Month: April 2021

Turkey: Iranian-Kurdish Political Refugee to be Deported

An Iranian Kurdish political refugee, Afshin Sohrabzadeh, 31, who suffers from cancer and lives in Turkey, has been held in administrative detention for deportation — for allegedly “threatening Turkey’s security”. He is currently being held in a removal center, and, if returned to Iran, he may well face the death penalty.

On April 5, he visited the Eskisehir Immigration Office to get permission to visit a friend in Ankara. Instead, he was held in administrative detention and a decision was made by the authorities to deport him back to Iran.

IAEA confirms Iran has started 60-percent uranium enrichment

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified that Iran has started enriching uranium up to 60-percent purity level, a measure the Islamic Republic had promised to take following an Israeli act of nuclear terrorism against it.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog verified the development on Saturday, and Director-General Rafael Grossi relayed the confirmation in a notification addressed to the agency’s Board of Governors.

Russia Plans to Withdraw From ISS, Deploy Its Own National Space Station

Russia will exit the International Space Station (ISS) initiative in 2025 and will inform its international partners about that decision, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told broadcaster Rossiya 1 on Sunday.

According to the TV channel, the decision to withdraw was made during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 12 April.

EU To Meet Over Alleged Russian Links To 2014 Czech Depot Blast, As Russia Warns Of Retaliation

The Czech Republic says it has informed NATO and the European Union about Russia’s alleged involvement in a deadly ammunition depot explosion in 2014, an accusation Russia called “absurd” and a sign of Washington’s influence on Prague.

Prague expelled 18 Russian diplomats on April 17, accusing them of being spies after Czech intelligence linked Russian military agents to the blast that killed two people.

Syria Announces Presidential Elections

Syria’s parliamentary speaker on Sunday announced that the battered nation’s presidential elections will be held next month, in what yet again will be hardly a nail-biter. President Bashar Assad, who has ruled the land since his father’s death in 2000 and has for the past decade waged a bloody crackdown against dissidents and rebels, is expected to repeat his “victory” of 2014 and handily beat out any faux-challengers. Approximately half a million Syrians have died in the country’s long-running civil war, while close to 13 million have either been displaced or fled the country to become refugees. In order to participate in the May 26 elections, candidates must have lived continuously in Syria for at least ten years, and must also present the backing of at least 35 members of parliament, in which Assad’s Baath party won a large majority in last year’s hardly free and fair parliamentary elections.

Can Turkey rely on Libyan PM to guarantee its strategic interests?

Ankara’s two critical deals with Tripoli remain in limbo even though Libya’s new prime minister raised Turkish spirits during a much-hyped visit this week.

A high-profile visit by Libya’s new interim prime minister, complete with economic accords, has cheered Turkey up, but Ankara’s interests in the war-torn country remain far from guaranteed amid a flurry of rival diplomacy ahead of Libya’s elections in December.

Turkey’s ruling Islamists dogged by mounting corruption claims

Allegations of government corruption are adding to public anger as the economy continues to decline.

Turkish authorities announced Monday they are expanding an ongoing investigation into allegations of human trafficking leveled against a local municipality run by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), adding to mounting public anger over endemic corruption and a weakening economy.

2021 Elections In Albania: Citizens Against The Mafia – OpEd

On April 25, 2021, the tenth parliamentary elections since the democratic changes will take place in Albania.

Once again the elections will be a confrontation between two leading coalitions. One is gathered around the Socialist Party (PS/S&D) and Prime Minister Edi Rama and the other is the opposition group led by the Democratic Party (PD/EPP) headed by Lulzim Basha, which includes the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) headed by Monika Kryemadhi. Some minor political parties will also participate in the elections.

Economic Implications Of Second Karabakh War For Armenia – OpEd

The Second Karabakh War, which began on 27 September and continued for 44 days, put an end to the three-decades-old Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. As a result, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity and forced the military forces of Armenia to leave Karabakh, the historical land of Azerbaijan.

The heavy defeat of Armenia in the Second Karabakh War and the enormous loss of military personnel created a severe political and social crisis in the country. Armenian citizens began mass protests against the government, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister. Despite the fact that, in the following months, some progress in Armenia’s political situation was achieved, instability and war-related protests still continue. Along with political problems, the Second Karabakh War has also created economic problems for Armenia. Taking into account that even before the war Armenia had a fragile economy and was dependent on foreign aid, war-related financial problems have made the situation even worse.