Author: Elmas Funda

Berlin, Brussels (23/5 – 28) “We will destroy anyone who raises his head. If you try to complain, you will suffer the fate of those Pamiris arrested and executed. We order you to halt any kind of dissent or criticism of the government.” Governor Alisher Mirzanabatov On a warm spring day last May, an ominous news conference was held in the picturesque city of Khorog, the regional capital of Tajikistan’s autonomous mountain region of Badakhshan, and where protestors had been gathering by the hundreds to decry government injustices. Speakers included senior officers of both the country’s internal security services and…

Up to 50% less than before the war, Ukraine’s grain harvest is likely to fall this year as Russia’s continued incursion into the country causes a global shift in grain trade. Both Ukraine and Russia were among the world’s top producers of commodities such as wheat and barley before war broke out in February 2022. However, the conflict has seen the price of US wheat and corn hit decade highs and triggered volatility in world wheat prices throughout the year. Prices stabilized in 2023, down about 13% year-to-date. And while last year’s yield and exports of grains such as wheat from…

Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid a working visit to Brussels and held talks with high-ranking representatives of the European Union to discuss the current agenda of bilateral and multilateral cooperation and promising areas for its further development, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the ministry . As noted, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell warmly welcomed the first visit of Murat Nurtleu as head of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry to the EU capital. During the meeting, the diplomats reviewed…

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is hauntingly reminiscent of the conflict in Syria. As Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked in a recent address, the lack of accountability for Russian war crimes in Syria has led to a sense of impunity, and continues to fuel its current aggression in Ukraine. Indeed, for many Syrians, the post-apocalyptic scenes described by Ukrainians are the worst kind of déjà vu. They include widespread and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals; mass displacement and large-scale destruction. Scenes of people fleeing heavily bombed cities such as Mariupol are reminiscent of the air strikes on Homs,…

Recent opinion polls in Turkey point to a neck-and-neck race and even possible power change in the coming up elections. Turkish voters will cast their votes on 14 May to decide on their next president and the members of the parliament. The race is said to be one of the most significant in recent history. There are three alliances running in the elections projected to pass the 7 % threshold: The People’s Alliance led by current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nation Alliance formed of six opposition parties and the Labour and Freedom Alliance. People’s…

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Kyiv on a visit, according to Ukrainian media, including UNIAN, Strana.ua and The Kyiv Independent. Officially, Mr. Stoltenberg’s visit to Ukraine has not been announced. The media also published photos of Jens Stoltenberg standing near the Wall of Remembrance for the dead Ukrainian servicemen, located on Mikhailovskaya Square in the center of Kyiv. The trip of the NATO Secretary General to Ukraine was not reported in advance. Mr. Stoltenberg visited the country for the first time since the start of the Russian military operation. In early April, Jens Stoltenberg announced the intention of NATO countries to strengthen military…

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned Danish Ambassador Danny Annan over “an attack targeting Quran and Turkish flag” at a public demonstration in Denmark. The ministry said in a written statement that it strongly condemned and protested the “heinous act committed under the guise of freedom of expression”, which is “unacceptable”. The statement came after Turkish media reported that members of the Danish far-right group The Patriots Go Live displayed Islamophobic banners and chanted anti-Islam slogans in front of the Turkish Embassy in Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen earlier on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The protest was live broadcasted on the group’s…

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Unal Ustel hailed late Friday the “historic protocol” on cooperation with Türkiye. It was signed at a ceremony at the Rauf Raif Denktas Culture and Congress Center in Gazimagusa, also known as Famagusta. The 2023 Financial and Economic Cooperation Protocol signed by Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay on behalf of Türkiye and Ustel on behalf of the TRNC includes building 26 new schools, three hospitals, health center, national disaster and an earthquake center. Ustel said the deal has contributed to energy, transportation, agriculture, working life, public finance, industry and technology for…

Germany and “other partners” are holding talks with Kiev on “future security commitments for Ukraine”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, who also urged China not to provide arms to Russia “It is clear that we will help Ukraine achieve peace,” the German leader warned before the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag. “That’s why we are discussing with Kiev and other partners future security commitments for Ukraine”, explained Olaf Scholz before the lower house of the German Parliament, the Bundestag, before being received on Friday by Joe Biden at the White House. “But promises of security imperatively…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were dead and injured and that search and rescue efforts were continuing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian military struck an apartment building in the city of Zaporizhia overnight, killing and injuring people. Zelensky in a statement on his social media account noted that Russia had launched an attack on Zaporizhia and said: “Invaders hit the city center at night. The goal was the apartment building”. The Ukrainian president reported that the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors of the apartment building were destroyed. Stressing that there are dead and injured and that search…