Day: July 10, 2021

The Black Sea has been home to countless civilizations and tribes in every period of history, becoming a region of geopolitical and geostrategic importance in many aspects, particularly economy, trade, and transportation.

This has made the Black Sea one of the main areas of competition for global and regional powers throughout history.

When discussing the post-Cold War Black Sea region, the concept of the “Extended Black Sea” comes to the fore with the effect of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) as well as the new “Great Game.”

To ensure the security of the Black Sea after the Cold War, mechanisms of organizations such as the European Union, NATO, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were launched, while the BSEC, Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group (BLACKSEAFOR), Black Sea Harmonization Operation (new structures such as KUH) were also created.

The US, which aims to maintain its hegemony in the “new world order” after the collapse of the USSR, sees the Black Sea, the only sea that it cannot penetrate, as a “vital interest area.”

The main idea of ​​the “Grand Chessboard” and the “Extended Black Sea,” which also overlap with American strategy, is to prevent potential rivals of American hegemony from becoming real rivals and the formation of regional alliances.

NATO plays an important role in the construction of a “complete and free Europe” through membership or cooperation; in other words, in integrating the region with the Western system.

According to the US and UK, NATO is the main provider of security in the Euro-Atlantic region, which also includes the Black Sea, so the Black Sea should be turned into a NATO lake.

In addition to NATO, the US, UK, and other NATO states are also trying to prevent Russian influence in the region through aid programs and “colorful revolutions.”

The discourse of “ending regional conflicts” and “energy security” are mainly aimed at limiting Moscow’s control.

– Russia’s Black Sea power

For Russia, the Black Sea basin holds increasing importance as a vital area of ​​interest.

Issues such as routes for pipelines and energy transmission lines, military fleets, military bases, regional security, and trade make the Black Sea a strategic region for Moscow.

On one hand, Russia aims to gain dominance in the Black Sea and, on the other, an opportunity to reach the Mediterranean via the Black Sea and establish control over the straits.

The fact that Russia increased its presence and prowess in the Kerch Strait and Azov Sea completely changed the balance of power, both politically and militarily, in the Black Sea basin.

Moscow’s aggressive and expansionist policies in the region have, in a way, countered NATO and Western influence.

Russia, with its historical imperial strategy, is trying to maintain control by displaying strength in the region, as it did in when it wielded power in the past.

Currently, Russia has 25,000 personnel, 21 large warships, 7 submarines, and 200 support ships in its Black Sea fleet.

More than 28,000 navy personnel were also sent to the region.

After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol/Akyar, S-400 air defense systems, Kh-35U missiles, Su-24 and Su-30SM warplanes and Ka-27/29 helicopters were deployed to Crimea.

In a sense, Russia is trying to curb the influence of Western countries in its hinterland, including control of its “near surroundings,” as required by its Neo Eurasianism policy.

This is the reason why the 2008 Russia-Georgia War, the 2014 Russia-Ukraine-Donbass Crisis, and the occupation and subsequent annexation of Crimea took place.

By preventing Georgia and Ukraine from becoming NATO members, Russia in a way prevented NATO’s absolute dominance in the Black Sea.

The coastline in Russia’s current domain has expanded considerably; it achieved a clear advantage in the region with the modernization and growth of its navy and land forces.

This fierce competition in the region has transformed the perception of security in the Black Sea and led to a quite delicate power balance in the region.

However, Russia’s aggressive and expansionist policies have other reasons beyond NATO, mostly related to the regional cooperation areas it has established with countries such as China, Syria, Iran, and Turkey.

The powerful states in the region, Turkey and Russia, have become allies by renewing their security policies in the Black Sea.

Western countries, especially the US and UK, stand against Russia.

Thus, the rivalry between the US, UK, and Russia seen during the Cold War continues in the new era in the Black Sea.

– British ship’s incursion was test for Russia

As a result of the strategies and vital interests mentioned above, the Black Sea has been the scene of new tensions in recent days.

In a statement on June 23, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that a British warship, HMS Defender, violated the border in Felenk, southwest of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia.

The statement said a Russian ship protecting the border fired two warning shots at the British vessel and a Russian jet dropped bombs in its path minutes later.

It was reported that more than 20 Russian jets and two Coast Guard ships followed the British warship passing near Crimea.

British authorities denied Russia’s claim that warning shots were fired at the vessel or bombs were dropped in its route.

The UK’s Defense Ministry claimed the HMS Defender made a harmless passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in line with international law.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace dismissed Moscow’s claims as “Russian disinformation.”

He said the UK would not hesitate to defend international law, since the incident took place in Crimean waters and Crimea is considered to be part of Ukraine under international law.

The Russians urged London to examine the movements of the ship’s crew, telling British officials that the vessel had trespassed over Russian borders.

The Defense Ministry described the British destroyer’s “dangerous action” in the Black Sea as a violation of UN conventions.

Moscow also announced that it would summon the British ambassador over the issue.

These events were perceived by Russia as a rehearsal for a possible NATO operation in the Black Sea, which is in Russia’s sphere of influence, and, in a sense, a test to see how Russia would respond to such an eventuality.

– Western efforts to penetrate Black Sea region

Amid the increased activity and tensions in the warming waters of the Black Sea, all eyes turned to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Putin, who stands out as a leader who never backs down, as he showed during the Ukraine crisis, said the British warship entered Crimea illegally to see up close how Russian forces would react.

He went on to say that the move was made in coordination with the US.

To convey the extent of the situation to the world, he said: “Even if we sank this ship, it would still be difficult to imagine that the world would be on the brink of a third world war.”

In conclusion, it can be said that the US and UK aim to integrate the Black Sea region into the international capitalist system and rely on the discourse of a “new world order” and “a complete and free Europe.”

As in the case of Georgia and Ukraine, NATO also plays an important role in the envisioned integration of the region with the Western system, through membership or cooperation.

Russia, on the other hand, is developing a strategy to ensure the Black Sea remains within its sphere of influence and does not become a NATO lake, by implementing the Montreux Agreement in every way in the Black Sea, and is engaged in a kind of a great power struggle.

In fact, Putin’s policy is based on Petro’s testament; the policy of entering historical warm waters, preventing rivals from penetrating his immediate surroundings, and establishing dominance.

The Black Sea region continues to be an important area of competition.

It is vital for the stability of the region that this rivalry and the threat it poses does not grow to a point where it eventually pushes the world to the brink of a new war, and that these issued are resolved through diplomacy and in a calm manner.

But the waters of the Black Sea seem to have warmed up quite a bit.

The fact that Russia was identified as the primary threat at the recent NATO summit only serves to confirm this thesis.

*Translated from Turkish by Baran Burgaz Ayaz

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu Agency.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Thirty-eight Gambian health workers concluded a five-day training course on Friday by a Turkish aid agency on emergency response as the small African nation’s health ministry plans to set up its first national emergency service unit.

The training, organized by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), concluded in the Gambian capital, Banjul.

Three doctors and two paramedics from Turkey conducted the training. The team was led by an official from the Turkish Health Ministry.

The training was the second since 2019 as Gambian authorities work to establish a national emergency services unit.

The first event trained 28 health workers who learned skills, including basic and advanced life support.

“We want to have a national emergency service unit. The training is to equip our health workers for that task. Now, we will select a number of people who are part of this training to train others,” said Dr, Abubacarr Jagne, the head of Gambia’s coronavirus treatment. “A training like this is very significant in improving our capacity for emergency preparedness.”

Abdoulie Bah, a Gambian doctor who participated, thanked Turkish officials for the opportunity.

“It is very difficult to travel during this time of the pandemic and you have taken the risk to give out all you have. We want to say thank you,” said Bah.

TIKA has been a longstanding partner of Gambia’s Health Ministry.

The agency has also supported Gambia’s virus response efforts through several projects.

It is currently working with the Health Ministry to build an oxygen plant, said the group’s Banjul coordinator, Mehmet Akif Eyigun.

“The proposed oxygen plant is expected to solve the problems of oxygen shortages in the health system in The Gambia,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Fitch Ratings affirmed Russia’s credit rating at ‘BBB’ with a stable outlook, the global rating agency said Friday.

The rating reflects Russia’s credible macroeconomic policy framework, strong external balance sheet and low level of general government debt to gross domestic product (GDP), it said.

Those, however, are balanced against geopolitical risks, weak governance, low potential GDP growth and the country’s high dependence on commodity prices.

“The stable outlook reflects the effectiveness of policy in preserving the strength of the sovereign balance sheets and helping anchor macroeconomic stability in the face of the Covid-19 shock and high oil price volatility,” it said.

Sanction risks, on the other hand, remain high for Russia, Fitch said, and US sanctions on the banking or energy sectors could have an effect on credit fundamentals, and that relationship continues to be uncertain and subject to downside risk.

Fitch said it forecasts Russia’s GDP to grow 3.7% in 2021 with gradually increasing oil production in line with OPEC+ quotas.

Inflation accelerated to 6.5% in June in Russia, the agency said, noting that it estimates it will come down to 5.5% by the end of the year and close to 4.2% at the end of 2022.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A caricature artist who wishes to take note of the genocide that took place in Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 1995 reflects the sufferings of those days in his drawings.

Admir Delic in his drawings deeply reflects people’s sorrows of losing most beloved ones, endeavoring to reminisce the 8,372 Bosnian civilians killed in cold blood by Serbian troops under the command of the war criminal Ratko Mladic on July 11, 1995.

He told Anadolu Agency that he started drawing about the genocide four years ago. “In the beginning, I was drawing only for July 11. Then, I thought people who lost their lives there should not be forgotten, and decided to depict the genocide on the 11th of every month,” he said.

Noting that he is inspired by the stories told by the victims of the genocide while drawing, Delic said: “What happened is very painful. It is very difficult for a regular person to understand what was done in those years.”

“I think that I contribute to the realities experienced in Srebrenica with my drawings,” he said, noting that he aims to make 8,372 drawings.

“I know that reaching this number in a short period of time is impossible but maybe someone else will take over from where I leave off,” he added.

In 50 drawings of Delic has made so far, the pain of mothers in Srebrenica upon losing their dearest ones stand out.

As many as 19 more victims of the Srebrenica genocide will be buried in the village of Potocari, where the graves of 6,652 victims are located, on the 26th anniversary of the 1995 genocide.

– Srebrenica genocide

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

The Serb forces were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in the spring of 1993. But troops led by Gen. Mladic, who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, overran the UN zone.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 men and boys on July 11, 1995 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

Bodies of victims have been found in 570 different places across the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8 this year, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination, and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Source: Anadolu Agency

More than 3.39 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to figures on Our World in Data, a tracking website affiliated with Oxford University, on Saturday.

China leads the global count with more than 1.37 billion jabs, followed by India with 368.99 million.

The list continued with mostly Western countries, with the US having administered 332.97 million shots, Brazil 112.77 million, Germany 81.33 million, the UK 80.07 million, France 59.12 million, and Japan 57.35 million.

Turkey ranked ninth on the list with over 57.33 million doses, followed by Italy, Indonesia, and Mexico.

The country with the most doses administered by population is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with 160.41 doses per 100 people.

Following the UAE are the island nations of Malta with 158.58 doses per 100 people and Seychelles with 141.98, Iceland 132.44, San Marino 131.59, Bahrain 128.13, Israel 126.09, Chile 123.96, Uruguay 122.86, Mongolia 118.6, the UK 117.95, Qatar 117.45, and Canada with 110.91.

Most COVID-19 vaccines are administered in two doses, so the number of shots given is not the same as the number of individuals fully vaccinated.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.02 million lives across the world, with more than 186.17 million cases reported worldwide, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will open “two temporary offices in Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” it said Friday.

CAS said in a statement that the first office will resolve “legal disputes” arising from the Games and a second one — “a section of the CAS Anti-Doping Division” — will handle “anti-doping-related matters” during the Olympics as a first-instance authority.

The Olympics will take place from July 23 to Aug. 8 after being postponed for one year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CAS has opened interim offices in every Summer and Winter Olympics since Atlanta 1996.

It also operates in other major sporting events such as the UEFA European Football Championships (EURO) and FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Source: Anadolu Agency

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Istanbul on Saturday, Turkey’s Communications Directorate said.

The closed-door meeting was held at the Vahdettin Pavilion.

Abbas is on a three-day visit to Turkey at Erdogan’s invitation.

All aspects of relations between Turkey and Palestine will be discussed during his trip, Turkey’s Communications Directorate said in a previous statement on Friday.

Ways to boost bilateral cooperation, the humanitarian situation in Palestine, and the latest developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict will be discussed, the statement said.

Also expected to be on the agenda are efforts for reconciliation between various Palestinian groups, as well as the highly anticipated elections in Palestine, it added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.

– Coronavirus and other developments in Turkey

Turkey has administered nearly 828,000 coronavirus jabs in the past 24 hours, according to its Health Ministry.

The country has given more than 57 million vaccine doses since it launched a vaccination drive in January. An excess of 37.19 million people have received a first dose, while greater than

16.48 million are fully vaccinated. And 2.7 million people have received a third dose.

Turkey reported 5,670 new infections in the last 24 hours, and 59 related deaths, while as many as 5,126 additional patients have recovered from the virus.

To show his support and sympathy for demonstrators protesting the PKK terror group’s abduction of their children, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met protesting families in southeastern Diyarbakir province, where he flew during a busy schedule.

Erdogan pointed out that the PKK terror group and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are enemies of Kurdish people during an address during the inauguration ceremony of a massive irrigation system and 30 factories in the province.

Turkish security forces, as part of the country’s ongoing war against terror, arrested four PKK/YPG, seven Daesh/ISIS and 10 FETO terror suspects.

Parliament approved the long-awaited animal rights bill. The sale of cats and dogs by pet shops will be banned. Animal circuses, water circuses and dolphin parks will also be prohibited.

Turkey welcomed the UN Security Council’s decision to extend the delivery of humanitarian aid from Turkey to northwestern Syria for 12 months. “The UN humanitarian aid through this border-crossing is essential for the continuation of effective response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria as well as to regional stability and security,” said the Foreign Ministry.

– COVID-19 updates worldwide

More than 3.35 billion coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, according to figures compiled by Our World in Data, a tracking website affiliated with Oxford University.

China leads the global count with more than 1.35 billion jabs, followed by India with nearly 369 million. Turkey is eighth on the list, followed by Italy, Japan and Indonesia.

The German federal statistic office revealed that more than 36,000 people died from virus-related causes in the country in 2020. Meanwhile, the death toll there rose by 31 in the past day to 91,141.

Amid a surge in cases, South Korea announced its toughest restrictions, which will take effect Monday for two weeks in the capital of Seoul, surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon.

In a similar move, the Netherlands announced measures were again tightened to curb a surge. A new round of the measures will be in force between July 11 – Aug. 13.

However, the UK is poised to scrap rules on face masks and social distancing, as well as end restrictions on hospitality and working from home although the country reported 35,707 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest single-day number since Jan. 22.

Bangladeshi officials reported that infections topped the 1 million mark with 11,324 new cases and 212 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours. ​​​​​

In Tunisia, the Health Ministry said the health care system collapsed from surging cases. The virus has claimed at least 15,735 lives and nearly 373,000 of 465,000 patients have recovered from the virus.

– Other global developments

Le Monde, one of France’s leading newspapers, reported that Turkey has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of armed unmanned aerial vehicles in the last decade.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the remains of 19 more victims of the Srebrenica genocide were sent for burial in the village of Potocari on the 26th anniversary of the 1995 genocide.

France’s National Consultative Commission on Human Rights reported that the country experienced a sharp rise in anti-Muslim acts last year amid a strict lockdown during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir vowed to not let the world’s youngest country slip back into the throes of war and called for unity and solidarity among citizens.

In another African country, Somalia, A roadside bomb killed two civilians on a passenger minibus and injured several others in the central Mudug region.

US President Joe Biden called on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to take action against ransomware groups in Russia.

The US Department of Commerce blacklisted 34 entities from Iran, China and Russia for actual or potential involvement in activities “contrary to the foreign policy and national security

interests” of the US.

UN Deputy Human Rights chief Nada Al-Nashif condemned the ill-treatment of detainees in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.

A report by Oxfam showed the number of people living in “famine-like conditions” increased six-fold since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Five-floored Zag Caves in this eastern province have recently emerged as one of the must-visit locations for adventure lovers in search of isolated routes.

It is located 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the city center in the village of Kusburnu and overlooks the dam of Yukari Kalekoy. The caves mesmerize visitors with man-built rooms that are connected.

As nature lovers’ interest in caves recently rose drastically with the ongoing normalization of the coronavirus pandemic; visitors are amazed by the scenery available at the caves, which are reachable by ropes.

Kenan Nihat Elci, head of the association of photography and cinema in Bingol, said the region recently become much more popular.

Elci said the cave, which has 26 rooms, has survived since the 5th century and each floor was independent of another and residents could move between caves, thanks to stairs.

“It is a beautiful and worth-seeing place for travelers with a magnificent view,” he said.

An academic visiting the cave, Mahmut Cakan, said he rushed to the area once coronavirus restrictions were eased. He said the ancient location was a wonder that should be visited by everyone.

Mahir Zoroglan said he was amazed by the scenery and that many tourists could visit the area.

University student Esra Cicek said the region was uniquely beautiful and recommended everyone visit the caves, especially those looking forward to bringing history and nature together.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas

Source: Anadolu Agency