Transnational corps need regulation, attempts to destroy WTO unacceptable – Putin to BRICS leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken of the global economic situation and how the BRICS major emerging economies can join their forces to ensure it transforms into a more stable and fair model.

“The situation in the global economy is disturbing,” Putin told the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa, who were gathered for the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

It is symptomatic that international trade is no longer the engine of economic growth and is experiencing an increasingly heavy burden of protectionism, politically motivated restrictions and barriers

The Russian leader called on members of the BRICS community to unite to tackle “protectionist” tendencies in world trade and to increasingly use national currencies in international transactions to stabilize any potential instabilities. At the same time, Putin noted that member states should also seek to reform the International Monetary Fund in order to increase the influence of developing countries within the organization.

The developing economies, Putin said, must take a more “proactive role in forming a fair and sustainable global development model.”

At the same time, clear and understandable rules must be created to regulate transnational corporations in order to avoid the monopolization of markets or access to technologies. Russia, he stressed, considers "any attempts to destroy the WTO or reduce its role" counterproductive as the world slides into trade conflicts.

The global economy is being ruled by “one-sided” dictate, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for reform of the WTO to ensure fair practices and equal rights for all countries.

We should still focus on the World Trade Organization reform to achieve balanced development of the global economy and so this growth is open to everyone.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping meanwhile singled out protectionism as the source of instability in the global economy, calling for joint efforts to protect WTO members from such risks. He noted that BRICS countries should “increase our resilience and capability to cope with external risks” that impact the “common interests of our countries and overshadow the peace and stability world-wide.”

All this is destroying the global trade order.

Both Indian and Chinese leaders are due to have bilateral meetings with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit, where both countries will try to defend their trade positions amid the belligerent trade rhetoric coming from the US administration. Putin will also meet Trump later on Friday.

https://www.rt.com/business/462863-putin-brics-global-economy/

Turkish Forces Shell Villages in Syria's Hama Province From Idlib - Reports

The Turkish military has attacked villages in the northwest of Syria's Hama province from the neighbouring Idlib province in the early hours of Friday, local media reported.

On Thursday, the Turkish Defence Ministry said one soldier had been killed in the shelling of one of its observation posts in Idlib. The ministry claimed that the shelling had been carried out from the areas controlled by the Syrian government forces and was deliberate.

The state-run Ikhbariya broadcaster reported that the Turkish forces had fired 18 mortars on the villages from the south of Idlib.

The Syrian military reportedly responded by shelling the area from where the mortars were fired.

Notably, media reported late on Thursday that a Russian attache had been summoned to the Turkish military headquarters in the wake of the attack on the Turkish observation post in Idlib.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201906281076076824-turkey-forces-shell-villages-syria-hama-idlib/

Turkish-Backed Militants Target Syrian Army With Guided Missiles And Grad Rockets (Videos)

The Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL) supported a failed attack of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in northern Hama on June 27 by targeting vehicles and positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) with guided missiles and Grad rockets.

The group released two videos showing its fighters destroying a van carrying several Syrian soldiers and a truck armed with a 57mm gun near the town of Tell Huwash in northern Hama with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).

In a third attack, NFL fighters launched a barrage of Grad rockets at several positions of the SAA in the northwestern part of Hama.

These attacks are an example of the NFL strong cooperation with HTS, which was the main branch of al-Qaeda in Syria up until 2017. Despite this, Turkey is still supporting the group, according to local sources.

https://youtu.be/yaWb5jlLa3M

https://youtu.be/sRWsLl29gwU

https://southfront.org/turkish-backed-militants-target-syrian-army-with-guided-missiles-and-grad-rockets-videos/

Both Russia, UK Interested in Fully Restoring Bilateral Relations - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that both Moscow and London were interested in fully restoring bilateral relations.

"I think that both Russia and the UK are interested in fully restoring our relations. At least I hope that a few preliminary steps will be made," Putin told the Financial Times newspaper.

The Russian leader noted that UK companies were eager to work with Russia.

"We know that businesses in the UK (by the way, I had a meeting with our British colleagues in this same room), they want to work with us, they are working with us and intend to continue doing so. And we support this intent," he said.

Russian President also said that the case with the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal was not worth serious relations between states.

"Listen, all this fuss about spies and counterspies, it is not worth serious interstate relations. This spy story, as we say, it is not worth five kopecks. Or even five pounds, for that matter. And the issues concerning interstate relations, they are measured in billions and the fate of millions of people. How can we compare one with the other?" Putin said in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.

"As a matter of fact, treason is the gravest crime possible and traitors must be punished. I am not saying that the Salisbury incident is the way to do it. Not at all. But traitors must be punished. This gentleman, Skripal, had already been punished. He was arrested, sentenced and then served time in prison. He received his punishment. For that matter, he was off the radar. Why would anybody be interested in him?" the president added, stressing the need to leave the Skripal story alone and let security agencies deal with it.

Relations between Russia and the United Kingdom have been de facto frozen after a March 2018 attack on Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury. London blames Moscow for the attack but Moscow has repeatedly refuted the accusations as baseless.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201906281076076933-russia-uk-restoring-bilateral-relations-skripal-affair-putin/

>>6862323

Putin is dropping booms all over the G20

Tillerson Says White House Adviser Kushner Conducted Foreign Policy Without Him

Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described an encounter at a Washington restaurant in which White House Adviser Jared Kushner conducted foreign diplomacy for the Trump administration behind his back, a transcript of Tillerson's congressional hearing revealed on Thursday.

Tillerson, who was fired by Trump in March 2017, recounted an awkward encounter with Kushner and Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Videgaray during the hearing.

The former secretary of state said he "could see the colour go out" of Videgaray's face when Tillerson greeted them at their table.

"I smiled big, and said, 'Welcome to Washington,'" Tillerson recalled. "I said, 'I don’t want to interrupt what y’all are doing. … Give me a call next time you're coming to town.' And I left it at that."

Tillerson also said he later found out that the Mexican foreign secretary was operating under the assumption that everything he talked about with Kushner had been run through the State Department.

On Tuesday, Kushner unveiled part of the Trump administration's plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Kushner said the peace plan aims to unleash the economic potential of the West Bank and Gaza by promoting capital investments, improving education and health care and enhancing governance structures.

For decades, Palestinians have sought recognition of an independent state of Palestine on the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Israeli government has refused to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity and continues to build settlements in the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201906281076075333-tillerson-white-house-kushner-foreign-policy/