Day: October 6, 2022

The Turkish foreign minister on Wednesday said his country alters its foreign policy in line with national interests, emphasizing that international relations are ever changing.

 

Speaking to Turkish diplomatic correspondents in Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Türkiye’s recent diplomacy is being praised, particularly the landmark grain deal which paved the way for Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea ending concerns of a global food crisis.

 

Cavusoglu listed some of Türkiye’s diplomatic achievements such as the agreement on Finland and Sweden’s NATO bid, the gains from the NATO strategic concept as well as the development of the Organization of Turkic States.

 

Commenting on the situation in Libya, the top Turkish diplomat said Türkiye will develop relations in the eastern front based on its national interests.

 

“Recently, Libya’s Parliament Speaker Aquila Saleh paid a visit to our country. Previously, our ambassador paid a visit to the region and met with all the (local) actors. Now, a (Turkish) parliamentary delegation will visit Libya in the coming days. They will visit both Tripoli and eastern Libya. They will also visit the Libyan Parliament,” he said.

 

Russia-Ukraine war

 

On Russia’s war on Ukraine, Cavusoglu said concrete steps were taken with Türkiye’s active foreign policy, adding that Ankara would support additional confidence-building steps toward a cease-fire.

 

“The war in Ukraine once again showed all that the road to peace in the region passes through Türkiye. This is also true for many other regions such as the Caucasus, Balkans, Middle East and Africa,” he said.

 

Citing the recent flare-up in the Balkans, Cavusoglu said: “We are carrying out intensive diplomacy on the path to peace in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia-Kosovo issues.”

 

Emphasizing that Türkiye is an effective stakeholder in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the minister stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of the most popular leaders in the region.

 

Azerbaijan

 

Cavusoglu also commented on the situation in the Caucasus stating that Azerbaijan bolstered its gains at the peace table.

 

“Although Azerbaijan took the control of Lachin region, Armenia is planting mines and destroying the area as they withdraw from the region. This is also a sign that they don’t have goodwill,” he said.

 

Citing the latest border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Cavusoglu said the clashes reveal the fragility of the region and added that Armenia continues its provocations from time to time.

 

“Of course, it is not possible for Azerbaijan not to retaliate,” he said.

 

The Turkish foreign minister said: “If we want lasting peace and stability here (in Caucasus), Armenia should halt provocations and take sincere steps toward cooperation and peace, both for us and for Azerbaijan.”

 

The Armenian army on Monday carried out extensive provocations on the border cities of Dashkesan, Kalbajar and Lachin, according to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry.

 

Armenian army saboteurs laid mines on land and roads between positions along the border which scaled-up clashes resulting in casualties on both sides.

 

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

 

In 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia, and the fighting ended with a deal brokered by Russia.

 

He further commented on Türkiye’s role in Africa, Latin America and Asia, and affirmed that the country continues to carry out its inclusive foreign policy.

 

Cavusoglu further called for reforms in international system to extend justice.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

A coin minted on behalf of Orhan Ghazi, the Ottoman Empire’s second sultan, was found during ongoing archaeological excavations at Karacahisar Castle in Türkiye’s central Eskisehir province.

 

Karacahisar was the first castle conquered from the Byzantine Empire by Orhan’s father Osman Ghazi, the founder and first sultan of the Ottoman Empire, in 1288.

 

As the archaeological excavations, which kicked off in 1999, continue at Karacahisar Castle, a team of experts confirmed that the newly unearthed coin dates back to the reign of Orhan Ghazi.

 

The coin is inscribed with the name of Orhan and the word Tawhid, denoting oneness of God.

 

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation team leader Hasan Yilmazyasar said Karacahisar Castle holds an extremely important place in Ottoman history.

 

“One of the gratifying results for us this year is that for the first time the existence of a coin minted on behalf of Orhan Ghazi was unearthed in Karacahisar Castle,” he said.

 

He added: “We know that there has been a settlement here since the Osman Ghazi period. Historical sources pointed out the settlement, but it had to be archaeologically proven somehow. In this sense, this coin of Orhan Gazi is extremely important to us.”

 

“These were both pleasing and scientifically meaningful results as very important data for us to understand the history of the period and to define sociocultural and historical relations,” he added.

 

They plan to continue excavations for about one-and-a-half more months, Yilmazyasar said.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Tech giant Google must pay €4.12 billion ($4.12 billion) in fine to the European Union after the bloc’s top court upheld on Wednesday the EU executive body’s antitrust decision.

 

“The General Court largely confirms the Commission’s decision that Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators in order to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine,” the EU court said in a press statement.

 

The ruling ends the lawsuit initiated by Google against the 2018 decision of the European Commission that imposed €4.34 billion, the highest antitrust fine in the bloc’s history.

 

According to the EU, Google abused its dominant position in the mobile device and search engine market by demanding manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome on their devices with various “distribution agreements” and “revenue share agreements.”

 

The EU Court upheld the vast majority of the European Commission’s arguments, only proposing to reduce the penalty by 5% because of a difference in reasoning.

 

Last year, Google lost another case against the EU antitrust fine of €2.4 billion.

 

Maintaining fair competition in the bloc’s internal market is one of the few exclusive competencies of the EU. It allows the European Commission to decide on state aid rules and fine companies for breaching EU antitrust law.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the Kharkiv area in the city of Izyum on Wednesday after the country retook the city from Russian forces.

 

Prior to Zelenskyy’s visit, Ukrainian forces increased security in Izyum.

 

Zelenskyy, who visited the city, took part in the hoisting of the Ukrainian flag in front of the Izyum City Council building.

 

In response to press queries following the ceremony, he addressed the citizens of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

 

“My message (to the citizens of Crimea) is that we will arrive,” Zelenskyy noted, saying that the residents of Crimea had been facing a big sorrow for the past eight years, while Kyiv was not concerned about the propaganda broadcast on Russian televisions.

 

“We are confident that the truth is on our side. … We will come to Crimea. I’m not sure when. Nobody knows, but we have plans and will arrive. Because they are our people and our land,” he said.

 

Zelenskyy then posed for photos with the troops along with residents of Izyum.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday ruled that France must re-examine repatriation requests by two French families whose daughters traveled to Syria and joined the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

 

The French government’s refusal to consider applicant’s requests is a “violation of their right to enter national territory,” the court based in Strasbourg ruled in the landmark case.

 

“French Government would be expected to promptly re-examine the applicants’ requests and, in doing so, afford them appropriate safeguards against any arbitrariness,” the court said.

 

A large number of foreign fighters traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Daesh/ISIS terror group.

 

As the terror group lost control of territories, the foreign fighters, including women who were married to Daesh/ISIS terrorists and gave birth to children, were put in prisons run by the YPG/PKK terror group in northern Syria.

 

Many countries, including France, are reluctant to repatriate its citizens in Syria who may have willingly joined the terror group.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency