The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has expressed the readiness of the Nigerian government to cooperate with India to eradicate the use of fake Nigerian passports to travel to India.
Aregbesola gave this assurance in his office at the weekend while receiving the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Gangadharan Balasubramanian on a courtesy visit.
According to Aregbesola, Nigeria will remain grateful to the government and people of India for their support during Nigeria’s anti-colonial struggle that led to independence.
He pledged full cooperation of the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigeria Immigration Service, to put a stop to the activities of unscrupulous persons and syndicates engaging in the procurement of fake official Nigerian travelling documents to enter India illegally.
He also called for closer collaboration with the Indian government through the provision of useful information and intelligence reports that will assist in unmasking those involved and their modus operandi with a view to getting them arrested to face the full wrath of the law.
On the issue of some arrested mariners accused of illegal activity, Aregbesola said the government will prefer that the judicial process run its course while he will try to see if the issue could be handled on humanitarian grounds.
The minister made it abundantly clear that Nigeria frowns at all illegalities, and will not condone the procurement of fake visas by individuals in order to gain false entry into another country.
Aregbesola implored High Commissioner Balasubramanian for technical assistance through scholarships and professional courses and training as part of cooperation that will enhance the performance of his ministry’s paramilitary agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp, which is a civil protection corp that responds to emergencies as well as complement the police in maintaining law and order.
In his remarks, the Indian high commissioner promised to explore more areas of cooperation that will further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two friendly countries.
Mr Gangadharan Balasubramanian later disclosed that already, seven agencies of government including the Nigeria Immigration Service are currently undergoing relevant courses in India as a demonstration of the partnership support to Nigeria.
The Federal Government of Nigeria, the French Embassy in Nigeria, the French Development Agency (AFD) and Semmaris have signed a grant agreement of 1.2 million Euros for the development of a strategy for agriculture and food markets in Nigeria.
The AFD grant will finance a one-year technical assistance programme to assist the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) in the design of a national agrifood market development strategy.
The one-year study, which will run from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, will look at the whole value chains market ecosystem from rural to urban areas, with a particular focus on the three largest urban consumption areas in Nigeria: Lagos-Ibadan, Kano-Kaduna and Owerri-Port-Harcourt.
The study will result in an inventory of existing agricultural markets; an in-depth analysis of current distribution channels and agrifood logistics; a legal and regulatory framework adapted to market development, and technical recommendations to rehabilitate or build three terminal markets.
The programme will be implemented by the French company, Semmaris, with the support of the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU) of the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) within the FMARD.
Semmaris has been managing for over 50 years the largest wholesale fresh food market worldwide in Rungis, France.
The Rungis Market brings together over 1,200 companies from various segments of the food value chains. This initiative will build on the 10-year intervention of the World Bank and AFD in the rural development sector in Nigeria through the “Rural Access and Mobility Project” (RAMP) achieved in 2021, and the on-going “Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project” (RAAMP) (2020-2028) co-financed by AFD and WB for a total investment of EUR 700 M including EUR 296 M from AFD. These projects will contribute to reducing post-harvest losses through the rehabilitation of over 2 000km of all-season rural roads and the upgrading of 65 collection markets into agro-logistics hubs in 19 States across the country. In Nigeria, agriculture accounts for 22% of GDP in 2020 and employs 70% of the formal and informal working population. Nigeria is a major producer of roots and tubers (world’s leading producer of cassava, large producer of taro and yam), cereals (maize, rice, sorghum), cocoa and palm oil. The country’s agriculture is characterized by small, low-productivity family farms, which practice low-mechanized subsistence rain-fed agriculture. Eighty percent of farmers are smallholders and provide a total of 90% of the country’s agricultural production. Despite growing agricultural production, imports of agri-food products are increasing while 30 to 40% of crops are said to be lost on site due to lack of access to roads and markets. This study will contribute to structuring a food value chain and strengthen agri-food systems while also helping to identify the terminal markets that should be rehabilitated or newly built in the outskirts of cities, linking up Nigeria’s major urban consumption areas to rural areas that are benefitting from AFD and World Bank’s past and on-going interventions
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye is ready to support the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia for regional peace if requested, after a meeting with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Istanbul on Friday.
“Türkiye is ready to provide all kinds of support for the peace and stability of our region and to make the necessary contribution if requested by the parties,” Erdoğan said in a joint news conference.
Erdoğan added: “We hope that the dialogue process with Serbia will result in a way that ensures the region’s lasting peace and stability.”
Türkiye continued joint efforts to ensure that Kosovo reaches the position it deserves in the international arena, Erdoğan said, adding: “In this regard, we support Kosovo’s vision to join NATO, the Council of Europe, and the EU.”
The president also said he asked Kurti to increase cooperation with Türkiye against the activities of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) – the group behind the 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye – in Kosovo.
Meeting at the Vahdettin Mansion, Erdoğan and Kurti reviewed various aspects of Türkiye-Kosovo relations and the potential steps that would further enhance the bilateral cooperation.
Views on regional and international matters, regarding the Balkans in particular, were on the agenda of the two leaders.
Türkiye recognized Kosovo on Feb. 18, 2008, the very first day following the declaration of independence.
The Balkans is a priority for Türkiye, not only for political, economic and geographical reasons but also for its historical, cultural and human ties with the region.
The relations between Kosovo and Türkiye have been strong due to a vibrant Turkish population in Kosovo and a Kosovar community in Türkiye.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with most U.N. member states, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Türkiye, recognizing it as a separate autonomous country. Serbia, however, continues to claim Kosovo as its territory
Adistrict court in Sweden’s capital Stockholm detained a suspect who allegedly financially supported the PKK terrorist group for the first time, according to a statement made by prosecutor Hans Ihrman on Friday.
The suspect in his 40s has been in Sweden for about five years, according to a report by Swedish SR Radio.
Ihrman, citing court documents, said suspicions of attempted terrorist financing arose in connection with an investigation into attempted extortion and the suspect was arrested Friday on suspicion of attempted extortion and aggravated weapons offenses as well as terror financing.
The detention marks the first time that a prosecutor in Sweden linked someone to PKK – a terror group responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in Türkiye.
The suspect refused to comment during the court hearing, said the report.
Sweden has been seeking Türkiye’s approval to join NATO, for which it applied after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. NATO membership requires the approval of all 30 member states but Ankara has been withholding its “yes” vote.
Turkish officials criticize Sweden for harboring and tolerating members of terrorist organizations like the PKK and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which, helmed by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated the defeated 2016 coup in Türkiye, where 251 people were killed and 2,734 were injured.
Many times, Turkish officials said the Nordic nation needs to take a tougher stance against terrorist groups and their sympathizers.
Most recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye would not OK Sweden’s bid, due to their failure to abide by the terms of a trilateral memorandum signed in the summer.
But despite objections from Türkiye, Sweden and Finland’s premiers vowed to see the completion of their NATO applications together.
The Swedish government formalized its anti-terrorism bill on Thursday.
“The bill will be sent to the parliament in March and that will come into effect from June 1. This is a cornerstone in Sweden’s long-term commitment to fighting terrorism,” Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson noted.
“The proposed legislation widens the scope of activities that can be prosecuted, particularly within a terrorist organization that does not need to be concretely connected to a specific terrorism-related crime,” Kristersson’s Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a separate news conference on Thursday.
Actions such as handling equipment, organizing camps or locations for meetings, cooking or being in charge of transport for designated terrorist organizations would be criminalized under the new law.
The legislation only partially meets Ankara’s demands about cutting support to terrorists since, according to Strommer, “partaking in a demonstration or at a meeting will not in itself be punishable.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says Spain and Morocco have agreed to set aside their differences as they seek to repair a relationship marked by frequent disputes over migration and territory.
Sanchez was speaking on Thursday at a summit in Rabat where the two countries signed about 20 agreements to boost trade and investment, including credit lines of up to 800 million euros.
“We have agreed on a commitment to mutual respect, whereby in our discourse and in our political practice we will avoid everything that we know offends the other party, especially regarding our respective spheres of sovereignty,” Sanchez said.
There have been regular diplomatic crises over Spain’s enclaves in North Africa, Morocco’s dispute with rebels over the Western Sahara region, and the arrival of refugees and migrants in Spain each year through Morocco.
Morocco refuses to recognise Spanish sovereignty over the enclaves Ceuta and Melilla but, last year, the two countries agreed to open the first customs control point at Ceuta.
Madrid says that reflects Rabat’s recognition of the enclaves as foreign territory but Morocco has made no public statement indicating that its long-held stance that the enclaves should be part of its territory has changed.
Sanchez restored cordial relations with Rabat in March 2022 after he reversed Spain’s policy on the disputed territory of Western Sahara by backing Morocco’s proposal to create an autonomous region. The Algeria-backed breakaway movement Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state in the region.
Yasmine Hasnaoui, a North Africa specialist at the Institute of Saharan Studies Al Andalous, told Al Jazeera that Sanchez’s visit to Rabat marked a reset of relations with Morocco.
“The visit of the Spanish government to Morocco is ushering a new era thanks to a clear-cut roadmap after Spain unequivocally acknowledged the historical sovereignty of Morocco over its territory in the Western Sahara through the autonomy plan,” she said.
“The Spanish prime minister has reiterated today that [in] this new phase of bilateral relations with Morocco, [it] is considered an important partner with the EU in fighting extremism, terrorism and aiding the bloc’s migration policy.”
As the third largest destination for Spanish exports around the world, Hasnaoui said Spain also sees Morocco as a strategic economic partner.
“Spain has become aware that its profit is not only found in Europe but rather its interests are largely found in Morocco and the south in general,” she added.
But forging better relations between the neighbours has forced members of Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party into some uncomfortable positions.
Last month, its MEPs voted against a resolution in the European Parliament to call on Morocco to improve its record on press freedom. MEP Juan Fernando Lopez said this week that maintaining cordial neighbourly relations sometimes involved “swallowing a toad”.
Tensions with Algeria Madrid’s about-turn on Western Sahara drew the ire of Algeria, a Polisario Front ally, which suspended trade with Spain and warned it could cut the flow of natural gas to Spain even as it forges closer gas ties with Italy.
Spanish exports to Algeria fell by 41 percent to 1 billion euros in the January-November 2022 period compared with a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Industry. Its exports to Morocco rose by 27 percent to 10.8 billion euros in the same period.
Spain expects to get a significant chunk of the 45 billion euros that Morocco is expected to invest by 2050 in improving infrastructure, a Spanish government source said.
Spanish companies are well positioned to win concessions in key sectors of Rabat’s development plan, such as in water sanitation and renewable energy, the person said.
State-owned railway operators Renfe and Adif are working with their Moroccan counterpart to develop new train lines, which could mean 6 billion euros of business.
Spain is discussing how to remove Morocco from a grey list of money laundering countries, another government source said.
A delegation from the Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, visited Morocco last month and is expected to announce later this month its decision on whether Morocco can be removed from the list.
In Rabat on Thursday, Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch expressed satisfaction at Spain’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan as the “most credible solution” to resolve the Western Sahara dispute, but did not reference an agreement to set aside all sovereignty disputes.
A joint declaration made no mention of Spain’s enclaves in Morocco, although it reiterated Spain’s new position on Western Sahara.
Morocco said it expected Spain’s upcoming presidency of the European Union would mean it could act as a conduit for better relations with the bloc
The Foreign Ministry summoned the envoys of nine countries, including ones that have closed their diplomatic missions in Türkiye, diplomatic sources said Thursday.
Sources noted that the ambassadors and representatives of the U.S., the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy were summoned to the ministry in Ankara to convey Türkiye’s reaction.
The ministry reminded the diplomats that Türkiye ensures the security of all diplomatic missions in th ecountry in line with international agreements and that such simultaneous acts are not proportional and prudent approaches, and only serve the insidious agendas of terrorist groups.
The diplomats were told that Ankara expects allied and friendly nations to cooperate with Turkish security forces regarding the matter.
On Thursday, five consulates, including the German, French, Dutch, Belgian and the United Kingdom were closed citing alleged security threats.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu slammed the move, saying that it amounted to “psychological warfare” at a time of growing tourism revenues.
Turkish media outlets also reported that Pierre Loti French High School in Istanbul would be closed on Thursday and Friday, reporting a message to students’ parents citing “reasons related to security.” The Belgian Consulate will also remain closed on Friday while it is unclear whether the British Consulate will reopen on Friday.
Soylu dismissed their claim of “security threats,” citing Türkiye’s successful counterterrorism operations. He said between the start of January and Thursday alone, Türkiye carried out as many as 60 operations against Daesh and detained 95 people. Last year, close to 2,000 Daesh suspects were detained in more than 1,000 operations against the group, he highlighted. Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry said Turkish authorities had detained a number of suspects following a warning from a “friendly country,” but hadn’t found any weapons, ammunition, or sign of a planned act of violence.
Türkiye values military exercises in the face of ongoing political and military challenges in the region, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday.
“We are witnessing various important political and military developments, both in the regional arena and in the world, in the period we are going through.
“We all see together that the armed forces should be more effective and more deterrent than ever before. For this, we need to see that the exercises are of vital importance,” Hulusi Akar said at the “distinguished observer day” of the Winter Exercise-2023 in the eastern province of Kars.
Starting Jan. 18, the exercise had 16 participants from friendly and allied countries, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, and the U.K. The exercise officially ends on Friday.
“Our aim is not war. We continue our efforts to protect the rights and interests of our country and our nation and to ensure security,” Akar added.
The defense chief said Türkiye has conducted 985 military exercises since 2018 and is planning to conduct 206 exercises in 2023.
Akar attended the observer day along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov and Georgian counterpart Juansher Burchuladze.
A total of 2,113 personnel took part in the exercise, and over 650 vehicles and 860 weapons were used.
The aim of the exercise was to ensure cooperation and coordination in the execution of combined and joint operations, test the combat capabilities of units, including firing in deep snow and severe cold, and improve the synchronization of firing and maneuvering by simulating the battlefield in all its dimensions.
The Foreign Ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador to Ankara on Thursday. A statement by the ministry said the envoy was summoned upon learning that a Quran burning would take place in the Nordic country on Friday.
“It was emphasized to the ambassador that we strongly condemn Norway’s approach not to prevent the planned provocative act, which is clearly a hate crime, this attitude is unacceptable and we expect this act not to be allowed,” the diplomatic sources told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu later told reporters that upon their warning to the country, Norway rescinded the permit for the act.
Quran burning demonstrations by Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan in Sweden and Denmark prompted global protests by Muslims in recent weeks. Norway is no stranger to such acts. Lars Thorsen, a well-known anti-Muslim extremist, burned a copy of the Quran in the country last year.
Although Türkiye repeatedly condemned such acts, Paludan’s provocation came at a time of tensions between Türkiye and Sweden over the latter’s NATO membership bid that needs to be ratified by Ankara. Paludan’s act was apparently in response to Türkiye’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO bid without desisting from harboring terrorists, namely those from the PKK and Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), as the Danish politician chose a venue outside the Turkish Embassy to burn the Quran.
Sweden and Denmark’s permission for far-right figures like Danish politician Rasmus Paludan to burn the Quran on grounds of freedom of expression not only affects Muslims but raises concerns among other religious groups too, a Swedish rights activist said told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
Helene Sejlert, a political scientist and human rights defender, said that Paludan’s anti-Islamic acts are causing more problems, putting more people in danger.
“His actions are spoon-feeding racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. If the law can’t stop that, there’s clearly something wrong with the law!” Sejlert said.
His actions are harming so many, she said. “Large (different) groups are now scared of just saying that they are Muslims or Jews.”
“To escalate the hate against these groups is of course also the aim for a bigot like Paludan,” she added.
Paludan, who holds both Danish and Swedish citizenship, last week burned copies of the Quran on two separate occasions, first outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden and later in front of a mosque in Denmark.
Burning Quran ‘bone-chilling echo of Nazi’ mentality
“The burning of the holy Quran, is a bone-chilling echo of Nazi book-burnings, where ‘the other’ was demonized and the ‘un-pure’ people or material should be exterminated,” Sejlert said. “This is a rhetoric Paludan (and other extremists) has used when addressing what he views as ‘The Muslim problem’.”
She also said there is “way too little knowledge on how to address and combat racism and Islamophobia” in Swedish society.
The opinions expressed by a few radicals, like in the case of Paludan, is not “just a cheap, isolated event, spread for the wind by a crazy lone wolf,” Sejlert said. “It is rather a reflection of the society we live in and an extension of the hate that is growing in every corner of our streets. Many times this hatred is directed at Muslims.”
She continued: “These few radicals get a free ride by media who gives them a platform to ventilate their racism and Islamophobia, and then social media drives the topic to a boiling point.
“As the emotions run wilder, normal limits of decency are trespassed, the words used to get more and more emotional and hateful towards ‘the other’ and starts to appeal to an even broader group.”
Police could have prevented attack, says Sejlert While there is already “a lot of hate-mongering and disinformation” across the society, Paludan did not only burn copies of Quran, but “set fire to an inflamed situation,” Sejlert said.
“Sweden should have acted wiser and more fair,” she asserted. “Sweden should have set an example to not hurt a large chunk of its population even more.”
Sejlert said, “the law is clear and the police could have called the provocation off by invoking security concerns, since the hateful act very well could result in violence.”
Sweden Democrats, an anti-Islam and anti-immigrant party, won 22% of the votes last fall and became a strong voice in the government and life in the country is getting harder and harder for Muslims, she argued.
The Swedish Foreign Minister claimed that his country is abiding by the trilateral agreement signed with Türkiye and Finland on NATO membership and that religion was not part of that deal.
Türkiye, having signed a memorandum at a NATO summit last year to clear the way for Sweden and Finland to join, has been disturbed by a series of anti-Türkiye protests by supporters of the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot YPG in Sweden.
Far-right extremist Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan also set a Quran on fire, and Erdoğan has now held out the prospect that he could allow Finland to join, but not Sweden.
But Billström told the TT news agency that “religion is not part of the agreement” that was signed with Türkiye.
He said he understands Turkish anger over the incidents, which although legal are not respectful. He added that it is now necessary for all sides to calm down and that talks with Türkiye would continue.
Per a tripartite memorandum the sides inked in June last year, Stockholm has vowed to meet the said demands, including extraditing and increasing its crackdown on terrorist groups. For the previous month, however, public support in Sweden for the terrorist groups from their sympathizers has been raising the tensions between the two countries, which Ankara has repeatedly warned would jeopardize Stockholm’s NATO membership process.
Last week, Ankara suspended NATO talks with the two Nordic nations after an incident in Stockholm in which a far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran in front of its embassy, which drew global backlash.
Türkiye was already outraged by a Swedish prosecutor’s decision not to press charges against PKK terrorist sympathizers that hung President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s effigy by its ankles outside Stockholm City Court.
Erdoğan said Sweden “shouldn’t expect any support from Türkiye,” considering the leeway Swedish authorities gave for such public displays, even indicating that his country could approve Finland’s application and leave Sweden “shocked.”
Scrambling to stay in Ankara’s good graces, Helsinki reportedly made “immediate contact” with Erdoğan after his hint, with foreign ministers already convening for “preliminary discussions.”
As the way things currently stand, Türkiye can’t accept Sweden’s NATO membership, according to the country’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
“Just like Hungary, Türkiye supports NATO’s expansion and has always sported the same attitude about the membership of candidate states,” Çavuşoğlu told a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday following a one-on-one meeting with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.
“However,” he continued, “while Türkiye understands Sweden and Finland’s security concerns, it’s unacceptable that Türkiye’s security concerns are not met.”
Çavuşoğlu’s remarks followed two tumultuous weeks in Türkiye’s relations with Sweden and Finland as the countries seek NATO memberships that face increasingly more hurdles.
Stockholm has been courting Ankara to secure a green light for its application since last year when it, alongside Finland, threw away its military nonalignment in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war. However, NATO members Türkiye and Hungary, have been withholding their affirmatives, with Ankara making firm demands that its security concerns about the terrorists Sweden is harboring and tolerating be addressed.
Per a tripartite memorandum the sides inked in June last year, Stockholm has vowed to meet the said demands, including extraditing and increasing its crackdown on terrorist groups. For the previous month, however, public support in Sweden for the terrorist groups from their sympathizers has been raising the tensions between the two countries, which Ankara has repeatedly warned would jeopardize Stockholm’s NATO membership process.
Last week, Ankara suspended NATO talks with the two Nordic nations after an incident in Stockholm in which a far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran in front of its embassy, which drew global backlash.
Türkiye was already outraged by a Swedish prosecutor’s decision not to press charges against PKK terrorist sympathizers that hung President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s effigy by its ankles outside Stockholm City Court.
Erdoğan said Sweden “shouldn’t expect any support from Türkiye,” considering the leeway Swedish authorities gave for such public displays, even indicating that his country could approve Finland’s application and leave Sweden “shocked.”
Scrambling to stay in Ankara’s good graces, Helsinki reportedly made “immediate contact” with Erdoğan after his hint, with foreign ministers already convening for “preliminary discussions.”
While they have been intending to join NATO with Sweden, Ankara has been signaling they might not get so lucky.
The terrorist organization has a large presence in Sweden, Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday argued, referring to the PKK and its Syrian affiliate YPG who also find public support in broader Europe.
In a confession-like statement, Sweden’s chief NATO negotiator on Sunday was quoted as saying, “Unlike Finland, we have a larger share of funding for the PKK from Sweden.”
“Financing terrorism, recruiting people and propaganda continues (in the country),” Çavuşoğlu said.
“According to the trilateral memorandum, these countries promised to curb terrorist activities,” he recalled. “We can see that we don’t have a major problem with Finland compared to Sweden. There is a need for political willpower. We can see this willpower in the new Swedish government, yet there are no concrete steps yet,” he said.
Unless commitments are met, Türkiye can’t ratify a nation’s NATO membership, Çavuşoğlu declared.
“This is entirely a security concern and about the fight against terrorism,” he said.
He noted that NATO wants the membership process for Sweden and Finland to go hand in hand; however, “If a decision is reached about the process, Mr. President Erdoğan himself expressed that we would have a more positive outlook on Finland.”
Çavuşoğlu contended that Finland refuses to allow an act like the burning of a holy book and considers it a hate crime “despite the same laws existing in both Finland and Sweden.”
“The mentality of ‘freedom of expression’ will only drag us into chaos,” Çavuşoğlu stressed.
He said if Sweden were to fulfill its commitments in the future, Türkiye would consider its options, “but, as things stand, we can’t say yes.”
“We have established a monitoring mechanism. We continue this independently from these provocations,” he said.
For his part, Szijjarto echoed Çavuşoğlu in expressing Hungarian support for NATO enlargement. “We will assess Sweden and Finland’s NATO memberships at our parliament in February,” he said.
“I haven’t put any pressure on the Turkish side to act faster because that’s not my job. I leave this to Türkiye. I cannot provide the Turkish government lessons,” Szijjarto said.
The Hungarian diplomat also condemned Paludan’s book-burning, saying it was “absolutely unacceptable as a Christian that the holy book of another religion is torched.”
“We’re talking about a country that wants to join NATO,” Szijjarto pointed out. “Perhaps, they should behave a bit better. I say these only as an observer; they must show more respect. I repeat, it’s unacceptable to torch another religion’s book,” he stressed.
The ministers further discussed ways to reinforce their defense cooperation, Çavuşoğlu also revealed, noting it was “fairly normal” for two NATO allies to do so.
“Our contact with Hungary on every level continues increasingly,” he said. “We’re discussing all aspects of our ties. We would be honored to host their president in our country.”
The meetings were productive and genuine, according to Çavuşoğlu. “Our trade volume is rising, there is much potential. We have relayed to Hungary that energy is a priority and we weighed in on ways we could bolster this energy cooperation.”
Türkiye will provide every support to bring Azerbaijani gas to Hungary and some of our friends, Çavuşoğlu noted.
The two ministers also remarked on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the Turkish diplomat revealed. “We’ve been sincerely attempting to end the war as soon as possible. We know the war will end on the negotiation table someday and we will continue our confidence-building moves,” he said.
Pointing out to the Black Sea grain deal, the prisoner exchange, and the dialogue created to ensure a calamity didn’t break out in Zaporizhzhia, Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye’s facilitation of known and unknown many talks has “proven diplomacy works even during the war.”
Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said that Türkiye supports NATO enlargement in principle but told Sweden and Finland from day one that Ankara would not leave provocations unanswered.
Speaking in a live interview on Tuesday, Kalın said some provocative incidents that took place in Sweden did not take place in Finland.
“We’ve told them that there are necessary steps to be taken. Sweden is rewriting its constitution and told us they need time until June,” the top presidential aide said, adding that Türkiye is not blocking their membership.
Kalın also said Türkiye respects Finland and Sweden’s decision to proceed together, but if Finland wants to hold a separate process for NATO membership, then it is their decision.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently said that Ankara might approve Finland’s NATO membership while withholding approval for the membership of Sweden over ongoing tensions.
Sweden has approved a constitutional amendment that enables it to enact tougher anti-terror laws demanded by Ankara. However, Türkiye suspended NATO talks with Sweden and Finland last week after a protest in Stockholm in which a far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran.
Ankara has also been outraged by a Swedish prosecutor’s decision not to press charges against PKK terrorist sympathizers that hung Erdoğan’s effigy by its ankles outside Stockholm City Court.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country wanted to restore NATO dialogue with Türkiye, but Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said last Thursday it was meaningless to restart discussions.
Çavuşoğlu also said there was “no offer to evaluate Sweden’s and Finland’s NATO membership separately.”
Regarding the F-16 program, Kalın said Ankara is aware of the U.S. Congress’ mention of preconditions regarding the F-16 program.
“We will continue to go our way if the U.S. sets preconditions. Türkiye knows the Biden administration’s intentions but if Congress blocks it then we will reevaluate the situation regarding F-16s,” he added.
On Sunday, Erdoğan said “there would be a price” to pay if the United States fails to supply Türkiye with F-16 fighter jets it has been seeking in return for a payment it made for F-35 warplanes.
NATO member Türkiye has been seeking to modernize its existing warplanes to update its air force and sought to buy 40 Lockheed Martin F-16 jets and nearly 80 modernization kits from the U.S., a deal reportedly valued at $20 billion.
Türkiye made this request instead of a refund for the payment it had made for the next-generation F-35 fighter jets. The payment was issued before it was removed from the multinational program developing the aircraft over Ankara’s decision to acquire Russian-made S-400 air missile defense systems.
Ankara had previously ordered over 100 U.S. F-35 jets, but Washington removed Türkiye from the program in 2019 after it bought the S-400s. Türkiye has called the move unjust and demanded reimbursement for its $1.4 billion payment.
The Biden administration has reportedly conveyed to Congress its intention to sell the fighter jets to Türkiye. The administration has said it supports the sale and has been in touch for months with Congress informally to win its approval. However, it has failed to secure a green light so far
Discussions between Türkiye and Sweden on NATO membership have been suspended, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Saturday.
He said the Swedish government was investing time and effort to move forward again and continued to hope that the process could be completed in the summer, according to the newspaper Expressen. Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had also expressed optimism on this issue a few days ago.
Finland this week said for the first time that it had to consider joining NATO without Sweden, whose bid appeared to grind to a halt as Ankara blasted Stockholm over anti-Türkiye and anti-Islam protests.
Finland – which shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia – and Sweden applied to join NATO last year after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, ending decadeslong policies of military nonalignment.
Türkiye has frequently voiced that it does not oppose NATO enlargement, but rather criticizes Stockholm for not taking action against elements that are posing a security threat to Ankara.
Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.
But recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist supporters and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary to gain NATO membership.
Ankara has long criticized Stockholm for housing members of various terrorist organizations, particularly members of the PKK and, in recent years, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) – the organization behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Türkiye.
Ahead of a historic NATO summit, the three countries signed a trilateral deal in June that prevented a Turkish veto. In the memorandum, the Nordic countries said they would address Türkiye’s extradition requests for terrorists. In addition, the joint directive states that Finland and Sweden “will not provide support to the organization described as FETÖ” and terrorist groups
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will host his counterparts from Thailand and Serbia on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation.
During a three-day visit to Türkiye starting on Wednesday, Çavuşoğlu and Don Pramudwinai will co-chair the fourth meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation between Türkiye and Thailand, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“During the meeting, the ministers will discuss bilateral cooperation, exchange views on current regional and international development and sign the second Joint Plan of Action between Türkiye and Thailand for the 2023-2028 period,” it added.
Türkiye established diplomatic relations with Thailand in 1958, opening an embassy in Bangkok the same year. The Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara was opened in 1972. Thailand is one of Türkiye’s partners in the Asia Anew Initiative.
To improve ties with Asian countries in different fields, Türkiye launched the Asia Anew initiative in 2019. The initiative offers a new vision that might shape the future of Turkish foreign policy as a whole. It aims to improve ties with Asian countries in various areas, including education, the defense industry, investments, trade, technology, culture and political dialogue.
Türkiye considers ASEAN a key organization in the region, considering its combined economy, dynamic population and strategic location. Türkiye applied to become a sectoral dialogue partner to ASEAN in 2015 and its application was accepted on Aug. 5, 2017, during the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in the Philippines.
On the other side, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will pay an official visit to Türkiye on the same day. Çavuşoğlu and Dacic will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations and steps for further enhancing the Türkiye-Serbia cooperation, as well as current regional and international developments, the ministry said in a statement.
The Balkans is a priority for Türkiye, not only for political, economic, and geographical reasons, but also for its historical, cultural, and human ties with the region.
In the last couple of years, Türkiye-Serbia relations have been at their best in line with the strategic partnership objectives.
A Russian Foreign Ministry official criticized NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg for his remarks on the Quran burning provocation in Sweden, noting that respect for religion “is an obligation, not an option.”
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova was responding to Stoltenberg’s views on Quran burning incident when he said that it was inappropriate but was not illegal.
“He says this about burning the Quran … Let me remind you that respect for religious views is an obligation, not an option.”
Citing several international documents obliging signatory countries to counteract acts of intolerance and discrimination, Zakharova said: “These documents explicitly state that the right to freedom of expression does not imply the right to make critical or even disparaging statements about any religion or religious practice. Not to mention burning a Book sacred to Muslims.”
Rasmus Paludan, an extremist Swedish-Danish politician, burned a copy of the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm with both police protection and permission from the Swedish government.
Claiming that Stoltenberg was not aware of the content of the documents, she said the West “appoints illiterate people to key positions in the European direction,” as they are easier to “manage.”
She also underlined that the West is “simply obliged to respect the right of hundreds of millions of people to their time-tested sacred things.”
Condemnations kept coming in from Muslims, Christians and Jews in Türkiye and across the globe in a religious show of solidarity over the weekend over the burning of a copy of the Quran by a Swedish-Danish far-right politician in Stockholm.
Paludan’s act aroused a harsh backlash worldwide, with Türkiye, the target of the hate crime, pulling the lead in denouncing the incident and Swedish authorities for enabling him
The Kremlin Tuesday said it is continuing efforts to resolve a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Lachin corridor, a mountainous road linking Armenia to Karabakh where Russian peacekeepers are stationed.
“The Russian Federation … continues its painstaking work in this direction,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev denies that the corridor is subject to a blockade and says activists protesting illegal mining activity are the main reason for the disruption to traffic.
Russia is an ally of Armenia through a mutual self-defense pact, but tries to maintain warm relations with Azerbaijan and has rejected calls by Yerevan to provide military support.
The standoff is a test of Russia’s authority as the main security guarantor in the region at a time when its struggles in the war in Ukraine risk undermining its primary status among former Soviet republics in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
The clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian Army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements. During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.
However, the cease-fire has been broken several times since then.
Since mid-December, a group of Azerbaijani activists have been protesting illegal mining that has been causing environmental damage in the region. The protests erupted after representatives of Azerbaijan attempting to visit the areas where mineral resources are being illegally exploited were barred access to the area.
Yerevan has been accusing Azerbaijan of creating a “humanitarian catastrophe” by purposefully blocking the only road linking Armenia to the region, which houses thousands of Armenians. It also slammed the Russian peacekeeping contingent claiming it is “failing to fulfill its purpose of clearing the corridor.”
Baku has consistently rejected Yerevan’s accusations, with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stressing that obstacles to the use of the road are created by people who introduced themselves as “the leaders of local Armenians” and claims that the protests on the Lachin road posed the threat of a humanitarian crisis to the local Armenian population are baseless.
Last week, the country also filed a lawsuit against Armenia over its “extensive destruction and deforestation” of the environment throughout its three-decade occupation.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Aliyev to ramp up efforts in bilateral peace discussions with Armenia and urged “an immediate reopening of the Lachin corridor to commercial traffic.”
Blinken also spoke to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian the week prior and voiced “deep concern for the worsening humanitarian situation” in Karabakh due to the blockage of the corridor.
The U.S. diplomat has been active in mediating between the two former Soviet republics, increasing U.S. influence on an issue long dominated by Russia at a time Yerevan has grown increasingly wary of Russia – formally an ally through a mutual self-defense treaty – for not doing more to end the blockade, especially since Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the corridor.
On Tuesday, another move to contribute to stability and normalization in the region came from the European Council, which deployed the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA), a civilian mission, on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.
The deployment followed Russia’s warnings a week before against a “civil monitoring mission” on the border with Azerbaijan without Baku’s consent.
“This is the border with Azerbaijan, so if this mission unfolds without the consent of Azerbaijan, it may simply be counterproductive. Instead of building trust at the border, it can create additional irritants,” Lavrov said.
Stressing that the mission must take into account its legitimate interests in the region, Baku responded it remains of the “firm position that such an engagement must not be exploited for derailing the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including in the context of border delimitation process that should be carried out exclusively on a bilateral basis.”
The EUMA will conduct routine patrols and report on the situation, as well as contribute to mediation efforts. It will have an initial mandate of two years and its operational headquarters will be in Armenia.
Turkey canceled a planned visit by Sweden’s defense minister on Saturday in response to anti-Turkish protests in the Nordic country and later strongly condemned a “vile attack” on the Quran, Islam’s holy book, during those protests.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack on our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden today (Jan. 21), despite our repeated warnings earlier,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said.
Calling the act “an outright hate crime,” the ministry said: “Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable.”
Calling on Swedish authorities to take necessary measures against the “perpetrators of this hate crime,” the ministry said: “This despicable act is yet another example of the alarming level that Islamophobia and racist and discriminatory movements have reached in Europe.”
The ministry also urged all countries and international organizations to take concrete steps “in solidarity against Islamophobia.”
Türkiye’s condemnation came after Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), was permitted to burn the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
In response to Sweden’s permission, Ankara canceled Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson’s upcoming visit to Türkiye.
On Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Swedish Ambassador to Ankara Staffan Herrstrom, who was told that Türkiye “strongly condemns this provocative act, which is a hate crime, that Sweden’s attitude is unacceptable, that Ankara expects the act not to be allowed, and insults to sacred values cannot be defended under the guise of democratic rights.”
Türkiye warned Sweden that allowing propaganda activities that PKK-affiliated circles were preparing to carry out in Stockholm on Saturday was a “clear violation” of the tripartite deal, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he was concerned that the demonstration would risk further delaying Türkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid.
However, he added that it would be “very inappropriate” to call for a person not to be allowed to carry out a demonstration.
Last week, Türkiye called on Sweden to take steps against terror groups after a demonstration in Stockholm, where supporters of the PKK terrorist organization hung in effigy by the feet a figure of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and then uploaded footage of the provocation along with threats against Türkiye and Erdogan.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24.
But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups, including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).
Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold talks in Beijing on February 5-6, a US official said Tuesday, giving dates for a long-awaited trip aimed at keeping high tensions in check.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Blinken would arrive in the Chinese capital on February 5 and also hold talks the following day, going ahead with the visit despite mounting concern about Covid-19 cases in China.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his British counterpart Ben Wallace discussed bilateral, regional defense and security developments and cooperation on Monday.
The defense minister met with the U.K.’s secretary of defense in London for discussions on security.
The Greek opposition accused the government of “catastrophic failure” in implementing proper foreign policies to prevent the United States from selling F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye.
After the U.S. State Department announced its decision on the potential sale of 40 jets and 79 modernization kits for tiered review in Congress, the leftist Syriza party said that the development highlighted the policy failure of being Washington’s “faithful and devoted ally”, the Efsyn news outlet reported on Sunday.
“The government’s dangerous foreign policy has increased adverse consequences for Greek interests,” it added.
The far-right Elliniki Lisi was also harsh in its criticism of Mitsotakis’ conservative Nea Dimokratia (ND) government, which it accused of abandoning the Greek diaspora in the U.S. alone in its efforts to block the arms sale to Ankara.
The U.S. State Department sent Congress its decision on the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye for tiered review, sources told Anadolu Agency on Friday.
The notification on the sale of new F-16 jets and modernization kits has been conveyed to the chairpersons and ranking members of relevant committees in the House of Representatives and Senate, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Akar said in late December that Ankara expected “positive and concrete steps” from the U.S. regarding the fighter jets sale that Türkiye requested in October 2021.
Türkiye is ready to undertake the role of a mediator between Russia and Ukraine to facilitate permanent peace between the two countries, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Monday.
According to the Presidential Communications Directorate, Erdoğan told Putin that Ankara is ready for moderation and mediation between the two warring neighbors for permanent peace.
The two leaders confirmed cooperation, with priorities including Russian gas supplies and the creation of a regional gas hub in Türkiye, the Kremlin said.
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“The exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine continued,” the statement said.
“Vladimir Putin drew attention to the destructive line of the Kyiv regime, which relies on the intensification of hostilities with the support of Western sponsors, increasing the volume of transferred weapons and military equipment,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.
“Among the priorities is cooperation in the energy sector, including the supply of Russian natural gas and the creation of a regional gas hub in Turkey,” the Kremlin said.
They also discussed the normalization of Turkish-Syrian relations, it said.
Türkiye, internationally praised for its unique mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has repeatedly called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.
Most recently, Türkiye enabled a prisoner swap between the warring countries. Also, Turkish mediation proved vital in facilitating the signing of a deal between Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to reopen certain Ukrainian ports to release grain that had been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war – a development that has been crucial in responding to a growing global food crisis.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
Türkiye is “not in a position” to approve Sweden’s NATO bid, as the latter has failed to take action regarding Ankara’s concerns about terrorist groups, the presidential spokesperson said Saturday.
“We are not in a position to send a (ratification) law to the parliament,” Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın told reporters.
Kalın said they could not send the legislation on Sweden’s NATO bid because some lawmakers may choose not to ratify it.
“It will take (Sweden) about six months to write and pass the new laws,” he said. “They will need a bit more time.”
In November, the Swedish parliament passed a new anti-terror law expected to come into force in the spring of next year and enable “wider criminalization of participation in a terrorist organization or a ban against terrorist organizations.”
On Sunday, the Swedish premier said that Stockholm could not fulfill all of Ankara’s conditions for approving its application to join NATO. “Türkiye has confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say they want concessions that we can’t make, those we don’t want to make,” he had claimed.
However, Kristersson said that he respected Ankara’s right to make its own decision on ratification.
To garner Ankara’s hard-earned approval, Stockholm extradited three people, including a PKK terrorist member, to Türkiye in early December. Ankara welcomed the development but said it “wasn’t enough” for a greenlight. As of the new year, Sweden has also taken into effect a constitutional amendment that enables “greater possibilities to make use of legal means to limit freedom of association for groups that engage in or support terrorism.”
However, Sweden’s top court last month refused to extradite a prominent FETÖ suspect, Bülent Keneş, in a move that was displeasing for Ankara, with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu declaring the country “not even halfway through fulfilling the commitments” it made to secure their support.
Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın strongly rejected claims that Türkiye sent cluster munitions to Ukraine during the Russian invasion last year.
“We don’t have cluster munitions, and we haven’t provided them to Ukraine,” Kalın told reporters on Saturday, adding that Ukrainians have also rejected the claims.
Ankara refuses to join the West in imposing sanctions on Russia and has cited its reliance on Russian energy supplies. In the meantime, Türkiye has closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them. Turkish officials have been actively working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between the warring sides and leading a delicately balanced mediator role by keeping communication channels with both sides open, calling for diplomatic efforts, and stressing that the war can only “end at the negotiation table.”
The country has been aiming to help establish a humanitarian corridor for a long while as well.
Since Russia launched its military operation in February last year, Turkish mediation has facilitated a swap of some 200 prisoners in September and the signing of a deal between Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul that reopened specific Ukrainian ports for releasing grain that had been stuck for months, effectively fending off worsening a global food crisis.
Last week, Erdoğan discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy issues related to humanitarian assistance, the grain corridor, and Türkiye’s readiness to contribute to the peace process diplomatically.
Vice President Fuat Oktay criticized the provocative photo of Greece’s military chief on a demilitarized island in the Aegean Sea, saying that Ankara would do whatever is necessary.
“Türkiye allows no such photos and will do what’s necessary,” said Fuat Oktay in an interview with a Turkish YouTube channel, referring to the photo by Greek Chief of General Staff Gen. Konstantinos Floros on the island of Keçi (Pserimos), 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) southwest of Türkiye’s Bodrum peninsula.
Citing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s oft-repeated warning that Türkiye could “come suddenly one night,” Oktay said Ankara’s words were not “empty” and that it would do “as it says.”
The Turkish vice president also noted that Türkiye was on track to become an energy hub thanks to its relations with other countries, adding that “credibility is required for both international relations and diplomacy,” he added.
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After talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Erdoğan announced that Ankara and Moscow would work together on building a natural gas hub in Thrace after a proposal from Russia.
Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Türkiye, a vital NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaties, saying that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts for peace. Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing Greek islands in the East Aegean and questions Greece’s sovereignty over them. There is also a dispute over the exploitation of mineral resources in the Aegean.
Turkish military drones also recorded the deployment of Greek armored vehicles on the islands of Lesbos and Samos, which Ankara maintains is in violation of international law. Following the incident, Ankara lodged a protest with the United States and Greece over the unlawful deployment of armored vehicles on Aegean islands with nonmilitary status.
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Türkiye summoned the Greek ambassador and called for an end to violations on Aegean islands and restoring their nonmilitary status.
Azerbaijan has appealed to the International Court of Justice to stop its neighbor Armenia from planting land mines in the Karabakh territory it once occupied and hand over information about the location of existing mines, booby traps and other explosives, according to a statement from the U.N. body Thursday.
Azerbaijan said “new evidence” had emerged that Armenia deliberately continued to lay land mines in “civilian zones in which displaced Azerbaijanis are slated to return” in its request for provisional measures in a case that has lasted years.
The court said Azerbaijan had asked it to order Armenia to take all necessary steps for the safe demining of towns and to “immediately cease to plant or to support the planting of land mines and booby traps.”
Karabakh is a source of a decadeslong conflict between the South Caucasus neighbors. The territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but was illegally occupied by Armenia for three decades until 2020.
Baku and Yerevan fought two wars over the territory in the 1990s and again in the autumn of 2020 when six weeks of particularly intense clashes claimed over 6,500 lives before a Russian-brokered truce ended the hostilities.
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Under the 2020 deal, Armenia ceded swathes of territory, and Russia stationed a force of 2,000 peacekeepers in the region to oversee a fragile truce.
Baku has since been leading a reconstruction push in the region where dozens of Azerbaijani cultural and religious monuments, mosques and homes had been destroyed by Armenia. President Ilham Aliyev previously revealed that clearing the mines planted by Armenia, nearing 1 million according to preliminary estimates, would take nearly 30 years and would cost $25 billion.
The request by Azerbaijan is part of tit-for-tat cases filed at the World Court in 2021, where both Armenia and Azerbaijan have claimed the other country had violated the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, to which both states are signatories.
In emergency measures, the World Court in that year ordered both countries to prevent the incitement of racial hatred against each other’s nationals and to not do anything to aggravate the dispute while the court considered the case.
It was not clear if the court would hear the request for new provisional measures.
The World Court in The Hague, formally known as the International Court of Justice, is the U.N. court for resolving disputes between countries.
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At the end of 2022, tensions flared up again between the rival nations, this time involving the blockade of the Lachin Corridor in Karabakh where since mid-December, a group of Azerbaijani activists has been protesting illegal mining that has been causing environmental damage in the region. The protests erupted after representatives of Azerbaijan attempting to visit the areas where mineral resources are being illegally exploited were barred access to the area.
Yerevan has been accusing Azerbaijan of creating a “humanitarian catastrophe” by purposefully blocking the only road linking Armenia to the region, which houses thousands of Armenians. It also slammed the Russian peacekeeping contingent for “failing to fulfill its purpose of clearing the corridor.”
Baku has consistently rejected Yerevan’s accusations, with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stressing that obstacles to the use of the road are created by people who introduced themselves as “the leaders of local Armenians” and claims that the protests on the Lachin road posed the threat of a humanitarian crisis to the local Armenian population are baseless.
“Movement of citizens, vehicles and goods along the road remains unchanged. Furthermore, there are no obstructions to the supply of goods for the use of local residents or the necessary medical services,” his office informed.
According to the trilateral memorandum of January 2021, Armenia must remove its forces from liberated lands in Karabakh where Baku says Yerevan is “abusing the Lachin road for military provocations and obstructing the opening of all transport communications” in the region.
Kremlin, as a longtime mediator, also expressed concern over the situation in the disputed corridor, urging the sides to “strictly comply with all the provisions of the Statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia dated Nov. 9, 2020.”
Noting that “provocations” against Russian peacekeepers were “unacceptable” and would “harm” the process of Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization, Moscow assured it would continue taking “consistent steps to resolve the situation.”
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