MINSK Xavier Woods Jersey , Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said Thursday that his country is totally against new confrontations and dividing lines in Europe.
Belarus continues to advocate for early peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, Makei said at the international conference One Year of Minsk-II Accords: Achievements, Challenges and Lessons Learned.
The Belarusian side has always stood for the resolution of conflicts in a civilized way, without the use of military force, without exerting political and economic pressure, the minister stressed.
Makei expressed the view that the dynamics of contemporary events clearly demonstrates that the ability to continue the dialogue is very important for the resolution of the conflict.
According to the minister, different views on internal government processes and foreign policy milestones should not be the reason for confrontations and new dividing lines. On the contrary, an ample use of opportunities and advantages by every state can make an important contribution to the creation of strong and prosperous Europe, he added.
The minister believes that the Minsk format of negotiations on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis has justified itself, but added that if all the interested parties fulfilled the Minsk agreement, the conflict would have been terminated.
Makei noted that in matters of conflict Belarus didn't take any position and proceeded from its national interests. "Western politicians see that our commitment is sincere, that we are not trying to get some political dividends. We are really interested in peace in Ukraine as soon as possible," he added.
Martin Sajdik, special representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the trilateral contact group on Ukraine, said all the parties to the conflict in Ukraine viewed the Minsk talks as the only way out of the situation in Ukraine.
There is no worthy alternative to Minsk, he said. However, despite the fact that the parties undertook a series of commitments a year ago, the conflict in Ukraine has not been settled yet.
On Feb.11, 2015 the heads of "Norman Quartet" countries gathered in Minsk. After almost 17-hour marathon talks they reached the political agreement on the settlement of the situation in Donbass. Officially, these agreements are referred to as a set of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- "Wolf Totem", the eagerly anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling book, has received mixed reviews over a controversial depiction of wolves that some believe promotes the trait of aggression.
According to research by Chinese showbiz consultancy EntGroup into the most popular films at the cinema over the Spring Festival holiday, the movie ranked third, raking in over 246 million yuan (38.3 million U.S. dollars) at the box office between Feb. 19 and 23.
The China-France co-production tells the story of Chen Zhen, a young ethnic Han intellectual sent from Beijing to the Inner Mongolian steppes in the late 1960s. It depicts Chen's experiences living with ethnic Mongolian herdsmen, as well as his observations of the wolves on the grasslands and the delicate balance of nature in the area.
Chinese audiences have praised the film's photography of Inner Mongolia's magnificent landscapes and its use of real wolves in shooting.
"I have watched 'Wolf Totem' and spent two hours with the wolves. I am fascinated by them," wrote Lin Shaohua, a famous Chinese translator and professor with the Ocean University of China, on microblogging service Sina Weibo.
"I was touched by the film and really appreciate the painstaking efforts by the director in shooting. The scenario in which the wolves put the horses under siege was so thrilling," read another Weibo entry by Lu Tianming, an author and scriptwriter.
However, the depiction of the wolves' characteristics as inspiring for humans has also triggered discussion.
While some Chinese pointed to the wolves' team work, resilience and endurance as positive characteristics, others argued that the film's depiction of the animals promotes aggression.
A netizen with the screen name "yujiajia" said that "glamorizing the spirit of wolves belittles civilized behavior and justifies military expansion".
"I think it is dangerous to ascribe a nation's previous failure to not being offensive. The promotion of the wolf totem advocates the idea that the nation should always maintain a martial spirit," "kongtoushaonian" wrote.
Other critics claimed that many plots in the film are misleading about historical issues and Mongolian culture.
In an open statement, ethnic Mongolian writer Guo Xuebo, said "Wolf Totem" has "seriously distorted the history, culture and philosophy" of his ethnic group.
Guo said the wolf has never been a totem for ethnic Mongolians. "The wolf, as a sheer animal, is ruthless, bloody, greedy, cruel, selfish and treacherous. [Its nature] has nothing to do with the team work spirit puffed up in the film and the novel," the statement said.
An article published by popular science website Guokr also noted that the wolves delineated in the novel are not like those in real life.
"The film is about the trade-off between the wolf spirit and civilization," according to a review by "mengjianwuya" on movie website Mtime. "The totem of the wolf is like a flag, which has two sides -- one for nature and one for civilization, and both sides are equal."