Day: March 1, 2024

Poland joined the chorus of countries expressing concern over the situation in Gaza on Friday, amid the growing international criticism. 'We advocate for the protection of civilians. Humanitarian aid must enter and be distributed without hindrance,' the Polish Foreign Ministry said on X. Unlike most countries, Poland refrained from explicitly calling for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, the ministry said, 'Immediate action is needed to implement a humanitarian pause, secure release of hostages, and wider distribution of aid.' Early Thursday, Israeli forces shelled a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid south of Gaza City at the al-Nabulsi Roundabout area, leaving at least 112 dead and 760 injured, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry. The Israeli military said an initial investigation found that Palestinians approached a military checkpoint overseeing the entry of the aid trucks when soldiers fired warning shots and shot at the legs of Palestinians who continued to move toward the tr oops. Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people. At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza'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. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov laughed when a reporter questioned him about French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks concerning the potential deployment of troops to Ukraine. Currently in Trkiye's southern Antalya province for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF), Lavrov glared at the reporter who posed the question as he was leaving a panel. 'Mr. Lavrov, what do you want to say about Macron's recent remarks on sending troops to Ukraine?' the reporter asked. On Monday, following a summit in Paris in support of Ukraine, Macron said: 'There is no consensus today that ground troops should be deployed in an official, accepted, and endorsed way. But nothing should be ruled out.' He added: "We will do everything necessary to ensure that Russia cannot win this war." Source: Anadolu Agency

The promotion of actions to inform and raise awareness among citizens both for climate change and for major environmental issues is one of our priorities, Minister of Agriculture Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou said at a press conference on Friday that marked the launch of a campaign to protect the bees. The academic community of the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) of UCLan Cyprus University has announced the launch of the Campaign for the Protection of the Bees, with an emphasis on the role of the bees for the environment and their contribution to humanity. In her address at the press conference, that was read out by a Ministry official, she said that the bees' essential role for the environment and for humans has been recognised at an international level with the establishment, by the United Nations, of May 20 as World Bee Day. She pointed out that the European Union recognises the bee's contribution to maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity. Taking into consideratio n, she added, that 84% of plant species and 76% of food production in Europe depend on pollination by bees, the European Union has included the protection of pollinators as an important pillar of the European Green Deal. The Minister stressed that the promotion of actions to inform and raise awareness among citizens both for climate change and for major environmental issues is a priority of the Ministry of Agriculture and is part of the governance program of the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides and referred to a series of additional initiatives that aim to the protection of the bees. The campaign is also supported by the Office of the Commissioner for the Environment Antonia Theodosiou. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Trkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday said the Gaza Contact Group has been trying to apply pressure on Israel and the nations that back its attacks on the Gaza Strip, where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in five months. 'We are constantly trying to exert pressure on Israel and the countries supporting its brutal attacks," Fidan said in his opening remarks at the Gaza Contact Group panel discussion at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry participated in the panel hosted by the Fidan. Due to the group's efforts, he said, the support on securing a cease-fire and the need to increase humanitarian aid for people in the besieged enclave gradually increased. He said the Islamic world has, for many years, expected others to solve its problems and only condemned this situation. "Now we are taking this issue into our own hands. We are truly taking on this task with a regional responsibility. The Gaza Contact Group is actually the result of such thinking, assigned at the joint OIC-Arab League Summit to take responsibility for the ongoing war in Palestine, and is working on it,' Fidan said. The contact group was established at a joint summit of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Saudi Arabia in November to stop the conflict in Gaza and help achieve lasting peace. It includes officials from Trkiye, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine. "Sometimes we (the Gaza Contact Group) worked collectively. Sometimes we worked with a division of labor. Among us, we addressed different issues by dividing the work," he said. 'This group is actually an indication of the Muslim world's solidarity with Palestine." Current war not providing security for Israel Fidan opposed the argument that the Israeli war on Gaza, which began after the Oct. 7 incursion by Palestinian group Hamas, provides security to Israel. "We try to express that this is not true. As the contact group, we have highlighted that Palestinians currently need security and self-defense more than anyone else," he said. Fidan said international calls for a cease-fire and appeals for a two-state solution have no impact on Israel. "If another country had committed such a crime, it would certainly face all kinds of sanctions," he said. "Unfortunately, we cannot prevent bloodshed in Gaza alone because political systems are focused on staying blind; they do not want to open their eyes at all, or some countries have burdens from the past regarding Jews, and therefore, they cannot enter into this issue,' Fidan added. "Going back to the 1967 borders is important. Only then will the Israeli people truly achieve sustainable security," the Turkish diplomat said. Source: Anadolu Agency

Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, Athena Michailidou, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Education with her Austrian counterpart, Martin Polaschek, on the sidelines of her visit to Brussels. According to a press release by the Ministry, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is part of the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth "for the internationalisation of education in our country, while at the same time it serves the objective of deepening bilateral relations with Austria and strengthening bilateral dialogue both within the framework of the European Union and international organisations." Regarding the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Education which the Minister attended between February 29th and March 1st, under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, according to the Ministry matters of student mobility were discussed. The Minister shared with her counterparts good practices that Cyprus is implementing, such as the strengthening of multilingualism in Sec ondary General Education, as well as the development of policies aimed at increasing short term mobility. She also referred to the efforts to be made at European level, stressing the need to highlight the different approaches and priorities of Member States in order to encourage more accessible and sustainable mobility. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Friday warned of the 'continuation of genocide' in the Gaza Strip if a cease-fire agreement is not reached within the next two-three weeks. 'If we are not able in the next two to three weeks to reach a cease-fire then it means we will see another round of hostilities, attack against Rafah, another massacre, and continuation of genocide,' al-Maliki said on the sidelines of Antalya Diplomacy Forum. '(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu wants to drive people completely out of Gaza, and not only to leave Gaza uninhabitable,' he added. Regarding the Israeli policies in the West Bank, al-Maliki said: 'Israel … has a long-term interest not only to stay in the West Bank but also to displace people to pick them out of the West Bank into Jordan and to also annex the Palestinian territory.' 'That is why we see everyday confiscation of Palestinian land in the West Bank, construction of illegal settlements, destruction of Palestinian homes, attacks by se ttlers, rampaging everywhere,' the minister said. 'While everybody is focusing on the genocide that is taking place in Gaza, we should always remember that the real objective of Israel is the West Bank, the so-called Judea and Samaria Area,' he added. Source: Anadolu Agency

Eight Cypriot innovative companies participated in the largest IT and communications technology exhibition in the world, "Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2024" and "4 Years from Now" (4YFN). ?he Cypriot mission was led by the Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology of the Republic of Cyprus, Demetris Skourides, together with Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) officials, an RIF press release said here on Friday. It is noted that the Cypriot innovative companies Embio Diagnostics, Energyintel Services Ltd, Mirror3D Lab Ltd, Irerobot Ltd, Intellar Innovative Solutions Ltd, CY.R.I.C, Cocoon Creations Services Limited, TototheoTrading Ltd, exhibited their products and services at the Cypriot stand and had the opportunity to present them to thousands of visitors. At the same time, RIF officials informed foreign institutions about the potential of the technology and innovation sector in Cyprus, the State's strategies in Research, Innovation and Technology, as well as the various tools and i ncentives offered, which make the country attractive destination for innovative businesses. Every year the exhibition attracts the interest of thousands of businessmen, investors and scientists around the world. It is further noted that the Cypriot stand was also visited by Commissioner for Communications, George Michaelides. The participation of Cyprus in the exhibition is part of the actions implemented by RIF to promote the national innovation ecosystem abroad as well as to support the country's innovative businesses, the press release concludes. Source: Cyprus News Agency

ISTANBUL: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on Friday US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's remarks on possible confrontation if Ukraine fails in the war with Moscow a "Freudian slip of tongue." 'It is a like a Freudian slip of tongue, so, he's saying what they were thinking," Lavrov said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Trkiye. 'Before that everyone said that we cannot allow Ukraine to lose, because Putin wouldn't stop at that and would invade Poland, Finland … and now we hear someone openly saying, Secretary Austin openly saying that we do not have these plans, so it's the other way round and Americans have those plans, because they feel how Europeans is drifting away from them." The Russian minister said Europe is the main victim of the policy of trying to drag Ukraine into NATO. Speaking at a House Armed Services Committee hearing to discuss his recent hospitalization, Austin said if Ukraine falls, Russia and NATO could come into a direct military conflict. "Quite frankly, if Ukraine falls , I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia," Austin said. Source: Anadolu Agency

ISTANBUL: Indonesia and Australia have drawn global attention by declaring their intent to sign a 'very significant' defense agreement in the coming months. Experts believe the deal will be 'crucial' in Canberra's engagement with the wider Southeast Asia region, particularly amid the festering maritime disputes around the South China Sea. No details have been released about the agreement, which could take a few months to materialize, while Indonesia moves to new era under a new president from October. Analysts believe the pact would be 'especially important in the maritime domain,' given the adjacent maritime borders, exclusive economic zones, and search and rescue zones of the two nations. The security relationship between the two nations is based on the 2006 Framework for Security Cooperation, also known as the Lombok Treaty, and the 2012 Defense Cooperation Agreement. In 2018, the two countries elevated their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement. 'The new, upgraded Defense Coo peration Agreement will be a welcome addition to these existing arrangements,' David Andrews, a senior policy adviser at the Australian National University's National Security College, told Anadolu. 'But the fundamentals of the agreement are already in place.' What to expect in the defense pact The announcement about the defense pact came when Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles met his counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Indonesia last week. Prabowo is expected to become Indonesia's president in October as preliminary results of the Feb. 14 elections showed he was leading with over 55% of the vote. The proposed agreement 'aims to upgrade' the existing Defense Cooperation Agreement, according to Andrews. He said Canberra wants the pact to 'support increased dialogue and improved interoperability between the two militaries.' That could include 'mutual access to training ranges and expedited entry and exit processes for military personnel conducting exercises in the other country,' he added. The pote ntial scope of the pact is 'very broad, given the very substantial defense relationship between Australia and Indonesia,' he said. Andrews clarified that the agreement 'will not be an alliance or mutual defense treaty,' stressing that the focus 'would be purely on streamlining interactions between the two militaries, not establishing security guarantees.' While it may strengthen the bilateral relations, 'it is unlikely to be wholly transformational,' he added. 'To be clear … this agreement is not an alliance and we should be careful not to exaggerate the significance of what is a fairly common bilateral undertaking,' he said. Engaging ASEAN Jingdong Yuan from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) told Anadolu there have been expert views that Australia has not 'paid sufficient attention to this vital relationship' with Southeast Asia. Canberra has 'largely been 'out of the region' in either working closely with the US or being overly preoccupied with developments in the South Chin a Sea, cross-(Taiwan) Strait relations, and US-China rivalry,' said Yuan, the director of SIPRI's China and Asia Security Program. He pointed out that one 'important aspect of Australia's security should be to work' with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well its northern Pacific Island neighbors. Indonesia is one of 10 members of the ASEAN and shares maritime borders with China, which has disputes with several regional nations over the mineral-rich South China Sea. According to Yuan, Australia's Labor government has 'only begun to address this (security) concern, but clearly more needs to be done.' 'The very fact that a defense pact is to be signed is a major development of political significance - that Canberra is taking note that engagement of ASEAN is crucial,' Yuan stressed. 'Indonesia not taking sides' Analysts based in Beijing believe Indonesia is 'not interested in taking sides' in the fast-changing geopolitical environment in Asia-Pacific. Jakarta 'wants good regional and international relations,' Einar Tangen, a known face in Beijing who comments on Asian affairs, told Anadolu. Observers sitting in Beijing do follow such developments keenly since Australia is a long-time ally of the US, hosts American troops, is part of the US-led Quad security alliance and will secure nuclear-powered submarines through Washington and the UK under the AUKUS pact. 'Jakarta's primary interests are economic development and peaceful regional coexistence,' said Einar. Indonesia remains 'well aware that where Washington goes, conflict follows,' he said, stressing that 'balancing China and Australia on issues of economy and security are … not mutually exclusive.' 'The reality is that Australia is a neighbor, its close relations with the US are not seen as an impediment to maintaining cordial relations, in terms of economics and security,' he explained. - Dispute in South China Sea Einar, who is a senior fellow at the Beijing-based Taihe Institute, said the larger issue is that of maritime bord ers. It 'is the South China Sea issue between ASEAN members, Taiwan and mainland China,' he said. Beijing claims vast maritime territory in South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line, which The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration said in 2016 has no legal basis under international law. China says the ruling is not valid and has been in negotiations with ASEAN since 2001 for a code of conduct for the disputed sea. In an apparent move to avoid irking Beijing, Indonesia, which was the ASEAN chair last year, had moved the bloc's first naval exercises away from the disputed sea to its southern Natuna Islands in September. However, China's relations with the Philippines have recently spiraled over their maritime disputes, and the US has increased its military footprint there, getting access to four more military bases. Einar stressed that Beijing 'needs to be creative and timely … to counter Washington's efforts to exploit' the South China Sea issue. A consensus solution among all claimants in the South China Sea 'would effectively block US efforts to use this as a divisive issue,' he said. Source: Anadolu Agency