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Winds of change between Ankara and Damascus

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Long-standing talks between Turkey and Syria at the intelligence level have taken a step forward with the defence ministers’ meeting in Moscow. Turkish and Syrian officials announced through official channels that the meeting was held in a “constructive atmosphere.”

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar and his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmoud Abbas met in Moscow under the mediation of Russia. The two countries’ intelligence chiefs also participated in the talks.

“Today in Moscow, the capital of Russia, with the participation of the Russian side, a meeting took place between the Syrian Defence Minister and the Syrian Intelligence Chief and the Turkish Defence Minister and the President of the National Intelligence Organization. Several issues were discussed by the parties. The meeting was positive.” announced the Syrian Defence Minister.

Regarding the trilateral meeting between Turkey, Russia and Syria, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: “At the meeting, we discussed what we could do to improve the situation in Syria and the region as soon as possible while ensuring peace, tranquility and stability.”

Mehmet Samsar (left) Turkish Ambassador of Moskow, Hulusi Akar (middle) Turkish Minister of Defence, Hakan Fidan (right) Chief of Turkish Intelligence Service -MIT

Mehmet Samsar (left) Turkish Ambassador of Moskow, Hulusi Akar (middle) Turkish Minister of Defence, Hakan Fidan (right) Chief of Turkish Intelligence Service -MIT / Anadolu Agency – Moskow

Speaking after the nearly two-hour meeting, Minister Akar said: “We reiterated our respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty rights of all our neighbors, especially Syria and Iraq, and that our sole aim is the fight against terrorism, we have no other purpose.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said, “I can say that it was useful meeting. We believe that contacts with the regime are important to achieve a lasting peace and stability. We think this engagement is important in terms of reconciliation between the Syrian regime and the opposition on a roadmap for a political solution. The Syrian regime also wants Syrians to return to their country. It is important to ensure that the Syrians return to their country safe and sound.”

Russia has been working diplomatically for a long time to bring the two countries together. The other actor in Syria, the United States, does not approve of the rapprochement agenda. Ciner Media Group U.S. Representative Ali Çınar asked the U.S. State Department about the normalization agenda with Syria last week. The ministry replied, “The United States has no plans to upgrade diplomatic relations with the Assad regime and does not encourage others to do so.”

On the Syrian side, it is possible to feel the winds of change after a long break. On December 29, photos of Turkish, Syrian, and Russian defence ministers appeared in the headline of Al-Watan, government-aligned newspaper. The headline of the newspaper was: “Defence Ministers of Syria, Russia and Turkey met in Moscow. ‘Positive’ Atmosphere”

Syrian security sources also told Al-Watan newspaper that “this meeting would not have taken place if the talks between the intelligence officials of the past period had not gone as requested by Damascus.”

Syria has similar views with Turkey on the presence of the SDF and the U.S., but the Damascus administration wants clear guarantees about the withdrawal of the TAF, Harici cited a source, from Syria, who is close to the Syrian intelligence mechanism.

We asked journalist Sarkis Kassarjian, who lives in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to comment on the issue. Kassarjian also thinks the Assad administration wants “firm promises” from Turkey. Reminding that Syrian authorities see Turkey’s request to withdraw from Syria as a “must-have”, Kassarjian notes that this attitude is related to tenet and sovereignty for Damascus.

So, how do the “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDGs), which aim to establish an autonomous government with U.S. support, approach the issue? “The meeting of the defense ministers in Moscow aims to preserve the Turkish-Russian interests, not the Syrian, and to support Erdoğan and his party in the upcoming elections.” tweeted Senior Kurdish official Bedran Ciya Kurd, “Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria”, Department of Foreign Relations Co-President.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are having its worst days and are listening to the worst news from Moscow, Damascus and Ankara,” said Syrian journalist Gassan Yusuf in a social media post.

Kassarjian, evaluating the possible outcome of Ankara-Damascus rapprochement on Syrian territory, said “These talks will disturb the expected normalization of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDG).” Pointing out that the SDG has lost ground, Kassarjian said, “In fact, the SDG has filled the gap created as a result of this problem that emerged between Turkey and Syria. That’s how it manifested himself. The SDG’s strongest asset is its fight against ISIS. The reason why ISIS is active in those regions is that Turkey does not actually close the borders and the Syrian army is not on the border zone. A possible normalization would mean changing the conditions in which the SDG manifests itself. For this, SDG will feel uneasy.”

Middle East

Call from the the Nedaye Iranian Party: ‘Let Us Unite Against Israeli Oppression’

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The Nedaye Party, a political party from the reformist camp in Iran, issued a letter calling on more than 100 political parties and international organizations worldwide to unite in condemning Israel’s attacks.

Presenting itself as a “young, reformist, and peace-loving” political party, the Nedaye Iranian Party released a letter addressing more than 100 global political parties and international organizations across five continents, regarding Israel’s attacks on Iran and especially its war crimes committed against civilians, children, women, and peace-loving civil activists in Gaza.

The letter, signed by the Secretary-General of the party, Seyed Shahabeddin Tabatabaei, proposed the formation of a global coalition capable of taking serious measures against the spread of violence and threats to global peace.

The letter suggested that anti-war and peace-loving political parties cooperate to unite against Israel’s aggression and war crimes. The concrete proposals were listed as follows:

1- Officially, firmly and publicly condemn the recent Israeli attack on Iran.

2- Pressure your governments to stop military, intelligence and technological cooperation with this regime.

3- Support the referral of these crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the initiation of legal proceedings against its officials.

4- Demand that the competent UN bodies conduct independent, transparent and impartial investigations into these attacks.

5- Actively participate in launching international awareness campaigns to expose the dimensions of these crimes.

6- Hold partisan and international meetings to coordinate political and legal measures against the Zionist regime.

At the end of the letter, the Nedaye Party proposed the formation of an international coalition capable of taking effective and serious steps to oppose the spread of violence and threats to global peace, calling for a “shared stance.” It emphasized that organizing a joint meeting among various parties across the world would be “a first but strategic step on the path to international political solidarity.”

The letter concluded with the following words:

“This is not just a call to issue a statement; it is a call for collective action, for solidarity in defending human dignity, and to prevent the repetition of tragedies that may occur tomorrow in another corner of the world.

The memory of all the innocents lost calls us to a historic responsibility. Let us stand against warmongering and destruction at this critical moment, with unity and determination, and build a more humane world.”

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Middle East

Plight of refugees in Iran

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As the process of deporting Afghan migrants from Iran intensifies, Iranian officials say that in the past week, more than 120,000 people have entered Afghanistan from Iran, both forcibly and voluntarily.

The district governor of Taybad in Iran says that nearly 8,000 undocumented Afghan citizens enter Afghanistan daily through the Dogharun border alone.

Meanwhile, some deported immigrants say they left all their assets in Iran and were forced to return home empty-handed.

Hossein Jamshidi, the district governor of Taybad, told Iranian media that in the past week alone, more than 95,000 undocumented citizens and about 25,000 documented migrants from all over Iran have been identified and returned to Afghanistan from this border.

Dogharoon border is the largest crossing point for the deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran. Every day, thousands of migrants, most of whom were living in Iran without documents, are now transported in large convoys, in dozens of passenger buses from all over Iran, to this border point zero.

But in this side of the border!

But on this side of the border, at the Islam Qala crossing, thousands of people, including women and children, are standing in long lines in the scorching sun, wearing only a few layers of clothing, waiting to cross the border and enter Afghan territory.

Many of these migrants say they have nowhere to go and have been forced to leave all their belongings on the other side of the border, on Iranian soil, and return empty-handed.

The Taliban have called for the establishment of a “coordinated mechanism” with the Iranian government for the return of refugees.

UN agencies have called for increased financial assistance following the significant expulsion of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.

The Norwegian government has expressed concern about the deportation of migrants in recent days and has allocated nearly $1 million to support them.

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Middle East

US proposes $30 billion deal to Iran for halting uranium enrichment

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The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly discussing the possibility of providing Iran with up to $30 billion in financial access to develop its peaceful nuclear program as part of efforts to return to negotiations with Tehran.

According to a CNN report citing sources familiar with the matter, this offer requires Tehran to completely halt uranium enrichment, a condition emphasized as “non-negotiable.”

Under the proposed plan, the funds would not be provided by the US but by Arab nations. An administration official stated, “The US is ready to lead these negotiations. Someone will have to pay for the implementation of the nuclear program, but we will not make such a commitment.”

Other proposals on the table

American officials have indicated that other offers are also being considered. These include the potential lifting of some sanctions against Iran and granting Tehran access to $6 billion of its frozen assets in foreign banks.

Another idea involves US allies in the Persian Gulf covering the cost of building new infrastructure to replace the Fordow nuclear facility, which was damaged in US attacks. This new facility would also lack uranium enrichment capabilities.

Washington’s “comprehensive peace” initiative

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Special Representative for the Middle East, told CNBC that the US aims to achieve a “comprehensive peace agreement.”

A White House statement emphasized that all proposals are designed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Following the events of the past two weeks, which include mutual attacks with Israel and a US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, the White House hopes Tehran will accept Washington’s terms.

Experts are skeptical, fearing the offer could backfire

Conversely, Iran experts cited by CNN believe these events will further convince the country’s leadership of the necessity of possessing nuclear weapons.

Earlier this week, the Iranian parliament approved the suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Even before the US attack on the night of June 22, the Iranian government had already significantly restricted agency officials’ access to its facilities.

According to IAEA data from mid-May, Iran possessed approximately 409 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.

Bloomberg reported that this amount is theoretically sufficient to produce ten nuclear warheads. The agency’s Director General, Rafael Grossi, stated that the location of this material is unknown.

While Tehran claims it moved its uranium stockpiles from the attacked facilities beforehand, the IAEA assesses that a significant portion of the stocks may have survived the strike.

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