Day: March 15, 2022

Speaking at the 6th International Benevolence Awards ceremony at the Bestepe Congress Center in the capital Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkiye had welcomed migrants from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan before and that now, "they are coming from Ukraine, and we don't know where else they will come from" in the future.

"But, this country will always continue to be a haven for the oppressed, don't be concerned," Erdogan added.

Commenting on the coronavirus and its outcomes, Turkish president said the pandemic "showed the importance of kindness, altruism, and sharing -- not to only us, but to humanity."

Underlining that the pandemic has "once again reminded that humanity has a common fate," Erdogan said the COVID-19 outbreak revealed the deadlock, injustices, and distortions in the global system.

"We have witnessed situations in which even the most developed countries of the world were engaged in a war for masks, a shortage of ventilators, and nursing homes for the elderly turning into morgues," he added.

Pointing out that Turkiye had provided medical assistance to 160 countries and 12 international organizations throughout the pandemic, Erdogan said: "We're gradually delivering the 15 million doses of vaccines that we promised at the 3rd Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit to our African brothers."

The International Benevolence Awards, which made its debut in 2015, aims to reward pioneers of benevolence from Turkiye and around the world, according to its website.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a British-led military coalition of northern European states, on Tuesday reaffirmed its support and commitment to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

The coalition, which includes several nations bordering Russia, also reaffirmed its commitment to the restoration of peace and security in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called on Moscow to cease its military offensives in the country.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms Putin’s brutal attack against Ukraine, its territorial integrity and people. This is a clear violation of the sovereignty, freedom and independence of a democratic European country and a flagrant breach of Russia’s obligations under international law,” the JEF said in a statement after a London meeting where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosted the leaders of the JEF countries.

“We call upon Russia to implement and uphold an immediate ceasefire to halt the developing humanitarian crisis and allow rapid and unimpeded access for Ukraine’s civilian population to food, water and medical aid. Russia must respect international humanitarian law,” the statement added.

The force called on the Kremlin to urgently implement a ceasefire in order to prevent the unfolding of a humanitarian crisis. Moscow should also enable rapid and unobstructed access to food, water and medical supplies to the civilian population affected by the military offensive.

The alliance also lent its support to the International Criminal Court, which has launched an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. Further sanctions will also be imposed on Russia and its ally Belarus in acting as a launchpad for the invasion of Ukraine, it said.

“The world will hold Russia to account for its actions. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin must fail. We are working in lockstep with Allies and international partners to impose unprecedented sanctions on Putin’s regime in response to its illegal invasion, and to ensure that Belarus is also held to account for its involvement,” said the statement.

“We call on Putin to de-escalate, withdraw his forces and return Ukraine to its internationally recognised boundaries. We are steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine in the face of this unconscionable attack and pay tribute to the courage and resolve of the Ukrainian people, led by President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy.”

The JEF assured European nations of its commitment to uphold the security architecture and infrastructure of the continent against Russian aggression by working with NATO and the EU and reducing the continent’s dependence on Russian oil and gas.

The Joint Expeditionary Force is a northern European security coalition of the UK, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Addressing at the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at UN, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanik stressed that women and girls around the world have suffered disproportionately from the impacts of wars for years and continue to be excluded from political dialogue, peace processes and decision-making.

Yanik’s speech was delivered on behalf of the MIKTA countries – Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkiye, and Australia.

Turning to Russia's war on Ukraine, the minister stressed that the war’s main victims are women and children, and called for maximum restraints to be implemented in Ukraine to protect women and children.

“Safe passage for all civilians fleeing this aggression must be facilitated. Rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance for those unable to flee Ukraine must be guaranteed,” she added.

Yanik also urged the international community to work for world peace.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 596 civilians have been killed and 1,067 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN. It has warned, however, that the true toll is likely much higher as it has not been able to gain access to areas of increased hostilities.

Some 2.8 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.

*Betul Yuruk in New York contributed to the story

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Czech, Polish, and Slovenian prime ministers arrived in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Tuesday in a show of support for the country as it fights a war with Russia, according to their Ukrainian counterpart.

Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic, Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland, and Janez Jansa of Slovenia came to Kyiv on behalf of EU Council, Ukrainian premier Denys Shmyhal said on Twitter amid continued Russian bombardment of the capital.

Applauding the three countries as "true friends" of Ukraine for their "courage," Shmyhal said they were discussing support for Ukraine and "strengthening sanctions against the Russian aggression."

Earlier in the day, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also visited Kyiv for a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, marking the first time a foreign top diplomat came to the war-weary country since the war broke out.

"Lithuania's support is ironclad -- bilaterally and within the EU & NATO. We work on speeding up Ukraine's accession to the EU. Russia must be brought to justice for its crimes," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Landsbergis said they exchanged views on "ongoing deputinization."

"More needs to be done. Ukrainian request to join EU has to be taken seriously. As should be assistance to Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting all in, our help has to be all in," Landsbergis said on Twitter.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 636 civilians have been killed and 1,125 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

More than 3 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, according to UN estimates.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Islamophobia is continuing to spread like a plague in Western countries.

In a video message at the 2nd International Media and Islamophobia Forum in capital Ankara, the president said Islamophobia is “poisoning all segments of society, from people on the street to politicians, workers, and civil servants.”

He further said: “The atmosphere of hatred promoted by irresponsible media negatively affects Muslims as well as millions of people with different languages, religions, origins, and cultures.

“The embarrassing debates in the context of the Ukraine crisis reveal the dangerous dimensions of Islamophobia and cultural racism.”

Erdogan denounced discrimination against all vulnerable people around the world, stressing that Islamophobia is not only an issue for Muslims, but it should also be for all people around the world.

“Otherwise, we cannot prevent Islamophobic attacks like (the ones in) New Zealand in 2019 and Canada in 2021,” he warned.

The president emphasized that along with Western politicians, media outlets and state institutions, the biggest responsibility falls on the Islamic world and its institutions.

“Muslims must react strongly, seek their rights on legitimate grounds, and fight against this injustice, unlawfulness and discrimination, which targets hundreds of millions of people along with them,” he said.

‘Turkiye cannot fight Islamophobia alone’

“At this very point, Islamophobia is not a problem only for the Western communities and societies. As part of racism, Islamophobia is already a global problem,” Turkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said in his address at the forum.

“We are not speaking about the racism which is underlining the biological differences, but it is actually a cultural racism construct that is based on the cultural differences,” he added.

Islamophobia can be defined as “the dominant ideology of the 21st century,” Altun said, adding that Muslim communities are subject to ever-increasing Islamophobic attacks and Islamophobic discourses all around the world.

“We see that Islamophobic events are also disseminating on the social life and we see that in certain countries. The women are prohibited from reaching out to education due to their clothes and headscarves,” Altun said.

“We see that the radical right groups are abusing Islamophobia, and throughout Europe, we are seeing a process in which women are abstaining from wearing religious clothing and they are even afraid of going to mosques,” he added.

People who are subjected to the Islamophobic attacks are in need of greater safety and security, he urged.

He also emphasized that discrimination of refugees based on religion and culture will always be remembered, pointing to the disparities in the treatment of refugees from Ukraine and other parts of the world such as Syria, Afghanistan and African countries.

Altun said the Turkish president is leading the fight against Islamophobia in every international platform, often underlining the “demand and request that Islamophobia should be accepted as a crime against humanity just like anti-Semitism.”

“We will never allow Islamophobia to be legitimized or normalized under the disguise of freedom of expression, and we will continue our efforts in every platform,” he said.

“Islamophobia is not a problem that Turkiye can fight on its own. We are in need of an international and multi-dimensional struggle against Islamophobia,” he added.

“This struggle should definitely start from Europe and disseminate to the whole world. As Islamophobia is becoming institutionalized in Europe, the fight against Islamophobia should be institutionalized in Europe as well,” he stressed.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkiye has evacuated more than 14,800 of its citizens from Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24, said Mevlut Cavusoglu, adding that some 300-350 Turkish citizens remain in the region.

Cavusoglu's remarks came during a joint news conference with his visiting counterpart from Ivory Coast, Kandia Camara.

He said the numbers may vary from day to day since the communication with Mariupol is "not healthy," but according to the figures Cavusoglu has there are 100 Turkish citizens in the city.

"We'll continue and intensify our efforts to evacuate not only our citizens but also other civilians from the region," he said.

Turkiye is planning to evacuate its citizens from Kyiv and two buses are set to depart Lviv, Cavusoglu said. Another bus will leave the southwestern port city of Odessa "today" for evacuation.

"One bus will be carrying the Crimean Tatars based on the request coming from the region. Another bus will depart Odessa for Crimean Tatars and Ahiska Turks," he said, adding that Turkiye will extend help to citizens of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.

Sources at Turkiye’s National Defense Ministry said earlier Tuesday that as a result of coordination with the Russian Defense Ministry on the evacuation of Turks from Mariupol, Russia cleared mines from roads leading out of the city.

The sources said that efforts continue to open up humanitarian corridors and allow for the entrance of buses and trucks to the city.

On a Turkish mosque in Mariupol where Russian shelling was recently seen nearby, he said the Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Mosque "has no shortage of food or drink."

"We have understood that our citizens have no problem whatsoever in terms of reaching out food and water, but we will continue and intensify our best effort in order to evacuate not only the Turkish citizens but also the other civilians from the region," he said.

Following reports of a Russian rocket landing 700 meters (2,300 feet) from the mosque, Cavusoglu said Sunday that the mosque remains intact.

Over 2,500 civilians have been killed in Russian army attacks on Mariupol, a senior official from the Ukrainian presidency said in a statement on Monday.

But Russian forces have been unable to capture the city, said Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the presidency.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to severe financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 636 civilians have been killed and 1,125 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, and over 3 million people have fled to neighboring countries, according to UN estimates.

Turkiye-Ivory Coast ties

Camara, who hailed Turkiye's active role in Africa, said Ivory Coast wants to strengthen its ties with Turkiye, not only in bilateral trade but also in other areas such as education and health.

"Turkey is very active on the African continent. That's why I really would like to congratulate the vision of (Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan because he clearly stated that he would like to help Africa, that is the partner we want," she said.

"We want partners whom we can work with hand in hand on an understanding and basis of a win-win policy, that's how Turkey is acting."

The leaders of Ivory Coast and Turkiye have set a target of $1 billion in bilateral trade, she said, and continued: "We have already accomplished more than $800 million of bilateral trade so we are not far away from the target set."

Source: Anadolu Agency

People in Armenia support normalizing ties with Turkiye, the foreign minister of the South Caucasus nation told Anadolu Agency.

"Generally, the population of Armenia wants to normalize relations," Ararat Mirzoyan said in a written interview after participating in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where he discussed the two countries' normalization efforts with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in a landmark meeting.

Anadolu Agency served as the international communication partner of the three-day high-level forum that concluded on Sunday in the resort city of Antalya.

Mirzoyan said public opinion polls also reflected this popular support for rapprochement between the two countries long at odds over a range of issues.

Certain groups in both Armenian and Turkish societies are skeptical of normalization, he noted, underlining that officials on both sides should "take political leadership to address these issues."

On Saturday, a meeting took place between Cavusoglu and Mirzoyan on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. It was the first high-level visit from Armenia to Turkiye in a decade.

"During my meeting with Minister Cavusoglu, we have exchanged views on certain sensitivities and I hope that they will be taken into account," Mirzoyan said.

Backdrop to forum meeting

In the months running up to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had exchanged public statements expressing readiness to launch talks between the two countries, later appointing special representatives for dialogue, the Armenian top diplomat noted.

The envoys from Turkiye and Armenia, Serdar Kilic and Ruben Rubinyan, held their first meeting on Jan. 14 in Moscow, and the second meeting in Vienna on Feb. 24, agreeing to continue negotiations without preconditions aimed at full normalization of the relations.

"I paid a visit to Antalya to participate in the Antalya Diplomatic Forum to reiterate once again the political will of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to achieve full normalization of relations," said Mirzoyan, adding that this effort with Turkiye aimed to "open the era of peaceful and sustainable development in the region."

Armenia 'ready to establish diplomatic relations'

Asked about how the current normalization process was going, Mirzoyan said: "Overall, we consider it positive."

"Armenia is ready to establish diplomatic relations and to the opening of the borders," he stressed.

"I was glad to hear from my Turkish counterpart that there is a political will on their side to lead the process to that end as well," he said.

"Amid the rapidly developing situation in the world, I do believe we should not hesitate to undertake concrete steps."

On the benefits of the normalization process, the foreign minister said people were already benefiting from direct flights between Istanbul and the Armenian capital Yerevan.

"Opening of the borders will have its positive impact on the connectivity, trade and economic relations between the two countries, people to people contacts, and overall stability in the region," he added.

On the possibility of reciprocal official visits between Turkiye and Armenia, he answered: "Needless to mention that if the process of normalization proceeds smoothly and we achieve positive results, mutual visits can take place."

Source: Anadolu Agency