Day: November 1, 2022

Ahead of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to Beijing later this week, disagreements are emerging within the Social Democrat-led coalition government over ties with China, with the Greens pushing for a tougher line.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday, during a visit to Uzbekistan, “The chancellor has decided the timing of his trip,” adding: “Now it’s crucial to make the messages that we set together in the coalition agreement, the messages that I also brought here to Central Asia, clear in China as well.”

The Green Party politician called for a tougher stance on China. It is crucial, Baerbock said, to make clear to Beijing “that the issue of fair competitive conditions, that the issue of human rights, and the issue of recognition of international law is our basis for international cooperation.”

Baerbock added that in her talks with Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov, she “made it clear that we as the German government is putting together a new China strategy, because the Chinese political system has changed massively in recent years and thus our China policy must also change.”

Scholz last month pushed through a compromise for China’s investment bid for a container terminal in the Port of Hamburg despite objections from Green politicians.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Tuesday that Russia will continue dialogue with the UN and Türkiye on the resumption of the grain deal.

Speaking at a video conference of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Moscow, Mishustin said Russia sees providing global food security as one of its priorities.

“Russia had been working constructively within the framework of the ‘Black Sea initiative’ under the auspices of the UN concerning the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.

“We did it responsibly, despite the non-fulfillment of agreements on the lifting of all illegal restrictions on Russian fertilizers and food,” he said.

However, last week, Ukraine attacked Russia’s ships in the port of Sevastopol and made it impossible to guarantee the security of the organized humanitarian corridor, he said.

“We were forced to suspend participation in the grain deal. Nevertheless, we will continue the dialogue with the UN and Türkiye on topical issues under the agreements signed in Istanbul.

“Regardless of the prospects of the grain deal, taking into account this year’s harvest, Russia is ready to provide up to 500,000 tons of grain to the most needy countries free of charge, as well as to supply grain to all interested states at reasonable prices,” he said.

Mishustin noted that the SCO countries account for more than one-tenth of the global agricultural sector. Over the eight months of 2022, Russia increased trade in agricultural products and food with the SCO member states by almost a quarter to some $8.5 billion, he added.

He also said the West continues to exercise pressure on Moscow, with 12,000 sanctions already imposed on the country, hitting key financial, technological, oil, gas mining, and transport sectors.

“But we managed to overcome the negative scenarios and create conditions for the stabilization of our economic dynamics,” he said.

Mishustin also called on the SCO countries to strengthen energy cooperation, using the SCO Energy Club, and to lift restrictions that are preventing the development of transport communications among the SCO countries.

“Another common task is to achieve independence from the influence of third countries in the financial sector. To do this, we propose to create in the SCO its own system of electronic exchange of financial information and bank payments.

“We consider it possible to use national interbank telecommunications platforms as backup channels in mutual settlements. Such an integrated approach will create more predictable, understandable, and reliable conditions for our entrepreneurs,” he said.

It is important to accelerate the transfer of payments in national currencies, Mishustin continued.

He also urged the SCO to continue seeking solutions for problems of climate change and create favorable conditions for humanitarian cooperation and sports.

“The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as the September summit convincingly showed, continues to strengthen as one of the most authoritative and influential associations in the entire Eurasian space. (…) Our states have everything they need to move forward confidently,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Türkiye is accelerating its steps to realize the target of becoming a trading hub, being home to seven international natural gas pipelines, four liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and floating storage regasification units (FSRU) and with the advantage of having the only regional organized natural gas market under the country’s energy exchange market — Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST).

Türkiye will finalize its roadmap by the end of the year in a bid to realize this long-standing aim, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Donmez, said last week.

The country’s extensive natural gas infrastructure supports not only domestic energy security but also European energy security.

One of the ways of Russian gas reaching Europe is through the dual TurkStream natural gas pipeline. With a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters (bcm), each line has an annual capacity of 15.75 bcm. The first delivers gas to Türkiye and the other to Europe.

The pipeline, originating on the Russian coast, runs 930 kilometers through the Black Sea and reaches ashore in the Thrace region of Türkiye.

The Blue Stream, a major trans-Black Sea gas pipeline that has the capacity to carry 16 bcm of natural gas per year from Russia to Türkiye is also part of the infrastructure that could contribute to Turkiye acquiring its hub status.

The Russian Federation-Türkiye Natural Gas Main Transmission Line, currently without any flows, and which runs 845 kilometers from Malkoclar on the Bulgarian border to its final destination in Ankara offers the potential to open the door to Europe.

Domestic gas production and potential fields in region

As one of the key projects of the past few years, the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) transports natural gas from the Shah Deniz-II field in the Caspian Sea as well as from other fields in the southern part of the Caspian Sea to Türkiye and onto Europe by connecting to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline on the Turkish-Greek border.

TANAP, starting at the Georgian-Turkish border, travels 1,811 kilometers through 20 provinces to deliver 6 bcm of gas annually to Türkiye and 10 bcm to Europe.

The pipeline has been designed to deliver 31 bcm, and work is now continuing for raising that capacity to the highest possible level.

Türkiye is also home to the Baku-Tiflis-Erzurum pipeline. However, the contract for gas transmission via this pipeline terminated last year. Nonetheless, the pipeline could be reopened to cater for extra volumes from Azerbaijan to Türkiye.

The East Anatolian Natural Gas Main Transmission Line is a 1,491 kilometer-long pipeline with a capacity to transfer 10 billion cubic meters annually.

The Türkiye-Greece Natural Gas Pipeline, which started operations in 2007, enables natural gas transportation from Türkiye to Greece.

Alongside international natural gas projects contributing to the region’s energy security, Türkiye will start production from the newly discovered gas find at the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea in the first quarter of 2023.

In the Sakarya field, one of the nation’s drill ships, Fatih, found 540 billion cubic meters of natural gas, and drilling in the Black Sea region is still proceeding.

Türkiye could also act as a conduit between neighboring suppliers from the East Mediterranean, Turkmenistan and Iraq to gain access to the European market in the coming years.

Third FSRU facility under construction

Türkiye has been shielded to an extent from the worst impacts of the global energy crisis through its LNG and FSRU facilities that has enabled flexibility in natural gas supplies.

The country’s first FRSU facility, based in Izmir and operated by Etki Liman, has the capacity to provide 20 million cubic meters of natural gas per day to the country’s gas grid.

The Ertugrul Gazi FSRU, with a capacity of 170,000 cubic meters and an annual regasification capacity of 2.5 billion cubic meters, is one of the latest of the country’s projects contributing to energy security through its provision of 28 million cubic meters of gas daily to the country’s system.

The Marmara Ereglisi FSRU located in the Thrace region could send up to 37 million cubic meters of gas per day through its three tankers, each comprising 85,000 cubic meters of storage capacity.

Construction is ongoing for the Saros FSRU facility, which is considered key for supply security in the Marmara region.

20% of annual gas demand in storage

Gas storage is playing an increasing role in energy security with the expansion of facilities.

The country’s first gas storage, the Silivri Underground Natural Gas Facility, now has now 4.6 billion cubic meters of storage capacity per year.

The Salt Lake Underground Natural Gas Facility, located in the Central Anatolian province of Aksaray, is currently storing 1.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year.

Plans are afoot to expand capacity to 5.4 billion cubic meters by 2023.

With the capacity increase in the Salt Lake facility, both underground storage facilities combined will enable the supply of 20% of the country’s annual gas demand.

Türkiye’s natural gas demand last year hit 60 billion cubic meters.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Kremlin on Tuesday said Russia’s intelligence has information about London’s involvement in attacks on Nord Stream gas pipelines and its Black Sea fleet in the port of Sevastopol.

“Our special services … have evidence that the leadership and coordination of the attack on Sevastopol Bay was carried out by British military consultants.

“There is also evidence that Britain is involved in sabotage … a terrorist act on critical energy infrastructure, the Nord Stream pipelines,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told at a press briefing in Moscow.

Moscow expects that despite the silence, European capitals will analyze the information on London’s involvement in attack on Nord Stream gas pipelines, Peskov said.

“We cannot leave such actions for nothing. We will think over further steps. … We will do what we have to do,” he stressed.

Russia suspended its participation in the deal brokered by Türkiye and the UN to export Ukrainian grain, following what it said attacks on its Black Sea fleet.

In September, there were leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines, which, investigation shows, were caused by a series of explosions believed to be “intentional sabotage.”

The Nord Stream pipelines were built to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea by the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom.

The leaks coincided with the opening of the Baltic pipeline, delivering natural gas from the North Sea through Denmark to Poland.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Türkiye’s Maarif Foundation is helping Turkish children and their parents overcome the language barrier by studying in Belgium, where three official languages are spoken.

Maarif Foundation, which has been operating for two years in the Flemish-speaking city of Ghent in Belgium, where the Turkish population is densely populated, has also started its operations in the capital Brussels, after the completion of the necessary permit processes.

Many Turkish students studying in Brussels show interest in the foundation’s activities.

The foundation provides four main services which are supplementary group lessons and private lessons, language support, extracurricular activities, as well as guidance and psychological counseling, TMF Belgium Representative Zeynep Bilgin Eraslan told Anadolu Agency.

“We create a special, individual program for children in areas where they have difficulties. We focus on it. We are in contact with their teachers,” Eraslan said.

“We had a very intelligent student in Ghent. He was directed to a special school for children with mental deficiency because he could not express himself well in the psychological tests in Flemish at school,” she said.

“We intervened and gave the child the necessary education in three months and had transferred him to his old school. This achievement was very important to me. We have supported more than 30 children in similar situations who are in danger of being expelled from school,” Eraslan said.

“We attach great importance to Turkish lessons. It is very important for us that all our children speak Turkish,” she added.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz

Source: Anadolu Agency

Türkiye will continue to take necessary initiatives with all parties to solve problems related to the implementation of the grain export deal, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Erdogan and Putin discussed regional issues, especially the latest developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in a phone call, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement.

The Turkish president said he is confident that Russia and Ukraine will establish a solution-oriented cooperation and that the solution of the grain crisis through a constructive approach will also encourage the steps back to the negotiations.

Erdogan also thanked Putin for his sincere statements about Türkiye and himself in his speech at the Discussion Club Valday on Monday.

Russia on Saturday announced its suspension of the UN-brokered Black Sea grain export deal.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 in Istanbul to resume Black Sea grain exports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February. A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Dozens of people are missing after a boat reportedly carrying almost 70 migrants sank in the Aegean Sea overnight, Greek authorities said on Tuesday.

A large search and rescue operation is currently underway as the teams have rescued nine people from the boat which went down between the islands of Andros and Evia, the coast guard said.

The survivors, who said there were 68 people on the boat, were collected from the Mandilou islet.

According to the coast guard, a distress call was sent to the European emergency number 112 by migrants after their boat sunk.

Rescue teams are facing extreme weather conditions with winds in the Aegean Sea blowing up to 9 Beaufort, hampering their mission to find survivors, it added.

According to the state-run ERT TV, the migrants on board were from Afghanistan, Egypt and Iran.

Source: Anadolu Agency