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On Saturday, Germany celebrates the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Built in 1961 by the Communist government of East Germany, the wall was meant to stop the flood of its citizens fleeing to the West. Hundreds were shot dead trying to run across the frontier. Almost three decades later, on the night of November 9, 1989, tens of thousands of people breached the wall and tore it down — seen as a key moment in the demise of the Soviet Union. But as Henry Ridgwell reports from Berlin, hopes that it would bring about peace between East and West have crumbled as fears grow of a new Cold War.
 
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Russia will deliver a sophisticated anti-aircraft missile system to Serbia even though the U.S. has warned of possible sanctions against the Balkan country in the event of such purchases.Russia’s state TASS news agency said Wednesday that the Pantsir-S system will be delivered to Serbia “in the next few months in accordance with the signed contract.”The U.S.’s special envoy for the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, warned Serbia last week that the purchase of Russian weapons “poses a risk” of U.S. sanctions.“We hope that our Serbian partners will be careful about any transactions of this kind,” Palmer said in an interview with Macedonian television Alsat M.Serbia remains a key ally of Russia even though it wants to join the European Union. Belgrade has pledged to stay out of NATO and refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.Russia has been helping Serbia beef up its military with fighter jets, attack helicopters and battle tanks, raising concerns in the war-scarred Balkan region. During the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Serbia was at war with neighbors Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a state TV interview on Tuesday that Serbia is purchasing defensive weapons from the Russians and that he wants to avoid any U.S. sanctions “or confrontation with America.”“Serbia is arming itself because it is a free country surrounded by NATO-member states with which we want to be friends,” Vucic said, adding he won’t allow Serbia to “be as weak as it was in the 1990s.”Serbia was bombed by NATO in 1999 to stop a bloody crackdown against Kosovo Albanians, an experience that left Serbs with a deep mistrust of the Western military alliance. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move Belgrade and Moscow don’t recognize.Pantsir is a truck-mounted short to medium range anti-aircraft missile system that has also been deployed in Syria. It can also target drones and cruise missiles. 
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When France’s president wants to carry European concerns to the world stage to find solutions for climate change, trade tensions or Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he no longer calls Washington. He flies to Beijing.President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China this week suggests that the United States risks being sidelined on the global stage under President Donald Trump. One moment spoke volumes: Chinese President Xi Jinping sampling French wines, which Trump’s administration recently slapped with heavy new tariffs.Macron portrayed himself as an envoy for the whole European Union, conveying the message that the bloc has largely given up on Trump, who doesn’t hide his disdain for multilateralism.French President Emmanuel Macron reviews a Chinese honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 6, 2019.Just as the Trump administration formally launched the process of pulling out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, France and China issued a “Beijing call” on Wednesday for increased global cooperation in fighting climate change and better protecting biodiversity. Both countries have deplored the U.S. withdrawal.”One country’s isolated choice can’t change the course of the world. It only leads to marginalization,” Macron said.While China’s president tasted French wines and high-quality beef at an import fair in Shanghai, Macron was pushing for a broader opening of the Chinese market to European products.”I think he discovered Languedoc wine. He wasn’t familiar with it, he liked it. He tasted a Burgundy and a classic Bordeaux wine,” Macron told reporters. 
 
Xi said the two leaders were sending “a strong signal to the world about steadfastly upholding multilateralism and free trade, as well as working together to build open economies.”‘Mutual trust’During his first state visit to China in January 2018, Macron vowed to return every year in an effort to establish “mutual trust.”Since then, Xi has traveled to France, when China signed an agreement in March to buy 300 aircraft from European plane maker Airbus.FILE – An Air China Airbus lands at Nice Airport during the Air China’s inaugural flight from Beijing to Nice, France, Aug. 2, 2019.This time, Macron traveled east, bringing with him an ambitious agenda that includes establishing a joint stance on reforming the World Trade Organization, fighting climate change and saving the nuclear accord with Iran. 
 
After Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 U.N. nuclear pact, France and China reiterated their support for the hard-fought deal both countries had helped negotiate.In Beijing, Macron described recent Gulf tensions as “the negative impact of the non-respect of a multilateral agreement. … The American error has been to leave (the pact) unilaterally.””Strong multilateralism is more efficient than shrill unilateralism,” Macron said, praising China’s support for de-escalation of the tensions as the Europeans try to save the nuclear deal with Iran. 
 
“China and France are together with the Europeans and Russians,” he said. “We are convinced that we should increase our joint efforts to bring Iran back into compliance.”‘Stable, cooperative trade rules’On trade, the EU often joins U.S. criticism of China’s protectionist policies, government subsidies and other restrictive practices.But whereas Trump has responded by aggressively imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods from China, Europe and elsewhere, bypassing rules set by the WTO, the EU considers that a trade war is not the appropriate response. French President Emmanuel Macron, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping following a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 6, 2019.”We must get stable and cooperative trade rules at the international level,” Macron said, referring to a plan to reform the WTO. Trump complains that the WTO, which is tasked with resolving trade disputes, is weak and ineffective as China flouts its rules and it takes years to address trade complaints.Macron said it is Europe and China’s shared responsibility to make proposals to reform the WTO, because it would be a “fundamental error” to wait for “those who are calling into question the multilateral system.”Besides the tariffs on China, the U.S. has hit EU steel, aluminum and agricultural products with tariffs, drawing retaliation from the 28-country bloc. And the Trump administration is due to decide this month whether to impose tariffs on Europe’s massive auto exports, a move that would significantly escalate tensions that are already hurting the global economy.Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University economist and former head of the International Monetary Fund’s China division, said “the Trump administration’s antipathy to multilateralism, its repudiation of many international agreements, and hostility toward even longstanding allies, have all eroded U.S. economic and geopolitical influence.””The U.S. is now seen by other countries as an unreliable and untrustworthy partner, leaving them to maneuver around the U.S. by striking bilateral and multilateral deals that protect and advance their own interests,” Prasad said.
 
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to deepen military ties with Moscow unless the United States lifts its embargo on the sale of a key fighter jet.The warning comes ahead of next week’s planned meeting between Erodgan and President Donald Trump.FILE – A Sukhoi Su-35 fighter with special vectored thrust jet engines takes part in a flying display at the Le Bourget airport near Paris.Turkey is set to purchase the Su-35, Russia’s latest fighter bomber. The country is already provoking alarm among its western allies with its procurement of Russia’s S-400 missile system.”When we bought the S-400, we did not ask anyone [for permission]. So, if we make a decision, we will purchase them [Su-35],” Erdogan said Tuesday.Erdogan indicates a final decision on the Russian jet purchase could be in the hands of Washington. He called for Trump to unfreeze the sale of America’s F-35 fighter jet to Turkey.The U.S. embargo was imposed in retaliation of Ankara procuring the S-400, which Washington claims compromises NATO weapons systems, particularly the F-35’s stealth technology.”If the F-35 issue is not resolved, we will take the necessary steps,” Erdogan said.Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan visit the MAKS 2019 air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 27, 2019.Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Erdogan at a Moscow air display in August where the Su-35 was on display.In October, the Turkish Daily Sabah, which has close ties to the government, reported Ankara was close to buying 36 of the Russian fighter bombers.The head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugayev, confirmed last month that talks were underway for the delivery and possible co-production of both the Su-35 and the more advanced Su-57, which has not yet entered full production. Shugayev acknowledged that contracts have not been signed.Turkey’s increasing military purchases underscore Putin and Erdogan’s developing relationship. But the purchase of the Su-35 is seen as taking Russian-Turkish ties to a new level, to the detriment of Ankara’s NATO relationship.”This is not a problem only between Turkey and the United States, but it’s a problem between NATO and its 28 members,” said retired Turkish Gen. Haldun Solmazturk.”While still staying a NATO member within NATO’s integrated command and control structure, and flying Russian aircraft, deploying Russian missile systems, does not make sense,” said Solmazturk, who now heads Ankara-based think tank Turkey 21st Century Institute. “The world is not that simple.”Solmazturk points out that the purchase of Russian jets would mark a significant shift in military orientation toward Moscow, with the training and servicing of Su-35s conducted in Russian, along with regular visits of Turkish military personnel to Russia.This week, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar vehemently denied any plans to purchase the Su-35. Akar, a former Turkish army chief of staff, is widely viewed as one of the most sympathetic Turkish ministers toward Washington.President Donald Trump meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, May 16, 2017.Leverage against WashingtonErdogan’s comments Tuesday appear to override Akar’s denials. Analysts suggest Erdogan could be seeking to use the Russia jet purchase to his advantage in next week’s expected meeting with Trump.Trump invited Erdogan to Washington for a meeting on Nov. 13. Turkish officials said Wednesday that Erdogan had agreed to the meeting. Erdogan strongly condemned the vote last month in the U.S. Congress to recognize as genocide the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I.Adding to Ankara’s anger, Congress also is considering sanctions legislation against Turkey for last month’s military operation against the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish militia.Ankara designates the YPG as terrorists, but the militia was a crucial ally in the Washington-led war against Islamic State.Some analysts suggest Erdogan’s reluctance to meet with Trump is because the main agenda item is Turkey freezing its purchase of the S-400 and purchasing the U.S.’s Patriot missile system instead.Erdogan reportedly wants a much broader agenda, including Syria, and pending congressional sanctions.In a move that could strengthen Erdogan’s bargaining hand in any Washington visit, Turkey’s defense industry directorate announced Monday the postponement until next year of the delivery of the second batch of S-400s.The delay is linked to Turkey’s dispute with Moscow over technology-sharing and joint production of the missile system.”Turkey is the cheese in the sandwich,” said International relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University. “Both sides are squeezing Turkey. Turkey tries to manage both sides, but definitely Putin has more leverage on Turkey because of Syria.”Former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen.(Dorian Jones/VOA)In October, Putin and Erdogan struck an agreement to cooperate in Syria, ending Turkey’s Syrian military operation against the Kurdish militia.”Putin further peeled Turkey away from the West, the U.S. and NATO, turned himself into the sole playmaker in Syria [and] further advanced Russia’s cause in the Mideast,” said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen.The resumption of heavy airstrikes by Russian bombers on Syrian rebels in the Idlib province is seen as Putin possibly reminding Erdogan of Russia’s importance. Ankara fears that a major offensive by Damascus against rebels in Idlib could trigger a significant exodus of refugees into neighboring Turkey.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia’s new weapons have no foreign equivalents but he insists the country will not use them to threaten anyone.Speaking during a meeting with senior military officers, Putin said that “we plan to build up our defense capability, commissioning hypersonic, laser and other new weapons systems that other countries don’t have.”“Yet it’s not a reason to threaten anyone,” he added.The Russian leader claimed that the new weapons systems are designed exclusively to “ensure our security in view of the growing threats,” and vowed to pursue arms control efforts.Russia’s relations with the West have plunged to the lowest levels since the Cold War years over the conflict in Ukraine and other disputes.In 2018, Putin announced an array of new weapons, including a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, a hypersonic glide vehicle, a nuclear-armed underwater drone and a nuclear-powered cruise missile.   
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Buckingham Palace says new outfits designed for Queen Elizabeth II will not use real fur.The palace said Wednesday the decision does not mean the queen will dispose of all the fur outfits she already has. The palace statement says “the queen will continue to re-wear existing outfits in her wardrobe.”
 
The decision pleased animal rights activists, who have sometimes criticized the monarch for the fur pieces in her collection of designer clothes.Claire Bass, director of the Humane Society International/UK, says “we are thrilled Her Majesty has officially gone fur-free.” She says the queen’s decision will send a positive message that fur is no longer considered fashionable.
 
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The European Union is preparing to pay Turkey tens of millions of euros to help bolster its coast guard, a senior EU official said Wednesday, as increasing numbers of people leave the country in hopes of finding sanctuary or jobs in Europe.The Greek authorities are struggling to cope with a sharp rise in the number of migrant arrivals over the summer months on Lesbos and other islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, near the Turkish coast where EU-funded camps are suffering severe overcrowding and outbreaks of violence.
“We have prepared a set of measures amounting to some 50 million euros ($55 million),” said Maciej Popowski, the deputy director-general for EU enlargement policy.
 
He said part of the money would help to “improve the capacities of the Turkish coast guard to perform search and rescue operations.”The rest would be used to improve conditions in migrant detention centers and to help those people permitted to stay to better integrate into Turkish society. The money would be drawn from a budget meant to prepare Turkey to join the EU and from a separate “peace and stability” fund.Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, but its accession negotiations are at a standstill amid concerns about democratic backsliding, notably on the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, media freedoms and allegations of human rights abuses.After well over 1 million migrants entered Europe in 2015 – most of them fleeing conflict in Syria – the EU hurriedly agreed to pay Turkey up to 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to stop migrants leaving the Turkish coast for Greece. Arrivals dropped to a relative trickle after it came into force.But in the weeks prior to Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria last month, Ankara sought more cash from the Europeans, claiming that the money, which is meant to help Syrians taking refuge on Turkish territory, was insufficient and that the EU has been too slow to provide it.Popowski told EU lawmakers that Turkey directly requested more money from EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos during talks in Ankara in early October.The migrant challenge in 2015 sparked one of Europe’s biggest crises, as nations bickered over who should take responsibility for the arrivals and whether others should be obliged to help, so the EU is desperate to keep Turkey onside.But Popowski noted that “the military operation in northern Syria has complicated things even further,” because the EU does not want to be involved in any attempt to send refugees into the area, and it refuses to fund any Turkish military action.
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Former U.S. secretary of state James Baker says the greatest threat to democracy today is the rise of authoritarianism. Secretary Baker spoke to VOA on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a moment in world history in which he played a pivotal role. VOA’s Vivian Chakarian has more.
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The Spanish government’s ambiguous relationship with Venezuela — and the possibility of U.S. economic sanctions stemming from that relationship — has emerged as an issue in the run-up to legislative elections this weekend.In a candidates’ debate Monday night, centrist candidate Albert Rivera accused Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of “always being last in line and footdragging” on Venezuela. Rightist VOX party leader Santiago Abascal, meanwhile, accused the Socialists of jeopardizing Spain’s important relations with the United States.The accusations follow published reports that the United States is contemplating sanctions to punish Spain for its failure to take tougher action against the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro, which Washington is seeking to isolate and ultimately unseat.Bloomberg last week quoted unnamed U.S. senior officials saying that sanctions were in the initial stages of planning following Treasury Department investigations of transactions involving Spain’s central bank that violated U.S. restrictions on financial dealings with Venezuela. “Elements of the Socialist party are deeply compromised with the regime in Venezuela,” said Ramon Peralta, a professor of international law at Madrid’s Complutense University, who also teaches courses at several Latin American universities.Former Socialist prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero sold eight navy frigates to Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and more recently has become an informal adviser to the Venezuelan government. A diplomat who served as his ambassador to Venezuela, Raul Morodo, has been investigated for corrupt dealings with Venezuela’s national oil company PDVSA, which wanted to establish an international headquarters in Madrid. 
 
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The United States is warning a key European ally on growing threats from Russia, as Germany gears up to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Germany on Wednesday, three decades after the demolition of the wall, to underscore what U.S. officials say is the need for continuing a strengthened transatlantic partnership.FILE – Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei consumer business group, presents new devices during an event in Munich, Germany, Sept. 19, 2019.In another move seen as counter to U.S. warnings, Germany is not excluding Huawei Technologies, a leading telecom equipment vendor based in Shenzhen, China, from taking part in the rollout of Germany’s 5G networks.”We’ve urged all countries, particularly partners and allies, to carefully assess long-term impact of allowing untrusted vendors to have access to important 5G network infrastructure,” the senior State Department official told VOA on Tuesday.Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, recently told legislators that Huawei “cannot be trusted fully.”To address concerns, German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted on a “no-spy” pact from Huawei as she decided to allow the Chinese telecom company to take part in the rollout.Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei has said his company would not share confidential user information, denying Beijing controls the company.November marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The wall’s demise brought an end to a divided Berlin, and symbolized the eventual liberation of East Germany, and later the rest of eastern Europe, from Soviet Communist rule.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Germany, Nov. 6, 2019, to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.Pompeo, who once served in Germany as a young Army officer, is visiting Grafenwohr, Vilseck, Modlareuth, Leipzig and Berlin to participate in events to commemorate the end of the Cold War.In Leipzig, the chief U.S. diplomat will meet with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, discussing transatlantic partnership in the face of growing threats from Russia, China, and Iran, according to the State Department.In Berlin, Pompeo is meeting with Chancellor Merkel and other senior officials to discuss areas of mutual cooperation and concern.Pompeo will deliver a speech at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate “on the continuing imperative to defend free nations and free peoples,” said the State Department.
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