🇮🇷Iran has officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

🈵 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a subregional intergovernmental international organization aimed at various kinds of cooperation between member countries. It includes 8 member countries - India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, muscovy, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Today Iran was added to the list, and soon Belarus is expected to join following a memorandum signed between the members.

🌐The countries work together in political, trade-economic, scientific-technical, cultural, educational, energy, transport, environmental, defense, and other areas. However, one thing that stands out is their principles, one of which is very interesting: mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of states and inviolability of state borders, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of force in international relations, refusal of unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas; (One can't help but think of China and India in their "mutual respect for each other," and Kazakhstan, which barely manages to fend off russian interference.)

🧐What's critical? A powerful alternative to Western cooperation is being built, which is gaining momentum. Russia is shifting its partnership vector towards Asia, where it has allies in political hatred and competition in the world. In addition, "oppressed" countries are joining, which feel, unfortunately, simply the unfavorable pressure from the West, not real restrictions - this is iran, and soon belarus. The exchange of resources is colossal, the economic capabilities are colossal. While Western partners are passing "resolutions and condemnations," worried about migrants and other unnecessary leftist issues, on the other side a powerful force is being built that can bring something not very good.

🫡Well, we are just killing russians and belarusians and waiting for more weapons, because resolutions and condemnations cannot win the war.

🇭🇺Hungary will continue to block EU funding until sanctions are lifted from OTP Bank and its owners - Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto

💭"Our position is clear: until OTP is removed from this list ('blacklist', - ed.), Hungary will block any EU financial aid in terms of arms supplies," Szijjarto said during a press conference.

🤬In particular, the politician noted that Hungary will not consider further proposals for funding until its conditions are met.

🏦 Let us remind you that the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) of Ukraine added Hungarian OTP Bank to the list of international sponsors of war on May 4, 2023. The management of OTP Bank effectively recognizes the independence of the so-called "lpr" and "dpr", and the bank itself continues to operate in the occupied territories.

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🔹 The presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland have sent a joint letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressing their concern about the events in Belarus

✍️ In the letter, the three leaders state that the cooperation between Moscow and Minsk undermines the security of the region and the entire Euro-Atlantic area. They also note that Moscow is using the territory of Belarus and its resources for an illegal and brutal aggressive war against Ukraine, indicating an increasingly close military integration between the two countries.

💭 "The latest manifestation of this is the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. This is an escalation in the context of the war in Ukraine and a direct threat to the security of our community. This is another blatant violation of the NATO-Russia Founding Act and a vivid proof that this document is no longer valid <...> The relocation of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to Belarus will create risks for political stability in Belarus and, as a result, potential loss of control over conventional and nuclear weapons," the letter from the presidents of Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia states.

🤔 In particular, the presidents have proposed a list of actions that, in their opinion, could help improve the situation:

🇧🇾 "The actions we propose will not only enhance the security of our allies but also correspond to the democratic aspirations of the Belarusian people. Our course of action should include: 1) a review of nuclear deterrence and its adaptation to new realities, 2) inclusion of conventional threats originating from Belarus in military adaptation, 3) replenishment of military stockpiles on the eastern flank, 4) an increase in defense spending beyond 2% of GDP and aligning it with NATO priorities, and 5) enhancing the resilience of allies to hybrid threats."