7月8日、安倍晋三議員（元首相）が奈良市での応援演説中に手製の銃で撃たれ、搬送先の病院で頑張っておられたものの、昭恵夫人の病院到着を待たれていたかのように同日17時過ぎ逝去された。同首相のご逝去を悼み、心よりご冥福をお祈り致します。
またこのような暴力行為に強く反対致します。
7月8日、安倍晋三議員（元首相）が奈良市での応援演説中に手製の銃で撃たれ、搬送先の病院で頑張っておられたものの、昭恵夫人の病院到着を待たれていたかのように同日17時過ぎ逝去された。同首相のご逝去を悼み、心よりご冥福をお祈り致します。
またこのような暴力行為に強く反対致します。
WION TV主催Global Summit 2022への参加
2022年5月16日にドバイで開催された“平和”をテーマとするGlobal Summit に、主催者WION TVよりパネラーとして招待され参加た。本グローバル・サミットには、米国から国土安全保障省リュート元次官他が、欧州からはアイルランド、ベラルーシからは元大臣、エストニアから同国議会外交委員長など、途上国からはアフカニスタン、ジンバブエ他が参加し、ウクライナ等からオンライン参加。
1、冒頭、チョードリーWION TV代表より、“持続可能な平和”をメイン・テーマとして5年目となるグローバル・サミットの趣旨が説明された後、シャヒッド国連総会議長とアフマデイネジャド元イラン大統領がビデオメッセージを寄せた。シャヒッド総会議長よりは、ロシアのウクライナ侵攻という事態が生じたが、安保理における拒否権行使により機能しなくなったものの、拒否権行使の場合は総会にその理由を説明することとされたことは初めてのことであり、今後改革を進めたいなど、国連が直面する問題が報告された。またアフマデイネジャド元大統領からは、米国の価値観とルールの強要により経済制裁が課され、一方的であるなど、従来の主張が繰り返された。インドなど、アジアからの参加者の中には、米国が力を背景に価値観やルールを世界に押しつけてはいないかとの感情やロシアのウクライナ侵攻についても、支持はしないものの、米国を中心とするNATOが東西冷戦後急速に東方拡大し、緊張を作り出しているのではないかとの疑問も散見された。
2、次いで討論セッシオンに移り、1)武力紛争に休戦の旗を、2）迫り来る細菌兵器の脅威、3）貿易戦争：長期の勝者はいない、及び4）デジタル・ウオー：世界のウエッブ安全保障のためには の4セッションが順次行われた。対面で参加した各国の発言者が各セッションに分かれ、WION TVの編集長他が司会を務める形で進められた。
第2セッション‘迫り来る細菌兵器の脅威’で発言したところ、その模様は次のサイト（YouTube）でご覧頂けます。
また会合全体をご覧になりたい方は、wion global summit 2022を検索下さい。
なお、WION TVは、ニューデリーを拠点とする英語TV局で、世界各国で取材、配信を行っているので、欧米のニュースが世界各国にネットワークを広げ、国際世論に影響を与えている今日、アジアの目で世界各国に情報発信するネットワークとして注目される。5月24日のクアッド（Quad）首脳会議、及びそれに伴うモデイ首相の訪日の模様もWION TVのアンカーが訪日取材し、インドのみならず世界各国に配信している。
Exert more Wisdom than Weapons for Ukraine!
Over three-months long armed conflicts persist in Ukraine, and the Russian military forces seem to focus on the consolidation of the control in the two eastern provinces, namely Donetsk and Luhansk, in collaboration with the pro-Russian groups there. At the initial stage, the Russian leadership misjudged that the Ukrainian military might be unwilling to fight back against the Russian troops, keeping distance from President Zelensky, and decided to invade in Ukraine towards Kiev immediately after the air strikes on their Air Force facilities. But the Russian troops met severe resistance as they marched forward to Kiev and resulted in unforeseen damages. The Russian leadership, noticing their misjudgment based on some inaccurate information or wishful analysis, decided to withdraw the troops from the western front and shifted their attack in the eastern provinces and the southern provinces adjacent to Crimea. That would have been the initial military objectives after the expiration on 21st January, 2022, of the Minsk Truce Agreement of 2014.
During the eight-year long Truce Agreement, it was designed to settle the autonomy issue of the two eastern provinces. But such efforts failed, and President Zelensky, instead, openly expressed his intention to become a member of NATO.
For Russian, the constant east-bound expansion of NATO has been seen as a threat. President V. Putin expressed his view at a press conference in April, 2008, on the occasion of the NATO summit that “any attempt to expand NATO to the Russian borders would be seen as a direct threat”. At that time, NATO expanded its membership from 16 to 26 after the Soviet Union, therefore the East-West Cold War, was over. Now it is embracing 30 countries with the U.S. military bases and the THAAD missiles in Romania.
- No justification for the Russian aggression in Ukraine
Russian invasion in Ukraine cannot be tolerated and should be condemned. In particular, the initial Russian invasion in the western region leading to Kiev invited a strong criticism in the World, in addition to the damages inflicted on the Russian troops.
Every sovereign country has the right to defend itself against any aggression.
In support of such Ukraine’s efforts to defend itself, many NATO member countries including the U.S. and others have been sending weapons after weapons together with other civil support upon request from Ukraine. Also a wide range of economic sanctions against Russia have been imposed by many countries.
Such a support is necessary. But we should exert more wisdom than weapons. Wisdom to stop the armed conflicts and the bloodshed. And wisdom to bring about a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Further military support, in particular, sophisticated missiles and other weapons from the NATO countries to Ukraine seems to lower a threshold to a war in Europe. Also a wide ranging sanctions against Russia would adversely affect the World economy sooner or later like a boomerang.
- Needed recognition of the Co-Existence in the face of the differences in basic values and governing systems in the World
At a time of apparent differences in basic values and governing systems in the World seen in such cases as the Russian invasion in Ukraine and the trade issue with China, we need a practical philosophy governing the World now. There are basically 3 alternatives. Namely, 1) defeat the opponent, completely, if possible, 2) accept the domination by the opponent, or 3) co-existence with different values and governing systems.
The first two alternatives will not be accepted by the other side. The World is divided in these two cases, and a fear of a war lingers. If the World is to be one globe, therefore, Co-Existence seems to be the only realistic alternative.
Democracy is based on human equality, acceptance of diverse values and belief, and pluralism. And given the present nation-to-nation relations which are based on the territorial sovereignty with its own basic values and governing systems, Co-Existence is the realistic philosophy governing the present international relations, if a democratic method is to be applied in handling international affairs as well.
And sometime in the future, the World of Co-Prosperity may happen.
(2022.6.10. All Rights Reserved.)
Ukraine and Russia should agree on a neutrality of Ukraine with immediate truce !
While admiring the courage of Ukrainian people to stand against Russian troops, it seems to be imperative for Ukraine and Russia together with France, Germany, and the United States to start negotiating over a neutrality of Ukraine at the top level to avoid further death tolls and damages in Ukraine and avert a total war in Europe.
Neutrality of Ukraine is a commendable solution to avert a total war in Europe
Russian President V. Putin demands a “Neutrality of Ukraine”, furiously opposing Ukraine’s request for a NATO membership. President Putin does not ask for a pro-Russian Ukraine. In the light of the Ukraine historical and geopolitical position as a former core country of the Soviet Union and a neighboring country of Russia, a neutrality of Ukraine, which will not join the NATO group nor the Russian camp, could be a practical alternative for the Ukrainian people as well as European countries and Russia.
Under the circumstances, most countries in the World cannot tolerate the Russian military invasion in Ukraine and its occupation if so happened. On the other hand, if Ukraine would become a member of NATO, Russia could not tolerate either. In either case, severe feud and hatred will persist for a long time between Ukraine and Russia, and between NATO Europe and Russia. Ukrainian people will be always uneasy and feared with a sudden attack.
Although the security of Ukraine must be guaranteed jointly by Russia and NATO in an agreed way, it seems that President Putin’s demand for neutral Ukraine is realistically calculated to balance the security requirement of each party, namely, Russia, Ukraine, and NATO.
Initiatives of U.S., France, and Germany are welcome for a top-level meeting with Russia and Ukraine with an immediate cease-fire.
It is President V. Putin who strongly opposed to Ukrainian President’s intention to become a NATO member and ordered to invade in Ukraine asking for its neutrality on top of his demands. Therefore, it is President Putin who could stop fighting and order to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine.
And it is Ukrainian President V. Zelenskyy who could avoid further deaths of his fellow Ukrainians and decide the fate of his country as a neutral country withdrawing a NATO membership bit.
Russia is blamed for its military attacks in Ukraine, and President Putin as well as Russia itself faces severe economic and financial sanctions together with personal punishment. At the same time, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy may be blamed for his inability to materialize the Minsk Protocol of 5th September, 2014, in particular, the “local self-government” issue of two eastern districts, namely, Donetsk and Luhansk and the observation of no armed campain against the two districts, by the time of its expiry date which was 21st February, 2022. Russia started its military operations on 24th February, 2022, about one month after the expiry of the Protocol. President Zelenskyy must have known the expiry of the Protocol, after which there would be a recurrence of armed conflicts so that he would risk lives of Ukrainian nationals. At the moment, he has no clear prospect for winning, but waiting for a total attack in Kiev by Russian troops.
It is Imperative to avoid further death toll in Ukraine, while averting a war in Europe.
To facilitate a meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Putin, it would be necessary for three leaders of U.S., France and Germany to ask both Presidents to meet with a view to realizing a truce immediately to be followed by a withdrawal of the Russian troops from Ukraine, and also working out a neutrality of Ukraine. Nobody else could this but the tree leaders above who are able to talk with both President Zelenskyy and President Putin. Time is really pressing. Prompt initiatives are needed before it’s too late. (2022.3.12.) (All Rights reserved.）
