Turkey News Gazette

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the European Union on Tuesday to improve its relations with the Asian powerhouse amid major European criticism over Beijing’s human rights record.

Speaking at an online round-table discussion hosted by the Munich Security Conference, Wang said: “I still have confidence in our relationship. I believe, we will be able to overcome the temporary difficulties through dialogue and communication.”

China’s top diplomat added: “We hope to have more communication with the European side to work out these differences.”

Wang stressed the EU was a “strategic partner” and not a rival.

In March, the EU imposed its first major sanctions against Chinese officials since 1989 over human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang region.

Wang warned against Western efforts “to politicize the situation” in that region.

“The Xinjiang issue is not about democracy, human rights or religion. Not at all. Since day one, it is a counter-terrorism issue,” he said.

China strongly denies allegations that it has cracked down on the Uighurs in Xinjiang, among other things by placing them in so-called “re-education centers” that have been likened to prison camps.

The EU has also repeatedly lambasted Beijing for its security clampdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Middle East and North Africa Short Film Week, or ODKA Short Film Week, organized by Turkey’s Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) will run from June 7 – 11, organizers said Thursday.

Four films will be screened each day, YEE said.

Participants in Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Morocco and all Arabic-speaking nations in the Middle East and North Africa can access the films 24 hours a day.

Cinema lovers will have an opportunity to watch interviews with directors and producers live on YEE’s social media accounts.

Ten award-winning Turkish and 10 Arab short films that have been viewed in international festivals will be shown via the odka.eventive.org website.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s director of communications said Thursday that the 1960 coup in the country was the starting point of a period that witnessed a few coups.

“It would not be wrong to refer to the coup of 1960 ‘the birthday of the tutelage’, as the era of coups, beginning with the violation of the principle of sovereignty, lasted for many years,” Fahrettin Altun said in his opening speech at a virtual meeting – titled Assault on the Nation’s Will: International Conference on May 27, 1960.

Marking the 61st anniversary of the coup, Altun noted the Turkish nation would always remember and remain grateful to then Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, Finance Minister Hasan Polatkan and Foreign Minister Fatin Rustu Zorlu, who were executed by the military junta after show trials on the island of Yassiada.

The coup of 1960 paved the way for military coup by memorandum in 1971, coup of 1980 and the military memorandum of 1997, he said.

“Democrat Party and its successor social-political movements represented national will against tutelage regime. However, these movements were confronted through coups,” said Altun.

He underscored that the coups also undermined Turkey’s economic development and foreign policy interests.

Turkey has become “an island of safety and stability” in the region under the leadership of its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Altun said, adding: “There is no more room within our borders for the terrorist organizations and illegal structures to act.”

After a biased and illegal trial on the Yassiada island, the country’s president Celal Bayar, prime minister, finance minister and foreign minister were sentenced to death.

Bayar later received clemency from the sentence.

Yassiada, one of the Princes’ Islands located in the Sea of Marmara southeast of Istanbul, is notorious for jails and trials from the 1960 military coup. It was renamed Democracy and Liberties Island in 2013.

Last year, Erdogan inaugurated Democracy and Liberties Island.

The island, leaving its dark history behind, has been converted into a congress center and open-air museum and is available for daily visits.

Democracy and Liberties Island has two main functions. First, it is a memorial to the Menderes era.

Moreover, the island hosts national and international democracy and human rights meetings, and the experiences in this area are shared on a global level.

– Island dedicated to Menderes era

The hall where the trial was held was converted into the May 27 Museum. It exhibits the documents, chairs and microphones used during the trial as well as wax sculptures.

Another structure on the island — the “Democracy and Liberties Museum,” covering a 7,768-square-meter area — conveys the world’s experience of democracy and history of human rights.

A documentary is also shown in the hall.

The island also showcases sculptures and objects in open spaces.

At least 40,000 trees were planted on the island, while the existing trees and registered buildings are protected.

It also has a library, exhibition hall, viewing terraces and Democracy Park.

The 24-meter-long Democracy Lantern symbolizes the transition from darkness to light and the future of democracy.

– US was not surprised by coup

Christopher Gunn, a lecturer at the University of Coastal Carolina, spoke about the international perspective on the coup and said there was a myth until 10 years ago that the US was not aware of the coup, and that it was surprised by that.

“The myth that the US was taken by surprise [by the coup] is not true,” Gunn said, adding: “The US clearly knew that a coup was pending in May of 1960.”

“Turkey was too important to the US and to the NATO alliance for them to have been taken by surprise by the events of May 1960,” he said, adding that the Turkish army is the second largest army in NATO.

Gunn said the army was equipped with US financial support, and there were 26 US and NATO bases as well as over 13,000 US military personnel in Turkey in 1960.

Source: Anadolu Agency

US stocks opened mixed on Thursday as volatility fell for the fourth consecutive day but yields were on the increase.

The Dow Jones added 242 points to 34,565 at 9.40 a.m. EDT (1340GMT). Ford soared 5% to $14.48, climbing to its highest level in five years after the car company said it will be focusing on transitioning to electric vehicles with software applications.

The S&P 500 rose 15 to 4,211 with electric carmaker Tesla shedding 0.1%.

The Nasdaq, on the other hand, was down 19 to 13,718 with Airbnb jumping 4%.

The VIX volatility index was down for a fourth consecutive day by 1.1% to 17.16, but the yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds reversed course, adding 2.4% to 1.611%.

The dollar index, which shows the strength of the greenback against a basket of six other major currencies, was flat at around 90.06. The euro showed some weakness by falling less than 0.1% against the dollar to 1.2184.

After rallying more than 11% on Monday and losing 5% on Tuesday, Bitcoin continued its volatility. The world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap was down around 5% earlier but managed to climb above the psychological level of $40,000 with a 2.6% daily gain.

Gold dived below the key $1,900 per ounce level and it was trading with a 0.3% loss at $1,890. Silver remained weak, losing 0.2% at 27.62.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Only a political solution will end the “senseless and costly cycles of violence” between Israelis and Palestinians, a UN envoy told the Security Council on Thursday.

During his briefing via teleconference, Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland said a cessation of hostilities is holding between Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel following nearly two weeks of hostilities.

“This is not the first time we are witnessing the end of a war in Gaza. Each time, those who lose the most are the civilians,” said Wennesland.

A total of 277 Palestinian civilians were killed, including 70 children and 40 women, while thousands are wounded and 75,000 displaced in the occupied Palestinian territories during 11 days of an Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Wennesland reiterated the UN’s appeal to the international community to work with the international body to develop an integrated, robust package of support for a swift recovery and sustainable reconstruction that supports the Palestinian people and strengthens their institutions.

“I am committed to ensuring that the United Nations plays its part,” said the UN envoy.

Earlier Thursday, the UN requested nearly $100 million in contributions from member states for violence-hit Palestinian territories.

Humanitarian Coordinator of the occupied Palestinian territory, Lynn Hastings, launched an emergency plan to support those affected by the latest escalation and violence in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

“Along with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, Ms Hastings called on all Member States to contribute generously towards the $95 million plan, to allow for a swift and full implementation over the next three months,” according to a statement.

Source: Anadolu Agency

China on Thursday held a closed-door trial of an Australian academic jailed for last two years over alleged spying, according to local media.

Lijian Zhao, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, told a news conference in Beijing that a Beijing court heard the case of Chinese-born Yang Jun, or Yang Hengjun, state-run daily Global Times reported.

Yang, 56, is charged with espionage, he said, adding that the court will “pronounce its verdict at a later date.” He is one of the two Australians detained over alleged charges of spying.

“As state secrets are involved, the trial is not public,” said Lijian.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had said last October that Yang Jun was “officially charged with espionage”.

Yang’s case was subsequently transferred to Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court for prosecution.

He was detained in January 2019 at the airport in Guangzhou when he landed in the Chinese city with his family after flying from the US. China formally arrested him over alleged espionage in August 2019.

The Australian academic, under investigation over the charges of alleged espionage, may face death penalty or long years in jail.

Separately, Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian journalist, who worked for Chinese public broadcaster CGTN, was formally arrested in February over “suspicion of illegally supplying state secrets overseas.”

She was detained in August last year, before Australia confirmed it in February.

Australia’s Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher who tried to attend Yang’s trial was reportedly turned away by the local authorities.

“This is deeply regrettable, concerning and unsatisfying,” Fletcher told Hong Kong-based RTHK news outside the courtroom.

“We’ve long had concerns about this case, including a lack of transparency, and therefore conclude it to be an instance of arbitrary detention,” he added.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Thursday that the lawyer met Yang on May 21, voicing concern over “delayed, limited legal representation in China.”

“We have not seen any explanation or evidence for the charges that have been brought against him,” Payne said, adding Yang has been provided consular support “in every way possible” by the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

She added Australia was not interfering in the Chinese legal system but “the concerns we have raised are legitimate ones,” hoping the trial will be “transparent.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

There is insufficient evidence to properly assess the origins of the global coronavirus pandemic, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said on Thursday.

“The U.S. Intelligence Community does not know exactly where, when, or how the COVID-19 virus was transmitted initially but has coalesced around two likely scenarios: either it emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals or it was a laboratory accident,” spokeswoman Amanda Schoch said in a statement.

“While two elements of the IC lean toward the former scenario and one leans more toward thae latter — each with low or moderate confidence — the majority of elements within the IC do not believe there is sufficient information to assess one to be more likely than the other,” she added, using an acronym for the intelligence community.

US President Joe Biden tasked his intelligence community on Wednesday with intensifying its investigation into the origins of the pandemic and gave intelligence agencies 90 days to report back to him on their findings.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that three researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology became seriously ill in November 2019, and required hospital care to treat symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection and other seasonal illnesses.

The report was based on US intelligence.

The pandemic is widely regarded as beginning in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. It has claimed more than 3.5 million lives and infected 168 million people since it was first detected, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

Biden said Thursday he will almost certainly release in full the intelligence report he ordered into the virus’ origins.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Private lender Isbank on Thursday announced that it became the first Turkish bank to offer payment guarantee in foreign trade using blockchain technology.

According to a written statement by the bank, the transaction, in which Turkish glass manufacturer Sisecam, German-based chemicals company Kuraray Europe GmbH, Isbank, and Commerzbank were the parties, was carried out on the Marco Polo platform on May 10.

The bank tested the blockchain technology through the two transactions conducted in the pilot environment in May and November last year and this last one has become the first live foreign trade transaction conducted through the blockchain technology in Turkey.

The transaction between Germany and Turkey was also the first one conducted in the payment guarantee module of the international Marco Polo platform, it said.

Commenting on the conduct, Isbank Deputy Chief Executive Sahismail Simsek said the blockchain technology and smart contracts eliminated the operational workload in conventional business models, constituting an alternative which offers transparency, speed, and trust for the parties.

“Following the two pilot transactions we carried out in 2020, we have now successfully completed a live foreign trade transaction by using the blockchain technology,” he stressed.

The use of payment methods based on physical documents is decreasing and the need for data matching and banking services based on electronic commerce is increasing, he added.

Cyril Broutin, Marco Polo’s head of business development in Turkey, also said: “We are immensely proud to have Isbank as a partner bank and Sisecam as the first Turkish corporate client on the Marco Polo Network and are grateful for their vision and commitment to digital trade.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday condemned the recent Israeli attacks on Palestinians and the use of “deadly force” against protesters and “state-sponsored violence” by settlers.

Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, addressed a special session of the 47-member Human Rights Council on behalf of the OIC to discuss the “serious human rights situation” in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“On behalf of the OIC member states that have requested the special session, we strongly condemn Israel’s recent military aggression, use of lethal force against peaceful protestors, and state-sponsored settler violence against the Palestinian people,” said Hashmi.

At the session, the OIC called for a special investigation into “widely reported war crimes” committed during the recent 11-day fighting that started on May 10.

“We also deplore unacceptable actions by the occupation forces including unauthorized entry into Al-Aqsa Mosque, use of force and undermining the sanctity of the places of worship during the holy month of Ramadan,” said the Pakistani envoy.

“The OIC condemns the growing pace of illegal evictions and demolition of Palestinian homes and properties.”

In 11 days, Hashmi noted, 277 Palestinian civilians had been killed, including 70 children and 40 women, while 8,500 are wounded and 75,000 displaced in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Pakistani envoy said that critical civilian infrastructures, such as schools, hospitals, and media outlets, were deliberately targeted and flattened by “the occupying power.”

“As a result, today, the Palestinian people have limited access to water, sanitation, and health services, as they brave a deadly COVID virus and even a deadlier occupier,” said Hashmi.

“There is no legal and moral equivalence between the occupier and the occupied. The OIC reaffirms its unstinted support for the legitimate struggle of Palestinian people for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination,” he added.​​​​​​​

Source: Anadolu Agency