https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:56:48 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-is-there-anything-new-on-turkiyes-path-towards-europe/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:16:40 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658629 As usual, Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan has made another political U-turn with his country's foreign policy. After stressing repeatedly just a few days before the NATO summit in Lithuania last month that Sweden has still not done all that is required of it to Turkiye's satisfaction as agreed (along with Finland) in June last year, and criticising the Swedes for allowing protesters to burn copies of the Holy Quran, Erdogan has agreed to proceed with the country joining NATO. Following a meeting between Erdogan, the Swedish Prime Minister and NATO's secretary-general, the organisation's closing statement included Turkiye's agreement to refer Sweden's NATO accession to the parliament in Ankara. In return, Sweden made certain commitments, including cooperation with Turkiye to […]]]> 658629 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-quran-burnings-proof-of-broader-bias-against-migrants-in-europe-ex-un-rapporteur/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:22:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658295 A recent wave of Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark is "an assertion of a broader anti-immigrant, anti-non-European right-wing bias that has grown to be quite politically strong," a former UN special rapporteur has said. "There's no legitimate purpose by allowing groups to burn the holy scriptures of another religious faith," Richard Falk, a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, said. "It seems to me to serve … no possible constructive purpose. And I think there is a strong case for [such acts to be] prohibited." In recent months, far-right groups have desecrated and burnt several copies of the Quran in Denmark and neighbouring Sweden, drawing fierce condemnation from Muslims around the world and calls for measures to stop […]]]> 658295 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-turkish-fm-us-secretary-of-state-discuss-black-sea-grain-deal-nato-enlargement/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:30:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658152 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke over the phone on Saturday and discussed the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the security of the Black Sea and NATO enlargement, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the two also discussed developments in the South Caucasus and the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia during the phone call held at Blinken's request. READ: UK takes lead in Turkiye earthquake aid, donating over £150 million]]> 658152 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-the-suwalki-gap-and-putins-gambit-for-prigozhin/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:30:59 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657986 The Prigozhin saga is unprecedented in Russian history. In the past, if a highly placed personality lost the trust of the Kremlin and were declared enemy of the state, the price would be dire. Prigozhin appears to be an exception. While his mutiny had many military personnel killed, including several pilots, the Wagner boss did not face the consequences of his actions and walked free from prosecution. In fact, Putin granted Prigozhin a second chance, demanding that the Wagner units settle in Belarus. This request gave the signal to Prigozhin that his services were still needed. The Wagner mercenaries, renowned for their war expertise, represent a formidable, disciplined, and motivated force akin to an iron fist. Even though they are mercenaries, […]]]> 657986 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-putin-reaffirms-russian-stance-on-grain-deal-in-call-to-erdogan/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:23:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657529 Russian President, Vladimir Putin, told his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday that Moscow was ready to return to the Black Sea grain deal as soon as the West met its obligations with regard to Russia's own grain exports, Reuters reports. The deal, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations in July 2022, allowed for the safe export of grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Last month, Moscow exited the deal, accusing the West of hampering Russia's own grain and fertiliser exports. In a statement on Putin's call with Erdogan, the Kremlin said: "It was noted that, in the conditions of a complete lack of progress in the implementation of the Russian part of the 'grain deal', its further extension […]]]> 657529 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-sweden-to-boost-border-controls-after-quran-burnings/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 18:29:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657148 Threats to Sweden have increased after recent Quran burnings, the country's government said on Tuesday, adding it had strengthened border controls to give police wider authority to stop and search people, as a result, Reuters reports. A new law, effective from the start of August, gives police extended powers to perform checks on and around the country's borders, including body searches, and allows for increased electronic surveillance. "Border controls are a measure that gives us the conditions to identify people coming into Sweden who could represent a threat to security," Justice Minister, Gunnar Strommer, told a news conference. Sweden and Denmark have seen a string of protests in recent weeks, in which copies of the Quran were burned or otherwise damaged, prompting outrage […]]]> 657148 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-us-proposal-to-rescue-israel-is-as-offensive-as-it-is-ridiculous/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 17:18:18 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657098 "Why is the US paying for Israel's peace?" is a reasonable question to ask in light of recent rumours in Washington over the latest proposal to rescue the occupation state from the brink of disaster. The sentiment was widely shared in response to a recent article by Thomas Friedman in which the New York Times columnist revealed details of a possible deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel and the price American would have to pay to make such a deal possible. Americans are rightly asking "Why does the US even care if Saudi Arabia has peace with Israel and why would WE have to purchase that peace at the price of tying ourselves to Saudia Arabia if it were attacked […]]]> 657098 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230731-is-the-west-turning-against-kosovo-to-appease-the-serbs/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:04:55 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656663 In a globalised world where a largely stable international order of nation states with agreed-upon boundaries is in place, borders contested by rival nations are few and far between. Those who grow up in the Western world in particular are generally unaware of such places, or at least ignorant of how they operate. Yet as I made my way from Serbia into Kosovo in early July, I was reminded that the border is one of those that remain contested. Having come from the steadiness of quiet Zagreb and then into the bustling energy of cosmopolitan Belgrade, I was woken up to the reality that is the former Yugoslavia as I passed under numerous bridges and signs proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia". […]]]> 656663 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230728-new-momentum-turkiye-and-the-eu-are-an-inseparable-duo/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:29:19 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656075 Turkiye and the EU are facing a positive turn in their otherwise bumpy diplomatic relations. A recent EU Council conclusion calls for a more geopolitical and positive outlook toward Turkiye, while the Vilnius NATO summit resulted in a warm welcome by everyone of Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's surprise decision to give a green light to Sweden's NATO membership. In the media, President Erdogan's move has been linked both to the sale of American F-16 fighter jets, as well as Sweden's commitment to improve intelligence cooperation, namely surrounding the PKK terrorist organisation, and unblocking Turkiye's bid to join the EU. F-16 technology is a crucial and long-standing demand from Turkiye, but the honest truth remains that independent Swedish courts do […]]]> 656075 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-what-does-the-kremlin-think-about-turkiyes-stance-on-swedens-nato-bid/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:00:33 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655548 Some experts argue that Turkiye's approval of Sweden's NATO membership will strain its ties with Russia. However, a more nuanced approach is needed to understand the issues at stake. Turkiye-Russia relations go way beyond superficial analysis. Since the Russo-Turkish War of 1676–1681, they have fought on many occasions, and have accumulated sufficient experience to understand each other. They have managed their relationship through balanced, realistic and interest-oriented policies. Sometimes, in this context, 2 plus 2 does not always equal 4, especially in the post-Cold War period. The Kremlin is aware of two essential things: Turkiye has been a NATO member since 1952, and its army is NATO's second largest; and Russia's relations with Turkiye are conducted through intricate negotiations, taking […]]]> 655548 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-foreign-meddling-and-competing-interests-hinder-any-solution-in-libya/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 08:00:06 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655172 If you ask any Libyan citizen about the biggest obstacles hindering political solutions in the country, the most likely answer is: external interferences and the disputes of local de-facto politicians. Since the country fell victim to the so called "Arab Spring" in 2011, it became an open arena for all sorts of external meddling in its internal affairs – usually individual foreign countries' pursuit of their own interests, regardless of what the impact could be on Libya's stability, security and economic prosperity. Worse still, most of such interests are competing with each other at the expense of the country. The internal conflict, since erupting in 2011, has turned into a regional and international conflict in which various countries are competing […]]]> 655172 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-did-sweden-get-into-nato/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 13:50:05 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654835 "But don't let appearances fool you. There's always only one reality." (Haruki Murakami) In the coming weeks and months, I imagine that Europeans and North Americans who concern themselves with international politics will experience conversations along the following lines: Person 1: "… so when Sweden joins NATO, Europe will have a unified deterrent against Putin." Person 2: "Wait, I thought Sweden was in NATO?" Person 1: "Not exactly. The Turkish Parliament still needs to approve their accession." Person 2: "But I thought Sweden was accepted to NATO during the Vilnius conference?" Person 1: "Not exactly. The press and most NATO officials tried to make it look like that, but actually Sweden was not accepted to NATO. In fact, not much […]]]> 654835 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-turkiye-working-against-end-of-black-sea-grain-deal-and-resulting-fallout-president/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:40:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654342 Ending the Black Sea grain deal as announced this week would hit hard in numerous ways, warned Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding that Turkiye is already working to prevent this, Anadolu Agency reports. "The termination of the Black Sea grain initiative will have a range of (harmful) effects, ranging from raising global food prices, in some regions to famine and then new waves of migration. We do not hesitate to take the initiative to prevent this," Erdogan told reporters on Thursday on the presidential plane returning from a three-nation Gulf tour. "I believe that by discussing the issue in detail with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we will ensure the continuation of this humanitarian movement," he added, hinting at Turkiye's […]]]> 654342 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230719-turkiye-nato-agenda-sweden-bid-f-16s-and-war-mediation/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 19:00:15 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653785 Last week was, by all standards, a historical turning point for the relationship between Turkiye and its NATO allies. Three important developments were witnessed at the Vilnius summit. First, there was the long-awaited breakthrough in negotiations, which allowed Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to finally approve Sweden's membership. Secondly, the US had finally agreed to the sale of its F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye and, finally, Turkiye's offer to play a greater mediating role in the Ukraine-Russia was welcomed. Sweden's bid After more than a year of negotiations, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed to endorse Sweden's entry into NATO. Ankara had blocked Stockholm's membership bid over accusations that the Swedish government supported PKK terrorist groups and allowed Islamophobic campaigners to desecrate […]]]> 653785 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230718-kosovo-acquires-turkish-bayraktar-drones-amid-ongoing-tensions-in-north/ Tue, 18 Jul 2023 19:49:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653385 Kosovo has purchased a batch of Turkish Bayraktar drones in a bid to bolster and modernise its defence capabilities, amid recent tensions in the country's north with ongoing threats from Serbia. In a Facebook post by Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurt, on Sunday, in which he is seen assessing a newly-acquired Bayraktar TB2 drone, he stated that Pristina has added an unspecified number of the UAVs "to the arsenal of our army, which we bought as a government from Turkiye!" It comes amid efforts by the Kosovar government to bolster the country's defence capabilities, with Kurt stating that "In two years of governance, we have increased the number of soldiers by over 80 per cent and the budget for the […]]]> 653385 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230713-jenins-marginalisation-in-international-rhetoric/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 18:00:13 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652129 Reiterating the obvious is one prerequisite for being a diplomat. With the Jenin refugee camp becoming the latest attraction for the international community's humanitarian agenda, the grotesque statements are paying more attention to Israel's security narrative than the ongoing Nakba (Catastrophe) of the Palestinian people. An international delegation led by the EU's representative to the occupied Palestinian territories, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff, put forth the following generalisation. "We are concerned about the deployment of weaponry and weapons systems which question the proportionality of the military during the operation," said von Burgsdorff, while calling the military incursion "a violation of international law." Why is the EU representative concerned about the deployment of weapons and not about Israel's qualitative military edge, though? […]]]> 652129 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-leaders-of-turkiye-and-greece-vow-to-repair-ties-after-year-of-tension/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:22:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651996 Greece and Turkiye agreed, on Wednesday, to resume talks and confidence-building measures as they hailed a new "positive climate" in ties, after more than a year of tensions between the historic foes, Reuters reports. The two North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, overflights of the Aegean Sea and ethnically split Cyprus. Last year, Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan halted bilateral talks in a dispute over airspace violations and after accusing Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, of pressuring the United States to block the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye. Relations improved when Greece became one of the first countries to send rescue workers to help […]]]> 651996 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-russia-turkiye-should-have-no-illusions-over-its-eu-bid/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 10:15:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651624 Turkey should be under no illusion that it might one day be allowed to join the European Union, the Kremlin said yesterday, as Moscow stressed its desire for strong relations with Ankara despite existing disagreements between them, including over the growth of NATO, Reuters reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to a question about NATO member Turkiye's decision to lift its opposition to Sweden joining the alliance on the eve of a two-day NATO summit in Lithuania. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to maintain cordial ties with both Moscow and Kyiv during the 16-month war in Ukraine. He has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia following the invasion and has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Turkiye […]]]> 651624 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230711-us-to-lift-ban-on-sale-of-f-16-jets-to-turkiye-with-sweden-bid/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 19:29:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651575 Washington will move ahead with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye in consultation with Congress, US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Tuesday, a day after Ankara gave the green light for Sweden to join NATO, Reuters reports. According to the report, Turkiye, which had been the main stumbling block on Sweden's path towards the alliance, had requested in October 2021 to buy $20 billion of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernisation kits for its existing warplanes. Speaking ahead of a summit of NATO leaders that started on Tuesday in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Sullivan said US President Joe Biden "had been clear that he supports the transfer". "He has placed no caveats on this […]]]> 651575 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230711-nato-allies-welcome-agreement-between-turkiye-sweden-vilnius-summit-communique/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:54:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651569 NATO allies, on Tuesday, welcomed an agreement between Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, that paved the way for the Nordic country's entry into the military alliance, Reuters reports. "We look forward to welcoming Sweden as a full member of the Alliance and, in this regard, welcome the agreement reached between the NATO Secretary-General (Jens Stoltenberg), the President of Turkiye and the Prime Minister of Sweden," said a joint statement issued after day one of the ongoing NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Turkiye, on Monday, agreed to send Sweden's NATO Accession Protocol to its Parliament for ratification. READ: Does Sweden provoke Turkiye to avoid joining NATO? The communiqué described the fight against terrorism as "essential" for […]]]> 651569 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230710-does-sweden-provoke-turkiye-to-avoid-joining-nato/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 15:00:36 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651050 Focusing on Russia again, just like in the first Cold War, NATO has returned to its default settings. As of 2021, it has turned toward expanding its sphere of activity to cover the immediate vicinity of the People's Republic of China. Russia's war against Ukraine brought new expansion plans for the alliance to the forefront. The NATO membership of Sweden and Finland was brought to the fore at the peak of the conflict during the Russia-Ukraine war, when the possibility of a Russian nuclear attack was on the table. While the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not confirm the possibility of a Russian nuclear attack, the White House insisted that the threat was real. Given the current state of […]]]> 651050 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230708-turkiye-expects-sweden-to-fulfil-pledges-under-madrid-memorandum-for-nato-bid/ Sat, 08 Jul 2023 12:34:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650590 Turkiye expects Sweden to fulfil its promises made under last year's Madrid memorandum for its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) bid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Friday, citing a pact signed with Turkiye, Norway and Sweden at a NATO summit. Speaking at a military graduation ceremony in Istanbul, Erdogan criticised Sweden for embracing terrorists despite its pledges, questioning: "How can a state that does not distance itself from terrorist organisations contribute to NATO?" "How can Turkiye trust a country where terrorists roam its streets?" Erdogan asked. "Very few NATO allies have made the contributions to the NATO alliance that Turkiye has in the last 71 years," he added, referring to Ankara's longstanding membership since 1952. Turkiye also boasts […]]]> 650590 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230707-sweden-court-convicts-man-of-helping-kurdish-militants-in-boost-for-swedens-nato-bid/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 18:54:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650483 A Swedish court, on Thursday, found a man guilty of attempting to finance the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), in a ruling that could help end Turkiye's veto of Sweden's application to join the NATO military alliance, Reuters reports. According to the report, the Stockholm District Court sentenced Yahya Gungor, a 41-year-old Turkish Kurd, to four years and six months in prison for gun crime, attempted extortion and attempted funding of terrorism, the verdict showed. Judge Mans Wigen said Gungor had tried to pressure a Kurdish businessman in Stockholm at gunpoint to pay money to the PKK, the report says. "The blackmail attempt has taken place within the framework of an extensive fundraising activity that the PKK conducts in Europe, […]]]> 650483 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230706-zelenskiy-to-visit-turkiye-friday-for-grain-deal-talks-with-erdogan/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:55:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650221 Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will visit Turkiye on Friday for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan on the Black Sea grain deal and developments in the war in Ukraine, the state-run Anadolu Agency said on Thursday. Turkiye and the United Nations brokered last year's deal, which allows for the export of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine's Black Sea ports despite the ongoing war, Reuters reports. But Russia, angry about aspects of its implementation, has threatened not to allow it further renewal beyond 17 July. Zelenskiy and Erdogan will hold face-to-face talks and also attend inter-delegational meetings, Anadolu said. Erdogan, re-elected last month for another five-year term, has sought to maintain strong ties with both Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's […]]]> 650221 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230705-hungary-pledges-support-for-turkiyes-decision-on-swedens-nato-bid/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 09:47:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649714 Hungary's foreign minister yesterday said his country will back Turkiye's decision on Sweden's bid to join NATO, Anadolu reported. "If there is a shift [in Turkiye's decision], then of course we will keep the promise that Hungary will not hold up any country in terms of membership," Peter Szijjarto told a news conference in Budapest which was broadcast on his Facebook page. Szijjarto added that he has been in touch with the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan about the matter. Sweden, together with Finland, applied for NATO membership soon after Russia launched a war on Ukraine in February 2022. Although Turkiye approved Finland's membership to NATO, it is waiting for Sweden to abide by a trilateral memorandum signed in June 2022 in Madrid […]]]> 649714 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230703-pope-francis-condemns-burning-of-quran-uae-newspaper/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:08:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649013 Pope Francis said the burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, has made him angry and disgusted and that he condemned and rejected permitting the act as a form of freedom of speech, Reuters reports. "Any book considered holy should be respected to respect those who believe in it," the Pope said in an interview in the United Arab Emirates newspaper, Al Ittihad, published on Monday. "I feel angry and disgusted at these actions. "Freedom of speech should never be used as a means to despise others and allowing that is rejected and condemned." A man tore up and burned a Quran in Sweden's capital, Stockholm, last week, resulting in strong condemnation from several states, including Turkiye whose backing Sweden […]]]> 649013 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230628-swedish-police-approve-small-anti-koran-demonstration-at-mosque/ Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:25:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647957 Swedish police have given the go-ahead for a small demonstration to take place outside a Stockholm mosque on Wednesday at which the organisers said they would "tear up the Quran and burn it", which could further complicate Sweden's bid to join NATO, reports Reuters. A series of protests in Sweden against Islam and for Kurdish rights have heightened tensions with Turkey, whose backing Sweden needs to gain entry to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. While Swedish police have rejected several recent applications for anti-Quran demonstrations, the country's courts have overruled those decisions, arguing that they infringed on protected freedom of speech. In its permit for Wednesday's demonstration, the police wrote that while it "may have foreign policy consequences", the security risks […]]]> 647957 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230628-senior-turkish-us-officials-discuss-russia-ukraine-war-greece-syria/ Wed, 28 Jun 2023 10:09:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647916 Senior officials from Turkiye and the US discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, recent elections in Greece and the situation in Syria in a phone call Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports. Turkish Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Akif Cagatay Kilic and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also addressed other regional issues and bilateral ties, according to a statement from Turkiye's Communication Directorate. Meanwhile, in a White House statement, Sullivan congratulated Kilic on his appointment to his position and expressed eagerness to work closely together to strengthen the bilateral partnership and address shared challenges. They also discussed the recent developments in Russia and the two countries' continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression along with Turkiye's efforts to ensure the renewal […]]]> 647916 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230627-uk-will-continue-to-push-for-speedy-sweden-accession-to-nato-cleverly/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 16:20:39 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647884 Britain will continue to push for the speedy conclusion of Sweden's accession to NATO, British Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, said on Tuesday, Reuters reports. "We will continue to push for the speedy completion of your accession process," Cleverly said at a press conference, standing alongside his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom, during a visit to Sweden. "Sweden must and shall join NATO, and should do so as soon as possible." Sweden applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, but ratification of its membership has been held up by Turkiye and Hungary. Asked whether Britain had spoken to Turkiye about its position, Cleverly said he has spoken with his counterpart there and made Britain's position clear. […]]]> 647884 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230626-turkiye-erdogan-greece-mitsotakis-to-meet-at-july-nato-summit/ Mon, 26 Jun 2023 19:07:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647556 Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, and Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius next month, Mitsotakis' office said on Monday, a day after he won a national election, Reuters reports. Mitsotakis was sworn in for a second term as Prime Minister on Monday following a resounding election win. Erdogan, who was elected to his third term last month, congratulated Mitsotakis in a phone call, the Turkish Presidency said on Monday. He said the two re-elected governments create an opportunity for bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries. Greece and Turkiye, both NATO allies but historic foes, have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, from airspace to maritime zones in the […]]]> 647556 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230626-explainer-turkiye-keeps-sweden-waiting-on-nato-membership-as-key-summit-nears/ Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:19:54 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647340 Sweden's path to NATO membership remains blocked by Turkiye and Hungary ahead of a July summit in Vilnius, where it hopes to join Nordic neighbour, Finland, as a full member of the alliance. Finland, which applied together with Sweden, joined NATO in April, but Turkiye continues to block Swedish membership, citing security concerns. Ankara has said Sweden must crack down on anti-Turkiye protests before getting a green light to join NATO. Sweden has set its sights on joining at the alliance's 11-12 July summit and, while it has strong support from other members including the United States and more talks with Turkiye are expected, there have been few clear signs of a breakthrough. Background  Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year convinced Sweden […]]]> 647340 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230623-swedish-foreign-minister-condemns-pkk-terror-group/ Fri, 23 Jun 2023 09:07:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=646705 Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said today that his country "condemns all terror organisations, including the PKK." Speaking alongside French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna at a news conference in Paris, Billstrom said Sweden has fulfilled the last part of its commitment under a June 2022 trilateral memorandum signed in Madrid to address Turkiye's security concerns on terrorism with a new anti-terror law, which came into effect on 1 June. He noted Stockholm's goal is the same as Ankara's: To fight terrorism. He reiterated that cooperation between Swedish and Turkish police has improved significantly. READ: Turkish, Dutch, US defense chiefs hold talks on sidelines of key NATO meeting "Sweden's stance on the PKK is very clear. That's why we wanted to fulfill […]]]> 646705 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230619-sweden-nato-membership-must-be-accepted-before-july-summit/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:00:06 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=645590 Turkiye and Hungary must ratify Sweden's NATO membership before the alliance meets at a summit in July, France's Foreign Minister said on Friday, adding that any further delays were not understandable and risked the 31-members' security, Reuters reports. Earlier, this year Turkiye ratified Finland's NATO bid, but is holding back Sweden's bid. "It is in everyone's interest, including Turkiye, and we are counting on it now that the elections are over to quickly ratify Sweden's membership," Catherine Colonna told reporters at a news conference with her Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom. According to the report, Billstrom said Stockholm had met the terms of an agreement with Ankara, pointing to new anti-terrorism legislation, and that it was now in the "hands of […]]]> 645590 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230617-sweden-can-become-nato-member-if-it-fulfills-commitments-says-turkish-defense-minister/ Sat, 17 Jun 2023 16:04:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=645323 The Turkish national defense minister said Saturday that if Sweden fulfills its commitments it can become a NATO member like Finland, Anadolu reports. Meeting reporters in Brussels after the NATO defense ministers meeting, Yasar Guler expressed support for the military alliance's "open door" policy. In the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, Sweden is looking to join NATO. However, Turkiye, a NATO member for more than 70 years, has blocked the Nordic country's bid expressing concerns, especially over the presence of the PKK terrorist organization in Sweden. Earlier, this year Turkiye ratified Finland's NATO bid, but is holding back Sweden's bid. When asked to evaluate his participation in the meeting as defense minister for the first time, Guler said that […]]]> 645323 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230617-turkish-dutch-us-defense-chiefs-hold-talks-on-sidelines-of-key-nato-meeting/ Sat, 17 Jun 2023 13:52:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=645286 Turkiye's top defense official held separate talks on Friday with his Dutch and US counterparts on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, according the Turkish National Defense Ministry, Anadolu reports. In the meetings, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler discussed bilateral and regional defense, security, and defense industry cooperation with the Netherlands' Kajsa Ollagren and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the ministry said in a statement. READ: Turkiye foreign policy in the new era Defense Minister Ollagren also "congratulated Minister Guler on his new position and conveyed her wishes for success," it added. The talks were held on the sidelines of a crucial two-day meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at NATO Headquarters, chaired by NATO Secretary-General Jens […]]]> 645286 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230615-turkiye-foreign-policy-in-the-new-era/ Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:30:05 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644988 Turkiye is a middle power, and the transformation of the international system from the US-led unipolarity to a multi-actor centric multipolarity over the last decade is in its national interest. Assessing how Turkish foreign policy might evolve in the years to come with Hakan Fidan at the helm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be incomplete if the changing dynamics of the international system were not taken into account. Fidan as the core of Turkish foreign policy Fidan has been in the inner circle of foreign policy-making process since his appointment to the head of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) in 2010. He has played a critical role in shaping and implementation of various foreign policy decisions that were […]]]> 644988 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230615-greece-scours-shipwreck-site-hundreds-feared-drowned-in-boats-hold/ Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:03:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=645023 Rescuers scoured the seas off Greece on Thursday following a shipwreck that killed at least 78 migrants, as hopes of survivors dwindled and fears grew that hundreds more, including children, may have drowned inside the crowded vessel's hold, Reuters reports. Reports suggested between 400 and 750 people had packed the fishing boat that departed the Libyan port of Tobruk and capsized and sank early on Wednesday morning in deep waters, about 50 miles (80 km) from the southern coastal town of Pylos. Greek authorities said 104 survivors had been brought ashore. Even before it began to flounder late on Tuesday night, people on the vessel's crowded outer deck repeatedly turned down attempted assistance from a Greek coast guard boat that […]]]> 645023 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230614-sweden-should-not-expect-nato-membership-until-it-ends-anti-turkiye-protests-erdogan/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 16:02:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644707 Turkiye's President has dashed Sweden's hopes for NATO membership, saying that it should not expect any positive results until it prevents anti-Turkiye protests from taking place on Swedish soil. According to media reports, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists on a flight returning from Azerbaijan yesterday that Stockholm should not expect a change in Ankara's stance on its NATO membership bid at the military alliance's summit next month unless the Nordic country cracks down on protests against Turkiye. His comments come after his talks with NATO's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, earlier this month on the same issue, during which a protest by supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) – designated as a terrorist group by Turkiye, the United States and European […]]]> 644707 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230613-sweden-to-extradite-self-proclaimed-pkk-supporter-to-turkiye/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:01:30 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644544 Sweden agreed to extradite to Turkiye a man convicted of drug trafficking, who also supported the pro-Kurdish PKK, a first since Stockholm's NATO bid was stalled by Ankara, AFP reports. According to the report, the Swedish government has decided to "grant an extradition from Sweden regarding a 35-year-old Turkish citizen," Justice Ministry official, Ashraf Ahmed, told AFP. The decision comes after the Supreme Court, in May, cleared his repatriation to Turkiye, where he is expected to serve out a drug trafficking sentence. Sweden's Foreign Ministry said officials from the two countries are due to meet on Wednesday to discuss Sweden's stalled NATO application. Turkiye has accused Sweden of being a haven for "terrorists", especially members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' […]]]> 644544 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230605-nato-chief-sweden-fulfilled-turkiyes-demands-to-join-alliance/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:41:39 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642568 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that Sweden has met all of Turkiye's demands to join the military alliance, urging Ankara not to veto Stockholm's bid in a meeting scheduled next month in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. "Membership will make Sweden safer but also make NATO and Turkey stronger," Stoltenberg told journalists in Istanbul yesterday after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his newly appointed Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO, however Turkiye objected to their bid citing "security concerns". Finland was accepted as the 31st member of the alliance in April, however Sweden's bid has yet to be ratified by Turkiye and Hungary. READ: […]]]> 642568 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230604-turkiye-to-deploy-commando-battalion-to-northern-kosovo-to-help-nato/ Sun, 04 Jun 2023 09:21:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642430 Turkiye is set to send a commando battalion to northern Kosovo in response to a request by NATO for troop reinforcements to help curb violent unrest, after Serb militants wounded 30 international soldiers. On Monday this week, ethnic Serbs in Kosovo clashed with troops from NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR), wounding 11 Italian and 19 Hungarian soldiers through the clashes and the use of improvised explosive incendiary devices which caused fractures and burns. There were also reportedly live bullets fired at the peacekeeping troops during the incident. Video from the clash between NATO/KFOR and Serbs in Zvecan. 41 KFOR troops have been injured according to media reports. 54 of the protestors injured, 3 are still hospitalised, including 1 with life-threatening gunshot […]]]> 642430 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230602-unlike-their-media-western-nations-recognise-the-necessity-of-erdogans-turkiye/ Fri, 02 Jun 2023 19:00:49 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641997 The month of May has seen a replay of the past decade of both Turkish politics and the Western nations' dealings with it: the old rivalry between Turkiye's secularist body politic and its 'Islamist'-inspired ruling party, the exaggeration of both by Western media, and the significant ultranationalist base underlying all sides and party alliances. The dramatisation and polarisation of the elections was, like any major election throughout the democratic world, to be expected, as were the shifting alliances and uncertainty of the prediction polls' accuracy. But Turkiye's presidential and parliamentary elections of 2023 – a century since the founding of the Turkish Republic – had an element which most others do not: rampant foreign interference. That is not to accuse […]]]> 641997 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230602-sweden-pkk-supporters-continue-activities-despite-anti-terrorism-law/ Fri, 02 Jun 2023 11:23:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642010 Supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Sweden are continuing their activities in support of the organisation despite a new anti-terrorism law going into force yesterday, Anadolu reported. According to an Anadolu correspondent, a group calling itself the Rojava Committee, a Sweden-based group supporting armed Kurdish groups in Syria, is preparing to organise a demonstration in support of the PKK on Sunday. Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in statements to state television that "these people seek to block Sweden's accession to NATO, although this demonstration is legal, it is not appropriate for us." For his part, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: "The fact that this small group is doing everything in its power to block Sweden's accession to NATO […]]]> 642010 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230601-russia-says-us-accessed-thousands-of-apple-phones-in-spy-plot/ Thu, 01 Jun 2023 15:48:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641958 Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said, on Thursday, it had uncovered a US National Security Agency (NSA) plot using previously unknown malware to access specially made so-called backdoor vulnerabilities in Apple phones, Reuters reports. The FSB, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said several thousand Apple phones had been infected, including those of domestic Russian subscribers. Neither Apple nor the NSA immediately responded to emailed requests for comment. The Russian spy agency also said telephones belonging to foreign diplomats based in Russia and the former Soviet Union, including those from Israel, Syria, China and NATO members, had been targeted. "The FSB has uncovered an intelligence action of the American special services using Apple mobile devices," the FSB said in a […]]]> 641958 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230601-stoltenberg-to-travel-to-turkiye-to-discuss-sweden-nato-membership/ Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:54:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641944 NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday he would soon travel to Turkiye to discuss Sweden's NATO membership, in a bid to close a process that has been delayed due to objections from member countries, Turkiye and Hungary, Reuters reports. Speaking during a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Stoltenberg said he had spoken earlier this week to Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected as Turkiye's President on Sunday. "I will also travel to Ankara in the near future to continue to address how we can ensure the fastest possible accession of Sweden," Stoltenberg told reporters. Some NATO foreign ministers expressed optimism that, now the election was over, Ankara would lift its objections to Stockholm's bid to join the military alliance. […]]]> 641944 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230531-calls-for-israel-to-restore-fragile-relations-with-turkiye-after-erdogans-win/ Wed, 31 May 2023 10:55:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641201 Israeli researcher at the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, Shai Har-Zvi, stressed the need for the occupation government to strengthen the "fragile" relations with Turkiye after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a new term in office. Har-Zvi said Erdogan's win shows that the Turkish people chose an individual they know rather than change direction. In an article published in the Maariv newspaper, the researcher added: "Far-reaching changes in President Erdogan's behaviour in the domestic arena and in Turkish foreign policy are not expected, at least in the near future." He pointed out that Turkiye's relations with Israel prospered over the last year as a result of changes in Turkish foreign policy, and this prosperity led to, among other things, the […]]]> 641201 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230530-turkiye-wants-action-from-nato-hopeful-sweden-over-flag-incident/ Tue, 30 May 2023 16:52:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641074 Turkiye called on NATO hopeful, Sweden, on Tuesday to prosecute those responsible for projecting the flag of an outlawed group onto the Parliament building in Stockholm, on the day of Turkish elections that extended President Tayyip Erdogan's rule, Reuters reports. A Swedish Parliament spokesperson said a number of people projected messages onto the building in Sweden's capital late on Sunday, adding it had no documentation about what was projected. The warning could raise the stakes ahead of a mid-July NATO summit at which some alliance members are urging Turkiye to back Sweden's membership bid, after a year of delays over concerns that Stockholm must do more to take on militant groups. Footage first shared on Twitter by the so-called Swedish […]]]> 641074 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230526-prophets-of-doom-kissinger-and-the-intellectual-decline-of-the-west/ Fri, 26 May 2023 07:36:02 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=639922 It is unclear why 100-year-old Henry Kissinger has been elevated by Western intelligentsia to serve the role of the visionary in how the West should behave in response to the Russia-Ukraine war. But does the centenarian politician have the answers? Every major global conflict that involved the US and its NATO allies in the past had its own state-sanctioned intellectuals. These are the people who usually explain, justify and promote the West's position to their own countrymen first, then internationally. They are not 'intellectuals' in the strict definition of the term, as they rarely use critical thinking to reach conclusions that may or may not be consistent with the official position or interests of Western governments. Instead, they advocate and […]]]> 639922 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230525-libya-talks-in-morocco-deemed-to-fail/ Thu, 25 May 2023 19:00:38 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=639900 Early this week, the 6+6 committee, formed jointly by Libya's House of Representative based in the eastern city of Benghazi and the High Council of the State based in Tripoli, started a series of meetings in the Moroccan city of Bouznika to draft electoral laws paving the way for presidential and parliamentarian laws slated for the end of this year. After a long time of disagreement, the two sides held two meetings – one in April and the other in May – in Libya. During the last meeting, there was "a convergence of views among the members of the committee", said the official spokesman of the House of Representatives, Abdullah Blihaq, adding that a "working mechanism was also agreed upon". […]]]> 639900 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230525-libya-government-says-it-conducted-air-strikes-in-western-areas/ Thu, 25 May 2023 16:34:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=639905 Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) said it had conducted air strikes against smuggling networks on Thursday, with blasts hitting a western city that is home to armed factions that have backed a rival administration, Reuters reports. Three residents of Zawiya, just west of Tripoli, said they had heard explosions on Thursday, with one also hearing gunfire. The city has been the site of sporadic clashes this year between factions that back and oppose the GNU. While the Tripoli-based government has no known air power of its own, allied Turkish military forces have previously deployed drones in western Libya. The GNU said "our national air force" had targeted what it called criminal gangs involved in trafficking fuel, drugs and people […]]]> 639905