Latest news with #Turkic-speaking
Express Tribune
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Armenia PM in talks with Erdogan on 'historic' Turkey visit
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during their meeting at the Dolmabahce Presidential office in Istanbul. Photo: AFP Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on a rare visit to arch-foe Turkey, in what Yerevan describes as a "historic" step toward regional peace. The talks began shortly before 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace, Erdogan's office said. Armenia and Turkey have never established formal diplomatic ties and their shared border has been closed since the 1990s. Analysts said Pashinyan would make the case for speeding up steps towards normalisation with Turkey in a bid to ease Armenia's isolation. Relations between the two nations have been historically strained over the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire — atrocities Yerevan says amount to genocide. Turkey rejects the label. And they have been further complicated by Ankara's close ties to Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan, and its support for Baku in its long-running conflict with Armenia. Ahead of the talks, Pashinyan visited the Armenian Patriarchal Church and the Blue Mosque and met members of the Turkish Armenian community, he said on his official Facebook page. But his visit sparked unease back home. Police rounded up "several dozen" opposition supporters in the capital Yerevan and beyond Friday, rights groups and a lawyers coalition said. Armenia's interior ministry did not comment on the detentions, but said police had acted on information about plans to disrupt the peace. "This is a historic visit, as it will be the first time a head of the Republic of Armenia visits Turkey at this level. All regional issues will be discussed," Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters on Thursday. "The risks of war (with Azerbaijan) are currently minimal, and we must work to neutralise them. Pashinyan's visit to Turkey is a step in that direction." An Armenian foreign ministry official told AFP Pashinyan and Erdogan would discuss efforts to sign a comprehensive peace treaty as well as the fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict. A day ahead of his visit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was in Turkey to meet Erdogan, hailing the two nations' alliance as "a significant factor, not only regionally but also globally". Erdogan repeated his backing for "the establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia". The two nations had agreed on the text of a peace deal in March, but Azerbaijan has since outlined a host of demands — including changes to Armenia's constitution — before it will sign the document. AFP
LeMonde
a day ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Armenia PM arrives in Turkey for 'historic' visit in bid to mend ties
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in Istanbul on Friday, June 20, for a rare visit to arch-foe Turkey, in what Yerevan has described as a "historic" step toward regional peace. Armenia and Turkey have never established formal diplomatic ties, and their shared border has been closed since the 1990s. "Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Turkey on a working visit," his spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan wrote on Facebook. The visit follows an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Pashinyan is scheduled to meet at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace in the afternoon, Erdogan's office said. Relations between the two nations have been historically strained over the Armenian genocide, a label Ankara rejects. Ankara has also backed its close ally, Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan, in its long-running conflict with Armenia. Relations between the two nations have been historically strained over the genocide perpetrated against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923 – a step in that direction." An Armenian foreign ministry official told Agence France-Presse the pair will discuss efforts to sign a comprehensive peace treaty as well as the regional fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict. On Thursday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was in Turkey for talks with Erdogan and praised the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance as "a significant factor, not only regionally but also globally." Erdogan repeated his backing for "the establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia." Baku and Yerevan agreed on the text of a peace deal in March, but Baku has since outlined a host of demands − including changes to Armenia's constitution − before it will sign the document.
NBC News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Crimea is at the crux of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Here's why it's important.
All this is a far cry from the peninsula's history as the home of the Crimean Tatars, a Turkic-speaking Islamic ethnic group whose roots in the region can be traced to the start of the 15th century. They were persecuted for centuries by the Russian Empire after it seized the peninsula in 1783. And following several rounds of mass deportations, they have since been replaced by Russian speakers, outnumbered 13% to 76% in a population of 2.2 million. 'It is not only land,' said one Crimean Tatar, 30, who works as a civic activist and asked to remain anonymous to protect their family on the peninsula. 'If we refuse to fight politically for Crimea, it will be also a sign that it is fine to kill people, change geopolitical laws, steal land and start wars.' Many Tatars would like to see Crimea return to Ukrainian control, with Joseph Stalin's 1944 mass deportation of their people still in living memory. In 1954, Nikita Khrushchev, then the leader of the Soviet Union, transferred Crimea to what was then the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. When the USSR broke apart in 1991, Crimea slipped out of Russia's orbit, becoming part of the newly independent Ukraine. For Putin, who believes the Soviet collapse was 'the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century,' taking Crimea in 2014 was righting a historical wrong. 'As far as most Russians are concerned, whether they support or despise Putin, Crimea is Russian,' said Mark Galeotti, director of the consultancy Mayak Intelligence. 'I was living in Moscow when Crimea was annexed, and the enthusiasm was astonishing, with people partying all night.' For most of the rest of the world — including the U.S. — it was an illegal occupation, with only a handful of countries such as North Korea and Sudan disagreeing. In 2018, Trump's then-secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said Washington rejected 'Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea.' That's what makes Trump's reversal of that position so striking. 'Crimea will stay with Russia,' he told Time magazine on Friday. When asked Sunday whether Zelenskyy was ready to give up Crimea, Trump told reporters, 'Oh, I think so, yeah.' That would be a dramatic reversal for the Ukrainian president, who has previously said there is 'nothing to discuss' when it comes to allowing Russia to annex parts of his country. Even if he wanted to, Article 2 of Ukraine's constitution says its 'inviolable' borders can only be changed by a parliament-granted referendum, and not during its current state of martial law. Some within the Trump administration don't appear optimistic that success is imminent. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Thursday that the war is "not going to end any time soon." Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukraine following its full-scale invasion in 2022. But for many Ukrainians, Crimea holds a singular status. 'Crimea is a test for principles, resilience and dignity,' said the Crimean Tatar civic activist. 'Not only for Ukraine, but also for the entire civilized world.'
Daily Express
02-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Expand markets to Central Asia to counter tariff threat, says Saifuddin
Published on: Friday, May 02, 2025 Published on: Fri, May 02, 2025 By: Danish Raja Reza, FMT Text Size: Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah says intra-Asean trade must be strengthened to reduce dependency on the United States. PETALING JAYA: Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has urged Malaysia to look to Central Asia as a potential market, amid the looming imposition of a 24% tariff on Malaysian imports by the US. In an exclusive interview with FMT, Saifuddin said the region – which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – holds vast untapped potential, especially in the oil and gas sector. 'The Central Asian countries are prospering well. They have the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), which has five members. 'Petronas used to be in one or two of these countries, but is not as active there now. These countries are not as exploited when it comes to oil and gas,' he said. OTS is an intergovernmental body established in 2009 to promote cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations based on shared cultural, historical and linguistic ties. Its full members include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, with Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus holding observer status. As of 2024, only about 20–25% of Central Asia's proven hydrocarbon resources have been exploited, according to the US Energy Information Administration and the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. Turkmenistan, for instance, produces just three trillion cubic feet of natural gas annually from 400 trillion cubic feet in reserves, while Kazakhstan extracts under two million barrels of oil per day from a 30-billion-barrel reserve base. Extraction across the region remains low due to limited export infrastructure, underinvestment, ageing facilities and geopolitical constraints, including dependence on Russian transit routes and a lack of diversified foreign partnerships. Saifuddin, the Indera Mahkota MP, also called for a strengthening of intra-Asean trade to reduce dependency on the United States, noting that it currently makes up less than 25% of the regional bloc's total exports. He highlighted the growing relevance of the BRICS grouping, saying Malaysia should keep its options open and explore alternatives to the current international financial, trade and economic order. Malaysia is among nine nations officially accepted as BRICS partners from Jan 1 this year. Saifuddin also called on the Malaysian business community to be more courageous in exploring new markets, rather than continuing to operate only within familiar regions. The Bersatu man said Malaysia could act as a key conduit for trade between East and West Asia, particularly by leveraging its global reputation in the halal sector. 'One of our strong points is our halal certification. We are probably the best in the world, and we're still leading in that area. 'Taiwan, among others, is also interested in halal certification because they see Malaysia as a gateway to the Arab world. Similarly, the Arab world sees Malaysia as a window to Southeast Asia,' he said. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Free Malaysia Today
02-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Expand markets to Central Asia to counter tariff threat, says Saifuddin
Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah says intra-Asean trade must be strengthened to reduce dependency on the United States. PETALING JAYA : Former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has urged Malaysia to look to Central Asia as a potential market, amid the looming imposition of a 24% tariff on Malaysian imports by the US. In an exclusive interview with FMT, Saifuddin said the region – which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – holds vast untapped potential, especially in the oil and gas sector. 'The Central Asian countries are prospering well. They have the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), which has five members. 'Petronas used to be in one or two of these countries, but is not as active there now. These countries are not as exploited when it comes to oil and gas,' he said. OTS is an intergovernmental body established in 2009 to promote cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations based on shared cultural, historical and linguistic ties. Its full members include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, with Hungary, Turkmenistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus holding observer status. As of 2024, only about 20–25% of Central Asia's proven hydrocarbon resources have been exploited, according to the US Energy Information Administration and the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. Turkmenistan, for instance, produces just three trillion cubic feet of natural gas annually from 400 trillion cubic feet in reserves, while Kazakhstan extracts under two million barrels of oil per day from a 30-billion-barrel reserve base. Extraction across the region remains low due to limited export infrastructure, underinvestment, ageing facilities and geopolitical constraints, including dependence on Russian transit routes and a lack of diversified foreign partnerships. Saifuddin, the Indera Mahkota MP, also called for a strengthening of intra-Asean trade to reduce dependency on the United States, noting that it currently makes up less than 25% of the regional bloc's total exports. He highlighted the growing relevance of the BRICS grouping, saying Malaysia should keep its options open and explore alternatives to the current international financial, trade and economic order. Malaysia is among nine nations officially accepted as BRICS partners from Jan 1 this year. Saifuddin also called on the Malaysian business community to be more courageous in exploring new markets, rather than continuing to operate only within familiar regions. The Bersatu man said Malaysia could act as a key conduit for trade between East and West Asia, particularly by leveraging its global reputation in the halal sector. 'One of our strong points is our halal certification. We are probably the best in the world, and we're still leading in that area. 'Taiwan, among others, is also interested in halal certification because they see Malaysia as a gateway to the Arab world. Similarly, the Arab world sees Malaysia as a window to Southeast Asia,' he said.
