Category: Government

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday that Europe must prepare to be totally cut off from Russian gas supplies.

 

“No one knows what Russia will do; it’s an authoritarian state without public debate. That’s why we are preparing for the worst-case scenario,” Sanchez told the Spanish Senate as he defended his plans to cope with the energy crisis.

 

He said Spain is already increasing energy imports from a diverse range of countries, boosting renewable production, and reducing consumption, although the country has relatively low dependence on Russian gas.

 

“That doesn’t mean the energy crisis isn’t affecting us, and it could get worse by slowing our economic growth or forcing us to adopt more energy-saving measures,” Sanchez said.

 

“Even though our supply is secured, we would have to do what we can because if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin turns off the taps in the north, we’ll have to help our fellow Europeans. Spain isn’t just in the EU to be helped, but also to contribute,” he said.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Egypt withdrew from an Arab League meeting on Tuesday in protest of chairing the session by the Libyan foreign minister in the outgoing government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

 

The 158th ordinary session of the Cairo-based Arab League opened earlier Tuesday in the Egyptian capital under the presidency of Najla al-Mangoush.

 

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left the meeting over al-Mangoush’s chairing the meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid told the state news agency MENA.

 

“This topic has been discussed in the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers before the start of the official session,” he said. “We have to wait for the outcomes of the meetings throughout the day in this regard.”

 

Al-Mangoush, for her part, termed the Egyptian withdrawal as a “violation” of the Arab League charter and UN Security Council resolutions.

 

“We respect the withdrawal of the Egyptian foreign minister, but disagree with it as it violates the Arab League charter and UN Security Council resolutions,” she told a press conference.

 

“The National Unity Government is supported by international conventions, and it is the last national transitional government till holding elections,” al-Mangoush added.

 

Egyptian media earlier reported that the government of Fathi Bashagha, who was appointed by the east Libya-based parliament as prime minister in March, has protested al-Mangoush’s chairing of the Arab League meeting.

 

Dbeibeh, the head of the Tripoli-based National Unity Government, has refused to step down, insisting he will only cede authority to a government that comes through an “elected parliament,” raising fears that Libya could slip back into a civil war.

 

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

German lawmakers are calling for the closure of the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, France this winter due to Europe’s worsening energy crisis.

 

“Until spring, we should meet only in Brussels,” German CDU lawmaker Peter Liese said in a letter to EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola, adding that this would save on heating and energy costs.

 

Although Brussels, Belgium is the EU capital, the EU Parliament is headquartered in Strasbourg, near the French-German border.

 

MEPs hold plenary sessions in Strasbourg, while committee meetings, mini-plenaries and daily administration take place in the EU capital, Brussels.

 

Several German MEPs from various parties told Bild daily that the energy and money spent for travelling for the meetings in Strasbourg is inappropriate in view of the growing energy crisis in Europe.

 

MEP Moritz Korner of the liberal FDP party said continuing to meet in Strasbourg would make a “mockery of taxpayers.”

 

The Strasbourg parliament building should be “immediately sent into energy hibernation,” he told Bild daily.

 

Daniel Freund, a Green Party MEP, also spoke in favor of closing the parliament in Strasbourg.

 

The EU Parliament should no longer meet in Strasbourg “until the energy crisis is over,” he told the daily.

 

EU lawmakers have long called for an end to the practice of moving between Strasbourg and Brussels to lower costs and protect the environment, but France opposes this due to prestige and the significant revenue its hospitality sector generates when the plenary is in session.

 

The setup demands EU lawmakers, thousands of their staffers, and confidential documents be transported to France once a month for the plenary sessions.

 

According to Michael Jager, secretary general of the European Taxpayers’ Association, the “traveling circus” between Brussels and Strasbourg is “an ecological and economic disaster.”

 

He told Bild daily that the current energy crisis should lead to a rethink among decision-makers.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Ukrainian army recaptured from Russian forces four settlements in the Kherson region and one settlement in the Kharkiv region, according to local media on Tuesday.

 

Ukraine took control of the Davydiv Brid, Starosillya, Novopetrivka, and Dudchany settlements in the Kherson region as well as the village of Bohuslavka in Kharkiv.

 

The Ukrainian army launched an offensive against Russian forces in the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions.

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that since last month, more than 450 settlements in Kharkiv alone have been recaptured from Russian forces.

 

After the holding of referendums condemned by the international community as a “sham,” last week parts of Kherson and all of Donetsk were declared annexed by Russia, along with other regions of Ukraine.

 

Türkiye has firmly rejected the annexation, calling it “a grave violation of the established principles of international law.”

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

 

As ballot boxes closed at the end of Bulgaria’s early general elections on Sunday, the party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov appeared poised to take first place, according to unofficial results.

 

According to the preliminary results based on exit polls announced by the Alpha Research agency, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), will have the most seats in parliament with 25.5% of the vote. GERB is led by Borissov, who served as prime minister for more than a decade until 2021.

 

Following GERB, the We Continue the Change (PP) party took second place with 19.9% of votes.

 

With the vast support it enjoys from among the country’s Turk and Muslim community, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms became third-largest party in the Bulgarian parliament.

 

Voter turnout was roughly 35% in the snap elections.

 

Bulgaria went to the polls on Sunday for early general elections for the fourth time in less than two years.

 

The snap elections were held after the third and final attempt to form a government in the country failed this summer.

 

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) was given a mandate on July 18 to form a government and officially returned it to President Rumen Radev.

 

Bulgaria has been marred by political instability since Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s government collapsed in a no-confidence vote in June.

 

* Writing by Seda Sevencan

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Polls in Brazil closed on Sunday as the country held elections to choose a new president, with the Supreme Election Court announcing that vote counting has begun.

 

Polling stations closed at 5 p.m. local time (2000GMT). People headed to the polling booths to vote for electing the president and vice president for the next four years.

 

Eleven candidates competed in the election, including favorites left-wing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — a former president — and far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

 

In the presidential race, if none of the candidates get more than 50% of the vote, the two front-runners will compete in a runoff on Oct. 30.

 

Lula, a former union leader, was a candidate during the 2018 presidential election until a corruption and money laundering conviction curtailed his political aspirations. He was sent to prison and Bolsonaro, a former army captain, won the presidency.

 

In 2019, Lula was released from prison after his convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court, allowing him to run again for office.

 

For over a year, Bolsonaro has also cast doubt on whether he would respect the election results, raising concerns about Brazil’s electronic voting system without providing evidence.

 

The October election will be the first since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019 as fears political violence persist, with rights groups suggesting he may contest the vote and reports emerging of Bolsonaro backers killing supporters of Lula amid the charged environment.

 

The polls indicate a possible first round win for Lula, though some observers forecast a tighter race.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Thousands of Russian soldiers are encircled by Ukrainian forces in Lyman city in the Donetsk region, a Ukrainian official said on Saturday.

 

“Nearly 5,000 Russian soldiers ended up in ‘#Lyman Cauldron’,” Serhiy Hayday, the governor of the Luhansk regional administration, said on Twitter.

 

The Ukrainian forces have “blocked almost all the ways of leaving and transporting ammunition to Russians,” Hayday said.

 

“After the de-occupation of Liman, #Luhansk region is the next,” he added.

 

Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for the eastern group of Ukrainian armed forces, said that Ukrainian troops have taken back the control of Yampil, Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Drobysheve and Stavky settlements near Lyman.

 

Ukrainian army’s advance toward Lyman city continues. The city has been under the control of Russian forces for a long time.

 

On Friday, Cherevaty said that the encirclement of Russian troops in Lyman is at the completion stage.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions.

 

On Sept. 23 – 27, the Ukrainian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian-controlled parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson held referendums on joining Russia.

 

The referendums have been condemned by the international community, with European nations and the US calling them a “sham” and saying that they will not be recognized.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday ruled out claims that his country is experiencing an axis shift.

 

“Some circles were trying to portray our foreign policy initiatives as a ‘shift of axis.’ However, Türkiye is not experiencing a shift of axis; it is strengthening its own axis by simultaneously having different diplomatic relations in the world on the basis of our national interests,” Erdogan said at parliament in the capital Ankara.

 

Located at the crossroads of three continents, Türkiye is significantly affected by global developments, he said.

 

“Türkiye does not have the luxury of closing in, isolating itself from the outside world and watching the events in its region by sitting on the fence,” he added.

 

Erdogan described Ankara’s policy as “constructive and active,” taking initiative in solving global and regional problems.

 

He underlined that Türkiye, does not “seek escalation” with other countries, nor would it “yield to pressure no matter where it comes from.”

 

“We strongly defend Türkiye’s rights in all areas with an honorable, patient, determined and prudent attitude,” he said, vowing not to harm the nation’s dignity.

 

About the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan said Türkiye had opted for peace, dialogue, and being a “fair referee.”

 

“Given our close relations with both countries, we preferred to strive to end the war instead of fanning the fire and inciting sedition,” he said.

 

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which paused after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February.

 

“The UN, whose prestige has been shaken due to its inadequacy in the face of global crises, saw one of its greatest achievements in recent years through this agreement resulting from the intensive efforts of our country,” Erdogan said.

 

Also, he said, a recent prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine under Ankara’s initiative has moved Turkish diplomacy up to a “much higher league.”

 

“In our contacts on the occasion of 77th General Assembly of the UN, we were pleased to see the level achieved by Turkish foreign policy.

 

“We have personally witnessed that the steps taken by our country in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the migration issue, humanitarian aid, the fight against terrorism and peacekeeping have won the appreciation of the whole world,” he added.

 

Türkiye calls on Greece to refrain from provocations

 

Turning to the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the Turkish president stressed that it was home to two separate states and peoples.

 

Erdogan underlined that isolation and embargoes must come to an end on the island and that all promises on the international recognition of Turkish Cypriots must be honored.

 

He also reiterated Türkiye’s refusal to accept a recent decision by the US to lift an arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus.

 

“The encouragement shown to Greece, which is arming islands with non-military status in Aegean, goes against all reason, belief,” Erdogan said, adding that it also contradicts the “idea of alliance.”

 

The president said pursuing a policy of provocation and tension in the region would not be in anybody’s interest.

 

“On every occasion, we repeat that we know who unleash Greece on us once again after 100 years and that we are aware of the game that is being played,” he added.

 

Erdogan called on the Greek leadership to refrain from provocations that would lead it and its people to disaster.

 

Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaty obligations, saying that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts towards peace.

 

Türkiye’s fight against terrorism

 

On Türkiye’s fight against terrorism, Erdogan said the country’s security forces, including its military and intelligence services, would “leave no stone unturned to fight terrorists.”

 

“We provided our security forces with the means and capabilities that will enable them to carry out their mission of fighting terrorism and protecting our country against regional and global threats,” he said.

 

Erdogan underscored that Türkiye’s strategy to preserve peace and security was to eliminate threats at their source beyond the country’s borders.

 

“We implement this strategy by saying that ‘we may arrive unannounced at night’,” he added.

 

The president said Türkiye would continue its efforts to destroy a “corridor” that terrorists are attempting to build along its border. He added that since Türkiye’s cross-border operations in Syria began in 2016, approximately 526,000 uprooted Syrians in Türkiye had voluntarily returned to the resulting safe zones in their country.

 

“As a country that has been fighting terrorism for nearly 40 years and has lost tens of thousands lives to terrorism, we are not in a position to make concessions to anyone on this issue,” said Erdogan.

 

“With our operations in Syria and northern Iraq, we have disabled separatist traitors,” he added, referring to members of the PKK terrorist group.

 

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

 

Türkiye ‘diligently’ monitoring Sweden, Finland’s efforts under NATO deal

 

Referring to Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO, Erdogan said Türkiye had clearly shown its commitment to the fight against terrorism during NATO’s most recent enlargement.

 

“We ensured that NATO identified terrorism as one of the main threats to the alliance in its New Strategy Paper adopted in Madrid. With the tripartite memorandum we signed before the Madrid summit, we created a record of our expectation in the fight against terrorism,” he added.

 

The president said Türkiye was “diligently” monitoring Sweden and Finland’s efforts to fulfill their commitments.

 

“The final decision will be made by our assembly (parliament) on behalf our nation. Until the promises made to our country are kept, we will continue our principled and determined structure,” Erdogan stressed.

 

Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

 

However, Türkiye voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

 

A trilateral memorandum at the NATO summit signed among the countries in June stipulates that Finland and Sweden will not provide support to the YPG/PYD, the PKK’s Syrian offshoot, or to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) — the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye.

 

Foreign policy

 

Erdogan also said that a climate of diplomatic normalization had begun to make progress in Türkiye’s vicinity, the Middle East.

 

“Our relations with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are developing on the basis of mutual interests, and a similar process is underway with Egypt,” Erdogan said.

 

He reiterated the importance of the Palestinian cause for Türkiye and that Ankara would always stand with the Palestinians.

 

Erdogan also voiced support for Azerbaijan, underlining that Türkiye was doing its part to ensure lasting peace in that country’s region.

 

“Through the special representatives we have appointed, we have demonstrated our will to take our relations with Armenia to a new level. Armenia should make good use of the peace opportunity we are extended,” he stressed.

 

Erdogan hinted at a possible meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Czech capital Prague, where the European Political Community Summit is scheduled for Oct. 6-7.

 

Turning to the economy, he said that, taking purchasing power parity into account, Türkiye was the 11th largest economy in the world and the fourth largest in Europe in 2021.

 

“Türkiye was one of the most fastest growing countries in the G20 even when the COVID-19 pandemic deeply shook the world economy,” he added.

 

He stressed that Türkiye had become one of the first countries in the world able to design, produce, and export its own defense industry products, including those for manned-unmanned aerial, land, and sea vehicles, as well as hardware and software.

 

Noting that Türkiye had discovered a total of 540 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the Black Sea, he said:

 

“We are gradually reducing our foreign dependency by investing in domestic and renewable energy production.”

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

Bosnia and Herzegovina is preparing to hold elections on Sunday to choose lawmakers at the canton, entity, and national levels, as well as the three members of its Presidential Council.

 

Over 5,900 ballot boxes across the country will be open at 7.00 a.m. local time (0500GMT) with polling stations to receive voters for 12 hours, according to the Central Election Commission, with 60,000 observers to be on duty on the election day.

 

Some 3.3 million people are expected to vote for members of parliament in the country’s two entities — the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska — as well as 10 cantons within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

Voters will also choose representatives for the national parliament Presidential Council and .

 

Bosnia Herzegovina’s political structure is often dubbed as one of the most complicated in the world.

 

A total of nine candidates will compete in the election for the Bosniak, Serb, and Croat members of the Presidential Council.

 

This is the least number of candidates since 2002 when the four-year mandate was introduced.

 

That year, a total of 35 candidates competed for membership, with the number rapidly falling with each election since then.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency