Connect with us

DIPLOMACY

Security summit in Iraq

Published

on

Öncü Keçeli, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, evaluated the important points regarding the visits that reflect the intense diplomatic activities carried out by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan recently.

Spokesperson Keçeli stated that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held more than 70 bilateral meetings in total, including the Munich Security Conference held on 16-18 February, his visits to Venezuela and Mexico, the Antalya Diplomatic Forum held between 29 February and 3 March, and his subsequent visit to the US. Thus, he announced that, Fidan met with one-third of the member countries of the United Nations in the last month.

The highlights of Türkiye’s recent diplomatic activities are as follows:

The topic of terrorism discussed with the US

Clear messages were given to the United States about PKK/YPG and FETO. It was stated that it is never acceptable for an allied country to cooperate with terrorist organizations targeting the security of our country. And it was stated that the biggest obstacle to further deepening of Türkiye-US strategic relations is the US support for YPG. During their meetings with the US, the issue of fighting against DAESH was also discussed and it was agreed to hold regular consultations at the technical level on the fight against terrorism.

Call for peace negotiations for the Ukraine-Russia war

Fidan also discussed The Ukraine-Russia war during his meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Türkiye argues that peace negotiations should be resumed when favorable conditions are created for both sides, an opinion repeated in Washington. Under this heading, the issue of ensuring navigation safety in the Black Sea was also discussed.

Humanitarian aid formulas for Gaza

Options for delivering aid to Gaza by sea or by air are constantly elaborated; “However”, said Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Keçeli, “It is not an alternative to aid delivered by land, neither in terms of quality nor quantity. Actually, this is not our subjective evaluation, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations specialized in this field also make the same observation.” Fidan gave this message to the Americans in Washington, asking the US to use all its influence on Israel to ensure a ceasefire as soon as possible and to ensure that humanitarian aid enters Gaza in the most effective, fastest and most sustainable way.

Security summit in Iraq

The second Security Summit, which is followed by the one held with Iraq in Ankara in December, will be held in Baghdad on Thursday, March 14, with the participation of top Turkish diplomat Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Head of Turkish National Intelligence İbrahim Kalın and their Iraqi counterparts. Security and military cooperation issues will be the priority agenda items during the talks. Developing a common understanding in the fight against terrorism and concrete steps that can be taken in this direction will be on the table. In the joint statement published at the previous security summit, the parties emphasized that the PKK was a common threat to both countries. Keçeli stated that “they see the definition of the PKK as a common security threat by the Iraqi authorities as a sign that the determination to fight the PKK on the Iraqi side has begun to develop.”

Oil pipeline issue is on the agenda

The Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline has been closed for almost a year now. Türkiye stated in October that shipments could be started through this pipeline and that there was no problem for Türkiye. However, Spokesperson Keçeli says that it is considered that the Iraqi side is not ready to start the shipment yet. 

At today’s security summit in Baghdad, details of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s upcoming visit to Iraq will also be discussed.

Discussions will be held on developing natural gas resources in Iraq and shipping them to international markets. It will also be elaborated how joint projects can be developed in the field of renewable energy in Iraq. 

DIPLOMACY

Poland grants safe passage for Netanyahu to attend Auschwitz anniversary

Published

on

The Polish government adopted a resolution on Thursday ensuring that Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), can “freely and safely” attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27 January.

On 21 November 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and others, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the 15-month war in Gaza. This means that ICC member states, such as Poland, are obliged to arrest them upon entry into their territory.

In a political decision that directly contradicts its ICC obligations, the government, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, stated it would allow Israeli leaders to attend the event safely, citing its significance as “part of the commemoration of the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.”

The decision also seems to be a concession to President Andrzej Duda, aligned with the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. Duda sent an official letter to Tusk demanding that Israeli leaders be granted safe passage.

Poland’s traditional pro-Israel stance remains one of the few areas of consensus among politicians from major parties.

However, the issue may become irrelevant, as Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had not received an invitation. Additionally, the Polish Foreign Ministry informed Euractiv Poland that it had no information suggesting Netanyahu would attend. The ministry also dismissed allegations that Netanyahu could be arrested upon entering Poland as “fake news” propagated by U.S. media.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland, was liberated by the Red Army on 27 January 1945 during the Vistula-Oder Offensive. An estimated 1 million people were killed in the camp as part of the “Final Solution.”

Continue Reading

DIPLOMACY

Armenian government approves bill to begin EU accession process

Published

on

The Armenian government has approved the draft law on “launching the process of accession of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union (EU).” According to News.am, the process has officially begun.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced that the draft law on the EU accession process was submitted to the National Assembly for consideration. Mirzoyan added that the relations between his country and the EU have been “quite intense and dynamic” in recent years.

“The EU has provided strong political support to Armenian democracy on various occasions. The EU has also played an active role in ensuring security in the neighborhood of the Republic of Armenia,” Mirzoyan said.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia’s EU membership can only be realized after a referendum.

“In the autumn of 2023, I made a speech in the European Parliament, the main message of which was that Armenia is ready to be with the EU, to be as close as the EU sees fit. At that time, this very speech became the most popular topic in Armenia. The reaction of Armenian citizens to this speech was unprecedented,” he said.

The Prime Minister recalled that this was followed by a trilateral meeting between Armenia, the U.S., and the EU on April 5, 2024, at the suggestion of the EU, which had a “wide resonance.” According to the procedure established by the Constitution of Armenia, a civil initiative was formed, which took legal action by collecting 50,000 signatures.

Pashinyan also emphasized that if this law is adopted, “we should have a clear understanding of the steps to be taken, including whether to hold a referendum or not.”

“As far as I understand, after the adoption of this law, we should discuss with the EU the roadmap they will present and the roadmap we will present, and we should create a roadmap together,” the Prime Minister said.

In March last year, Pashinyan, while evaluating the European Parliament’s resolution on strengthening relations with Yerevan, stated that the Armenian government was determined to deepen relations with the EU.

At the end of June, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, stated in an interview with LSM.lv television that Armenia may organize a referendum on EU accession in the near future. Simonyan emphasized that Armenian society had made up its mind on joining the EU.

Continue Reading

DIPLOMACY

Trump Doctrine: ‘The purpose of the Greenland exit is to send a strong message to China’

Published

on

The repercussions of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Greenland, an autonomous island of Denmark, without excluding the possibility of using military force, continue to unfold.

A report in the New York Post (NYP) emphasizes that Trump’s move raises the question, “Why?” and includes insights from a source close to Trump’s transition team.

Claiming that Greenland is becoming increasingly important for strategists in many countries, especially Washington, due to its location on vital shipping routes and the presence of key raw materials rarely found elsewhere, the NYP reported that the source said, “To send a strong and deliberate message to Beijing. Not just talk. It’s action. Make America ambitious again,” the source was quoted as saying.

The source also noted that the president-elect drew the first framework of the “Trump Doctrine.”

According to the Wilson Center, a foreign policy think tank, the U.S. is locked in a “three-cornered” struggle with Russia and China for the Arctic’s natural resources, such as lithium, cobalt, and graphite.

Alex Plitsas of the Atlantic Council said, “There are two main reasons [for annexing Greenland]. First, the large deposits of rare earth elements, which are essential for critical defense and electronics production. Second, Greenland has a legitimately large claim to the Arctic, which will give the United States a stronger position as competition for navigation and resources there heats up.”

U.S.-China-Russia rivalry in the Arctic

For years, the U.S. has been in a “quiet tug-of-war” with China and Russia over access to the Arctic and has been sending military icebreakers to explore the resource-rich island, the NYP reports.

The Arctic is thought to be abundant in rare earth minerals, which are used in everything from mobile phones to weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and Western countries are mostly dependent on China for these minerals.

According to Plitsas, this dependence on Beijing “is not sustainable given geopolitical realities.” He argues, “There are other large deposits in places like Afghanistan, which are also unsustainable for various reasons.”

“With increasing demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and advanced electronics, the United States relies heavily on critical materials to spur innovation and maintain global economic competitiveness,” the Wilson Center wrote in its 2023 report.

Competition over the Arctic, on the other hand, has intensified in recent years due to climate change, which has led to the melting of glaciers that previously made it almost impossible to access resources. “Warming has led to greater freedom of navigation in the Arctic,” Plitsas recalls.

U.S. ‘icebreaker ship’ discomfort

But according to the NYP, the Americans have so far lagged behind their rivals, partly due to limited U.S. access to the region and a relatively small number of icebreakers.

This problem has long troubled some Republicans, including Mike Waltz, whom Trump appointed as national security adviser. In a 2017 post on X, Waltz wrote, “In the Arctic, where we will compete for natural resources, the Coast Guard needs more than one icebreaker! Russia has dozens!”

The Coast Guard currently has only two of the vital vessels, but Waltz recently promised to ask for more in the 119th Congress in response to a post on X calling for “a dozen more” icebreakers.

Additional icebreakers and the acquisition of Greenland are topics Trump has chosen to highlight as the U.S. builds more rare earth mineral processing plants as part of an effort to reduce its dependence on China.

The United States is home to only 1.3 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals, compared to 70 percent for China.

Greenland open to non-annexation options

Kuno Fencker, a member of Greenland’s parliament, told CNN on Tuesday that the island only gained full autonomy in 2009 and that since then, the regional government has been working to achieve sovereignty.

“We may have a lot of disagreements here about property, because we are trying to create a sovereign country as Greenland and we want to establish the state of Greenland,” Fencker said, adding that the regional government may be willing to work on a free association agreement with the United States.

The U.S. already has such agreements with Pacific island states such as Palau. Such agreements require Washington to provide financial assistance to the countries entering into the free relationship, as well as grant island citizens the right to work and live in the U.S. as “permanent residents.”

“The main [point] here is that Greenland [status] should be a monumental decision, what kind of state we want to be, and also who we should cooperate with, and our closest allies, which, you know, we are under the rule of Denmark,” Fencker said.

The new White House is open to other options

The source told NYP that Trump may be willing to discuss alternative arrangements with Greenland authorities other than full annexation.

“There is flexibility in discussing the best ways to strengthen America’s security, so I think it’s fair to say there is more than one option,” the source said.

The U.S. has long wanted to own Greenland. When it bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, it also considered bidding for the island in the North Atlantic.

Almost eighty years later, after the Second World War, the U.S. offered Greenland $100 million in gold bullion, which Denmark rejected.

But the offer led to a defense deal that gave the U.S. access to Thule Air Base, now Pituffik Spaceport, the northernmost outpost of the military, which was critical during the Cold War because of its proximity to Russia.

Continue Reading

MOST READ

Turkey