Day: February 24, 2024

ANKARA: The 'American Traces in Ankara 1950-1969' digital exhibition shows that there is a rich history between Trkiye and the US, the American ambassador to Ankara digital exhibition Friday. The history 'goes back ever since the founding of the Republic,' Jeff Flake told Anadolu. Flake underlined the importance of cultural ties which bind two countries together. 'Government policy is one thing, but it's really the people-to-people ties that connect us,' he added. The exhibition is implemented by Ankara Aks, a strategic design studio, with the support of the US Embassy. It aims to reveal the social, cultural and architectural effects of the American population in Ankara between 1950 and 1969. It compiles a digital archive that documents the cross-cultural presence in the city. The exhibition, which opened to visitors Friday, is available at the Cermodern Flow Digital Stage from Feb. 24 - 27. Source: Anadolu Agency

Nicosia will assist the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, in her mandate "in every possible way" Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos pledged on Saturday. The Minister delivered a eulogy in Pera Chorio Nisou, in Nicosia, at the funeral of soldier Minas Antoniou Papavasiliou, who died during the 1974 Turkish invasion but his remains were discovered only after information provided in the summer of 2022, that brought new evidence to light as to his whereabouts. Fifty years after 1974 there are still more than 750 missing persons, the Minister said. This is due Turkey’s refusals to open the military archives, that include evidence for most of the cases of our missing persons, he went on. With every occasion, in every international forum, the Republic of Cyprus protests for Turkey’s crime to intentionally relocate the remains of missing persons and destroy mass graves, in an apparent attempt to hide the truth, Kombos underlined. He said moreover that terminating the country’s illegal occupation is a top priority for the government. “We are working with sincerity and perseverance, in order to create the conditions that are necessary for the resumption of talks to achieve a settlement on the basis of the agreed framework and “nothing beyond this.” The Minister also said that the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar is expected to return to Cyprus in March for a new round of contacts.“Our side supports Holguin’s mandate and will assist her in every possible way” he said, adding that a Cyprus settlement is “an existential issue for us.” He said finally that a "collective apology" was in order for not being able to soothe the relatives of missing persons from their pain any time sooner, for not being able to put a stop to the invading Turkish forces and for "heroes like Mina", who were faced with treason and had to pay with their lives. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ANKARA: Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a Polish archbishop accused of covering up the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church, a Vatican statement said on Saturday. "Holy Father Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Andrzej Dziega from serving as Archbishop Metropolitan of Szczecin-Kamien," Poland's apostolic nunciature, the equivalent of an embassy for the Vatican, said on its website. Dziega, 71, is a Polish Roman Catholic bishop and the incumbent archbishop of the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamien. In 2021, the TVN24 news channel's documentary alleged that priest Andrzej Dymer, who died that year, had abused children and Dziega had known since 1995 but taken no action. Polish media have long reported allegations of negligence and cover ups for pedophiles in the Catholic Church. Source: Anadolu Agency

A total of fifty personal computers were given on Saturday to enclaved pupils and students from the Turkish-occupied Rizokarapso, who in return offered cyclamen flowers to the Minister of Education Athena Michailidou, the Chairman of the School Board of Limassol and the Limassol primary teacher’s trade union, POED Limassol. The laptops were handed over during a special ceremony held in the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth on Saturday, as the occupying regime prohibits since last May school inspectors to enter the schools, located in Cyprus' northeastern tip, occupied by Turkey since 1974. The enclaved pupils and students attended the ceremony, in Nicosia, escorted by their families. "I wish we could be there, as our heart is beating there,” Michailidou said addressing the ceremony, recalling that she hails from Kyrenia and that she witnessed the displacement. “But we were not strong enough to stay there,” she added. The Education Minister vowed that they will do their utmost to support the quality o f education in the enclaved schools, noting that they have a plan in collaboration with the Education Service Commission, the School Board and Anna Aristotelous, the Head of Humanitarian Affairs of Missing and Enclaved Persons. The children of Rizokarpaso are entitled to equal access to education, better results, opportunities and a path towards university education or anywhere they desire, Michailidou said. On her part, Dora Sergiou, President of POED Limassol, said the computers were given to the children of Rizokarpaso as part of a wider grant to the Limassol District Education Committee by a private firm. She added, that this donation will assist the enclaved children of Rizokarpaso in their education journey, be they primary pupils, secondary education pupils, or university students. “We support your struggle and we want to contribute to your effort for a descent living in your ancestral homes,” Sergiou added. Ntinos Ellinas, Chairman of the School Board of Limassol, expressed hope that others will follow the example of the private firm that granted 1,000 laptops to vulnerable students in Limassol, of which 50 were granted to Rizokarpaso pupils. Michalis Mikellis, President of the Rizokarpaso School Board said he wished that the ceremony could take place in the schools of Rizokarpaso, so that everyone would meet the pupils and their parents. “Unfortunately, this could not be possible due to the prohibition imposed since last May,” he added, noting that “this grant is of great significance for us.” The fifty laptops were handed over to Rizkarpaso pupils of the 2022-2023 school year, and university students of the enclaved community for the same academic year. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Turkey occupied 36,2 percent of the sovereign territory of the Republic and forcibly expelled about 180,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes. Another 20,000 Greek Cypriots, who had remained in the occupied areas, were also forced to eventually abandon their homes and seek refuge in the safety of the government controlled areas. Today, few enclaved Greek Cypriots remain in the occupied areas. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ANKARA: Ukraine wants peace and puts efforts to establish peace in the entire region, said the Ukrainian ambassador to Ankara on Saturday. 'We want peace and we are working to establish this peace in our entire region. However, everyone must understand that unless the criminals are punished and a fair peace is achieved, unfortunately, there will be no peace in our region,' Vasyl Bodnar said on the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. Stressing that Ukraine has resisted for two years, he said it will resist even more and will win eventually. Bodnar said their struggle continues, thanks to "friends and international partners like Trkiye.' Trkiye provides humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people and hosts Ukrainian citizens and Ukrainian orphans, he added. Ukrainian citizens living in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul gathered on Saturday to protest the second year of Russia's war on Ukraine. Ukrainians gathered in Odakule Square in Beyoglu district and opened banners with pictures of children an d soldiers killed in the war. Roman Nedilskyi, Ukraine's consul-general in Istanbul, said they will continue fighting until they achieve victory against Russia. 'We have been fighting for two years and we are surviving. We will continue to resist,' he said, and thanked Trkiye for its support. Aliya Usenova, the vice president of the Ukrainian Cultural Association, said the war started 10 years ago when Russians occupied Crimea. Noting that this war spread throughout Ukraine two years ago, she said the Russian side declared those who opposed them as terrorists and tried to destroy them. Russia launched its "special military operation" on Ukraine exactly two years ago, on Feb. 24, 2022. Source: Anadolu Agency

ANKARA: Four Western leaders visited Ukraine on Saturday to show support and solidarity as its war with Russia marks its second anniversary. Belgian, Canadian, and Italian prime ministers, as well as the head of the European Commission, arrived in the city of Hostomel, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) off Kyiv together with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to take part in special events, organized by Kyiv on the occasion. In a video published on Telegram, Zelenskyy thanked Alexander de Croo, Justin Trudeau, Giorgia Meloni, and Ursula von der Leyen, respectively, for their assistance. "Dear great people of a great country, I am immensely proud of each of you. I admire each one of you. I believe in each one of you. Any normal person wants the war to end. But none of us will allow Ukraine to end. That is why when it comes to ending the war, we always add: on our terms," Zelenskyy said. He emphasized that any peace agreements must be just, and because of that "in the future, the word independent will always appear alongside the word Ukraine." "This is what we fight for. And we will prevail. On the greatest day of our lives. I thank all of our soldiers, our people, and everyone around the world who stands with us and the truth," he said. Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine exactly two years ago, on Feb. 24, 2022. The Russian officials said they are ready to start peace talks with Ukraine, however, Kyiv's self-ban on contacts with Moscow has prevented their beginning. Source: Anadolu Agency

The Cypriot Naval Command carried out “DELFINI 01/2024,” a small-scale exercise, on February 21-22, in Cyprus' maritime area. According to a press release issued by the National Guard’s General Staff, the purpose of the exercise was to evaluate the operational readiness and combat capability of the crews of the Navy's ships. In particular, the scenario of the exercise included tactical maneuvers, firing from ships' guns, countering asymmetric threats, cooperation and exchange of information between the warships and the naval observatories, damage monitoring drills and technical exercises, the General Staff added. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) on Saturday kick-started an international conference titled Decolonization: Awakening of the Renaissance in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul. The gathering brings together representatives from 13 different countries and four international bodies, featuring delegates from French territories including New Caledonia, French Polynesia, French Guiana, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. During the conference's opening remarks, Carlyle G. Corbin, an independent expert to the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, said two developments occurred at the beginning of the 1990s that decelerated the decolonization era, which initially began in 1945. Expressing these two developments to be the thawing of the Cold War and the independence of Namibia, Corbin said only one territory has been decolonized since the 1990s, namely Timor-Leste in 2002. Corbin further said that there is a clear need for an 'awakening of the renaissance of decolonization,' in terms of which he underlined the ne ed for the UN itself to 'recognize its role in its international obligations to advance the decolonization process.' He also argued that there are signs of a re-emergence of international attention on decolonization, with one of the most sustained initiatives of all in promoting global decolonization being the ongoing efforts of the Baku Initiative Group. Trkiye stands against colonialism and its new forms Speaking at the first session of the conference, the participants discussed the impacts of colonization on national identity, including ethnic, cultural discrimination and political instability, and conflicts in the regions. 'One of the most important reasons for this meeting to be held in Trkiye is that it is one of the rare countries that does not have colonial baggage, both in the past and today,' said Tunc Demirtas, a researcher at Ankara-based SETA foundation. Demirtas said that Trkiye is a country that stands against colonialism and its new forms. "France carried out the harshest and most ruthle ss colonial activities,' he stressed. Trkiye's and Azerbaijan's African policies also show that activities can be operated in the region with consent, like in a 'win-win situation,' he added. Emphasizing that the unipolar world order established in the Cold War era has been 'strongly' challenged over the last two years, Ibrahima Diagne, a panelist at the conference, said that with the appearance of countries such as China, Russia, Brazil, and Trkiye, Africa 'can finally be expected to decolonize entirely.'??????? The second session of the conference discussed the artificial legal barriers imposed by the French government during the decolonization period, particularly exploring topics such as border issues, security and defense, and economic reforms. Source: Anadolu Agency