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  • Turkish shipbuilder STM to build 3 vessels for Malaysia

    Turkish shipbuilder STM to build 3 vessels for Malaysia

    ISTANBUL — Turkey will construct 3 vessels for the Royal Malaysian Navy under the latter’s Littoral Objective Ship Batch 2 Job as part of an offer signed by the 2 countries.

    This marks the very first time Malaysia has actually signed a government-to-government contract to obtain defense devices.

    The nations tattooed the offer at an event Monday, throughout which Turkish defense market chief Haluk Görgün and Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated STM will construct the littoral objectives ships in Turkey.

    “Throughout the modification of the ships, items from a variety of Turkish defense market companies, consisting of Havelsan, Aselsan and Roketsan, will be utilized. I completely think that the LMS Batch 2 Job is simply the start of long-lasting cooperations on marine platforms in between the 2 nations,” Görgün stated.

    STM’s basic supervisor, Özgür Güleryüz, stated that following deal with marine platforms for the Pakistan Navy, the company is now concentrated on continuing the building of 2 corvettes for Ukraine.

    Güleryüz included that building for Malaysia’s ships will start in 2024, with the prepared shipment to occur in 3 and a half years.

    As part of the job, STM will build and gear up the ships in Turkey with substantial involvement from other regional defense business, consisting of equipping them with the 30mm Muhafiz remote regulated supported weapon system; the Cenk 3D search radar; the Ares electronic support group; the Akrep fire control radar; a chaff decoy system; a recognition pal or enemy system; and other electronic sensing units.

    Furthermore, the ships will be geared up with the Atmaca anti-ship rocket established by Roketsan, and the fight management system and 76mm weapon fire control system established by Havelsan. There was no details about air defense rockets.

    The requirements of the ships are:

    • Length: 99.56 meters

    • Width: 14.42 meters

    • Draft: 3.94 meters

    • Displacement: about 2,500 heaps

    • Optimum speed: about 26 knots

    • Travelling speed: 14 knots

    • Variety: 4000-plus nautical miles at 14 knots

    • Worker capability: 111

    • Stamina: 2 week

  • Syria states no discussion with Turkey before Ankara reveals strategies to withdraw its soldiers

    Syria states no discussion with Turkey before Ankara reveals strategies to withdraw its soldiers

    DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s foreign minister stated Tuesday that any discussion in between Syria and Turkey must follow Ankara’s statement that it will withdraw its soldiers from all Syrian areas it manages.

    Faisal Mekdad’s remarks throughout a joint press conference with Iran’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, followed Turkey threatened in current days to act versus Kurdish-led authorities in Syria’s northeast as they prepare to hold local elections next week.

    Turkey has actually released 3 significant cross-border operations into Syria considering that 2016 and manages some areas in the north. Ankara was a primary backer of Syrian opposition fighters who have actually been attempting to eliminate Syrian President Bashar Assad from power considering that the dispute started in March 2011.

    Efforts to fix up in between Syria and Turkey have actually stopped working to accomplish development considering that early 2023 in spite of conferences in Moscow in between the nations’ foreign ministers and defense ministers.

    “The primary condition to any Syrian-Turkish discussion is for Ankara to reveal its preparedness to withdraw from our lands that it inhabits,” Mekdad stated. “We do not work out with those who inhabit our land.”

    Bagheri Kani stated Tehran has actually constantly supported territorial stability of all local nations, especially Syria. “We have actually supported and will continue to support Syria in its fight versus terrorism,” he stated, in recommendation to Syrian insurgent groups that Damascus and Tehran think about terrorist companies.

    Iran and Russia, primary backers of Assad who participated in Syria’s dispute that has actually eliminated half a million individuals, have actually attempted to moderate in between Turkey and Syria in the past. Throughout the years, Syrian federal government forces have actually taken control of the majority of parts of Syria with their assistance.

    On Turkey’s assistance to Syrian insurgent groups in the north, Mekdad stated: “It is not allowable for the Turkish profession of Syrian lands to continue to support terrorist companies in northern Syria.”

    Recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Ankara won’t be reluctant to act versus Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria that it implicates of links to banned Kurdish militants, if they continue with strategies to hold regional elections in the area on June 11.

    Pro-government Syrian media outlets stated Bagheri Kani satisfied earlier Tuesday at the Iranian embassy in Damascus with leaders of Syria-based Palestinian factions. They offered no more information.

    In Lebanon, Hezbollah revealed that its leader Hassan Nasrallah satisfied and talked about with Bagheri Kani the unpredictable scenario in Gaza and along the Lebanon-Israel border. Bagheri Kani remained in Lebanon before heading to Syria.

    Bagheri Kani informed press reporters that he remained in Syria to go over “an instant end to the Zionists’ criminal activities in (the southern city of) Rafah and providing immediate, instant and genuine help to the oppressed homeowners of Gaza.”

  • Poland gets last TB2 drone shipment from Turkey’s Baykar

    Poland gets last TB2 drone shipment from Turkey’s Baykar

    MERSIN, Turkey — Turkish drone producer Baykar has actually provided to Poland the last batch of Bayraktar TB2 battle systems bought for $270 million, the business revealed.

    Poland signed a handle May 2021 for the drones and involved devices. The agreement stated the shipment of 4 systems, each of that include 6 airplane and 3 ground control stations.

    Baykar very first provided 6 TB2s in October 2022 at an event held at Poland’s 12th Unmanned Aerial Cars Base.

    On Might 16, it finished the delivery of a cumulative 24 TB2s throughout an occasion kept in Poland. Guests consisted of Poland’s deputy defense minister, the head of Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries firm, and the basic supervisor of Baykar.

    Haluk Bayraktar, who leads the business, composed Thursday on the social networks website X that the company “provided the last system of our Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs to Poland. Hence, for the very first time in Turkey’s history, we have actually effectively finished the export of modern UCAVs to [both] a NATO and EU member nation.”

    Defense News has actually called Poland’s Defence Ministry for talk about how the drones will be utilized, and whether Ukraine will get any.

    Ukraine is presently battling a Russian intrusion, which has actually greatly included drone warfare. The TB2 made headings when Ukrainian forces utilized them versus Russia early on in the war.

    The medium-altitude, long-endurance drone can assist with reconnaissance, target recognition for weapons and accuracy strikes. It includes a sophisticated avionic suite with a system that enables self-governing taxiing, launch, landing and travelling.

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  • Greece’s prime minister in Turkey for talks as the regional rivals seek to improve relations

    ISTANBUL (AP) — Greece’s leader arrived in Turkey’s capital on Monday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as both countries pursue a normalization program and seek to put aside decades-old disputes.

    Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was welcomed by Erdogan and a military guard of honor at the presidential palace in Ankara before the leaders’ fourth meeting over the past year. They are expected to hold two hours of discussions followed by a news conference.

    Turkey and Greece, which are NATO members, have been at odds for decades over a series of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and drilling rights in the Mediterranean, and have come to the brink of war three times in the last half-century. A dispute over energy exploration rights in 2020 led to the two countries’ warships facing off in the Mediterranean.

    They agreed last December to put their disputes aside and focus on areas where they can find consensus. The list of items on the so-called positive agenda includes trade, energy, education and cultural ties.

    Since that summit in Athens, the regional rivals have maintained regular high-level contacts to promote fence-mending initiatives, such as allowing Turkish citizens to visit 10 Greek islands without cumbersome visa procedures.

    The propensity for quarrels remains, however. The recent opening of a former Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul for use as a mosque led to Greece accusing Turkey of “insulting the character” of a World Heritage Site.

    Turkey, meanwhile, criticized a Greek plan unveiled last month for “marine parks” in parts of the Ionian and Aegean Seas. Ankara said the one-sided declaration was “a step that sabotages the normalization process.”

    But such low-level disputes are far removed from relations a few years ago, when energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean resulted in a naval confrontation and a vow by Erdogan to halt talks with Mitsotakis’ government.

    The two countries are also locked in a dispute over Cyprus, divided since 1974 between its ethnic Greek and Turkish populations. For the past seven years, Turkey has rejected a long-standing agreement for a reunified Cyprus under a federal system. Instead, Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot administration, which is only recognized by Turkey, have proposed a two-state solution.

    Erdogan and Mitsotakis have sharp differences over the Israel-Hamas war, but are keen to hold back further instability in the Mediterranean as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds on.

    The recent thaw in relations was partly helped by Greek solidarity after last year’s devastating earthquake in southern Turkey. Erdogan has initiated a broader effort to reengage with Western countries following an election victory last year that saw him extend his two-decade rule by a further five years.

    Speaking before the meeting, Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said that the leaders would review progress in bilateral relations and the agreed upon areas of cooperation.

    “Our country seeks to maintain the climate of dialogue with the neighboring country,” he said, adding that “we believe that dialogue is only positive for the two countries.”

    ___

    Elena Becatoros contributed to this report from Athens, Greece.

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  • Turkey Arrests Spider Smuggler Said to Be American Museum of Natural History Curator

    Turkey Arrests Spider Smuggler Said to Be American Museum of Natural History Curator

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police arrested a man suspected of trying to smuggle valuable poisonous spiders and scorpions out of the country, with state media identifying the suspect on Monday as a curator at New York’s American Museum of Natural History.

    Police arrested the suspect at Istanbul Airport on Sunday and seized dozens of bags from his luggage containing some 1,500 scorpions and spiders, including tarantulas, as well as dozens of plastic bottles containing unspecified liquids, police said.

    The state-owned Anadolu news agency reported the suspect was Lorenzo Prendini, a curator at the historic U.S. museum, without specifying a source.

    The American Museum of Natural History did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Prendini could not be reached.

    Police said the specimens seized were endemic to Turkey and that their DNA could be copied and their poisons milked for use in making medicines. The suspect faces charges under anti-smuggling law, it added without giving a name.

    “It is understood that these medicines have very high financial values and therefore taking these animal species abroad is strictly forbidden,” it said.

    It said research showed that the market value of one litre of medicine obtained from scorpion venom was worth $10 million.

    (Reporting by Omer Berberoglu and Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Nick Macfie)

    Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Israel files complaint with OECD over Turkey’s trade boycott

    Israel files complaint with OECD over Turkey’s trade boycott

    The Israeli government has filed a complaint against Turkey with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) after Ankara temporarily suspended trade with Israel due to the Gaza war.

    In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat on Friday called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan an “anti-Semitic dictator” who is violating international maritime law and disrupting global supply chains with the trade boycott.

    On Thursday, the Turkish government announced it was suspending all trade with Israel until the Israeli government allows unhindered access to Gaza for humanitarian aid.

    Barkat wrote that Israel expects the OECD to take action against Turkey for Erdoğan’s “delusional decision, which harms the entire European economy.”

    Erdoğan, in turn, defended Turkey’s actions on Friday, saying it was “no longer possible to be patient” in light of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. The Turkish president has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” against the Palestinians.

    Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned Erdoğan’s decision saying it was detrimental to the interests of Turkish people and businesses.

    “This is how a dictator behaves,” Katz wrote on X.

    Erdoğan highlighted a trade volume of $9.5 billion that Turkey is now foregoing. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, trade between Israel and Turkey was worth $6.8 billion in 2023.

    Israel was the 12th most important trading partner for Turkey last year.

    Meanwhile, observers say that Ankara’s decision also reflects domestic political tensions in Turkey.

    Opposition parties have been criticizing Erdoğan’s Islamic conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP) for its continued trade relations with Israel.

    In the local elections at the end of March, the AKP was no longer the strongest party in the country for the first time in its history.

    The Paris-based OECD brings together 38 countries that are committed to democracy and a market economy.

    Alongside Germany, the US and 17 other countries, Turkey is one of the founding members of the organization, which was established in 1961.

    Israel has been a member of the OECD since 2010.

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  • Turkey halts trade with Israel over ‘humanitarian tragedy’ in Gaza

    Turkey halts trade with Israel over ‘humanitarian tragedy’ in Gaza

    Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel over its offensive in Gaza, citing the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in the strip.

    The Turkish trade ministry said the measures would be in place until Israel allowed an “uninterrupted and sufficient flow” of aid into Gaza.

    Trade between the two countries was worth almost $7bn ($5.6bn) last year.

    Israel’s foreign minister accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of acting like a “dictator”.

    Israel Katz said on X that Mr Erdogan was “disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen and ignoring international trade agreements”.

    He added that he had instructed the foreign ministry to find alternatives for trade with Turkey, with a focus on local production and imports from other countries.

    In a statement, Turkey said the trade suspension covered “all products”.

    “Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

    In 1949, Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognise Israel. But relations have worsened in recent decades.

    But in 2010, Turkey broke off diplomatic ties with Israel after 10 pro-Palestinian Turkish activists were killed in clashes with Israeli commandos who boarded a Turkish-owned ship trying to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.

    Relations were restored in 2016, but both countries expelled each other’s top diplomats two years later in a dispute over Israel’s killing of Palestinians amid protests on the Gaza-Israel border.

    Mr Erdogan has become increasingly strident in his criticism of Israel since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October last year.

    In January, he said the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched in response was “not any less than what Hitler did”.

    Mr Netanyahu responded: “Erdogan, who commits genocide against the Kurds, who holds a world record for imprisoning journalists who oppose his rule, is the last person who can preach morality to us”.

    Israel has come under increasing criticism for conditions in the Gaza Strip. A UN-backed assessment said last month that 1.1 million people were facing catastrophic hunger and that famine was imminent in northern Gaza by May.

    On Thursday, the White House said a pier built by the US military to facilitate the flow of aid into the territory would be open within days.

    Israel denies limiting aid deliveries and has blamed the UN for failing to distribute it to those in need inside Gaza.

    Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage.

    More than 34,500 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

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  • Turkey cuts off all trade with Israel in protest against Gaza war: report

    Turkey cuts off all trade with Israel in protest against Gaza war: report

    Turkey reportedly cut off all trade with Israel on Thursday, the latest move in the nation’s protest against the war in Gaza.

    Turkey’s government, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has yet to formally announce the move, but members of the Israeli government are already reacting to the potential fallout. Israel and Turkey traded some $6.8 billion worth of goods in 2023, the majority of which was Turkish exports, according to Bloomberg News.

    “Erdogan is breaking agreements by blocking ports for Israeli imports and exports,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

    “This is the behavior of a dictator who tramples the interests of the Turkish people and business community, while ignoring international trade agreements,” he added.

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    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown increasingly critical of Israel.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown increasingly critical of Israel.

    Turkey has not announced the conditions under which trade might resume.

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    “I have instructed the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry to immediately engage with all relevant parties in the government to create alternatives for trade with Turkey, focusing on local production and imports from other countries. Israel will emerge with a strong and daring economy,” Katz continued.

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's (above) government lashed out at Erdogan over his latest economic move.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's (above) government lashed out at Erdogan over his latest economic move.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s (above) government lashed out at Erdogan over his latest economic move.

    Turkey’s move expands on existing trade restrictions against Israel that the government announced last month. Israel has been at war with Hamas since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist organization sent fighters from Gaza into southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages.

    The economy is only one front in Turkey’s efforts against Israel, however. Erdogan’s government also agreed to join South Africa as a plaintiff in a United Nations court case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

    Israeli attacks on GazaIsraeli attacks on Gaza

    The Turkish government agreed to join South Africa as a plaintiff in a U.N. court case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

    Rising tensions between Israel and Turkey come as Israel faces a mounting threat of war with its nearby neighbors, namely Iran and its terrorist proxies in Lebanon and Yemen.

    Original article source: Turkey cuts off all trade with Israel in protest against Gaza war: report

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  • Here’s who qualifies for Turkey’s new digital nomad visa and how to apply

    Here’s who qualifies for Turkey’s new digital nomad visa and how to apply

    • Turkey is the latest country to open its arms to remote workers keen to relocate.

    • Citizens from several European countries, plus Canada and the US, are eligible for a new visa.

    • Here’s what it takes to get the Digital Nomad Identification Certificate for Turkey.

    Digital nomads are now welcome to stay in Turkey.

    The country joins Italy, which recently made a similar announcement, in offering a visa for traveling professionals who want to work remotely in Turkey for an extended time.

    The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry created a website dedicated to digital nomads which provides a list of requirements for eligibility and the steps of the application process. The site also provides resources on how to get started in several of its major cities.

    The Digital Nomad Identification Certificate, which is the first step to a digital nomad visa, is open to remote workers ages 21 to 55.

    They have to provide proof that they are a university graduate, work in the “digital nomad field,” and that they make at least $3,000 a month, or $36,000 annually, according to the site.

    Applicants must also have a passport or travel documents that are valid for at least six months from the date they arrive in Turkey. The offer is only for citizens of several European countries and Canada, Russia, and the US.

    If approved, it’s as simple as applicants receiving a certificate with a barcode that they can use to apply for the digital nomad visa at the Turkish consulate.

    Still, life in the country is not all rosy. Over the years, Turkish citizens have been up against rising inflation, and while the country bumped its minimum wage up 49% in 2024 to about $525 a month, many are still struggling.

    However, more and more millennials and Gen Z are giving up on the dream of owning a house in the US, so some have opted to spend their time traveling and working abroad instead of saving for a starter home.

    Earlier this month Italy announced that it would welcome remote workers and their families on renewable digital nomad visas.

    Read the original article on Business Insider

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  • Old video from Turkey falsely shared as ‘Muslim dairy worker contaminating milk in India’

    Old video from Turkey falsely shared as ‘Muslim dairy worker contaminating milk in India’

    A video filmed in Turkey in 2020 has resurfaced in Hindu-majority India ahead of the April 2024 election with a false claim it showed a Muslim man “contaminating a tub of milk” by bathing in it. The original video was shot in a dairy plant in Turkey. Turkish media reported the man — along with the person who uploaded the clip — were arrested over the video, but were later acquitted after a court was told the tub was filled with a mix of water and milk residue, not milk.

    “In Kerala… Look at the action of this jihadi. Bathing in a tub of milk, spitting and urinating in it before selling the same milk to Hindus,” read the Hindi-language caption of a Facebook post shared here on April 15, 2024.

    “Find out if milk companies like Amul, Mother Dairy have employed jihadi employees. If yes, then it’s clear that you are drinking the same type of milk.”

    English-language text overlaid on the video read: “Muslim man takes bath in milk. He wants to make it Halal. Kerala.”

    A voice-over in the Malayalam language could also be heard saying the video showed “an employee taking a bath inside a tank filled with milk in a dairy plant”.

    “After the video went viral on social media, both the person taking the bath and the one recording got arrested,” the voice-over went on to say. “As a consequence, the dairy unit was temporarily closed.”

    The video showed a man sitting in a tub filled with a white liquid.

    “Jihad” is frequently translated as holy war, but Hindu hardliners in India use the word as a pejorative term for Muslims.

    <span></div></div></div><div class=
    Screenshot of the false post, taken on April 15, 2024

    The false claim surfaced ahead of general elections in India, where voting began on April 19 and would last for six weeks. Analysts have expected Prime Minister Narendra Modi to triumph against a fractious alliance of more than two dozen parties that have yet to name a candidate for prime minister.

    Muslims have often been the subject of false claims in Hindu-majority India. AFP reported much content was staged to gain views and income from platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.

    The video was shared with the false claim elsewhere on Facebook here and here, and on social media platform X here.

    However, the video was filmed in Turkey in 2020. Turkish media reported the man — along with the person who uploaded the video — were arrested for allegedly spoiling milk on purpose, but were later acquitted after a court was told the liquid in the tub was not milk.

    Video from Turkey

    A keyword search on Google found the same video published by Turkish news organisation Hurriyet Daily News on November 6, 2020 (archived link).

    The English-language report was titled: “Worker’s milk bath causes a dairy plant to close down.”

    Below is a screenshot comparison of the video shared in the false post (left) and the footage uploaded on the news outlet’s website (right):

    <span>Screenshot comparison of the video shared in false post (left) and the footage uploaded on the news outlet's website (right)</span><span><button class=

    Screenshot comparison of the video shared in false post (left) and the footage uploaded on the news outlet’s website (right)

    Other news outlets also reported on the video and included screengrabs showing the same scene here and here (archived links here and here). The reports did not mention the man’s religion.

    Hurriyet Daily News reported the man in the video — Emre Sayar — was arrested after the video spread online. Ugur Turgut, who uploaded the clip on his TikTok account, was also detained.

    The outlet also reported the dairy plant’s owner said the liquid in the tub was a mix of water and cleaning material, not milk.

    Turkish news agency DHA said the men were cleared of wrongdoings after the court was told the liquid in the tub was a mix of water and milk residue, not milk (archived link).

    Another court ordered the Turkish state to pay Sayar 1,150 liras (35 dollars) in compensation after he sued the authorities for wrongful detention over the case, according to a separate report (archived link).

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  • New economic corridor planned to link Turkey to Gulf via Iraq

    New economic corridor planned to link Turkey to Gulf via Iraq

    President of the Kurdistan region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani (R) and Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani (L) receive Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) during a welcoming ceremony at Erbil International Airport (EIA). Ismael Adnan/dpa

    Turkey, Iraq and two Gulf countries have signed a declaration to pursue closer trade links with a new economic corridor made up of billions of dollars in roads and railways.

    Representatives of the countries signed a declaration of intent during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iraq on Monday, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani said on Tuesday.

    Ministers from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also signed the declaration. The two rich Gulf states are potential financial backers of the project, which comes at an estimated cost of $20 billion.

    The project is known as the “Development Road,” or “Dry Canal.” It is scheduled for completion in 2038, when a network of roads and railways will connect a new harbour in Basra in southern Iraq to Turkey in the north.

    From there, the corridor is to extend further via the Turkish port of Mersin on the Mediterranean and via Istanbul to Europe. Erdogan has described the project as “a new Silk Road.”

    The Grand Fau harbour is currently being built by a South Korean company in Basra and is expected to be one of the largest in the Middle East. The breakwater, which is more than 14 kilometres long, set a record as the longest in the world.

    Iraq hopes to turn the harbour into a hub between Asia and Europe. However, the continuing poor security situation in Iraq, political tensions, and widespread corruption and mismanagement all raise questions about whether the harbour and linked infrastructure will be completed as planned.

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  • Erdogan meets Hamas leader in Turkey, discusses efforts for regional peace

    Erdogan meets Hamas leader in Turkey, discusses efforts for regional peace

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and reach a fair and lasting peace in the region during a meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Istanbul on Saturday, his office said.

    It was the first meeting between Erdogan and a Hamas delegation headed by Haniyeh since Israel began its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh’s visit to Turkey took place three days after he met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Doha.

    “Issues related to Israel’s attacks on lands of Palestine, particularly Gaza, efforts for adequate and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a fair and lasting peace process in the region were discussed,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

    The visit took place amid escalating regional tensions following Israel’s reported attack on Iran this week.

    “Erdogan stressed that Israel should not benefit from the developments (between Iran and Israel) and that it is important to make efforts that will draw attention to Gaza again,” the statement added.

    NATO member Turkey has denounced Israel’s offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and called for an immediate ceasefire.

    Erdogan has called Hamas a “liberation movement” while slamming the West for what he calls its unconditional support of Israel. Ankara has also imposed trade restrictions on Israel.

    In Saturday’s meeting, Erdogan told Haniyeh Turkey continues its diplomatic efforts for a permanent ceasefire as well as the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, according to the statement.

    Erdogan also told Haniyeh “it is vital for Palestinians to act in unity,” the statement said.

    Palestinian militant group Hamas seized control in Gaza in 2007, a year after sweeping elections, following a brief civil war with Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, reducing the PA’s rule to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

    Efforts to reconcile the two sides have so far failed over thorny power-sharing issues.

    (Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Helen Popper)

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  • Top Iraqi Jihadist Killed in Suicide Bombing in Northwest Syria

    Top Iraqi Jihadist Killed in Suicide Bombing in Northwest Syria

    AMMAN (Reuters) – A leading Iraqi jihadist leader in Syria’s rebel-held northwest who founded a former al Qaeda affiliate was killed on Thursday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in his guest house, jihadist sources said.

    The three sources said Abu Maria al Qahtani, whose real name is Maysr al Jabouri, died after arriving in hospital with severe wounds inflicted when a suicide bomber detonated himself seconds after greeting him in the town of Sarmada.

    Several others were injured, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

    War in Israel and Gaza

    Qahtani was one of the founders of the Nusra Front, a former al Qaeda offshoot in Syria that renamed itself Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) after it ruptured ties with al Qaeda.

    HTS confirmed Qahtani’s death in social media posts and blamed ISIS, an ideological rival militant group. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

    Qahtani was an insurgent who fought against U.S. forces in Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He moved to Syria after 2011 to join insurgents fighting against Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s authoritarian rule.

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    A Maka Indigenous woman puts on make-up before protesting for the recovery of ancestral lands in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Leader Mateo Martinez has denounced that the Paraguayan state has built a bridge on their land in El Chaco's Bartolome de las Casas, Presidente Hayes department. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

    Qahtani, who fell out with the HTS leadership, was released from prison last month after spending six months in jail on charges of communicating with banned groups.

    Hayat Tahrir al Sham, listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States, has long been targeted by Syrian government and Russian forces.

    It competes with Turkey-backed mainstream rebels groups which also control swathes of territory along the border with Turkey in northwest Syria.

    (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

    Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Erdogan’s Party Behind Rivals in Municipal Vote in Early Results

    Erdogan’s Party Behind Rivals in Municipal Vote in Early Results

    (Bloomberg) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party is set to suffer a major setback against the main opposition in municipal elections, according to early results published by state broadcaster TRT.

    Most Read from Bloomberg

    Support for Erdogan’s AK Party across Turkey was at 37.5% with nearly a third of all ballots counted, TRT said on its website. Main opposition party CHP was leading with 39% of the votes and set to keep its hold on Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey’s largest city and the capital, respectively.

    Early results show Erdogan has been losing ground since he won a third term in Turkey’s presidential elections last May. The decline is more apparent in large cities, where rampant inflation has eaten into wage earners’ purchasing power. Erdogan allowed a steep rise in the cost of lending to rein in inflation since last year and kept a lid on pensioner wages, forcing a slowdown in household spending.

    “The economy is of paramount importance. Voters made a serious warning” to Erdogan’s party, Istanbul-based polling firm Sonar’s chief, Hakan Bayrakci, said after initial results. High inflation and erosion in pensioner salaries were among the biggest factors shaping voting behavior, he said.

    Istanbul Race

    Eyes are particularly focused on the outcome in Istanbul, where Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was leading the race against Erdogan’s handpicked candidate with an eight-percentage-point margin, according to TRT. At stake is control of Turkey’s largest city with nearly 16 million people and a $6.6 billion annual budget that’s critical to voters during an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

    Imamoglu reclaimed control of Istanbul in 2019, bringing to an end Erdogan’s 25-year-long control of the city. His party also won the capital city Ankara from Erdogan’s party in the same elections in a stinging defeat for Turkey’s president.

    Read More: Erdogan Seeks to Regain Istanbul and Vanquish His Nemesis

    Islamist Defectors

    Some of the decline in the ruling AKP’s votes was due to pro-Islamic New Welfare Party’s decision to field its own candidates, bringing the alliance between the two to an end. Mayors running under the party’s banner got nearly 4.5% of the votes in the early count reported by TRT.

    The New Welfare severely criticized Erdogan’s economic policies and his government’s refusal to stop trade with Israel despite the war in Gaza.

    Election day has been marred by violence in Diyarbakir and Mardin in the country’s Kurdish-dominated southeast, where clashes at some polling stations left at least one person dead and 22 others injured, according to the Anadolu.

    Kurdish voters, who make up about 10% of Istanbul’s electorate, supported Imamoglu in 2019. In an attempt to win their support in various cities this time around, Erdogan floated the last-minute idea of a possible reconciliation with the country’s Kurdish minority.

    Even so, the president said Turkey remains committed to fighting separatist Kurdish militants who he says threaten Turkey’s integrity. The pro-Kurdish DEM party has fielded its own candidates, but they’ve kept a low profile and aren’t running in all districts.

    “Disastrous results for the ruling AKP — failing to win major cities and perhaps even losing national vote to the opposition CHP,” said Tim Ash, an emerging markets strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management.

    (Updates with early results showing opposition gains from the first paragraph.)

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  • Maldives starts flying Turkish drones for maritime surveillance

    Maldives starts flying Turkish drones for maritime surveillance

    CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The Maldives government has introduced Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 drones into service while standing up a new Air Corps tasked with monitoring the island nation’s maritime environs.

    Three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were inaugurated in a ceremony at Maafaru International Airport in Noonu Atoll on March 15, according to the office of President Mohamed Muizzu. That same evening, one of the drones conducted a maiden patrol from the base.

    The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) did not respond to a Defense News inquiry as to how many TB2s have been purchased, but the figure could be six, according to Turkish media.

    Turkey delivered the Bayraktar TB2s to the Maldives on Mar. 3 in a transaction valued at $37 million.

    The first Maldivian drone operators commenced training in Turkey in January, and a second batch is due home soon.

    Are the once-vaunted Bayraktar drones losing their shine in Ukraine?

    Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon referred to the TB2′s potential for strike missions, saying: “It’s a sophisticated technology platform used by developed countries worldwide. At the same time, it’s a weapon with firepower that can take defensive maneuvers to defend the country’s sovereignty, while focusing on surveillance and search and rescue.”

    Lt. Gen. Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef, Chief of Defence Force, said the creation of an Air Corps amounted to a “historic day,” outlining the force’s envisioned role in defending the country as well as helping fishermen and marine vessels in distress.

    Muizzu acknowledged the Turkish government’s pivotal role in the deal. After his election in September 2023, Muizzu’s first official visit was to Turkey last November, where he toured several defense companies. Muizzu also noted that Turkey is providing the MNDF with other unspecified military equipment free of charge.

    The Bayraktar TB2 is now used by 33 nations, and the global fleet achieved a cumulative 750,000 flight hours last December. Manufacturer Baykar declared exports worth a record $1.76 billion in 2023.

    Muizzu also announced efforts to strengthen Maldivian military capabilities, including doubling the Coast Guard’s capacity. He revealed an initiative to recondition older equipment, expand the Air Corps fleet, and enhance land platforms.

    The Maldives lie 230 nautical miles southwest of the Indian peninsula, and it possesses a 974,000km² exclusive economic zone. Five major international shipping lanes traverse its territory.

    Muizzu’s “India out” election platform promised to remove Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives. Around 80 uniformed Indians support a Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two Dhruv helicopters donated by India, and all will depart by May.

    Delhi fears losing influence in the Maldives, even as Muizzu’s pro-China government signed an agreement on Mar. 4 where Beijing promised unspecified “gratis military assistance.”

    Notably, in an attempt to strengthen its Indian Ocean presence, India opened a new naval base in Minicoy, within the Lakshadweep archipelago north of the Maldives, on earlier this month. India’s Lakshadweep islands lie about 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of the Maldives.

    “The base will enhance operational reach and facilitate the Indian Navy’s operational effort towards anti-piracy and anti-narcotics operations in Western Arabian Sea. It will also augment Indian Navy’s capability as the first responder in the region and augment connectivity with the mainland,” an Indian Navy statement said.

    The service said the base was part of a policy to “incrementally augment security infrastructure at the strategically important” islands.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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