent (and) restrict freedoms,' jeopardized the country's ambitions of one day joining the European Union. 'Georgia's Foreign Agents Registration Act marks a serious setback for the country's democracy,' they said. Georgia's law is inspired by US legislation which makes it mandatory for any person or organization representing a foreign country, group or party to declare its activities to authorities. But NGOs believe it will be used by Georgia's illiberal and Euroskeptic government to further repression of civil society and the opposition. The Black Sea nation has been rocked by daily demonstrations since late last year, with protesters decrying what they see as an increasingly authoritarian and pro-Russia government. Tensions escalated in November when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that Georgia would postpone EU membership talks until 2028. 'The EU is ready to consider the return of Georgia to the EU accession path if the authorities take credible steps to reverse democratic backsliding,' Kallas and Kos said in their statement.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Ukraine needs 500 million euros to rebuild critical port facilities damaged by Russia
KYIV, May 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine needs an initial 500 million euros ($566 million) to rebuild the most important infrastructure facilities at its Black Sea ports destroyed by constant Russian missile and drone attacks, a government minister said on Friday. Almost 400 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged as a result of Russian attacks during more than three years of war. Seaports are critical for Ukraine, which ships more than 90% of its exports by sea. "The main critical infrastructure facilities for ports and shipping that we have already lost have been identified ... and now we have to restore them," Andriy Kashuba, deputy minister of territorial development, told the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa. Ukraine currently operates three major seaports in the Odesa area. Other Black Sea ports suspended operations after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kashuba said the total cost of rebuilding the ports' infrastructure was estimated at around 1 billion euros. That figure is dwarfed by the total estimated cost for Ukraine's overall reconstruction and recovery. The World Bank last December put that cost at $524 billion (€506 billion) over the next decade, or about 2.8 times the country's estimated nominal GDP for 2024. Many industrial and residential infrastructure facilities across Ukraine have been destroyed or severely damaged by Russian attacks. ($1 = 0.8828 euros)
Bloomberg
a day ago
- General
- Bloomberg
How Migration and Soft Power Made Indo-European Languages Dominant
About 5,000 years ago, a group of herders living in the grasslands north of the Black Sea headed west, taking their animals with them. They got as far as the Carpathian Basin — the western extremity of the vast Eurasian steppe centered on modern Hungary — but their descendants pushed farther, and within 1,000 years languages related to those of the original migrants were spoken as far west as Ireland's Atlantic coast. That is the leading explanation today for how the majority of Europeans came to speak the languages they do. And not just Europeans. At the same time that those intrepid steppe-dwellers set off west, others speaking related dialects headed east, planting their way of speaking in Asia. Both eastern and western dialect clusters share the label 'Indo-European' because, by the time linguists noticed the family resemblance in the 18th century, they were spoken from Europe to the Indian sub-continent.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Britain to attend next Russia-Ukraine peace talks
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, little has been done to contain Russia's consolidated dominance in the murky waters of the Black Sea. The dissolution of the Soviet bloc saw Moscow inherit much of the Black Sea fleet, a regional force it shared with Ukraine, and a leasing arrangement for the strategic naval base of Sevastopol, Crimea. Vladimir Putin's eventual illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula not only gave him complete control over the fleet's home base but also further territory to dominate the Black Sea. It allowed Russia control over Ukraine's shipping routes, and the modernisation of its military presence on the peninsula saw the introduction of area denial capabilities – known as A2/AD in military parlance – such as coastal defences, more submarines and surface-to-air missiles to contest Nato's presence. On the first day of the Russian invasion, in February 2022, Putin's men pushed as far as Snake Island, a 46-acre rocky outcrop just off Ukraine. Kyrylo Budanov, Kyiv's spy chief, once said the island grants control of 'the surface, and to some extent the air, situation in southern Ukraine'. But more than three years since Putin's full-scale invasion, Snake Island is back in Ukrainian hands and the Russian choke hold over the Black Sea has all but ended.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Europe's plan to take back control of the Black Sea from Russia
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, little has been done to contain Russia's consolidated dominance in the murky waters of the Black Sea. The dissolution of the Soviet bloc saw Moscow inherit much of the Black Sea fleet, a regional force it shared with Ukraine, and a leasing arrangement for the strategic naval base of Sevastopol, Crimea. Vladimir Putin's eventual illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula not only gave him complete control over the fleet's home base but also further territory to dominate the Black Sea. It allowed Russia control over Ukraine's shipping routes, and the modernisation of its military presence on the peninsula saw the introduction of area denial capabilities – known as A2/AD in military parlance – such as coastal defences, more submarines and surface-to-air missiles to contest Nato's presence. On the first day of the Russian invasion, in February 2022, Putin's men pushed as far as Snake Island, a 46-acre rocky outcrop just off Ukraine. Kyrylo Budanov, Kyiv's spy chief, once said the island grants control of 'the surface, and to some extent the air, situation in southern Ukraine'. But more than three years since Putin's full-scale invasion, Snake Island is back in Ukrainian hands and the Russian choke hold over the Black Sea has all but ended. Through Kyiv's use of domestically engineered maritime drones and missiles donated by the West, such as Storm Shadow and Atacms, the Black Sea fleet has been driven back to ports on the Russian coast. Now, with the Black Sea's waters once again up for grabs, the European Union has rolled out its first 'Black Sea Strategy' in the hope of countering any Russian re-emergence in the region. Of the six countries bordering the landlocked waters, two – Bulgaria and Romania – are EU members. Ukraine is a key ally and on the verge of also joining the bloc. The same applies to Georgia, although it has drifted from its EU path in recent years. Turkey, a Nato ally, is technically still a candidate for accession. The last nation, Russia, is now – and it took a generation – a sworn enemy. With this in mind, Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, unveiled what is an attempt by Brussels to project itself as a geopolitical power in the region. Its three-pronged approach aims at loosening the Russian choke hold on the Black Sea to protect trade routes and critical infrastructure, as well as boost preparations for war. The most striking promise is to invest in regional ports, railways and airports to make it faster and easier to deliver military hardware to the region in the event of hostilities heating up. 'Upgrades will help ensure troops can be where they are needed, when they are needed. Getting equipment to the region faster strengthens deterrence and also supports Nato,' Ms Kallas told a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday. Crumbling infrastructure has long posed one of the biggest threats to the Western military alliance's ability to rush troops eastwards if Russia ever attacks. Two of the five key logistical routes designated to deter invasion by Moscow travel through Bulgaria and end in Romania. Brussels is essentially left in charge of improving the civilian transport links that could one day be used by the military. Previous estimates have suggested that at least €75 billion (£62.8 billion) would be the cost of upgrading transport infrastructure across the entire continent to make it fit for military use. Any investments in Romania and Bulgaria will be carefully monitored to prevent ports, railway lines and airports coming under questionable foreign ownership. China has been trying to muscle in with purchases of ports in Georgia. Secondly, Brussels aims to open a monitoring command centre, dubbed Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, to give the bloc's members better situational awareness over the region. The EU's strategy is designed to deliver real-time information 'from space to seabed' about the movements of Russian vessels, both military and civilian. In theory, it would provide early warning alerts about potential Russian sabotage of the undersea section of an electricity cable running between Azerbaijan and Europe or offshore oil and gas rigs belonging to Romania and Bulgaria. Monitoring trade routes is seen as necessary after Russia proved how easy it was to shut down Ukraine's grain exports through the Black Sea. Kyiv eventually managed to open a protected corridor, which hugs Romania and Bulgaria, but threats remain to the key revenue generator. Another application could be the monitoring of Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet' of sanction-busting oil tankers or any future ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The exact size, shape and location of the monitoring station is still up for negotiation between EU member states, Ms Kallas said. Other EU projects could be extended to map, monitor and eventually remove mines that were placed in the Black Sea by both Ukraine and Russia. Lastly, the EU's strategy foresees an attempt to boost partnerships across the region, which it describes as a 'vital trade artery' between the bloc, the southern Caucasus and Central Asia. 'We want to develop new energy, transport and digital corridors in the region that will connect us to the Caucasus and Central Asia,' Marta Kos, the EU's enlargement commissioner, said. Partnering with Turkey will be one of the key challenges. While officially an EU candidate country and a member of Nato, Turkey maintains its own, significant, interests in the Black Sea, including continued trade with Russia. Through the Bosphorus strait, Ankara controls access and trade in and out of the Black Sea. This means there is little to no hope of any significant European naval presence being brought into the region. Under the terms of the Montreux Convention, Turkey essentially closes the Black Sea to foreign warships and submarines in times of war. Only vessels belonging to Black Sea nations are allowed to return. Ms Kallas said that the new strategy 'is also an invitation for closer cooperation on issues of interest to all countries around the Black Sea, including Turkey'. She added: 'We are committed to working closely with our partners and also to exchanging information about what is happening and what we can do about it with all Black Sea partners. And this is in Turkey's interest as well.' Given its interests and influence over the region, Turkey is likely to push back against any large-scale attempt by Europe to muscle in on the Black Sea. It is unlikely to allow Brussels to challenge Russia head-on, and will instead seek to balance influence in the region. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
