Day: June 11, 2023

Türkiye's celebrated violin virtuoso Suna Kan has died at the age of 86.

Kan performed as a soloist and chief violinist in the Presidential Symphony Orchestra for 44 years.

"I am saddened by the loss of a great musician, close friend, and irreplaceable valuable violinist," Gulsin Onay, a renowned Turkish pianist said on Twitter on Sunday.

"She will always live in our hearts with her unique memories and records."

In May 2017, due to health issues, Kan announced her break up from the stage. “I have closed the box of the violin for now, until I am gone from this world."

Meanwhile, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra released a statement following Kan's death.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Professor Suna Kan, one of the most valuable artists our country has produced and who has worked in our orchestra for 44 years with the title of 'Soloist Artist' and represented our country with her outstanding achievements all over the world," the orchestra said on Twitter.

Kan's funeral will be held after a ceremony at the Presidential Symphony Orchestra’s Historical Building in the capital Ankara on Monday.

Acclaimed violinist

Born in 1936 in Türkiye’s southern Adana province, Kan began taking violin classes at the age of five from her father Nuri Kan.

The violin virtuoso was only nine years old when she performed Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. 5” in her first concert. A few years later, in 1948, when she was only 11 years old, she went to Paris on scholarship under a special law for exceptionally gifted children.

She was awarded several prizes including the first prize at the Genova International Competition, the second prize at the Viotti International Competition, and the Munich International Competition.

Source: TRTworld.com

The YPG/PKK terror group in northern Syria has fired five rockets that landed in the bordering area in southern Türkiye, security sources said.

The rockets fell in the Oncupinar Border Gate area in the Kilis province, said the sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

No casualties were reported.

Security measures have been increased in the region.

Meanwhile, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said that the armed forces immediately began to hit the site from where the attack was carried out.

"According to the initial reports, seven terrorists, including two so-called managers of the terrorist organisation, were neutralised and a so-called headquarters was destroyed," the ministry said in a statement.

Turkish soldiers continue to hit terrorist targets effectively, it added.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the terrorist group’s Syrian branch.

Source: TRTworld.com

Two army officers were killed and three soldiers injured in an attack by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in the northern Kirkuk province, according to the Defense Ministry on Sunday.

A ministry statement said Daesh/ISIS terrorists opened fire on a military checkpoint near the town of Tal al-Ward in Kirkuk late Saturday.

Iraqi authorities have launched an investigation into the attack.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories captured by terrorists since the summer of 2014, estimated to be about a third of the country's total area.

The terror group, however, still has sleeper cells in Iraq that launch sporadic attacks on civilians, security forces, infrastructure, and other targets.

The Iraqi army continues to carry out frequent operations against the terror group in different parts of the country.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi

Source: Anadolu Agency

Spain and Poland have informed the Republic of Cyprus that they are immediately withdrawing from the military exercise "Phoenix of Anatolia - 2023", which is being held in Turkey, following representations made at all levels by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, in coordination with the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Ministry of Defence.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says in a press release that this is an exercise hosted by Turkey, "which systematically and unilaterally tries to include in this type of activities the illegal separatist entity in the occupied territories".

Furthermore, it notes that the participating states did not know in advance about the participation of the illegal separatist entity.

"As a result of the aforementioned actions, Spain and Poland have informed the Republic of Cyprus that they are withdrawing from the exercise immediately," the Cyprus FM notes.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The pseudo-state in the occupied territories of Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Trkiye considers the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an important strategic partner, Turkish Ambassador Tugay Tuncer said.

'The UAE and Trkiye have an enduring strategic partnership that is still strengthening and contributing to the region's prosperity, peace, and stability,' Tuncer said in an interview with the Emirati state news agency WAM.

'The UAE is an important strategic partner for Trkiye,' he said, hailing the extraordinary development in relations between the two countries in less than two years.

Tuncer said ties between Ankara and Abu Dhabi have been reinforced by a recent visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the UAE and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed's visit to Ankara.

'President Erdogan's visit to the UAE resulted in almost 27 cooperation agreements in various sectors, including investment, economy, defense, health, agriculture, transport, advanced technology, climate action, culture and youth,' he added.

The Turkish diplomat said the non-oil trade volume between the two countries reached some $19 billion in 2022.

'The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries will further boost their cooperation,' he added.

'The UAE and Trkiye intend to boost their non-oil commercial exchange to $40 billion over the course of five years,' Tuncer said.

The Turkish ambassador reiterated Trkiye's support for the UAE's hosting of UN climate summit COP28.

'The UAE and Trkiye share a common approach to addressing climate change,' he said. 'The UAE's strategic goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.'

On Saturday, Erdogan held talks with bin Zayed in Istanbul. The Emirati leader was among world leaders who congratulated the Turkish president for his reelection following the May 28 election runoff.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Wagner paramilitary group, which has fought on the Russian side in the ongoing war in Ukraine, on Sunday ruled out signing a military service contract with the country's Defense Ministry under a recent decree.

"Those orders and decrees that (Defense Minister Sergey) Shoygu forms, they apply to employees of the Ministry of Defense and to military personnel. PMC (private military company) 'Wagner' will not sign any contracts with Shoygu," Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement on Telegram.

Prigozhin said the Wagner Group coordinates its actions with general and unit commanders and has "the deepest experience and is a highly effective structure."

"Unfortunately, most military units do not have such efficiency, precisely because Shoygu cannot manage military formations normally.

"Therefore, the fact that he writes decrees or orders applies exclusively to the Ministry of Defense and to those who are within the Ministry of Defense," he added.

Underlining that Wagner Group was "completely subordinate" to Russia's interests, under orders from the military's top leadership, he said it performs tasks set by Sergey Surovikin, the commander of Moscow's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

On Saturday, Shoygu signed a decree under which all units not under the Defense Ministry's orders must sign military service contracts with it by July 1.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukraine's deputy defense minister claimed on Sunday that Russia is moving its more 'combat-ready' units away from the Kherson region.?

'Therefore, the purpose of undermining the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant by the Russians becomes obvious … The command of the Russian occupying forces decided to 'narrow' the possible geography of active actions of the Armed Forces,' Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Telegram, in reference to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.?

Maliar claimed that Russia decided on the maneuver 'taking into account their own losses and limited reserves' and the 'inability to restrain the Ukrainian offensive in various directions.'

'The undermining of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was apparently carried out with the aim of preventing an offensive by the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction and releasing the necessary reserves for their transfer to the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut directions,' Maliar further claimed.

She also claimed that Russia is trying to divert part of the Ukrainian military and its resources to eliminate the consequences of the Kakhovka dam explosion.?

Maliar's comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Ukrainian army is taking 'appropriate counteroffensive and defensive actions' against Russia on the front line.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Ukraine continued "unsuccessful attempts" to conduct offensive actions in the directions of South Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut.?

Early this week, an emergency was declared on both sides of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine's Kherson region after it burst - one side is controlled by Russia and the other by Ukraine.?

Russia and Ukraine traded blame over the blast, which destroyed part of the dam that supplied water to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday approved a proposal by the country's National Security and Defense Council to sanction 178 Russian citizens, including 81 people who also have Ukrainian citizenship.

The decree, which was released by the website of the Ukrainian presidency, said that the decision was taken to support proposals made by the country's Security Service regarding the 'application and introduction of changes to personal special economic and other restrictive measures.'

The restrictions implemented by the decree are set for a period of five years and include measures such as the blocking of assets and restrictions on trade operations and transit through Ukrainian territory.

'The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, together with the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Bank of Ukraine, shall ensure the implementation and monitoring of the effectiveness of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions),' the decree said.

It also instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to inform 'the competent authorities of the EU, US and other states about the application of sanctions and to raise with them the issue of introducing similar restrictive measures.'

Last month, Zelenskyy imposed sanctions against 51 individuals and 220 companies, affiliated with the transport, communication and industrial sectors of Russia and Belarus.

Source: Anadolu Agency