NATO formally invites Sweden, Finland in, bringing challenges to regional security

STORY: NATO formally invites Sweden, Finland in, bringing challenges to regional security DATELINE: June 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:42 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): FU YIMING, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of outside of the NATO Summit 3. various of the press conference 4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ESSAM KAMEL, Chief editor of Vetogate newspaper, Egyptian expert in international relations 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZARKO PUHOVSKI, Croatian political analyst 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEPHEN NDEGWA, International relations lecturer, United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) 7. various of demonstrations STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): FU YIMING, Xinhua correspondent "The 2022 NATO Summit formally kicks start Wednesday here in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Top on the agenda are the accession of Finland and Sweden to join the military bloc, assistance to Ukraine and the expansion of the NATO Rapid Response Force program. The summit will also introduce a new strate

NATO expansion won't make Europe or world safer: Croatian analyst

STORY: NATO expansion won't make Europe or world safer: Croatian analyst DATELINE: June 28, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:27 LOCATION: Zagreb CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of NATO headquarters 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ZARKO PUHOVSKI, Croatian political analyst 3. various of military forces 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZARKO PUHOVSKI, Croatian political analyst STORYLINE: The eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will not make Europe or the world safer, Croatian political analyst Zarko Puhovski told Xinhua in a recent interview. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ZARKO PUHOVSKI, Croatian political analyst "I don't think that Europe is going to be safer. I don't think, to be very honest, that there is a reason for NATO to exist in terms of safety. The essence is now geopolitics and geostrategy. And then we know from very old philosophical and geostrategic point of view, the essence of power is expansion. The power tends to expand almost in physical terms and therefore NATO is now trying to sh

LUKAS KRPALEK, ZARKO CULUM

LUKAS KRPALEK, ZARKO CULUM

Czech heavyweight judoka Lukas Krpalek (left) in action during the menｴs 100+ category match against Zarko Culum of Serbia at the World Judo Championships in Tokyo, Japan, August 31, 2019. (CTK Photo/Vit Simanek)

Robert Vasicek, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

Robert Vasicek, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

A memorial to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) members who died when they helped liberate Prague from the Nazis in May 1945 will be built in the city's outskirts of Reporyje on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the Reporyje assembly decided on December 10, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague-Reporyje Mayor Pavel Novotny, (opposition Civic Democrats, ODS) said Reporyje should a have a site commemorating some 300 fallen ROA soldiers. In a discussion at the assembly meeting tonight, Prague politician Robert Vasicek, left, (opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD) and pro-Russian activist Zarko Jovanovic criticised Novotny's plan. Some people who live in Reporyje also challenged the building of the memorial. Members of the ROA were Soviet citizens who, after being taken prisoners by the Nazis, joined the ROA, which fought alongside Nazi Germany close to the end of the war. In May 1945, however, the ROA helped liberate Prague. It was headed by former Red Army general Andrei Vlasov who was executed by the Soviet regime after WW2. The ROA is known as the Vlasov Army in the Czech environment. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

Zarko Jovanovic, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

Zarko Jovanovic, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

A memorial to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) members who died when they helped liberate Prague from the Nazis in May 1945 will be built in the city's outskirts of Reporyje on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the Reporyje assembly decided on December 10, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague-Reporyje Mayor Pavel Novotny (opposition Civic Democrats, ODS) said Reporyje should a have a site commemorating some 300 fallen ROA soldiers. In a discussion at the assembly meeting tonight, Prague politician Robert Vasicek (opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD) and pro-Russian activist Zarko Jovanovic, 2nd from right, criticised Novotny's plan. Some people who live in Reporyje also challenged the building of the memorial. Members of the ROA were Soviet citizens who, after being taken prisoners by the Nazis, joined the ROA, which fought alongside Nazi Germany close to the end of the war. In May 1945, however, the ROA helped liberate Prague. It was headed by former Red Army general Andrei Vlasov who was executed by the Soviet regime after WW2. The ROA is known as the Vlasov Army in the Czech environment. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

Robert Vasicek, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

Robert Vasicek, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

A memorial to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) members who died when they helped liberate Prague from the Nazis in May 1945 will be built in the city's outskirts of Reporyje on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the Reporyje assembly decided on December 10, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague-Reporyje Mayor Pavel Novotny, (opposition Civic Democrats, ODS) said Reporyje should a have a site commemorating some 300 fallen ROA soldiers. In a discussion at the assembly meeting tonight, Prague politician Robert Vasicek, left, (opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD) and pro-Russian activist Zarko Jovanovic criticised Novotny's plan. Some people who live in Reporyje also challenged the building of the memorial. Members of the ROA were Soviet citizens who, after being taken prisoners by the Nazis, joined the ROA, which fought alongside Nazi Germany close to the end of the war. In May 1945, however, the ROA helped liberate Prague. It was headed by former Red Army general Andrei Vlasov who was executed by the Soviet regime after WW2. The ROA is known as the Vlasov Army in the Czech environment. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

Zarko Jovanovic, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

Zarko Jovanovic, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

A memorial to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) members who died when they helped liberate Prague from the Nazis in May 1945 will be built in the city's outskirts of Reporyje on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the Reporyje assembly decided on December 10, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague-Reporyje Mayor Pavel Novotny (opposition Civic Democrats, ODS) said Reporyje should a have a site commemorating some 300 fallen ROA soldiers. In a discussion at the assembly meeting tonight, Prague politician Robert Vasicek (opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD) and pro-Russian activist Zarko Jovanovic, right, criticised Novotny's plan. Some people who live in Reporyje also challenged the building of the memorial. Members of the ROA were Soviet citizens who, after being taken prisoners by the Nazis, joined the ROA, which fought alongside Nazi Germany close to the end of the war. In May 1945, however, the ROA helped liberate Prague. It was headed by former Red Army general Andrei Vlasov who was executed by the Soviet regime after WW2. The ROA is known as the Vlasov Army in the Czech environment. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

Robert Vasicek, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

Robert Vasicek, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

A memorial to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) members who died when they helped liberate Prague from the Nazis in May 1945 will be built in the city's outskirts of Reporyje on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the Reporyje assembly decided on December 10, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague-Reporyje Mayor Pavel Novotny, (opposition Civic Democrats, ODS) said Reporyje should a have a site commemorating some 300 fallen ROA soldiers. In a discussion at the assembly meeting tonight, Prague politician Robert Vasicek, left, (opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD) and pro-Russian activist Zarko Jovanovic criticised Novotny's plan. Some people who live in Reporyje also challenged the building of the memorial. Members of the ROA were Soviet citizens who, after being taken prisoners by the Nazis, joined the ROA, which fought alongside Nazi Germany close to the end of the war. In May 1945, however, the ROA helped liberate Prague. It was headed by former Red Army general Andrei Vlasov who was executed by the Soviet regime after WW2. The ROA is known as the Vlasov Army in the Czech environment. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)

Pavel Novotny, Zarko Jovanovic, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

Pavel Novotny, Zarko Jovanovic, Prague to have memorial to ROA on 75th anniversary of WW2 end

A memorial to the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) members who died when they helped liberate Prague from the Nazis in May 1945 will be built in the city's outskirts of Reporyje on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, the Reporyje assembly decided on December 10, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic. Prague-Reporyje Mayor Pavel Novotny, in background-center, (opposition Civic Democrats, ODS) said Reporyje should a have a site commemorating some 300 fallen ROA soldiers. In a discussion at the assembly meeting tonight, Prague politician Robert Vasicek (opposition Freedom and Direct Democracy, SPD) and pro-Russian activist Zarko Jovanovic, in front-right, criticised Novotny's plan. Some people who live in Reporyje also challenged the building of the memorial. Members of the ROA were Soviet citizens who, after being taken prisoners by the Nazis, joined the ROA, which fought alongside Nazi Germany close to the end of the war. In May 1945, however, the ROA helped liberate Prague. It was headed by former Red Army general Andrei Vlasov who was executed by the Soviet regime after WW2. The ROA is known as the Vlasov Army in the Czech environment. (CTK Photo/Michal Kamaryt)