Page 10 - aruba-today-20190831

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 31 auguSt 2019
EU urges Serbia not to stray from its membership path

HELSINKI (AP) — European Russia is less than 10% of
Union foreign ministers on Serbia's total trade, com-
Friday urged Serbia not to pared to 63% for the 28-na-
stray from its EU member- tion EU.
ship path as the Balkans It said Belgrade can sign
country readies to sign a agreements with whom-
trade agreement with a ever it wants before it
Russian-led economic bloc. joins, but that as part of its
Serbia is expected to sign membership talks "Serbia
the pact with the Eurasian committed to withdrawing
Economic Union — made from all bilateral free trade
up of Russia, Armenia, Be- agreements on the day of
larus, Kazakhstan and Kyr- its accession to the EU."
gyzstan — on Oct. 25. But The prospect of joining the
to join the EU, candidate European club has been a
countries such as Serbia powerful driver of pro-dem-
must align their policies ocratic reform in the vola-
with their European part- tile Balkans region. But the
ners, notably on trade. bloc has been accused of
At talks with his EU counter- not living up to its prom-
parts Friday, Slovak Foreign ises, particularly by delay-
Minister Miroslav Lajcak de- ing the start of member-
scribed Serbia's actions as Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica ship talks with Albania and
"confusing." Mogherini attend a joint press conference after the Informal Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in North Macedonia, despite
"If you are serious about Helsinki, Finland on Friday, Aug. 30, 2019. the EU's executive arm rec-
your European orientation Associated Press ommending that they go
then obviously you make ahead.
political decisions that club they must comply with them in alignment with the in 2018 — about eight times The EU has committed to
bring you closer to it. This the rules, values, principles." policy of the Union they are more than trade with all the deciding their fate by Oc-
is not one of them," Lajcak He said every country going to join." EEU countries combined. tober, but Mogherini sug-
said. has a right to take its own The EU remains Serbia's In an email statement, the gested Friday that the 28
Lithuanian Foreign Minister trade and economic deci- largest trade partner, with office of EU foreign policy member countries are not
Linas Linkevicius said that sions but that "preferably trade amounting to nearly chief Federica Mogerhini yet ready to hand down
"if countries want to join the it would be good to have 26 billion euros ($29 billion) underlined that trade with their verdict. q
Prime minister says Pakistan will respond if India attacks

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Paki- information that Pakistan is
stan's prime minister said trying to infiltrate "terrorists"
Friday he has warned the into the country. Pakistan's
international community army spokesman, Maj.
that India could launch an Gen. Ghafoor, rejected
attack on Pakistani-held the Indian claims, saying
Kashmir in an effort to di- Pakistan was a responsible
vert attention from human state and "we would be
rights abuses in the portion insane to allow infiltration"
of the disputed Himalayan across the Line of Control
region that it controls. that divides the countries in
In a speech at a rally in Is- Kashmir.
lamabad, Imran Khan said Rallies were held Friday in
his country will give a "be- almost all cities, towns and
fitting response" to the gov- villages in Pakistan and
ernment of Indian Prime Pakistani-controlled Kash-
Minister Narendra Modi if it mir to express solidarity with
attacked. Kashmiris in the Indian-held
"Every brick will be coun- portion. Protesters in the
tered with a stone," he eastern city of Lahore and
said. "Our armed forces are elsewhere burned Indian
ready" to respond to any flags and effigies of Modi.
such attack, he said. In Bangladesh, anoth-
Khan said any conflict be- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, attends a Kashmir rally at the Prime Minister office in er Muslim-majority na-
tween nuclear-armed Paki- Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 30, 2019. tion, thousands of people
stan and India will not be Associated Press marched after prayers Fri-
confined to the South Asian day through the capital,
region. "The whole world administered Kashmir have down to prevent any vio- independence. Dhaka, to protest India's
will be affected," he said, been living under a curfew lent response. He described Modi as a clampdown in Kashmir.
adding that he will raise the for almost four weeks since Khan expressed his govern- "fascist" and equated him They demanded indepen-
issue when he addresses New Delhi downgraded ment's full support for Kash- with Adolf Hitler, saying he dence for Indian-held Kash-
the U.N. General Assembly Muslim-majority Kashmir's miri people and said he feared a "genocide of Mus- mir and the restoration of
next month. autonomy on Aug. 5 and hopes that Indian-adminis- lims in Kashmir." the constitutional provision
Khan said people in Indian- imposed a security clamp- tered Kashmir will soon get India on Thursday said it has that gave it autonomy.q