Tebboune: I agreed with Macron to establish a full partnership with mutual respect

Tebboune: I agreed with Macron to establish a full partnership with mutual respect

    Sunday, August 28, 2022   No comments

 

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced that he had agreed with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to "establish a full partnership between their two countries in the light of mutual respect."

During a joint press conference with Macron, who arrived in Algeria today for a 3-day official visit, Tebboune said: "I agreed with Macron to establish a full partnership in light of the principles of respect and a balance of trust between the two countries... We aspire to enhance trade exchange between Algeria and France."

"I discussed with Macron the situation in Libya, Mali, the Sahel and Western Sahara," he added.

For his part, Macron told his Algerian counterpart: "We have a common, complex and painful past, which contributed somewhat to not looking at the future... We have to look at this past with the will of truth... Let's open the archives from the beginning of the (French) occupation to independence without taboos... And this in order to build the future.

The French president considered that "we did not choose the past, but rather we inherited it, and we have the responsibility to build the future for ourselves and for future generations."

French President Macron arrived in Algeria today, Thursday, "hoping to build trade relations and turn the page on a diplomatic dispute," and was received by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Relations with Algeria became more important for France, because the Russian special military operation in Ukraine led to an increase in Europe's demand for North African gas, and because of the increased migration across the Mediterranean.

 It is noteworthy that Algeria canceled, today also, the entry visa of the chief rabbi of France, "Haim Corsia" because of his support for "Israel", according to what a reliable source told "Al-Mayadeen", who stressed that "Algeria will not be drawn towards normalization and rejects it in all its forms, and it is firm on the Supporting just causes, most notably Palestine and Western Sahara.

Last July, Tebboune sent a congratulatory message to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, on the occasion of his re-election for a second presidential term, in which he expressed his "satisfaction with the quality of our personal relationship characterized by trust and affection, and with the developments achieved, albeit relatively, by the Algerian-French partnership."

In it, Macron called for a visit to Algeria "soon, to launch together a dynamic that pushes forward in dealing with major issues, and to intensify and expand Algerian-French relations."

Last March, the Algerian president declared that the "crimes of French colonialism" in Algeria will not be subject to a statute of limitations, calling for a "fair treatment of the file of memory and history in an atmosphere of frankness and trust."

This came after relations between the two countries fell to their lowest level, when Macron said he doubted the existence of an "Algerian nation" before French colonialism.

Turkish media: Erdogan and Assad may hold talks at the suggestion of Putin; US Media: Turkey builds "Bayraktar" aircraft factory in Ukraine

Turkish media: Erdogan and Assad may hold talks at the suggestion of Putin; US Media: Turkey builds "Bayraktar" aircraft factory in Ukraine

    Tuesday, August 09, 2022   No comments

The Kremlin announced today, Tuesday, that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed the situation in Syria.

Turkish media revealed that President Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, may hold a phone call, during the coming period, at the suggestion of Putin.

And the newspaper "Turkey" published a report, in which it was based on private sources, that Erdogan, who recently visited Sochi, Russia, exchanged views on Syria with President Putin, and the Russian President suggested that he meet Assad and Erdogan, in order to solve the problem of terrorism in Syria.

But Ankara made it clear that it is "too early" for a meeting between the two presidents, while a phone call is still possible.

The newspaper pointed out that there are diplomatic contacts from a Gulf country and an African one with Syria and Turkey, in order to arrange a meeting between Presidents Assad and Erdogan.

During their bilateral summit in Sochi, Putin and Erdogan confirmed their support for preserving the unity of Syria. 

During this meeting in Sochi, Putin was accompanied by the president of the Chechen Republic, R. Kadyrov, who might be called upon to nudge Turkey further in the direction of Russia.

Erdogan announced, earlier, that his country intends to launch a military operation inside Syrian territory to combat “terrorism” and establish what he described as a “safe zone,” noting that his country “will not ask permission before launching a military operation in Syria.”

While Ankara says that its military presence in Syria aims to prevent the threat from the Kurdish factions, Damascus considers the Turkish military presence in the country an occupation and a threat to regional and international peace.

In a letter sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to both United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, Syria protested Turkey's intention to launch a military operation inside its territory.

Last May, an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates confirmed that "Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity will not be the object of blackmail or bargaining by the Turkish regime."

Reacting to the latest media report about possible talks between the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is Syrian sources, off the record, rejected the the idea of such event happening, characterizing it as "totally incorrect."

...

Meanwhile, US media sources highlight another aspect of Turkish involment in matters of concern to Russia.

The American "Newsweek" magazine said today, Tuesday, that the Turkish company "Baykar", which produces the "Bayraktar" unmanned combat aircraft, is currently building a factory on Ukrainian soil.

The magazine quoted Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, as saying that the Turkish company had already purchased a plot of land in Ukraine and developed the station project. Bodnar added that "Baykar" intends to build the plant in fulfillment of the personal commitment of the company's owners to make this production in Ukraine.

The magazine pointed out that the Bayraktar TB2 drones were considered one of the most valuable weapons for Ukraine in the first months of the war, especially before the arrival of the American "HIMARS" missiles.

She noted that Ukraine had more than 20 unmanned aircraft produced by the "Baykar" company when the war began, and acquired them during the past two years.

Because Kyiv currently has a limited supply of these planes, and given that Russia has learned a lesson from weakness during the first phase of the war, it is unlikely that Ukrainian forces would risk losing their TB2s from unmanned aerial vehicles, by pushing them forward in areas where Russian air defenses could easily fall."

She added that "a TP2 aircraft factory can fundamentally change the situation in Ukraine," noting that the time required for the construction of the factory is still unclear.

...

Editors' Note: This story was updated to include the Syrian government's rection to the news about the phone call between the two presidents.

UAE backs China on Taiwan, condemns 'provocative visits' after Pelosi trip

UAE backs China on Taiwan, condemns 'provocative visits' after Pelosi trip

    Monday, August 08, 2022   No comments

A day after Pelosi's trip, on Thursday, the influential GCC state, UAE,  reiterated its support for China's "sovereignty" over Taiwan and condemned "provocative visits" after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed on the island earlier this week.

"The UAE affirmed its support for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the importance of respecting the 'One China' principle... the UAE indicated its concern over the impact of any provocative visits on stability and international peace," the Emirati foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pelosi landed in Taiwan as part of a wider Indo-Pacific tour on Tuesday - enraging China, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province.

The UAE is a key US ally in the Middle East, but also has burgeoning ties with China. It has previously expressed strong support for China's sovereignty over Taiwan.

A Sky News investigation found earlier this year that the UAE was providing China with "black sites" to detain and forcibly disappear Uighur activists.

Abu Dhabi and Washington have taken differing stances on some key global issues, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine - with the UAE failing to follow the US in condemning Moscow for its actions.

The US reportedly intervened last year in Beijing's construction of a Chinese military base in the UAE.

Türkiye, Russia to work against terror groups in Syria; Erdoğan confirms the payment of Russian natural gas in rubles

Türkiye, Russia to work against terror groups in Syria; Erdoğan confirms the payment of Russian natural gas in rubles

    Saturday, August 06, 2022   No comments

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 5 that he discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the steps to be taken against terrorist organizations in Syria and agreed to take necessary steps to protect Syria’s territorial integrity.

Erdoğan has also confirmed that Türkiye will start paying for some of its Russian natural gas imports in rubles.

"As Türkiye, our door is open to everyone. One good thing about this Sochi visit is that we agreed on the ruble with Mr. Putin," Erdoğan said.

"Since we will conduct this trade in rubles, it will of course bring money to Türkiye and Russia."

Neither Erdoğan nor Russian officials have said what portion of the gas will be covered by ruble payments.

Putin and Erdoğan on Aug. 5 adopted a statement pledging to boost political and economic cooperation including in energy and trade.

At the start of the talks Putin also praised the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project, saying Europe should be grateful to Türkiye for uninterrupted supplies of Russian gas.

"I believe that (today’s meeting) will open a whole different page in Turkish-Russian relations," Erdoğan said.

Putin and Erdoğan last met for a three-way summit in Iran in July.

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Putin and Erdogan agreed to buy Turkey part of Russia's gas in rubles; Kadyrov to visit Turkey

Putin and Erdogan agreed to buy Turkey part of Russia's gas in rubles; Kadyrov to visit Turkey

    Friday, August 05, 2022   No comments

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have agreed to sell part of Russian gas to Turkey in rubles.

"Gas supplies to Turkey were discussed, which is supplied in fairly large quantities: 26 billion cubic meters annually. During the negotiations, the two presidents agreed that part of the gas supplies would be paid for in rubles," Novak said.

"We are talking about a gradual transition to national currencies, and in the first stage, part of the supplies will be paid in Russian rubles," he added.

Earlier in the day, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the end of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian city of Sochi, after they lasted for four hours. Putin and Erdogan discussed several files, most notably the files of Syria, Libya, Ukraine and energy.

It is worth mentioning here that the Russian President issued his instructions to transfer all payments for gas supplies to Europe into the national currency, stressing that "it makes no sense to supply Russian goods to the European Union or the United States of America and to receive payments in euros and dollars."

There were reports that the president of Chechnya, Ramazan Kadyrov attended the meetings in Sochi. Perhaps responding to such reports, Kadyrov released the following statement:

During the face-to-face talks between Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, I personally met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and head of the Turkish national intelligence organization Hakan Fidan. We had an informal rich and productive conversation, during which we came to a common opinion on the need to establish close cooperation between Turkey and the Chechen Republic on various issues.

Historically, our peoples are connected by a lot, especially since a fairly large number of ethnic Chechens currently live in Turkey. Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed hope that this informal meeting would be the beginning of further development of relations and establishing contacts. I agreed with the Turkish Foreign Minister and also noted that both sides would benefit from joint undertakings.

At the end of the meeting, the distinguished guests invited me to visit Turkey, during which we could discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, including economic ones. Of course, I accepted the invitation.

Lavrov criticizing the dependence on the US “dollar” to support the global economy: The globe is going through an important historical period and people will have to choose the type of world they want to live in

Lavrov criticizing the dependence on the US “dollar” to support the global economy: The globe is going through an important historical period and people will have to choose the type of world they want to live in

    Wednesday, July 27, 2022   No comments

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the global economy's dependence on the US dollar. 

Lavrov said, during a press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that relying on the US currency to support the global economy “was not very promising,” noting that countries are turning to using alternative currencies “more and more,” according to the African News website.

"This process will gain momentum," the Russian minister noted.
Lavrov explained that the globe is going through an "important historical period, and people will have to choose what kind of world they want to live in."

"The universe is based on the United Nations Charter, which states that the United Nations was founded on the principle of sovereign equality of states, or we will have a world in which the right of the strongest prevails," the Russian foreign minister continued.

During his visit in Ethiopia, Lavrov held meetings with the country's President, Sahle Work Zewde, and his Ethiopian counterpart, Demke Mokkenen.

Lavrov seeks to convince African leaders that Moscow cannot be blamed, either for the conflict or the food crisis, while Moscow blames the blockade on Ukrainian mines, according to "Africa News".

On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Minister arrived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for a two-day visit, on the last leg of his African tour.

Lavrov also visited Egypt, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda, as part of a tour aimed at mobilizing support for his country, which is facing Western sanctions over its war against Ukraine.

Since the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine in late February, the African Union has taken a neutral stance towards the crisis.