Category: General

Tens of thousands of people have rallied in the Serbian capital in the third such mass protest in a month. They’re angry about the government’s handling of two mass shootings in the Balkan country earlier this month that saw 17 people killed. And opposition protesters are demanding President Aleksandar Vucic step down. Sumeyye Ceylan reports. #serbiashootings #guncontrol #belgrade

Source: TRTworld.com

Syria’s readmission into the Arab League after 12 years of suspension has raised concerns inside Israel, an Israeli newspaper said on Saturday.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth daily, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has recently made an assessment with the army’s commanders on Syria’s return to the pan-Arab body.

‘Israel assesses that this is a bad development on the short and medium term as [Syria’s] return will end the isolation of Bashar al-Assad in the Arab world and makes any Israeli strikes on Syria less legitimate,’ it said.

The newspaper, however, said that some in Israel see it premature to assess the implications of Syria’s return to the Cairo-based organization.

Others see that reinstating Syria’s Arab League membership would harm Israel’s military action in Syria, the Israeli newspaper said.

Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes on Syria targeting forces of the Assad regime and groups affiliated with Iran.

On Friday, Assad, attended the annual Arab summit in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2011.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The United States and its allies are planning to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and train Ukrainian pilots to fly them, the White House said Friday, a turnaround from President Joe Biden’s monthslong refusal of requests from his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for the aircraft.

In a statement provided to VOA, a senior administration official said on Friday Biden informed G-7 leaders that the United States will support a joint effort with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian air force.

The training, set to begin in the coming weeks, will take place at sites in Europe and require months to complete, said the official.

“As the training unfolds, in the coming months, we will work with our allies to determine when planes will be delivered, who will be delivering them and how many,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a Saturday press briefing in Hiroshima, Japan, where the G-7 summit is being held.

Sullivan said the fighter jets will not be used for a planned counteroffensive against Russia.

Zelenskyy welcomed Biden’s decision, saying in a tweet it would “greatly enhance our army in the sky.”

Describing the plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jet fighters as a “historic decision,” Zelenskyy said he would discuss the details with Biden when they meet on the sidelines of the G-7 summit Sunday.

Confirmation of Zelenskyy’s in person attendance came as G-7 leaders from United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union, reaffirmed their “commitment to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.”

In a statement, the group pledged to “mobilize all our policy instruments and, together with Ukraine, make every effort to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible,” underscoring that it cannot be realized without “the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops.”

China economic coercion

Measures are set to be announced later Saturday to respond to what the group calls China’s “economic coercion” – the use of punitive trade practices to coerce countries over political disputes.

“These economic security tools will include steps to build resilience in our supply chains. They will also include steps to protect sensitive technology like export controls and outbound investment measures,” Sullivan said in the same briefing.

Sullivan said that the communique set to be released later Saturday will note that each country has its own independent relationship and approach to Beijing but all are united and aligned around a set of common concerns. It will indicate that G-7 countries seek to cooperate with China on matters of mutual interest.

G-7 members are “looking to de-risk not de-couple from China,” he said, referring to efforts to limiting reliance and vulnerability on Beijing.

From Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday responded to the planned measures. “If the G-7 summit wants to discuss the issue of economic coercion, it might as well first discuss how the United States coerces the other six member states,” he said.

Alternative to Belt and Road

The G-7 statement in Hiroshima shows a growing alignment by members on how to deal with Beijing, beginning with the group’s 2021 summit in Cornwall, U.K., when China was mentioned for the first time.

In Cornwall, the group adopted a plan to support lower- and middle-income countries in building better infrastructure called “Build Back Better World,” as an alternative to China’s development juggernaut the Belt and Road Initiative.

At the 2022 G-7 summit in Elmau, Germany, the plan was relaunched as the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

Under the relaunched plan, G-7 countries aim to mobilize a total of $600 billion by 2027 in global infrastructure investments.

Source: Voice of America

The Naval Command conducted a small-scale naval cooperation exercise with the Israeli Navy on Wednesday, with the code name “CYP/ISR – 01/2023.”

The exercise took place as part of the Israeli Naval assets presence in the Cyprus maritime area.

A press release, issued Saturday by the National Guard General Staff said the purpose of the exercise, which was planned by the Naval Command in cooperation with the Israeli Navy, was to conduct naval drills and promote interoperability between the respective naval units.

The scenario included tactical maneuvers, towing exercises, communication drills, as well as surface fire in a naval gun range.

The naval exercise is part of the framework of international cooperation established by the National Guard, under the guidance of the Ministry of Defence, and represents a continuation of the enhanced collaboration between the Armed Forces of the two countries.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Greece is heading to the polls Sunday to determine who will govern the country for the next four years, with the opposition hopeful for a win despite polls suggesting the ruling New Democracy (ND) party could emerge victorious.

In recent weeks, surveys have pointed to a rebound in the popularity of the ND, which saw a downward trend in the aftermath of a deadly Feb. 28 train accident that killed at least 57 people near the northern town of Tempi.

The party’s leader and the incumbent prime minister asked Greeks to give him a strong mandate to form a single-party government, promising greater prosperity, stability, and safety. He said a new Greece was already rising thanks to his government’s policies, which he touts as bold and realistic.

The main opposition SYRIZA, on the other hand, has built its election campaign on two major pillars, pointing to corruption and wiretapping scandals, the latter of which has become known as Greek Watergate, accusing the government of severely damaging rule of law and democracy under its tenure and vowing to restore democracy and institutional integrity in Greece.

Declining purchasing power of working- and middle-class Greeks was also in the sights of the party, which argues the economic policies of the ND aggravated income inequality.

Criticizing opinion polls that show the ND ahead, SYRIZA has said its support is greater than surveys indicate.

While it has suggested that all left-wing parties in parliament band together to form a progressive coalition government, vast ideological divides between them mean the likelihood of such an administration is slim.

The social democratic PASOK-KINAL, led by Nikos Androulakis, is forecast to be the third-largest party in the new parliament, distinguishing itself from the ND and SYRIZA with its pro-Western foreign policy and market-oriented economics. Many surveys and media reports indicate that the party may play the role of kingmaker in the formation of a coalition government, led by either the ND or SYRIZA.

But, some members of its members consider SYRIZA too far-left, while others oppose cooperation with the ND over the surveillance scandal. This can result in PASOK refusing to join either in a potential coalition.

The Greek Communist Party (KKE), the oldest political party in the country, has distanced itself from the other parties, which it accuses of being establishment. Led by Dimitris Koutsoumpas, It has dismissed the possibility of taking part in any coalition government and appears poised to become the fourth-largest party in parliament, owing to its traditional appeal in some major trade unions and young people, as well as its loyal voter base.

MeRA25 of former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who is known for his strong anti-establishment and Eurosceptic rhetoric, is also likely to pass the electoral threshold of 3% and be present in the new parliament.

But, its particularly harsh stance against neo-liberal economic policies makes it a less-than-ideal coalition partner for SYRIZA which already turned into a party of the center.

Likewise, the Greek Solution, a far-right, populist party led by Kyriakos Velopoulos, is expected to retain its presence in parliament but is unlikely to play a role in any coalition due to its pro-Russian and extreme nationalistic and religious rhetoric.

Under that conditions, a second election by early June appears a strong possibility.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The government does not share the statements of Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi on the East Med pipeline, Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister George Papanastasiou said on Saturday. He also described the proposal to transport Eastern Mediterranean gas through Cyprus as the “East Med corridor”, which includes the creation of a natural gas pipeline between Israel and Cyprus and its subsequent distribution in liquefied form via LNG ships.

In a statement to CNA, the Energy Minister described the recent statement by Claudio Descalzi in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Parliament, that without the consent of Turkey the project cannot be implemented, as an opinion of a private entity, adding that there are many other companies before which this solution exists, as there is the solution for Egypt for the Eastern Mediterranean fields and the solution recently put forward by Cyprus, namely liquefaction on the island and transport by ships to European markets.

“The decision on how this pipeline will actually be implemented will be based on a techno-economic study, certainly it touches on geopolitical issues, where according to Mr. Descalzi’s judgment Turkey’s agreement is needed, a view which we as a government do not share,” he stressed.

Asked whether these statements call into question Eni’s presence in the projects to be developed in the region, Papanastasiou replied in the negative, adding that where there is energy wealth there are different perceptions.

He added that Eni has previously stated through Descalzi that Turkey should be part of the arrangements that are being made in Cyprus, but reiterated that the Cypriot government does not share this view, stressing that decisions on the solutions for the transfer of natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to the markets, as an alternative for Europe’s autonomy from Russia, will be taken by private companies and investors. “Eni may express one opinion, some other companies say something different,” he added.

Responding to a question about the prospect of a “virtual” East Med, Papanastasiou said that the transportation of natural gas from point A to point C can be done through a point B called Cyprus, adding that this can be done either through a pipeline, as in the case of East Med, or through the solution recently proposed by Cyprus and adopted by Israel, whereby natural gas is transported by a subsea pipeline to Cyprus and liquefied and transported by LNG ships to Europe, describing the proposal as an “East Med corridor”.

Asked if Cyprus’ plans are affected by different views of companies, the Energy Minister replied “not at all”, adding that East Med was a public utility project funded by the European Commission, worth several billion euros and 1900 km long, while the solution recently put forward by Cyprus is more realistic as it is a smaller project, it will be implemented much earlier and it follows the same corridor, since gas from the Eastern Mediterranean will reach European markets in liquefied form.

Asked if East Med as a physical pipeline tends to be abandoned as an idea, Papanastasiou said there is still the section between Israel and Cyprus, which may well be the first phase of East Med, adding that the second phase from Cyprus to Greece may be decided at a later stage.

“What we are proposing with the new alternative is essentially an East Med, the first phase of which ends in Cyprus, and until it is implemented, if it has to be implemented and is techno-economically justified, then it stops at liquefaction and goes back to the pipeline, which is unlikely since the liquefaction is done in Cyprus and the LNG can be transported to any market, while the pipeline will only end at one point,” he said.

Asked whether there is still a dimension of utilising East Med for hydrogen transportation, the Energy Minister said that any pipeline construction should include hydrogen transportation specifications, as natural gas is a transitional product, while the final destination is greener products, such as renewable energy and hydrogen.

“Therefore, if we consider the alternative we are putting on the table as the first phase of East Med, it goes without saying that what applies to East Med will also apply to the pipeline connecting Israel and Cyprus,” Papanastasiou concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Two Palestinians were injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to local medics.
In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics treated two Palestinians in Al-Arroub refugee camp near Hebron city.
Clashes erupted in the camp between angry Palestinians and Israeli forces following the funeral procession for a teen killed by Israeli fire a day earlier, witnesses said.
A 16-year-old boy was killed by Israeli army fire at the entrance of the refugee camp on Saturday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
According to witnesses, Israeli forces deployed snipers around the cemetery where the teen was buried.
Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of this year, the Health Ministry said. At least 35 Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period, the highest toll since 2005, according to Israeli figures.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar

Source: Anadolu Agency

Cyprus and Greece have launched an initiative for the appointment of a European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs from 2024, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday in his address at the opening of the “Thalassa” festival in Limassol.

Congratulating the organisers of the event, President Christodoulides noted that the aim of both the festival and the Government is to do much more to bring the country’s young people closer to the professions that arise from working with the sea.

According to a Presidency statement, the President of the Republic also said that Cyprus as an EU member state believes that the Union does not attribute the required importance to the geostrategic role and geostrategic importance of shipping, adding that he had recently had the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of Malta in Iceland and has also discussed the issue with the Greek Prime Minister.

He added that an initiative has been launched which immediately after the elections in Greece will be transformed into a specific letter request of the two countries to the European Commission, a request, as he noted, of the private sector that deals with shipping issues both in Cyprus and Greece, so that within the framework of the new European Commission that will be appointed in 2024, there will be a Commissioner who will deal with shipping issues.

“It is not only its importance in the EU economy, there is a geostrategic importance, you see what is happening today, you see the implications that are arising through the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the implications that arose previously because of the coronavirus crisis, and we believe that the EU clearly through the existence of a Commissioner who will deal with maritime issues, will also show the required importance,” the President concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

China and five Central Asian nations have agreed to collaborate on issues concerning their core interests.

Following the two-day China-Central Asia summit, the leaders of the six countries agreed to enhance cooperation in different sectors including security and trade.

“The six countries will firmly support each other on issues concerning our respective core interests such as sovereignty, independence, security and territorial integrity, respect the development path chosen based on each other’s national conditions,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry, citing a transcript issued after a joint press meet late on Friday.

The summit was held in China’s northwestern Xi’an city.

It was attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhammedov.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the six countries are determined to work together to rise up to challenges and foster a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The leaders officially inaugurated the China-Central Asia Summit Mechanism with its permanent secretariat in China.

The next summit will be held in Kazakhstan in 2025, it was decided.

Source: Anadolu Agency

President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, called for a display of practical solidarity from EU member states and for a rapid implementation of the Eastern Mediterranean Action Plan to address migratory flows towards Cyprus, while informing on Friday Ambassadors of 26 EU member states, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said after the meeting at the Presidential Palace.

Ioannou said first that the briefing was focused on migration issues, specifically on the migration problem in Cyprus and the promotion of the Republic of Cyprus positions in relation to the Eastern Mediterranean Action Plan. He reiterated that the Action Plan, which was decided last February, aims to limit migration flows to Cyprus, adding that the Republic of Cyprus submitted the positions it believes should be included, which he officially transmitted to Brussels during his visit three weeks ago.

The Interior Minister went on to say that during his visit to Brussels, he was pleased to note that the EU was also oriented towards the same package of measures, adding that the aim is to complete the action plan by June and to start implementing it.

In response to a question, he explained that according to figures presented, there has been a 490% increase in the arrivals of illegal immigrants during the last seven years, 95% of whom enter the territories controlled by the Republic of Cyprus through the Green Line, with Turkey instrumentalising the migration issue, while in the last six years Cyprus has been the first country in terms of illegal immigrant arrivals in proportion to its population.

He further noted that 6% of the population of Cyprus are asylum seekers or persons under protection compared to other frontline countries, where the corresponding percentage is 1% and other EU countries where it is lower than 1%, adding that “we have conveyed that if something is not done in relation to the action plan in the coming months, then Cyprus will be the next country to face a huge problem in terms of migration”.

In response to another question, the Interior Minister said that it was clear from the Ambassadors’ statements that they understood the extent of the problem.

“They all express solidarity,” he said, adding that “we are asking for this solidarity to be demonstrated in practice.” Ioannou said he believes that there is a will as Cyprus is receiving financial and technical assistance, but he added that “by presenting the size of the problem and the fact that there are no borders and the existence of the Green Line, which is being exploited by Turkey by sending illegal migrants to Cyprus, we aim to implement more practical measures.”

He also noted that according to the data, 70% of illegal migrants are so-called students and said that among the measures submitted by the Republic of Cyprus is the screening of passengers at Istanbul airport and other airports in Turkey, so that they can be certified with documents that they are students.

He also said that it was requested that information be provided to the migrants’ countries of origin, as it was observed that too many of them are victims of exploitation who come to Cyprus deceived by false representations, thinking that Cyprus is a country within Schengen, and that from Cyprus they can take the train and go to Germany and that it is a transit station.

On the issue of informing the countries of origin, he said that an information campaign would be launched on social media through the Press and Information Office, adding that in this respect Cyprus is also asking ‘for the EU’s clout, along with the EU’s financial assistance, for a more comprehensive information campaign in these countries.”

Responding to a question, he said a voluntary relocation plan is being implemented, which was agreed under the French EU presidency and includes about 1,600 people being relocated to other EU countries, adding that through this plan about 500 were relocated mainly to Germany and some to France.

At the same time, he noted that the government is investing heavily in the voluntary return plan, which is showing encouraging results, as in the last four months twice as many irregular migrants have voluntarily left the country compared to the same four months of last year.

He also said that the target is as from June either through voluntary returns or deportations to return 800 to 1,000 people per month.

Asked about the speed of processing asylum applications, Ioannou said that two weeks ago the number of examiners had been increased so that twice as many applications could be processed, and noted that following arrangements made by the President of the Supreme Court, the number of appeals processed had increased by 60 per cent.

Source: Cyprus News Agency