Day: June 18, 2021

Turkey wants to make the language of love prevail while racism is on the rise in the world, the Turkish first lady said on Friday.​​​​​​​

“While prejudices are getting stronger and racism is rising all over the world, we want to make the language of love prevail,” Emine Erdogan told first ladies of other countries at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Mediterranean resort city.

Stressing that the world needs a climate of peace, Erdogan said it is only possible through an effective diplomacy.

She said being the speaker of the truth must be the main issue at a time when lie rapidly spreads as new ways of communication becomes available with the technology.

“In this regard, I attribute great importance to humanitarian and cultural diplomacy,” Erdogan said.

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum kicked off Friday under the theme of “Innovative Diplomacy: New Era, New Approaches.”

The forum is hosting 12 heads of state, 43 foreign ministers, four former heads of state, representatives of international organizations, intellectuals, and academics until Sunday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The number of newly established companies in Turkey surged 32.1% year-on-year in the first five months of the year, the country’s top trade body said on Friday.


Some 45,109 companies were launched this January-May, up from 34,159 in the same period in 2020, according to data released by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).
 Among these, 4,685 were foreign-partnered or foreign-funded.

During the five-month period, 4,207 firms went out of business, a figure down 9.2% versus the same period last year.

– Monthly figures

In May, 4,480 companies started doing business in Turkey, up 30.3% on an annual basis, according to TOBB.


The number of companies that went out of business also grew by 8.4% year-on-year to 556 last month.


According to the TOBB report, 490 companies with overseas capital were established this May.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) on Friday announced that it suspended talks with the country’s government in a protest against the arrest of its “officials.”

In a statement, STC spokesman Ali Al-Kathiri said Jaafar Abu Bakr, the head of the local leadership of the council in the southeastern Hadhramaut governorate, and his deputy Hassan Saleh Al-Amoudi were arrested as they were crossing a checkpoint in the government-controlled Shabwa governorate, south of the country.

Al-Kathiri described the arrest as a “terrorist act” and announced that the STC delegation will withdraw from negotiations with Yemen’s government on the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.

He blamed the government forces, which he referred to as “militias,” for the STC’s extreme action.

The Yemeni government has not yet responded to the allegations.

Late last month, the Yemeni government and the STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, began consultations aimed at finalizing the implementation of the Saudi-sponsored Riyadh Agreement signed between them in the Saudi capital Riyadh in 2019.

The pact included 29 terms that address political, social, economic, and security situations in Yemen’s southern provinces. Both parties have frequently blamed each other for not adhering to the agreement.

Yemen has been ravaged by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 30 million people accounting for 80% of the population needing humanitarian assistance and protection.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Israeli warplanes launched several airstrikes late Thursday on sites belonging to the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Warplanes bombed a site in the town of Beit Lahia and another site in Khan Yunis.

The Palestinian Health Ministry did not announce any injuries as a result of the bombings, while there was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.

Earlier Thursday, Israel conveyed a message to Hamas that if the launching of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip does not stop, there will be new military action.

Israel’s Channel 13 News outlet reported that an Israeli delegation currently in Egypt sent the message through the Egyptian intelligence service.

The delegation from the Israeli National Security Council arrived in Cairo on Thursday, where it will hold talks on a long-term truce with Hamas in Gaza.

On May 10, Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which lasted 11 days and resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of Palestinians.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The US should withdraw systematically from Afghanistan to prevent what happened in the 1990s there from recurring, in the wake of Soviet forces’ withdrawal, said the foreign minister of neighboring Pakistan on Friday.

“If [the US] withdrawal is not systematic, we are concerned that Afghanistan may get sucked into the situation that we experienced in the 1990s, when there was anarchy, civil war, instability,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi told Anadolu Agency at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in the Turkish Riviera city of Antalya.

Qureshi said that the withdrawal – currently set to be finished by this Sept. 11 – should be carried out in a “responsible way.”

“Afghans have paid the biggest price. Second to the Afghans are the Pakistanis. We lost 83,000 lives on account of terrorism. Our economy has suffered close to over $128 billion,” he said.

Noting that Pakistan has hosted nearly 3 million Afghan refugees for four decades, he said they do not want another influx of refugees.

“We think it’s time that they go back home with honor and dignity. And that can only happen if there’s peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said.

Underlining that Pakistan facilitated the peace process between the Taliban and the US for the Doha Peace Agreement, he said: “As far as peace in Afghanistan is concerned, my point is, and my contention is that this is a shared responsibility. Pakistan is already in its role, but it’s basically the conciliation within Afghanistan.”

Stressing that the ownership and the responsibility lie on the Afghan leadership, he said they have to sit together and decide on their future.

Pakistan can only facilitate the process, he said, adding that they cannot tell Afghanistan what to do as Afghanistan is a sovereign and independent country.

On Turkish forces taking over a security role in Afghanistan as the US withdraws from the country, he said Pakistan has always been very comfortable with Turkey.

“Whether it’s Turkish forces, the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkish leadership. We have a very, very comfortable relationship,” he said.

“Turkey is part of NATO. But NATO has decided to withdraw. (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan made a statement at the summit… I might get an opportunity to have a word with him over there to find out what is on his mind,” he said.

Pointing out that an Istanbul conference to discuss the Afghan peace process has been canceled, he said: “I would like to know how Turkey is foreseeing the future. Turkey is an important regional power. We hold meetings regularly.”

About his meetings with the Turkish president and foreign minister, he said they would also discuss Islamophobia.

Underlining that Turkey and Pakistan have similar views on this issue, he said there is a rising trend of hate speech, discrimination, and targeting of Muslims in the West.

We collectively feel that we need to combat this growing menace, he said.

– Ties with Turkey

On bilateral relations with Turkey, Qureshi said the countries have “an excellent relationship based on trust and friendship, leading to an economic partnership in the future.”

“We cooperate for a number of platforms. Turkey and Pakistan are very closely associated and work in harmony in the international foras, particularly at the UN, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and other forums. We have a good defense cooperation understanding and it is deepening with the passage of time,” he said.

We need to increase our economic footprint, promote bilateral trade, and also encourage investments, he urged.

“We have a new economic framework that was put into place when President Erdogan visited Pakistan last time. We have now this high-level consultation mechanism and the Prime Minister of Pakistan (Imran Khan) will be visiting Turkey for this issue,” he added.

On the Gwadar port project in southern Pakistan, he said it will be the shortest route for landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian republics to reach the sea.

“There is a huge potential for Gwadar to become a hub of economic activity,” he said, inviting Turkish investors to invest in special economic zones that are being developed along the economic corridor.

The $64 billion mega-project signed in 2014 aims to connect China’s strategically important northwestern Xinjiang province to the Gwadar port through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines to transport cargo, oil, and gas.

The economic corridor will not only provide China with cheaper access to Africa and Middle East but will also earn Pakistan billions of dollars for providing transit facilities to the world’s second-largest economy.

– Palestine-Israeli conflict

As for the ongoing conflict in Palestine, Qureshi thanked Turkey and the OIC for their leadership in the face of Israel’s atrocities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“There was a cease-fire announced, but that was the first step. What is required is initiating once again the peace process that has stalled for a long time,” he said, adding that lasting peace in the Mideast can be achieved by a two-state formula.

An Egyptian-brokered truce that took effect in the early hours of May 21 ended Israel’s 11-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Eleven days of Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank killed at least 289 people, including women and children, and left behind a trail of destruction.

Health centers and media offices, as well as schools, were among the structures targeted.

– Jammu and Kashmir

Qureshi also decried India’s 2019 removal of the articles of the constitution that ensured the protection of the demographic structure and special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Stressing that with this decision India violated the UN Security Council resolutions, international law, and the Geneva Convention, he said Pakistan considered the act “unilateral and illegal.” Pakistan would go along with the wishes of the Kashmiri community, he said.

Stressing that the removed article 35A is related to the protection of the region’s demographic structure, he said: “We feel there is a design for demographic restructuring to convert this Muslim area, the only Muslim area in India, into a minority. India is under certain international obligations and India is violating those obligations.”

Jammu and Kashmir has been on the UN agenda since 1948, with several resolutions by the General Assembly and UN Security Council urging that the people of the disputed territory be given the right to self-determination to determine their political future.

In August 2019, India ended the minimal autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir under Articles 370 and 35A of its Constitution after putting the region of around 12 million people under military siege and cutting off communications with the outside world.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Major indexes in the US stock market opened lower Friday as investors’ fears amid the Federal Reserve signaling two rate hikes in 2023 persist.

The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 358 points, or 1%, to 33,465 at 9.50 a.m. EDT (1350GMT). The blue-chip index was heading for its worst weekly decline since January.

The S&P 500 fell 35 points, or 0.8%, to 4,186 and the Nasdaq declined 77 points, or 0.5% to 14,083.

Precious metals showed little recovery from their losses in the last two days. Gold showed a small gain to $1,774 per ounce and silver was up 0.4% to $26.02 at the time.

After the Fed signaled it could raise its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% twice in 2023 against rising inflation, investors flocked to the dollar, which continued its increase for the third consecutive day.

The dollar index was up 0.4% to 92.26 shortly after markets opened. The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, soared 13% to climb above the psychological threshold of 20.

The yield on the 10-year US Treasury, on the other hand, was down 0.7% to 1.501%.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Last year, when Indian film Director Vivek Agnihotri tried to bring a change in the Kashmiri food by captioning a vegetarian food plate as “Vegetarian Wazwan,” locals expressed anger over what they saw as an infringement of their cultural traditions.

The multi-course dish Wazwan, which consists of 36 dishes made up of lamb meat, has been preserved and relished in the region from many decades.

Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word waaja, which means “to cook,” with the chef cooking it known locally as the waza.

For World Gastronomy Day on June 18, local Chef Fayaz Ahmad Mir told Anadolu Agency about the exquisite details of the cuisine that he has been mastering for 18 years.

Mir belongs to a clan of chefs who for generations have been practicing the art of cooking Kashmiri Wazwan on festivals and marriage ceremonies.

“Wazwan is our identity, it’s not about cooking food, it’s about our culture, surroundings and traditions we cherish from many generations,” the 48-year-old Mir said.

– Exquisite dishes

By custom, Wazwan is cooked by five to 10 men under the supervision of the head chef, called wasta waza.

It is the wasta wazwa who oversees the preparation and making of the food that is entirely based on lamb meat, with even the vegetarian dishes that come with it containing mutton broth and mutton pieces.

The 36 dishes that make up the mouth-watering feast include small meatballs called Rista, Korma or pieces of meat prepared in mashed red chilies, pieces of rib meat prepared in clear butter known as Tabakmaaz, and Kababs.

The main course ends with what is known as gushtaba, a large meatball dish prepared in curds. The feast is usually served to four people together in a big copper plate called a Traem.

Mir said that naturally, Kashmiris have loved meat, irrespective of what faith they profess.

“My grandfather used to get orders from Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) to prepare Wazwan for their festivals and other ceremonies. It was a feast for all,” Mir recalls.

Today, Mir heads a group of chefs of around 12 men. He oversees all the preparations for cooking the huge feast which is prepared for over 100 people in large copperware over burning firewood.

Preparations to cook the food begin a day before guests arrive but due to the pandemic, they can only serve a limited attendance.

“The last two years have been very distressing. Our work suffered immensely. Lots of orders were discarded and many were postponed but whatever little we’re preparing now, things are still moving,” Mir said.

– Historical significance

The history of modern Kashmiri cuisine can be traced back to the 15-century invasion of India by the Timurid Empire, which was based in and around modern day Afghanistan and Iran.

It brought around 1,700 skilled workers from the Samarkand region, including cooks, to Kashmir. These cooks settled in the region and their descendants are today “Wazas” — chefs — of Kashmir.

Kashmir Historian Abdul Ahad told Anadolu Agency that there are two vital parts of the region’s identity, “one is language and the other is food.”

“Kashmiri cuisine is not just food, it’s the history of the people associated with it. I say it’s an amalgam of foods which has been brought here centuries ago,” said Ahad.

Mentioning that Kashmiri food signifies different cultures, he said: “You see the word Korma has of Turkish origin, the word Kabab of Arabic origin and Rogan josh was derived from a Persian word. So, all these foods we prepare here signify different food cultures at one place.”

He told Anadolu Agency that this cuisine was irreplaceable by anything because with time, it has gotten more sophisticated.

“In any situation, this food has been cooked here for many years and you won’t find it in any other part of the world. The wazwan prepared and relished here is unique because of its ingredients, surroundings and water,” Ahad added.

Source: Anadolu Agency