US pushes Turkiye over sanctions compliance against Russia

Turkiye-Russia relations are again in the spotlight, with Ankara’s apparent neutrality over the Russia-Ukraine conflict proving a continuing source of tension with the US. (Reuters/File Photo)
Turkiye-Russia relations are again in the spotlight, with Ankara’s apparent neutrality over the Russia-Ukraine conflict proving a continuing source of tension with the US. (Reuters/File Photo)
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Updated 09 April 2023
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US pushes Turkiye over sanctions compliance against Russia

US pushes Turkiye over sanctions compliance against Russia
  • May election unlikely to affect Turkish strategy on Moscow, analyst tells Arab News

ANKARA: Turkiye has pledged to ban the re-export of Western goods to Russia after the latest warning by the US State Department over sanctions compliance.

However, the NATO member, which is set to hold general and parliamentary elections on May 14, will still export domestic products to Russia.

Turkiye-Russia relations are again in the spotlight, with Ankara’s apparent neutrality over the Russia-Ukraine conflict proving a continuing source of tension with the US.

According to Reuters, James O’Brien, head of the US State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, said that Turkish officials have been “very clear” about the ban on the re-export of sanctioned Western goods to Russia.

On March 20, the Istanbul Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals Exporters Association announced that the Turkish government provided companies with a list of foreign goods that are prohibited from being sent to Russia.

The announcement came soon after a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ankara.

Similarly, Ankara reportedly gave the European Commission verbal guarantees that sanctioned goods will not be sent to Russia from March 1.

However, this restriction does not cover goods made in Turkiye, which contain components from other countries that can still be exported to Russia without limitations.

Washington remains cautious and is committed to monitoring Turkish trade data with Russia from March and April.

During a press briefing last December, O’Brien warned Ankara over its sanctions compliance, saying that secondary curbs could be imposed on Turkiye in case of violations.

Meanwhile, several senior US officials have visited Turkiye since the Ukraine invasion to request the Turkish private sector, including banks, comply with US sanctions on Russia.

Turkiye served as a critical supply route for Russia after extensive sanctions were applied by several Western countries to prevent the Russian army from reusing imported products in weapons systems, such as microchips and chemicals

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish program at the Washington Institute, said it is an “open secret” that Turkiye has maintained trade connections with Russia since the invasion despite Western sanctions.

“All trade indicators more than doubled on an annual basis. It is part of Ankara’s pro-Ukraine neutrality policy,” he told Arab News.

Turkiye has also supported Ukraine militarily in a bid to balance the Black Sea security environment, said the director.

“Ankara also kept its economic ties with Russia. It benefited from investment flows, increased trade from Russia, and encouraged Russian oligarchs to bring their money in Turkiye and to buy houses,” he added.

The US government “is pushing against these efforts, and is going through compliance channels by warning businesses about not trading with Russia and not using Russian credit cards. And that is working and is bringing Turkish companies on board,” Cagaptay said.

Thousands of wealthy Russians have migrated to Turkiye since the invasion of Ukraine, buying property, bringing cash savings, opening hundreds of businesses to circumvent sanctions and attempting to make the country a financial haven for Russians. Turkiye is still one of Russia’s biggest trade partners.

Cagaptay said that if Turkiye’s government remains in power following the May 14 elections, Ankara will continue supporting Kyiv militarily, keeping economic ties with Moscow open and abiding by Western sanctions to a certain extent.

“In case of an opposition victory, it is unlikely that Turkiye will completely disengage from Russia economically because they have deep ties with Russia in various sectors ranging from energy to foodstuff and tourism,” he added.

“If the opposition wins, they will support Ukraine more politically, with an inclination toward a slow disengagement of some economic ties with Russia,” said Cagaptay.

As the US gears up for its 2024 election, experts have said that US President Joe Biden will take measures to isolate Russia further with fresh sanctions, and will demand more from Turkiye in addition to business compliance channels.

Cagaptay said the US will use government-to-government contacts to push Ankara into further disengagement from Russia.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkiye on April 7.

The visit coincided with a phone conversation between Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to discuss NATO expansion with Finland and Turkiye’s demand for new F-16 jets and modernization kits from the US.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara office director of the German Marshall Fund of the US, said that there is a difference between Turkiye avoiding sanctions against Russia and facilitating Russia’s circumvention of sanctions through the re-export of sanctioned products from Europe.

Referring to the latest statement from the US State Department, “it is the latter that Turkiye will limit, not its usual trade with Russia,” he told Arab News.

Unluhisarcikli added that the US will pay particular attention to dual-use items that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.

“While Russia will not be thrilled by Turkiye’s decision, it is unlikely to show a strong reaction as it is no position to lose a country like Turkiye entirely,” he said.


Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza battles -statement

Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza battles -statement
Updated 16 sec ago
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Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza battles -statement

Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza battles -statement
  • More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry there, and around 1.9 million people, 85 percent of the population, have been displaced

JERUSALEM: The son of Israeli cabinet minister and former military chief Gadi Eizenkot was killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip, Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, said on Thursday.
Party members Eizenkot and Gantz, also a former army chief, joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government shortly after Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack which prompted an Israeli air, ground and sea offensive in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military did not provide precise details about the death of Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, other than to say he was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip.
“Together with all of Israel I send my support to Gadi and to his entire family, and a big hug. We are all committed to keep fighting for the sacred cause for which Gal died,” Gantz said in a statement.
In a condolence message, Netanyahu said he was heartbroken.
Israel has vowed to annihilate the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas after its fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel and dragged 240 more back to Gaza as hostages, according to an Israeli tally.
More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry there, and around 1.9 million people, 85 percent of the population, have been displaced.
Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the United States and other Western countries, is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

 

 


Gaza children sleep hungry and wake hungry in Rafah camp

Gaza children sleep hungry and wake hungry in Rafah camp
Updated 14 min ago
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Gaza children sleep hungry and wake hungry in Rafah camp

Gaza children sleep hungry and wake hungry in Rafah camp
  • Food shortages have been a problem throughout the two-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, but have worsened since the end of a week-long truce on Dec. 1 as the number of aid trucks entering from Egypt has fallen

RAFAH, Gaza Strip: Displaced Gazans sheltering in a school courtyard in Rafah were resorting to desperate measures such as diluting baby milk powder in too much water or giving children one meal a day because there was not enough food to go around.
At the southern tip of Gaza, on the border with Egypt, the Rafah area was the only one in the whole of the Palestinian enclave to have received limited aid deliveries over the past four days, the UN humanitarian office said on Thursday.
But there was still not enough food for everyone and parents said their children were getting sick and losing weight.
Sitting on a mat in front of his family’s tent in a makeshift displacement camp, Zakaria Rehan held his baby boy, Yazan, and a feeding bottle with a small amount of liquid.
“This is basically water with a spoonful of powder, even less than a spoonful, anything so it just smells like milk, just so I can trick him into thinking it is milk so he can drink it,” said Rehan. “But it isn’t healthy, it doesn’t give him any nutrition.”
Rehan said all the families in the camp were facing a daily struggle to find food and a means to cook it. He said he had eaten raw beans from a can that came in an aid delivery because there was no fuel for a fire.
“Yes, there is aid that comes in, but it isn’t enough at all. It isn’t enough for all the families. You get a can of beans, or a can of meat, for 10 people. Even if one person was to eat this alone, it wouldn’t satiate him.”
Food shortages have been a problem throughout the two-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, but have worsened since the end of a week-long truce on Dec. 1 as the number of aid trucks entering from Egypt has fallen and distribution has been hindered by intense combat, including in southern Gaza.

ONLY MEAL OF THE DAY
In the mouth of another tent at the Rafah school camp, three children were eating rice out of a single pan. Their mother, Yosra Al-Deeb, said they would have nothing else for the rest of the day.
“The children sleep hungry and wake up hungry. I made them a meal, and that’s the only meal they eat in a day, the rest of the day they don’t eat,” she said, her anger and exhaustion showing in her face.
“At home, I used to feed them a nutritious meal, they never got sick. But here, they’re always sick, every day they have stomach flu,” she said.
In another part of the camp, Naji Shallah had chopped some tomatoes and a green pepper and was preparing to cook them in a small pan. He too said this would be his children’s only meal of the day.
“If I could find bread for my children, it would be like having a pound of gold,” he said, adding they were dehydrated from lack of food and water and that one of his sons had lost a lot of weight.
“And if I secure bread, I can only give my child half a loaf, because if he were to eat the whole loaf, he won’t eat the next day.”
The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people including babies and children and kidnapping 240 hostages of all ages, according to Israeli figures.
Vowing to destroy Hamas and free the hostages, Israel launched a military assault on Gaza that has killed more than 17,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
UN humanitarian chief Volker Turk has described living conditions in the bombarded strip as “apocalyptic.”

 


Putin in flurry of Gulf diplomacy

Putin in flurry of Gulf diplomacy
Updated 08 December 2023
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Putin in flurry of Gulf diplomacy

Putin in flurry of Gulf diplomacy
  • Russian president holds talks with Saudi, Emirati, Omani, Iranian officials — ‘What is happening in Gaza is of course genocide and a crime against humanity’: Iranian president

MOSCOW: Just a few hours after returning to Moscow from a visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Omani Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The talks are part of these countries’ efforts to relieve regional tensions in light of the Gaza conflict.

Palestine was one of the main topics of discussion between Putin and Raisi. “What is happening in Palestine, in Gaza, is of course genocide and a crime against humanity,” said Raisi.

“It is necessary to stop the (Israeli) bombing as soon as possible. This issue today is not only a matter for our region, it is a matter for all mankind, so a very quick solution should be found for this issue.”

Putin and Raisi affirmed their commitment to bolstering Russian-Iranian cooperation both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks.

They also discussed the BRICS agenda under Russia’s presidency of the group in 2024. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran will become full members on Jan. 1.

“Obviously, the role of BRICS in the world is increasing,” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s assistant for international affairs, told journalists, adding that there will be discussions with potential members.


Turkish-Israeli ties to be tested after latest row over Hamas

Turkish-Israeli ties to be tested after latest row over Hamas
Updated 07 December 2023
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Turkish-Israeli ties to be tested after latest row over Hamas

Turkish-Israeli ties to be tested after latest row over Hamas
  • Ankara’s partnership with Palestinians is ideological rather than practical military cooperation, analyst says
  • Bilateral ties have never been immune from global or regional actors, another analyst tells Arab News

ANKARA: Following Israeli security chief Ronen Bar’s pledge to pursue Hamas leaders overseas, all eyes are now on Turkiye to gauge whether this development will further escalate tension in relations between the two countries.

In a recording released by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on Sunday, Bar, the head of Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet, stated that Israel intends to wipe out Hamas leaders in Qatar, Lebanon, and Turkiye.

“This is our Munich. It will take a few years, but we will be there to do it,” he remarked, alluding to the 1972 attack where Palestinian Black September gunmen killed 11 Israeli Olympic team members during the Munich games.

Israel subsequently carried out retaliatory operations against Black September operatives in different countries over a number of years.

BACKGROUND

Political analyst Gokhan Cinkara believes that Turkiye’s NATO membership and its significant regional power would discourage Israel from making concrete moves on Turkish soil.

The contents of the recording of Bar garnered disapproval in Ankara, with state-run Anadolu Agency reporting that Israeli authorities have been informed of the serious consequences that “illegal operations on Turkish territory would generate.”

The development comes against the trend of diplomatic reconciliation between Turkiye and Israel, based largely on the close collaboration between the intelligence agencies of both nations.

This cooperation successfully prevented several attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Turkiye.

Additionally, Turkiye disclosed that Israeli spy networks had operated in the country, gathering intelligence on resident Palestinians.

Turkiye reportedly requested that all Hamas political leaders leave the country on Oct. 7, following the attack by the group on Israel, although the Turkish presidency refuted this claim.

The Hamas officials who had been residing in Turkiye allegedly arrived there after the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.

Top Hamas officials, including Ismail Haniyeh, have also openly visited Turkiye and stayed in Istanbul over the years.

On Wednesday Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Turkiye would not tolerate Israeli security operations on its soil and cautioned that it could severely impact bilateral relations.

“If Israel dares to take such a step on Turkish soil, it will pay such a great price that it will not be able to recover from it,” he said.

In recent days, Erdogan harshly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and labeled him a “war criminal” and “the butcher of Gaza” — remarks that were quickly countered by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who directly addressed the English account of the Turkish presidency, and said: “You are welcome to host in your country Hamas terrorists who aren’t eliminated and flee from Gaza.”

Gokhan Cinkara, political analyst and founder of the Ankara Center for Global Politics, believes Turkiye’s ties with the Hamas leadership resulted from a foreign policy trend shaped during the Arab Spring.

“The success of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections pushed many actors, especially the US, to communicate with them. However, subsequent developments, especially after the exclusion of Al-Fatah in Gaza and the loss of influence of the Arab Spring, led to their exclusion by regional actors,” he told Arab News.

Cinkara thinks that Turkiye’s NATO membership and its significant regional power would discourage Israel from making concrete moves on Turkish soil.

According to Betul Dogan-Akkas, assistant professor of international relations at the department of international relations at Ankara University, Turkish-Israeli ties have fluctuated for decades, and have never been immune from global or regional actors.

“Although Qatar and Turkiye are also mentioned in Bet’s statements, I don’t see this scenario as a realistic or preferable act for Israel. The weakest angle here is Lebanon. Neither Qatar nor Turkiye will keep their reaction low once an Israeli operation on their soil threatens their domestic security,” Dogan-Akkas told Arab News.

“Regarding the situation of Qatar, this could even destroy its mediatorship role and will just push it further into the Palestinian resistance,” she added.

“Regarding the case of Turkiye, we don’t have solid and public information about the names of leaders residing in Istanbul, yet it is a de facto situation that there are Hamas members or political elites from Hamas in Turkiye. These names are not from the military sphere as Turkiye’s partnership with Hamas is based on an ideological level rather than a practical military cooperation, as is the case with Iran,” Dogan-Akkas said.

Experts caution about the potential effect of any Israeli attack on the countries where Hamas members reside, which could turn the ongoing war into a regional conflict.

“This does not mean that these countries will quickly declare war on Israel, but this will destroy a rapid ceasefire or attempts to find a solution in Gaza,” Dogan-Akkas said.

However, it is still unclear what was the underlying intention behind Bar’s words and experts remain skeptical about whether Turkiye will change its policy on Hamas.

Cinkara does not expect any change in Turkiye’s relations with Hamas for the time being under current regional circumstances.

But for Dogan-Akkas, Bar’s words were a tactical move to show the world Israel’s intelligence superiority, especially as an answer to ongoing criticisms about failures over the Oct. 7 attack.

“They could take some Hamas hostages abroad, but this won’t be from Istanbul or Doha. In the meantime, I don’t think President Erdogan will completely deport Hamas-affiliated political figures because they are already low profile; they don’t go public except their small communities,” she said.

 


Egypt’s foreign minister looks to build on strategic relationship with US

Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. (AFP)
Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. (AFP)
Updated 07 December 2023
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Egypt’s foreign minister looks to build on strategic relationship with US

Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. (AFP)
  • McCaul praised Egypt’s efforts to boost regional security and stability and expressed his full support for strengthening Egypt-US relations

CAIRO: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has met Michael McCaul, the US Republican representative who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, during his visit to the US.

Shoukry spoke of Egypt’s desire to increase coordination and consultation between the two countries while building on their strategic relationship and partnership.

He looked at the significant developments that Egypt has witnessed over the years in economic and social policy.

He said that Egypt’s foreign policy was based on the need for regional peace, security, and good relations with neighboring states.

Consultations focused on international and regional issues and crises, including Gaza, Libya, Sudan, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, with the foreign minister highlighting the key aspects of Egypt’s stance on the matters.

He spoke of Egypt’s opposition to any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinian citizens from inside or outside their lands, and the importance of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to protect civilians.

McCaul praised Egypt’s efforts to boost regional security and stability and expressed his full support for strengthening Egypt-US relations.

Shoukry also met Sen. Ben Cardin, the chair of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

The meeting looked at the situation in Gaza and Shoukry emphasized the need for increased international efforts to establish a sustainable ceasefire and protect civilians.

He reaffirmed Egypt’s rejection of forcibly displacing Palestinian citizens, while stressing the need to remove obstacles that prevented humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.

Cardin praised the Egyptian role in the region, thanking Egypt for providing humanitarian aid and contributing to the previous truce in Gaza.