His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, discussed the prospects of strengtehning relations between the two nations…reports Asian Lite News
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, Monday, reviewed the prospects of reinforcing the relations between the two nations in a way that serves their common interests and their two peoples.
Biden is the first US president to use the term “genocide” in describing the mass killing against the Armenian people…reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden recognised the mass killing against Armenians more than a century ago as a “genocide”, a move that could further worsen relations between the United States and Turkey.
“The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on Saturday, the Armenian Remembrance Day.
“We do this not to cast blame but to ensure that what happened is never repeated,” he noted.
Biden is the first US president to use the term “genocide” in describing the mass killing against the Armenian people by the Ottoman Empire, breaking with his predecessors who did not want to undermine relations with Turkey. In 2019, both chambers of Congress passed resolutions recognizing the atrocities as “genocide.”
The latest move could further complicate the already strained relations between Washington and Ankara. The two NATO allies have been at odds over Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air-defence systems and other regional issues, such as the Syria conflict and the dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told local media earlier this week that Biden’s statements were not legal-binding and would only harm bilateral relations. “If the United States wants to worsen ties, the decision is theirs,” he said.
US media reported that Biden informed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his “genocide” recognition plan in their phone call on Friday.
The phone call was the first between the two leaders since Biden took office in January. The White House said that Biden told Erdogan that he wanted to build a constructive bilateral relationship “with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements.”
The two leaders agreed to hold a bilateral meeting on the margins of the NATO Summit in June to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, according to the White House.
Armenians have long sought international recognition for the large-scale casualties during the Ottoman era as genocide, which they say left some 1.5 million of their people dead. Turkey, the Ottoman Empire’s successor state, has claimed the mass killings did not constitute genocide.
Biden, Erdogan hold phone call over bilateral ties
President Joe Biden discussed bilateral relations in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the White House said.
Biden conveyed “his interest in a constructive bilateral relationship with expanded areas of cooperation and effective management of disagreements,” the White House said in a statement.
The leaders agreed to hold a bilateral meeting on the margins of the NATO Summit in June to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, the statement added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a local media earlier this week that Biden’s statements are not legal-binding and would only harm bilateral relations. “If the United States wants to worsen ties, the decision is theirs,” he said.
The move could further complicate the already strained relations between Washington and Ankara. The two NATO allies have been at odds over Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air-defence systems and other regional issues, such as the Syria conflict and the dispute in the eastern Mediterranean.
Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan was the minister who removed from the post and replaced by Mehmet Mus…reports Asian Lite News
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed the Trade Minister and appointed chiefs of two newly established Ministries, according to a presidential decree.
Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan was removed from the post and replaced by Mehmet Mus, Xinhua news agency quoted the decree as saying on Wednesday.
Derya Yanik was appointed as head of the Family Ministry, and Vedat Bilgin took the post as the Labour Minister.
Ministries of labor and family had been under the same roof before the decree separated them.
Former head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi (Xinhua/Lu Yang/IANS)
Draghi’s remarks came after the visit of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel to Erdogan on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “dictator” in front of the press, causing a stir.
Draghi spoke to the press in Rome on Thursday evening about the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Charles Michel to Erdogan on Tuesday, reports dpa news agency.
Von der Leyen was not given a chair at the meeting, but sat somewhat apart on a sofa.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Draghi classified this as a “humiliation” of the head of the commission.
“I was very displeased for the humiliation that the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had to suffer.
“With these dictators, let’s call them what they are – who however are needed – one must be honest in expressing one’s diverging ideas and views about society.
“But one must also be prepared to cooperate with them in the interest of the country. The right balance is needed,” Draghi added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara
The choice of the word dictator made many headlines in the Italian media and angered Ankara, with Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoning the Italian ambassador.
“We strongly condemn appointed Italian PM’s unacceptable remarks on our elected President, return the impudent remarks,” Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a tweet.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara
Cavusoglu said the Turkish and EU sides agreed on the protocol ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Erdogan…reports Asian Lite News
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in line with “demands and suggestions from the EU side”, rejecting criticism that Ankara snubbed her.
Cavusoglu said the Turkish and EU sides agreed on the protocol ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Erdogan, reports dpa news agency.
“The seating arrangement was made in line with suggestions from the EU side,” Cavusoglu told a joint press conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah in Ankara.
We are aiming for an honest partnership.
A partnership between the EU & Turkey that enables us to strengthen what brings us together and address what divides us.
It is still the beginning of the road. The weeks and months ahead will show how far we can go on this road together. pic.twitter.com/Xe6ZHqP1IP
Cavusoglu’s remarks came after the European Commission expressed disappointment that its President was relegated to a sofa on the side, while European Council President Charles Michel was offered the only chair next to Erdogan during their visit at the Turkish presidential palace.
The unequal seating arrangements prompted social media allegations of sexism or a purposeful affront against the commission.
Cavusoglu called the criticism against Turkey “very unfair”, adding the meeting was held “within the frame of international protocol rules and Turkish hospitality”.
“We would not put this so clearly if it wasn’t for the accusations,” the top Turkish diplomat added.
Cavusoglu described the meeting as “very productive”.
In a Facebook post late Wednesday, Michel described the situation as “regrettable” and added the EU leaders decided to focus on the substance of the meeting rather than cause a “public incident”.
