Starting on Friday and for
the next year, Germany will hold the chairmanship of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Source: Beta
Germany will formally assume this role during a meeting
of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, on January 14. German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will present the program and priorities
of his country's presidency.
The OSCE was founded during the Cold War as a forum for
dialogue between the East and the West. Today it operates in three areas
- military-political, economic-ecological and human. Headquartered in
Vienna, it brings together 57 member states from Europe, Central Asia
and North America, covering most of the northern hemisphere.
Germany is taking over from Serbia who chaired the organization in 2015
within the framework of a successive two-year mandate, together with
Switzerland.
During Serbia's presidency the organization marked
40 years since the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act, which was an
opportunity to summarize the results and examine the political will to
create a strategic framework for the future operation of the OSCE.
In December Belgrade hosted the 22nd OSCE Ministerial Council
that brought together foreign ministers and senior officials of the 57
member states and 11 partner countries, including U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and EU High
Representative Federica Mogherini.
The main topics of the
two-day gathering, which rounded off Serbia's one-year presidency,
included joint fight against terrorism, the crisis in Ukraine and the
refugee crisis affecting Europe, particularly in the countries along the
Balkan migration route.
Turkey's
military operation against its Kurdish population in the town of Cizre,
together with Erdogan's increasing ego could push NATO into a war with
Russia as the Syrian conflict's scope expands.
Turkey,
led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, remains one of Europe's biggest
problems amid the ongoing migrant crisis, and with players in the Middle
East combating the terrorist group Daesh, according to journalist Michael Goldfarb, writing for Politico.
Goldfarb focuses primarily on Turkey's assault on the predominantly
Kurdish town of Cizre, where the government is embroiled in an operation
against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militias using tactics that
resemble the collective punishment of the population. According
to Goldfarb, turning a blind eye to this, and bigger trends such
as Turkey's shootdown of the Russian plane in November, could push NATO
into a war with Russia.
"Why are EU leaders tolerating the Turkish
government going to war against the one group that has been successful
at fighting ISIL on the ground?" Goldfarb wrote, referring to Turkey's
operations against Kurds.
"It’s like the state has declared war on the people of Cizre," a local civil servant told the BBC World Service in December.
According to Goldfarb, this, together with Erdogan's heavy-handedness
and increasing authoritarianism "will add to the instability and danger
created by the Syria/ISIL crisis."
This, together with his attacks on Russia and invasion of Iraqi
territory could also create risks for NATO, and the Syrian conflict's
expansion across the region.
The
death toll among civilians has surged as Turkish security forces
continue a large-scale operation against Kurdish rebels in southeastern
Turkey, shattering the last hopes to conclude a truce between the
opposing sides.
Government
forces have killed over 150 civilians and at least 200 Kurdish
insurgents within the last week, according to human rights groups and
local officials, cited by the New York Times. Amid escalating fighting
across southeastern Turkey, hundreds of thousands of residents have
abandoned their homes for safer regions.
“What people here in the west [of Turkey] do
not realize is that we are one step away from a civil war,” Engin Gur, a
resident of the Turkish South East who moved to Istanbul, told the New
York Times.
The frozen conflict between state authorities and the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) reignited last July following the failure of a
two-year ceasefire agreement.
Many
experts observed that Turkish President Erdogan initially aimed to use
the Kurdish conflict as a tool to strengthen the position of his Justice
and Development Party (AKP), and consolidate the nation around its
leader in the run up to parliamentary elections in November.
As soon as AKP won the elections by a large margin, the violence erupted.
Erdogan promised to eradicate the PKK, claiming that the group is the
primary enemy of Turkey in spite of significant military achievements
by the Kurds in Syria, including territorial gains that are aligned
with the stated policies of Ankara.
“You will be annihilated in those houses, those
buildings, those ditches which you have dug,” Erdogan pronounced,
referring to trenches made by rebels in many southeastern cities. “Our
security forces will continue this fight until it has been completely
cleansed and a peaceful atmosphere established.”
At the same time Ankara officially claims it seeks a political
settlement to the conflict. Once the military operation is finished,
authorities state, talks with Kurds will be resumed.
It’s unknown who would take part in those negotiations on behalf
of Kurds. Ankara has ruled out talking with the leader of pro-Kurdish
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas following his calls
for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast of the country.
According
to the New York Times, the most probable candidate for the role
of Kurdish diplomat is jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
“They do not want to deal with the legitimate political actors, that
is, the HDP or the PKK leadership directly,” Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow
at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said, commenting on the
stance of Turkish officials in the Kurdish conflict.
Aydintasbas added that Ocalan will likely demand a “form of self-rule or autonomy” for the Kurdish population.
As a result of the recent conflict, many settlements in southeastern
Turkey have no electricity and many citizens are trapped in their houses
with no food, according to the New York Times. Scarce reports
from those regions say that once densely populated areas now resemble
war zones similar to those of Syria and Iraq.
“The tanks fire all day and we have nowhere
left to hide,” Nurettin Kurtay, a resident of Turkey’s southeastern
province of Sirnak told the New York Times by phone.
Serbian
President Tomislav Nikolic told Sputnik Serbia on Wednesday that he had
refused Ankara's proposal to mediate the standoff between Russia and
Turkey.
MOSCOW
(Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Nikolic's press service said in a
statement that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had approached him
to assist in the normalization of relations between Ankara and Moscow.
"I decided to relay Turkey's wish to our
friends in Russia. That's all. I have not accepted the offer to be a
mediator, but I have listened to Ankara's proposal, which I welcome,"
Nikolic said.
He
added that Davutoglu had asked him to establish contact between Moscow
and Ankara and it was his duty to pass the information about this
request on to Russia, in light of the peaceful nature of the Turkish
intentions.
Russian-Turkish ties deteriorated following the downing of a Russian Su-24 aircraft by a Turkish F-16 on November 24 over Syria.
LinkDirector of the Program on Peace-building and Rights, Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights
Posted:
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed an audience
in Prizren during an official visit to Kosovo in October 2013: "We all
belong to a common history, common culture, common civilization. We are
the people who are brethren of that structure. Do not forget, Turkey is
Kosovo, Kosovo is Turkey!"
Turkey's foreign policy in the Balkans
promotes a neo-Ottoman agenda, aimed at expanding its influence in
former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey exports Islamism under
the guise of cultural cooperation. It also seeks economic advantage,
using business as leverage to consolidate its national interests.
The
Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) is a
primary vehicle through which Turkey advances its ideological agenda.
TIKA is the vanguard of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP),
which supports Muslim Brotherhood chapters around the world. TIKA runs a
parallel and complementary foreign policy to official state
institutions, coordinating with Turkey's Ministry of Culture and the
Presidency of Religious Affairs to promote the AKP's Islamist agenda.
TIKA
operates under the guise of a social welfare agency. In Kosovo, it
supports more than 400 projects in the fields of agriculture, health and
education. Affordable health care is offered in Kosovo at Turkish-run
hospitals and clinics, sponsored by TIKA.
Despite its extensive
activities, Zeri reports that the Central Bank of Kosovo has logged only
2.7 million Euros transferred by TIKA to its Kosovo account between
2009 and 2014. TIKA transfers most funds in cash with no official
record. TIKA does not want to draw attention to its activities.
Most
TIKA funds are used to restore Ottoman monuments and build mosques. For
example, TIKA supported restoration of the Sultan Murat Tomb in Kosovo.
It rebuilt Ottoman religious sites like the Fatih Mosque and the Sinan
Pasha Mosque, which cost 1.2 million Euros. Since 2011, TIKA has
restored approximately 30 religious structures from the Ottoman period
and 20 new mosques across Kosovo. Erdogan personally pledged funds to
build the country's biggest mosque in Pristina.
In addition, TIKA
supports regional Islamic unions and institutions. It subsidizes
community based social mobilization projects, which promote Islam.
TIKA's network of Muslim community leaders and imams, including Turkish
imams, actively promote Islam. Its apparent benevolence includes food
for the Iftar meal during Ramadan, delivered to impressionable Kosovars
in poor rural areas.
TIKA also sponsors schools in Pristina, Prizren, Gjakova, and Peja. Some
schools provide Qur'anic instruction, as well as Turkish language
instruction. As many as 20,000 Turks reside in Kosovo, where Turkish is
an official language. The Turkish Embassy in Pristina awards 100
scholarships for Kosovars to study in Turkey each year.
But not
all schools supported by TIKA are part of the formal education sector.
Some function like madrassas, offering Islamic education, and
contributing to the radicalization of Kosovar youth. The Government of
Kosovo acknowledges that more than 300 have joined the Islamic State in
Syria. The figure dates back a couple of years. The actual number today
may be much higher.
Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centers are also vehicles for Turkish
influence. According to its charter, Yunus Emre Centers "provide
services abroad to people who want to have education in the fields of
Turkish language, culture and art, to improve the friendship between
Turkey and other countries."
Support for educational institutions as a propaganda tool to foster a
positive impression of Turkey among Kosovars. Turkey's Minister of
Education visited Kosovo and publicly asked Kosovo institutions to
change history texts in order to portray Ottomans as liberators, rather
than as occupants and aggressors.
Erdogan asked the Government of
Kosovo to close schools established by Fetullah Gulen, with whom he has
had a falling out. Kosovo officials acquiesced, though Gulen schools
offered quality education to Kosovars.
Turkish businessmen also
benefit from Turkey's aggressive religious and cultural promotion. A
well-respected Turkish scholar asks of the AKP, "Are they Islamists or
just thieves with a religious rhetoric?"
Turkey is Kosovo's
largest trading partner, after Serbia. The trade volume between Turkey
and Kosovo was 206.5 million Euros in 2012. (Export to Kosovo was 199.5
million Euros; import from Kosovo only 7 million Euro). Trade volume
slightly decreased in 2013-14 due to an economic slowdown in the region.
Tenders for some of the biggest public projects in Kosovo have been won
by Turkish companies. The Limak Holding company won the concession to
manage the Pristina International Airport. The Çalık-Limak Consortium
also acquired the Kosovo Energy Distribution Services. Limak pledged to
invest 300 million Euros in the transmission system, but its investment
still has not materialized.
The Merdare-Morina highway connecting
Kosovo to Albania was built by the Turkish construction company, Enka,
in consortium with Bechtel. Calik-Limak has just started construction of
the Pristina-Hani Elezit highway between Kosovo and Macedonia.
The
award of tenders may be subject to political influence. Calik Holding
and Limak are politically well-connected. Erdogan's son-in-law is a
major shareholder in Limak.
The Turkish banking system dominates
the financial sector in Kosovo. A majority of Kosovo's major banks are
Turkish, including the Turkish Economic Bank (TEB).
More than 900
Turkish companies operate in Kosovo. About 7,000 Kosovars are employed
by Turkish companies in, for example, the food processing and textile
sectors. It is hard to be accepted or keep a job in business where the
owner is Turkish if you don't speak Turkish.
Kadri Veseli, a
prominent Kosovo politician, was a former critic of Turkish concerns
acquiring Kosovo state enterprises. Veseli bemoaned Turkey's penetration
as bad for both Kosovo's economy and its EU aspirations.
Since
become Speaker of Kosovo's Parliament, however, Vaseli has not said a
word about Turkey's economic dominance. He and other prominent Kosovo
politicians, including Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci, have close ties to
Erdogan, as well as Turkish business and political leaders.
Turkey
has cemented its influence through security cooperation. Around 2,000
Turkish soldiers were deployed as part of the KFOR peacekeeping mission
in 1999. There are still 350 Turkish soldiers in Pristina and Prizren.
Turkey has indicated its willingness to assume control of Bondsteel, the
US base in Kosovo, as US forces withdraw.
Turkey has also shown
itself a reliable political partner. Ankara was reluctant to endorse
Kosovo's independence, lest a parallel be drawn with its Kurdish
minority. However, Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize
Kosovo when it declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu's notion of "strategic depth" views Turkey as a
regional power and an alternative to the EU for countries like Kosovo.
Muslim solidarity is the centerpiece of Davutoğlu's strategy to expand
Turkey's influence.
Davutoğlu explicitly linked Turkey's foreign
policy to its Ottoman Empire's legacy during a trip to
Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2009. "The Ottoman centuries of the Balkans were a
success story. Now we have to reinvent this." He announced, "Turkey is
back."
Faster integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions is the
best antidote to Turkey's influence in Kosovo and the Western Balkans.
US interests are also served by intensified engagement in the region.
Closer
cooperation between the US and Kosovo can act as a bulwark against
Turkey's export of Islamist values. It would prevent the further
radicalization of Kosovo society, staunching the flow of Kosovars to
join ISIS. Mr. Phillips is Director of the Program on
Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University's Institute for the
Study of Human Rights. He served as a Senior Adviser and Foreign Affairs
Experts to the US Department of State during the Clinton, Bush, and
Obama administrations. Phillips is author of "Liberating Kosovo:
Coercive Diplomacy and US Intervention" (Kennedy School at Harvard
University and NBC Publishing).
Investigation launched after plea for greater Kurdish autonomy as president calls remarks a "clear provocation".
|
Erdogan accused a Kurdish leader of talking 'nonsense' with a 'clear provocation and treason' [AP]Turkey's
President Tayyip Erdogan said autonomy demands from a Kurdish leader
were a "clear provocation" and his political party will be "taught a
lesson".
A Turkish prosecutor opened an investigation into Peoples' Democratic
Party (HDP) chief Selahattin Demirtas after he made recent calls for
greater Kurdish self-governance in the country's southeast.
Demirtas said there would be a Kurdistan in the next century [Reuters]
Erdogan's remarks targeting Demirtas on Tuesday could further widen
the gulf between the government and the Kurdish opposition as violence
increases in the region.
"A certain leader ... talked nonsense and what he did is a clear
provocation and treason," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul before
departing on a trip to Saudi Arabia, adding the HDP would be "taught a
lesson by our citizens and the law".
Demirtas was a participant in a two-day gathering of Kurdish groups
last weekend that called for more self-governance. At the conference, he
said there would be "a Kurdistan" in the next century and it could
include an independent state. Intense fighting
Clashes between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and
security forces in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast have flared since
the collapse of a ceasefire in July.
Fighting has been particularly intense in the last two weeks and the military says more than 210 Kurdish fighters were killed.
The HDP and rights groups say civilians are also dying in the conflict, a claim the government denies.
"This is the time when the masks have been taken off and the real faces exposed," Erdogan said, addressing Demirtas.
"How dare you talk about establishing a state in the southeast and in
the east within Turkey's existing unitary structure," he added. RELATED: Turkey denies targeting civilians in fight against PKK
"You cannot take such a step. Neither the national will, nor our
security forces, armed forces, police, village guards will allow such a
thing."
An autonomous Kurdish entity known as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) exists in neighbouring northern Iraq.
The KRG and Turkey are politically and economically on good terms with increasing Turkish investments in the region.
Tomislav Nikolic and SPC
Patriarch Irinej have discussed the possibility of proposing "the
Vatican model" for the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Kosovo.
Source: Vecernje novosti
(Tanjug, file)
Belgrde-based Vecernje Novosti daily writes on Tuesday
that the meeting was held amid preparations for the resumption of
dialogue with Pristina.
According to the announcements coming from the Serbian
negotiating team, the government intends to nominate precisely the
question of the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its property
in the southern province once the talks have resumed.
The SPC
announced that the president and the patriarch discussed the problems of
the Church and the people in Kosovo, "with special emphasis on the
perspective that can be expected after the opening of chapter 35 in
(accession) negotiations with the EU."
In his first platform on
Kosovo three years ago Nikolic envisaged that the SPC should, within
the essential autonomy of Kosovo and Metohija, have the same position
that the Roman Catholic Church, i.e., the Vatican, has in relation to
Italy.
Then SPC at the time "informally rejected this proposal,
because there had been interpretations that the relation toward the
Kosovo authorities could be interpreted as an announcement of a
recognition of the province's independence." Instead, the Church
"informally proposed international guarantees for its status and
property in the province."
According to this article, "this
proposal, unless it is changed" should be the platform for future talks
in Brussels on the topic of the position of the SPC.
The Church
at the time rejected "the Vatican model" believing that the example is
not adequate when it comes to situation of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren
in Kosovo, as "the Vatican, Italy and the city of Rome are not burdened
by the past, national conflicts and religious differences that exist in
the southern province."
For that reason the Church found the
authority of the EU or the UN to be more acceptable, as "a pledge to
define the status, the assets and the mission of the Church, without
making direct contact with the authorities in Pristina and without
concluding any kind of agreement."
According to the newspaper,
when explaining "the Vatican model" as a solution, the president
nowadays usually points out that it would not mean the SPC should have
"the status of a state in Kosovo" - but instead that it should "present
its stance and talk with Pristina, without depending on it."
The article also noted that the document regulating relations between
Italy and the Holy See was signed in 1929 and is known as the Lateran
Treaty. Italy recognized the sovereignty of the Holy See over the area
of the Vatican City State, which became a separate subject of
international law. The contract also regulates the position of the
Catholic Church in Italy and a financial settlement regarding the claims
of the Holy See for the loss of its property.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, Royal Norwegian Embassy
in Tirana and Prishtina, and British Council have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding in the framework of cooperation regarding the
implementation of the “Digital Diplomacy – Digital Albania and Digital
Kosovo” project.
The Memorandum is signed by the Kosovo foreign deputy minister,
Petrit Selimi, his counterpart from Albania, Halil Hyseni, Ambassador of
Norwegian Royal Embassy in Tirana and Prishtina, Jan Braathu, and the
Director of British Council in Kosovo, Arjeta Emra.
This Memorandum aims at establishing a partnership among four
abovementioned parties in light of the respective project. Parties aim
to support the efforts of Albania and Kosovo in light of international
recognition and to promote both countries image through digital
diplomacy, as well as to engage young people as a contributing factor in
strengthening and improving the image of their respective countries.
300,000 Euros in grant money from the Norwegian government
Upon this occasion, Deputy Minister of Kosovo, Petrit Selimi, stated
that: “… this project, supported by the Norwegian government through a
grant amounted to €300,000, is same time one of the most ambitious
projects in the field of digital diplomacy. Furthermore, Norwegian and
British governments have consistently supported Kosovo’s efforts in this
area, efforts that have placed young and innovative citizens in the
foreground as active diplomats. Deputy minister Selimi emphasized that
the draft Strategy for Digital Diplomacy of Kosovo and the efforts of
the Foreign Ministry of Kosovo, with its international partners, were
also recognized through the ranking of this strategy as the fourth best
in the world (following the US, UK and Israel ) by the prestigious
Turkish magazine in the field of public and digital diplomacy, “Yeni
Diplomasi””.
Promoting digital diplomats…
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Halil Hyseni stressed
that the government in Tirana welcomes this agreement and implementation
of the cooperation of particular importance to the promotion and
consolidation of the two respective countries and promote their assets
effectively at a global level. Hyseni stated that this project will
involve more young people from Albania and Kosovo, who have the
potential to promote their countries through implementation of their
creative ideas. Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister further said that this
memorandum will promote network of “digital diplomats” and will also
assist in the implementation of public and cultural diplomacy.
His Excellency, the Ambassador of Norway in Tirana and Prishtina, Jan
Braathu, stated that the digital diplomacy project between Albania and
Kosovo will help change and improve perceptions of the international
community towards these two wonderful countries. Furthermore,
Ambassador Braathu emphasised that true ambassadors of countries around
the world are young and innovative people who through positive writings
in Wikipedia and various website give tangible contribution to the
promotion of their countries in all areas, tourism, culture,
environment, and so on. These young people are those who can mark
significant achievements and break the barriers that politicians and
ambassadors cannot overcome. Kingdom of Norway remains committed to
support talented young people in Albania and Kosovo, as the best
representatives of their countries, concluded Ambassador Braathu..
Useful projects for citizens
Director of the British Council in Kosovo, Arjeta Emra, reiterated
that Kosovo citizens are the best diplomats in the country. Upon this
occasion, she extended her gratitude to the MFA of Kosovo and Albania
for establishing this important cooperation for both countries, same
time she extended her gratitude to the Norwegian government for
cooperation and valuable contribution in supporting this project, as
well as other initiatives useful for citizens of Kosovo. The British
Council, by its well recognized expertise and qualities, it continues
to encourage inclusiveness in all of its activities, and that British
Council remains faithful partner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Kosovo and all other institutions that encourage the engagement of
Kosovo youth as active digital diplomats to the benefit of the country,
stated Arjeta Emra.
Fighter
aircraft from the US carrier Harry S. Truman flew their first missions
on Tuesday as part of the anti-Daesh operations in Syria and Iraq, the
US Navy said in a press release.
WASHINGTON
(Sputnik) — On December 16, the aircraft carrier joined the US 5th
Fleet, ending a two-month gap where the United States had no carrier
presence in the Persian Gulf.
"Truman and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7
join French nuclear powered aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R 91)
in conducting combined combat operations in Iraq and Syria from the
Arabian Gulf," the US Navy stated on Tuesday.
The
Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group was deployed in support of the
US-led Operation Inherent Resolve against Daesh, which is outlawed
in Russia as well as in other countries.
The aircraft carrier will also contribute to maritime security
operations, and theater security cooperation efforts in the Middle East
region, according to the US Navy.
Serbian President Tomislav
Nikolic has accepted the invitation of Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu "to
assist Turkey in the dispute with Russia."
Source: Tanjug
(Tanjug)
This was announced by the president's press service on Tuesday, after Nikolic's meeting in Belgrade with Davutoglu.
A statement said that the Turkish prime minister conveyed
to Nikolic "the desire of the Turkish side to have a normal
relationship with Moscow."
He also "conveyed the greetings of
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and expressed hope that the two
presidents will meet soon."
Davutoglu also gave a positive
assessment of the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations, while Nikolic,
commenting on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, said:
"It is especially painful for us when our friends promote Kosovo's independence. Here I have Turkey, too, in mind."
The president also that Serbia is negotiating with Pristina and making
every effort so that all citizens in Kosovo and Metohija can live in
peace and stability. The effort, he added, "should be helped by everyone
in an open and transparent manner."
Nikolic told Davutoglu
that his country wants to have good relations with Turkey, "especially
as it has citizens of Islamic faith in a part of its territory, who have
special ties with Turkey."
"Serbia does not interfere in
relations between the two Muslim religious communities," Nikolic
stressed, in reference to Serbia's rival Islamic organizations, and
added that Turkey "can contribute to smoothing over this problem, as it
can, through investments, help develop the part of Serbia with a
predominantly Muslim population."
Nikolic said that Serbia
"wants to become a full member of the European Union, as does Turkey,"
adding that Serbia is harmonizing its regulations with EU standards.
However, he added, "Serbia has its pride, which cannot be drowned in unjustified and legally baseless demands."
Underlining that his country meets the conditions for full membership
he remarked that "as it does not expect others to fulfill its every
wish, it also cannot be expected to fulfill every wish of others."
"The opening of the first (EU accession) negotiations chapters means
that Serbia is a good place for investment. I invite investors from
Turkey to invest in Serbia," said Nikolic.
Davutoglu noted "the
importance of Serbia to Turkey " and said it was the third country he
visited since recently becoming prime minister.
"The size of a
country is not measured in geographical terms. For us, Serbia is a large
and important country," Davutoglu stressed.
The Turkish
official also emphasized that economic cooperation between the two
countries is "a priority" and added that "good relations will have
positive repercussions."
Turkey’s
decision to down a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft was an attempt to drag
its NATO allies in a large-scale war with Russia over Syria, President
Tomislav Nikolic told Sputnik Serbia on Tuesday.
MOSCOW
(Sputnik) — In November, a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian
Su-24 in Syria with an air-to-air missile fired from Turkish airspace
as the Russian plane flew close to the Syrian-Turkish border.
Ankara claims the warplane violated its airspace, however, both the
Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command have confirmed
that the Russian jet never crossed into Turkish airspace.
"This was an attempt to get two powers involved in one big military
conflict over Syria," Nikolic said, adding that what was happening
in Syria was a "clash of concepts."
The Serbian leader asserted that the Syrian people must be free
to elect their government in a fair election, rather than have it
brought to power through foreign interference. He added that the
question of President Bashar Assad's role in Syria's future was at the
core of the dispute.
The Greek minority party leader Vangjel Dule says Edi Rama is letting ties with Greece deteriorate while running the country through ‘a closed circle’. Fatjona Mejdini BIRN Albania The leader of PBDNJ, Vangjel Dule [in the center] talking with Prime Minister, Edi Rama | Photo: LSA The relationship between Albania and Greece, two neighbours with a long history of both friendship and disputes, are not in their best phase today. Greece remains the biggest foreign investor in Albania but when it comes to political ties, relations have deteriorated again lately. One indicator of that is the poor relationship of the Party for Unity for Human Rights Party, PBDNJ, the main Greek minority party in Albania, with the government of Edi Rama. The party headed by Vangjel Dule has been active on the political scene for almost two decades, and in recent years formed part of then then-opposition coalition led by Rama’s Socialists, a coalition that took power in 2013. As well as being political partners, Dule and Rama seemed to share a personal friendship. At election rallies in 2013 Rama called him “a friend, a decent and hardworking person”, but since he took power, the relationship has deteriorated RELATED:
Albania's civil society is calling on officials to
diffuse tensions and protect minorities from discrimination and
potential violence as a result of the decision to scrap the existing
municipalities and create a new territorial administration.
The government reduced the 384 local government units to 65, effectively creating entirely Albanian-majority municipalities.
Greek, Macedonian and other minority representatives said the government's move violates their rights and international norms.
"The territorial reform runs contrary to the spirit of the Convention
for the Protection of National Minorities, and it constitutes a flagrant
violation of the accepted European standards," Vangjel Dule, leader of
the Union for Human Rights Party in Tirana, told SETimes.
The new territorial division creates dangerous conditions that may
result in social conflicts and ethnic confrontations, said Stavri Marko,
representative of the Komuniteti Himarjot in the formerly
Greek-majority Himara municipality.
"It harms the wealth and the properties of Himara municipality," Marko told SETimes.
Minority representatives said the move is in violation of the
constitution, as public schools in minority languages will be closed and
they will lose other fundamental rights, even the right to
self-identify.
"These are rights guaranteed by the constitution and the latter must be implemented," Marko said.
The minorities said their voice was not considered at the meetings with Prime Minister Edi Rama or in parliament.
"This is an issue that belongs to the community. The people must decide
for themselves, people know better the balance of co-existence," Enio
Theodhori, a law student in Tirana from Dropull village, told SETimes.
The Macedonian minority has requested that it is represented in three
municipalities, but the new territorial arrangement brought two -- Golo
brdo and Gora -- into the third Pustec municipality.
"The will of the Macedonian community in Albania was not respected. We
Macedonians are concentrated into three areas, but our demands were only
partially considered," Edmond Themelko, head of the Pustec
municipality, told SETimes.
Officials said the new territorial organisation will be applied in Albania's local election in June.
But civil society representatives said the new municipal map should be
revised to factor in the minorities and then approved again by the
parliament.
The Association of Communes and Municipalities in Albania lodged a
request with the Central Elections Commission (CEC) for a popular
referendum to annul the new reorganisation.
"We already have the needed signatures, will present them to the Central
Elections Commission, and hopefully we will begin as soon as possible,"
Vasfi Apostoli of the Macedonian Alliance Party for European
Integration told SETimes.
As many as 20,000 signatures per municipality must be collected to enact a referendum.
Albanian law stipulates no referendum can be held three months before or
after elections. The local elections are scheduled for June 21 and all
referendum-related procedures must end in March.
However, five votes are needed in the CEC to approve a referendum. The
CEC has long operated with four members because the other three
resigned.
"The territorial reform took place within a short time. This surely has
harmed the ethnic minorities. There are minority regions, parcelled into
various local units. This has created problems in maintaining the
language and customs as well as the publications and radio-television
for which they have their own rights," Fatos Baxhaku, an analyst at
Shqip in Tirana, told SETimes.
Baxhaku said the issue should be resolved quickly because it stirs local tensions, but also to ensure regional security.
The government maintains that by the new territorial map, it has not violated the ethnic minorities but favoured them instead.
"The territorial division has respected the minority rights by making
tolerations on the general criteria. When we drafted the new territorial
map, we set a number of exceptional criteria exactly to favour the
minority and not to violate the ethnic proportions," Minister of Local
Issues Bledi Cuci said.
Ethnic tensions rose last month when the UHRP requested in parliament
that the Greek minority obtain its own representative in the national
council for public radio and television, but parliament declined.
Albania's minorities did not recognise the results of the 2011 census
because census forms did not include an ethnicity item, but instead gave
citizens the option to mark "other." Minority advocates say the
procedure significantly understated the numbers of minority citizens.
"Territorial issues are always a delicate matter. They need to be
studied in depth and cannot be left in the hands of the parliamentary
majorities, whenever they change," said Hasan Celibashi, an expert at
the Centre for Security and Commitment in Tirana.
"The territorial division is something that goes beyond political
forces, and affects not only political parties, but the entire
population. Governments come and go and administrative divisions cannot
change on a whim. They should operate with caution because it can
trigger violence, social clashes and ethnic conflicts in minority areas.
In these zones, the situation is fragile and new administrative maps
can throw fuel to the fire," Celibashi told SETimes.
In
the fight against Daesh in Syria, Russia has demonstrated its
state-of-the-art naval prowess. According to a new Pentagon report, the
proven effectiveness of the Kremlin’s fleet has Washington worried.
In
October, the Russian military launched 18 Kalibr-M cruise missiles
from warships stationed in the Caspian Sea. Travelling over 1,500 miles,
these projectiles struck terrorist targets in Syria, destroying key
components of Daesh, also known as ISIL/the Islamic State.
While this action was clearly aimed at sending a strong message
to terrorist groups in Syria, the demonstration appears to have also had
an impact on the Pentagon. In a new report from the US Navy’s
intelligence branch, the US military expresses concerns of a "newly
awakened" Russian navy.
"Russia has begun, and over the next decade
will make large strides in fielding a 21st century navy capable of a
dependable national defense [and] an impressive but limited presence
in more distant global areas of interests…" reads the report, entitled
"The Russian Navy: A Historic Transition."
The report is authored by George Fedoroff, the US Office of Naval
Intelligence’s top expert on Russia, and based on the Kremlin’s growing
fleet of ships and submarines, which currently includes 186 vessels.
Fedoroff also took the Russian Navy’s state-of-the-art weaponry
into consideration, as well as the resolve of Russian sailors.
According to Fedoroff, the United States has underestimated Russian
military capabilities since the end of the Cold War. Now, for the first
time in 24 years, the Pentagon is beginning to take notice.
"Since 2000, as Russia’s governmental order and economy have
stabilized, there has been a focused and funded effort to revitalize the
Russian military – including the navy," the report reads. "Suspended
construction programs are now moving toward completion and new
construction programs are beginning to provide the navy
with 21st-century submarine and surface platforms."
Fedoroff also cited Russia’s Kalibr cruise missiles as a sign of Russia’s growing naval strength.
"Kalibr provides even modest platforms, such as corvettes,
with significant offensive capability and, with the use of the land
attack missile, all platforms have a significant ability to hold distant
fixed targets at risk using conventional warheads," the report reads.
"The proliferation of this capability
within the new Russian navy is profoundly changing its ability to deter,
threaten or destroy adversary targets."
Earlier this month, Russia also launched cruise missiles against Syrian targets from submarines operating in the Mediterranean.
As Russia’s navy advances, challenging Washington’s hegemony, China’s
sea fleet is also making rapid gains. According to Dean Cheng, senior
research fellow for Chinese Political and Security Affairs at the
Heritage Foundation, China has "already outmatched every regional navy."
With its naval dominance at risk, Washington is set to spend between
$80-92 billion in taxpayer money to upgrade its own submarine fleet.
Earlier this month, the US Navy also faced embarrassment when its newest
ship, the USS Milwaukee, broke down after less than a month of action.
The littoral combat ship was towed to a base in Virginia for repairs.
Another sizeable investment for the Pentagon, the $3 billion USS
Zumwalt, is already facing criticism for being outdated – and unsafe.
Conducting its maiden voyage earlier this month, the stealth destroyer
has a futuristic appearance, but may lack seaworthiness.
"On the DDG-1000 [Zumwalt-class], with the waves coming at you
from behind, when a ship pitches down, it can lose transverse stability
as the stern comes out of the water – and basically roll over," said Ken
Bower, a naval architect, according to Wired.
No wonder Washington is worried about Russian submarines.
Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu
said on Belgrade on Monday that the conflict between his country and
Russia "cannot influence the good relations with Serbia."
Davutoglu was taking questions from reporters during his
joint news conference with Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic when he was asked
to comment on Serbia's position regarding the crisis in Ankara-Moscow
relations over Turkey's downing of a Russian bomber.
The Turkish official said he was aware that Serbia has
"good relations" with Russia, but that the ties between Serbia and
Turkey "cannot be influenced by any third side."
"Turkey, too,
until now had excellent relations with Russia and I hope we will return
to the old days of good relations," said he.
According to Davutoglu, Serbia and Turkey are "two countries and two peoples in the same region."
"The Balkans is like a soup into which we wish to put a nice spice to
make it even tastier," the Turkish prime minister had been quoted as
saying.
Relations between Turkey and Serbia "will not change - and the goal of my visit is to improve them," he said.
Commenting on Vucic's statements
regarding the downing of the Russian Su-24, Davutoglu said he did not
consider Serbia to be a small country - but rather "a big and important
one."
He then stated that the Russian plane had "violated Turkey's airspace" and was shot down for that reason.
"We were only defending our airspace," he reiterated.
According to Davutoglu, Vucic's visit to Srebrenica "demonstrated the
right stance, especially when it comes to erasing bad memories from the
past."
Asked to comment on Davutoglu's remark about Turkey
"wanting to add spice to the Balkan soup," Vucic said he "shies away
from metaphors, because they can be interpreted in various ways."
"The Balkans represents a place of conflict and turbulence for many,
for us it is the most beautiful place in the world, we and our children
live here, here we wish to stay. That's the most beautiful piece of land
for us and for many people who have exceptional spirit, strength, and
energy, that few peoples outside of the Balkans possess," he said.
Asked whether he "expected Russia's reaction" because of Davutoglu's
visit to Belgrade, Vucic said it was an internal matter for Serbia and
Turkey, and that he was convinced that Serbia's friends in Russia
respect that.
"Good conditions"
Serbia and Turkey are bound by very important, historical
ties, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Belgrade on
Monday, underlining the importance of strengthening them even further.
Addressing the media after a bilateral meeting with Serbian Prime
Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Davutoglu said that the Turkish government
would be glad to have with Serbia the same arrangement as with Bulgaria
and Greece, concerning a top-level council.
According to
Davutoglu, the aim is to increase the volume of trade between Serbia and
Turkey to USD 1 billion in 2016 from USD 780 million in 2014.
The opportunities that Serbia has offered to Turkish investors are
really good. I have come here with 130 business people from Turkey,
although it is very hard to arrange such a meeting at the end of the
year, Davutoglu said.
The refugee crisis has caused major problems in Greece,
as authorities and local communities struggle to manage the problem,
however it has also benefited certain sectors in the economy.
The Coast Guard recently revealed that since the start of the year and until the 21st
of December, an estimated 804,465 refugees have arrived in Greece, with
about half of them (457,149) being from Syria. Refugees from 77
different counties have arrived in Greece.
Shipping in particular has benefited from the migration wave,
particularly after the summer, at which point many ferry boats limit
their services. Thousands of refugees and migrants arrive on the Greek
islands on a daily basis and the ferry boats transporting them to
Piraeus tend to be full.
Although there have been claims of inflated ticket prices, shipping
companies have responded that since their ferry boats leave Piraeus for
the islands empty, they must cover their losses.
Meanwhile, the Cost Guard also revealed that 468 human traffickers
have been arrested since the start of the year, with the majority being
Turkish (157) and Syrian (140) nationals. The Coast Guard also arrested
12 Greeks.
Recently, Aaron Bazin published seven charts that explain the American way of war.
Expanding on his work, I offer the single graphic that displays the
United States military’s activities over the past thirty-five years, a
chart that suggests some insights for how the United States might
re-organize its forces and capabilities. Importantly, this analysis
moves beyond major combat operations such as those in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and includes others in the range of military operations,
including actions as diverse as non-combatant evacuation missions in
Africa and firefighting relief in the homeland.
Since 1980, the United States has fought in seven major combat
operations: Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom/Inherent Resolve, Enduring
Freedom, Odyssey Dawn/Unified Protector, Allied Force, Urgent Fury and
Just Cause. Further, major peacekeeping operations occurred in Kosovo
and Bosnia, requiring significant forces to conduct said missions.
Beyond these combat and peacekeeping missions, the overwhelming majority
of U.S. military operations since 1980 have been humanitarian
assistance or disaster relief operations, to include those conducted in
the homeland. In addition to humanitarian assistance missions, the
United States executed multiple non-combatant evacuation missions as
well as punitive and global strike missions.
Other continuing efforts include theater security cooperation
missions conducted by the combatant commands. Further, the U.S. military
conducts continuous strategic deterrence missions with its nuclear
capabilities. And intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
missions in support of these operations and other persistent
requirements are a constant requirement for national and military
leadership. These mission sets, although paramount to U.S. and global
security, are outside the realm of contingency operations. It is on
these contingency operations, and how the U.S. military can best posture
itself to meet the associated demand, which this analysis is focused. Missions and Regions
If
recent history is a guide to the future, the next major combat
operation will likely occur in either the Middle East or the Balkans.
Indeed, the current crisis in Syria and Iraq lend a degree of
confirmation to this prediction. However, the United States military, as
it looks to establish its capabilities for the mid- to long-term future
should seek to find a balance between the most dangerous and the most
likely missions. This requires balancing risk associated with major
combat missions and humanitarian assistance. There is, of course, risk
in using this model, since a major change in the focus of U.S. foreign
policy would invalidate its assumptions. Prior to the outset of World
War I, for example, an analysis of the previous fifty years of U.S.
military experience would have focused efforts on operations within
North America, and occasionally in the Pacific, missing entirely the
European focus that would emerge. With this caution in mind, however, we
can perhaps learn something by treating the past as prologue. CENTCOM: The Middle East remains the most likely
location for major military operations. Since 1980, operations in the
CENTCOM area of operations (AOR) include the Tanker Wars, Lebanon
peacekeeping, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom (with associated persistent
obligations such as Northern and Southern Watch), Enduring Freedom and
the Multinational Force Observer mission in the Sinai. Today’s ongoing
missions also include support to nations who seek protection from
adversaries such as Iran. There is no shortage of demand for missile
defense capacity in this environment, and investment in and forward
presence of missile defense capabilities at the expense of ground combat
vehicles can serve to both assure allies and dissuade adversaries.
Other missions in the CENTCOM AOR include global strike or punitive
strike operations. These missions range from El Dorado Canyon to the
continuing drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 9/11. Further,
counter-terrorism missions remain a paramount concern throughout the
Middle East. AFRICOM: Non-combatant evacuation (NEO) remains a
serious concern in areas of the globe where governments are historically
weak. Over time, NEO operations have frequently occurred in the
unstable West Coast of Africa. In the design of regionally aligned
forces, the Army should consider what specific capabilities each region
traditionally requires. Forces aligned to AFRICOM should be focused on
the execution of a NEO, in lieu of major combat operations on the
continent. This does not lend itself to forces optimized for building
partnership capacity, but could include forces required to occupy ports
and airfields to move citizens off the continent. PACOM: The necessity for strategic lift in the PACOM
area of responsibility is paramount. As in the AFRICOM AOR, the demands
of NEO often require aircraft to travel great distances over the
Pacific Ocean. Further, the ability to deliver humanitarian assistance
to nations in the Pacific such as the Philippines and Indonesia require
aircraft that can deliver supplies and equipment over long distances
into remote areas. Moreover, from an interagency perspective, aligning
USAID stockpiles with the modes of transport in these regions could
enhance the immediate effectiveness of HADR operations.
Greece's
civil aviation authority has rejected announcements from Ankara, which
seeks to restrict flights over Greek islands in the Aegean Sea for 12
months so that Turkey can carry out military training, Greece's pronews.gr reported on Sunday.
"The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority has
issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to [nullify] and void three Turkish
NOTAM, which provocatively and brazenly restrict flights in large areas
of the Aegean for even 12 months," wrote pronews.
A NOTAM is a notice filed with an aviation authority that alerts
aircraft pilots to potential hazards in an area which could affect the
safety of a flight.
Pronews reported that on December 23, Ankara issued NOTAM Α5885/15,
Α5884/15 and Α5881/15, which announced restrictions on aviation in the
northern, central and southern areas of the Aegean Sea.
The area Turkey wanted to use includes the Athon peninsula in the
northern Aegean and the Greek islands of Lemnos, Patmos, Tinos, Mykonos
and Skyros among others.
Skyros
is among the sites where Greece has a Patriot anti-aircraft missile
system installed, while the northern Aegean contains valuable Greek oil
and gas reserves, the newspaper noted.
In response, the Greek aviation authority issued NOTAM A2642/15,
A2641/15 and A2640/15, which asserted that only Greece has the right
to issue an announcement that restricts Greek airspace.
"The coordinates given by Ankara cover a region over which Greece has national sovereignty," said Athens.
As well as Greece's internal air traffic, Turkey's attempt
to restrict airspace has also interfered with the R19 and L995
international aviation corridors, the aviation authority stated.
Greeks and Albanians more together than ever, nearly over 1 million Albanians and Northern Epiriotes, will receive Greek nationality in the next years. Very interesting the Albanian Army, composed of 10. 000 soldiers in total, when in addition in the Greek army will raise of 50 thousand soldiers, from Albanian origin. The Greek Army has 180. 000 solders active.
Athens has applied the law to the Greek citizenship for children born in Greece. Benefit to all Albanian immigrant family reunion in Greece, who have many years living and working.
With the new law for children born in Greece, for 25 consecutive years, it is thought that about 50 thousand Albanians, were aged to obtain Greek citizenship, which necessarily accompanied with military service.
Source for SManalysis shows that started the application method for 9 months military service in the Greek army, for all Albanians born in Greece, who are obliged by law to respect the country's constitution.
The decision greeted with enthusiasm by Albanian immigrants in Greece, it seems like not a positive development in Tirana, for which nearly 1/3 of the population of Albania, Greek civil done .. But what are the consequences by some Albanian analysts?
In Tirana, many analysts believe it is clear policy of creating conditions to increase the Greeks in Southern Albania, and tomorrow, the Albanian population, in whole become bilingual citizens, Greek and Albanian. They will have the right for self determination or will unite with Greece. This is the precedent if Kosovo will call for referendum with Albania, the country will divide in tow.
Just the thought that the Albanian army, composed of 10 thousand soldiers, the addition of the Greek army of 50 thousand soldiers, who come originally from Albania but born in Greece, is the capitulation of the Albanian state, say some voices. There is also another issue. Albanian immigrants, do not want the army in Albania and pay officials, and are willing to make the army in Greece, as their families live and work for decades.
Albanians and Northern Epiriotes together constitute about 10% of the population of 11 million in Greece, who are in the process of obtaining the Greek citizenship. So far, about 400 thousand Northern Epiriotes, received Greek citizenship.
