Author: Sidika Ayaz

Turkey has raised demands that Sweden, a NATO hopeful, cannot and does not want to meet, said the Swedish Prime Minister on Sunday. Ankara has blocked Sweden and Finland’s entry into the Western military since May in an attempt to get the pair to meet certain political demands, prompting a long-running diplomatic tussle. “Turkey both confirms that we have done what we said we would do, but they also say that they want things that we cannot or do not want to give them,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a defense think-tank conference.“We are convinced that Turkey will…

The move came as NATO-member Turkey continued to hold up Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance. The man, who had served his prison sentence and was living in Sweden legally, claimed the real reason for his extradition was that he was active in a pro-Kurdish political party and supported a group Ankara considers to be terrorists. Sweden’s Supreme Court said there were “no obstacles” to his extradition, and that the man was under investigation in Turkey for posting online manipulated photos of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan which is punishable under Turkish laws. Ankara has accused Stockholm of not doing enough to crack…

Two commanders from the Kurdish-led forces were reportedly killed and three others wounded in a Turkish drone attack targeting a car in northern Syria on Saturday. The incident that reportedly killed the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members took place in the city of Aleppo. A source close to the SDF told The New Arab’s Arabic sister service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that those targeted were two SDF leaders as well as cadres from the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The SDF did not announce the deaths, the source said. The PYD is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist organisation. Ankara considers the Kurdish groups that make up the…

The extension of the deal that’s bolstered Ukraine’s crop exports is still clouded by uncertainty, as negotiations continue the day before the existing term ends. The agreement — brokered in July by Turkey and the United Nations — has been vital to shoring up global grain supplies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves through agriculture markets. Flows are carrying on for now despite the looming deadline, with fresh crop vessels continuing to head in and out of Ukrainian ports. New deals are being agreed, a shipping agent said, and Egypt also purchased 120,000 tons of Ukrainian wheat in a tender on Thursday. The current term of the…

A military vehicle attends a military parade commemorating the Greek Independence Day in Athens, Greece, March 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) Military vehicles attend a military parade commemorating the Greek Independence Day in Athens, Greece, March 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) A military helicopter flies during a military parade commemorating the Greek Independence Day in Athens, Greece, March 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) Members of Greece’s Presidential Guard march during a military parade commemorating the Greek Independence Day in Athens, Greece, March 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) Fighter jets fly during a military parade commemorating the Greek Independence Day in Athens, Greece, March 25,…

GOOD MORNING. This is Nick Vinocur seeing out the week, as leaders of the Group of Seven countries — the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and Canada, plus the EU — gather in Japan. And it looks like they may have a special guest joining them over the weekend: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Hiroshima in person to make his case for more military and economic support for Ukraine, my colleagues Eli Stokols and Stuart Lau report. DRIVING THE DAY: LEADERS GATHER IN HIROSHIMA 4 CHINA CENTER STAGE: Leaders of the world’s advanced democracies converge today on Hiroshima, the site of nuclear…

GAZIANTEP, TURKEY / WASHINGTON — Amid Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to normalize relations with Damascus and his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s vow to return Syrian refugees to their war-torn country, Syrians in Turkey are watching Turkey’s presidential election runoff closely. In the first round of the presidential election, Erdogan got 49.52% of the votes, while Kilicdaroglu received 44.88%. Because neither candidate passed the 50% threshold, they will meet in the runoff May 28. Ali Al Mohammad, 33, who left Damascus in 2014 and has held Turkish citizenship since 2018, said he was not happy with the election results, but he…

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized on Sunday for the “state’s mistakes” following the country’s worst train accident which killed 57 and injured dozens. “As prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all the relatives of the victims, a huge apology. Both personally, and in the name of all those who ruled the country over the years,” he said in a press statement, adding that the government “should not hide behind human error.” A station master has been arrested and charged with manslaughter through negligence for the head-on collision of a passenger train with a freight train in central Greece…

Ukraine’s crop exports are being threatened again, with Black Sea shipments halting just as some of its European Union neighbors stop allowing imports of its cargoes. Kyiv on Monday said Russia has blocked inspections of vessels under a key safe-passage deal, the second time in a week that the corridor has ground to a halt. That’s happening as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in recent days banned imports of Ukrainian grain over concerns the supplies are hurting their domestic markets. It’s a setback for Ukraine, which when faced with difficulties shipping by sea in the wake of Russia’s invasion had been sending some cargoes by rail,…

The bodies of two people were recovered from the sea after a boat carrying refugees and migrants capsized off the Aegean Sea island of Kos, the Hellenic Coast Guard said on Wednesday. A total of 24 people were rescued. Survivors told authorities that 27 were on board when the incident occurred, according to a press release. A rescue operation was underway on Wednesday to locate the missing person. Greece has been the frontline of Europe’s refugee crisis since 2015. Over a million people have reached the country, and most continued their journey to other European countries. However, hundreds have perished…