Day: February 27, 2024

ANKARA: Kosovo's Embassy in Trkiye marked the country's 16th independence anniversary Monday with a reception in the capital Ankara. Ambassador Agon Vrenezi said Kosovo and Trkiye share a historical and deep-rooted friendship that strengthens the ties between the two countries, promoting strong cooperation in various fields. "Trkiye played an active role in Kosovo's international recognition and integration with global organizations," Vrenezi said. In the field of economy, Trkiye serves as an "important source" of direct investment, he said, adding: "Cooperation in the field of defense is becoming increasingly important for the security of our country." Attending the reception, Turkish Labor and Social Security Minister Vedat Isikhan said: "We see ensuring peace and stability in Kosovo as key for the peace and stability of the Balkans and Europe." In this regard, Isikhan said Trkiye actively supports all efforts to maintain the stability, especially the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process. Trkiye recogni zed Kosovo on Feb. 18, 2008, the very first day following its declaration of independence. The Balkans is a priority for Trkiye, not only for political, economic and geographical reasons, but also for its historical, cultural and human ties with the region. *Writing by Diyar Guldogan from Washington, D.C. Source: Anadolu Agency

Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia Urška Klakocar Zupancic pays an official three-day visit to Cyprus (28/2-1/3) following the invitation of the President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, Annita Demetriou. According to an official press release by the Embassy of Slovenia in Athens (also accredited to Cyprus) in the framework of her official visit Urška Klakocar Zupancic will meet among others with House President Annita Demetriou, Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Justice and Public Order Marios Hartsiotis, the Mayor of Nicosia Constantinos Yiorkadjis and the Special Representative and head of the UNFICYP mission, Colin William Stewart. As noted, during the visit to the Republic of Cyprus, the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia will discuss the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, with emphasis on inter-parliamentary cooperation and exchange opinions on current European and int ernational topics. The Cyprus issue and efforts to reunify the island will also be at the forefront of the talks. The President of the Slovenian National Assembly will begin the visit with a meeting with the representatives of the Slovenian community in Cyprus, which will take place in the coastal town of Limassol. In the presence of the President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, Annita Demetriou, she will address the audience at the opening of an exhibition of renowned Slovenian painters from the private collection of the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Slovenia in Limassol Evros Alexandrou marking the Slovenian Day of Culture, which is celebrated every year in February. The Slovenian delegation, comprising two members of the parliamentary group of friendship with the Republic of Cyprus, MP Iva Dimic and MP Dušan Stojanovic (chairman), will meet the following day with the chairman of the Committee for Foreign and European Affairs and the chairman of the Cyprus-Slovenia Friendship Group Harris Georgiades and other members of the committee. The meeting will take place at the House of Representatives. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Mexican Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marques live streamed his 55-hour journey from Mexico City to Tokyo and then Istanbul breaking the Guinness World Record. He made the journey on a private jet to raise awareness about the global impact of natural disasters. The initiative was supported by Trkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines and Japan's All Nippon Airways. The live broadcast was streamed on the Mexican Tourism Ministry's social media accounts. Guinness World Record officials evaluated the footage and confirmed that Marques had broken the previous record of 26 hours 15 minutes 29 seconds for livestreaming a journey, which was set in the Philippines. Marques, who is also a pilot, stopped in Tokyo to visit a temple that was damaged by a natural disaster and to hold a memorial ceremony. He then flew to Istanbul, where he was received by Mexico's Ambassador to Trkiye Jose Luis Martinez Hernandez. Addressing the devastation caused by a major hurricane that hit Mexico's Acapulco port in Octo ber, Marques emphasized the city's significance as a renowned tourist destination. "We set out from Mexico ... on this world tour. We arrived in Tokyo and visited a temple damaged by natural disasters, where we held a commemoration ceremony. We stayed in Tokyo for just one-and-a-half hours for the memorial service," he said. Marques emphasized the significance of stepping onto Turkish soil, which had been affected by natural disasters. He said the journey aimed to contribute to the revival of Acapulco. Both Trkiye and Mexico rank among the top 10 global tourist destinations, Marques said, emphasizing the potential for collaboration in this crucial sector. Touching upon the upcoming visit of a Mexican delegation to Trkiye in July to bolster tourism ties, Marques outlined plans to engage with Turkish tourism officials, tour operators, and airlines to promote tourist destinations. Marques also drew attention to climate change concerns, citing the hurricane's destructive impact on Acapulco and the necessity for environmental conservation efforts to sustain tourism growth. Regarding bilateral tourism statistics, Marques shared data from 2023, indicating the significant number of Turkish visitors to Mexico and the frequency of flights between the two countries. Also, Marques praised Trkiye's film and television industry for showcasing the country's beauty internationally. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that plans to present Moscow with the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is an 'ultimatum.' 'He (Zelenskyy) said that this would not be considered negotiations, but a normal person understands that this is an ultimatum. … They are trying to attract as many countries as possible to various events to discuss this paper,' Lavrov said told a news conference in Moscow with his Yemeni counterpart Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak. Lavrov claimed that "a good comrade" of his showed him the EU's advice given to Zelenskyy about his peace formula in organizing such gatherings that the main advice is to 'gather as many countries as possible' and 'promise anything to get them to come.' He argued that the second advice is not to distribute any draft documents in such meetings 'under any circumstances' and to include a 'family photograph' in documents to show support for Zelenskyy's peace formula. 'The more people there are in this pho tograph, the more convincing, they believe, will be the explanation that Russia, therefore, is now opposed to all progressive humanity,' Lavrov also said, adding that the basis from which Switzerland and other Western countries are ready to work on a settlement in Ukraine is 'absolutely a dead end.' On Sunday, Zelenskyy said the document devised during the upcoming Global Peace Summit on his 10-step peace formula will be presented to Russia, but this does not necessarily mean it will be accepted by them. Zelenskyy's formula, comprising 10 conditions, was laid out at the 2022 G20 summit held in Indonesia, with its final step being signing a peace accord. It also focuses on issues such as nuclear safety and food and energy security. Speaking about the meeting on support for Ukraine held in Paris on Monday, Lavrov also called plans voiced by French President Emmanuel Macron to create a coalition of countries to supply long-range missiles to Kyiv as "suicidal." He also said to not "attach great importance" to such meetings, arguing that the aim of these talks is to "compensate for the sharp drop in attention and the sharp reduction in financial opportunities to support" Ukraine. 'Solving security in Red Sea must be solved through political, diplomatic means' Lavrov also touched on the situation in the Red Sea, saying that ensuring the safety of international navigation in the Red Sea should be a task resolved through political and diplomatic means. "We agree with our Yemeni friends that ensuring the safety of international navigation in the Red Sea should be a priority for all responsible members of the international community, and this task must be resolved through political and diplomatic means," Lavrov said. Lavrov further said the increase of tension in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is largely a result of the "unprecedented escalation" of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the ongoing civil war in Yemen. He also said Russia does not condone the shelling of commercial ships irrespective of their justi fication, but that it cannot justify the US' and the UK's "aggressive actions" against the territory of Yemen. Expressing that the two countries conducted these actions "without having any international mandate for this in the form of a UN Security Council resolution," Lavrov went on to say Moscow is concerned that it is unlikely to implement the Yemeni settlement until the end of the armed conflict in the Red Sea. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: The effects of Israeli aggression and blockades in Gaza are "beyond any cruelty" he has ever seen, even as a doctor of emergency medicine, said a prominent Norwegian physician and humanitarian activist. "For me, it is enough to see how the Israeli occupation army are starving, thirsting, freezing, bombing, maiming the Palestinian people in Gaza. For me, this is a war crime,' said Dr. Mads Gilbert, head of the emergency medicine department at the University Hospital of North Norway, in Istanbul to attend a symposium on Palestine organized by Ibn Haldun University. 'For me, this is beyond any cruelty that I have seen in my life because it is much more than just the military advances," said Gilbert, 72. "It is a punishment of the whole people, which is collective punishment, which is illegal,' he stressed. 'It's an attack on the civilian population, the women, the children, the elders, all those not carrying weapons, which is illegal. And it is an all-out war against the Palestinian health care syst em, which is against international law.' Calling starvation a weapon of mass destruction, Gilbert said: "And what kind of people is it that with full intention and plan, make more than a million children starve and not have clean water? I mean, what year is it? Is it 1600? Is it 1400, or is it 2024?" The Gaza Strip, which has been under a relentless Israeli offensive and blockade since last Oct. 7, is home to more than 2.1 million people. In its attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, it has killed some 30,000 people and injured tens of thousands more. The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Gilbert added: "The use of starvation and thirsting of people when it could be reversed is a premeditated evil, and I would call it sadistic way of attacking what they are really attacking. That is the will of resistance of the Palestinian people. So this is the politics of colonizing, of settler colonial attacks on the Palestinian people.' An 'occupation, not a conflict' Underlining that Israel is pursuing a colonialist policy of attack against the Palestinian people, Gilbert said Israel is trying to force Palestinians to leave Gaza by starving them. "The Palestine-Israel issue is not a difficult conflict, it is a difficult occupation," he said. Under international law, Israel, which is responsible for the health care, education, and security of the occupied population, has never met these responsibilities, he stressed. He also stated that Israel has been attacking the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which has been supporting the Palestinians since 1948. Last month Israel accused a handful of the agency's thousands of employees of involvement in Hamas attacks on Israel. Though the UNRWA is investigating the claims, numerous Western countries in response have withdrawn its funding. "I'm very angry that the Western gove rnments, that the European governments do not stop Israel through sanctions and boycott and peaceful political tools as they have been doing against Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine. So these double standards are very shameful for anyone who would call themselves friends of the human race, friends of humanity, and defenders of international law," said Gilbert. On the trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is accused of violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza, and other trials, he said there is a 'new language we hear now, both from the International Court of Justice with regards to the genocide trial and the other trial going on to find out if Israel is perpetrating war crimes in the West Bank through the colonies and the occupiers, also called settlers and settlements.' Concepts such as "colonization,' "apartheid," and "racism" should be used more frequently because these concepts explain the policies of the US and Israel, he said. "I think we are in a new era of neo-co lonialism, which is very dangerous. Where 'might defines right' and not right defines right. And then we are going back to the law of the jungle, where the strongest can do what they want to do without any limitations and any respect for international law and for the basic human," Gilbert explained. Stating that when people respect each other, finding water for the thirsty and food for the hungry is a human value, and that everyone would want to see these values in their children, Gilbert said: "All these values are attacked by the Israeli state in occupied Palestine and especially in Gaza." Gilbert said people all over the world are standing up in solidarity with Palestine against Israeli attacks, and especially young people are taking to the streets and demonstrating. "The good people of the United States and also the young Jews are saying, no, we don't want this. We want another world. And the siege. Stop the bombing. Treat the Palestinians like we treat each other,' he said. He added: 'This is a big p roblem for the powers now. And if you've seen the shift in European governments, it is not because they wanted that in the beginning. It is because the streets are pushing them.' "And the divide between the powers and the street is getting deeper and deeper. And this is a big problem for the powers. So what we have to do is to continue to show support for the Palestinian people. We have to continue to make demonstrations. And don't forget that Israel and the United States, they have been using boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) against the Palestinian people since at least 2006," Gilbert added. Anadolu presents evidence of crimes against humanity Anadolu's Global News Director Faruk Tokat, who also attended the conference, presented Gilbert the book Evidence, which was published by the agency. Tokat told Gilbert that the book reveals the crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza with documentary photos and that some of the images in the book will be used as evidence in international courts. Source: Anadolu Agency

The results of a pre-feasibility study concerning the possible establishment of a bi-communal solar power plant in Cyprus, were discussed by the Director-General for Structural Reform Support at the European Commission, Mario Nava, and representatives of the two communities, which are now expected to begin working towards an agreement for the project to move forward. The pre-feasibility study envisages a solar power plant of 36MW capacity located in the buffer zone, using photovoltaics and batteries with a storage capacity of three hours. According to a press release by the European Commission, the independent scientific assessment of available options paves the way for the two communities to find agreement on key aspects of the solar power plant project, including its exact location, the proposed technological and technical solutions, the financing of the investment, and the electricity sharing modalities. Once there is agreement on the way forward, the Commission stands ready to support the next steps, a nd assist with preparing and launching an international tender for the design and construction of the solar power plant. 'This project has great potential', Nava said in a written statement. 'It can bring the two communities closer together, foster more cooperation on energy, and help achieve the EU's Green Deal goals'. The project, he added, 'comes at a time when a new UN envoy is looking for common ground between the two communities'. 'I therefore encourage the communities to agree on all the details as soon as possible so that the project can move to the next phase,' he added. The introduction of the storage facility is considered an innovation in Cyprus, which would help extend solar power use beyond the time the sun shines. The European Commission also notes that, if agreed by the two communities, this project will be a major confidence-building measure, increasing bi-communal cooperation on energy and supporting the greening of both electricity systems. The project can also serve as a model for fu rther investments in solar energy projects in Cyprus and mark a first step in improving Cyprus's energy supply and storage. The pre-feasibility study was funded by the European Commission under the EU aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and carried out in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme. The EU Aid Programme aims to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, with particular emphasis on the economic integration of the island, improving contacts between the two communities and with the EU, and the preparation for the EU body of laws following a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency