Author: M Barbu

‘Help the refugees stuck in Bosnia’, implores Lipa camp resident in letter to EU

Soufyan Ali, a Pakistani living in the Lipa camp in northern Bosnia for the past three months, has sent an open letter to MEPs, urging them to act on behalf of asylum seekers trapped in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The association No Name Kitchen forwarded his letter to InfoMigrants.

After Alessandra Moretti, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), visited the Lipa camp near the town of Bihac in northern Bosnia on January 31, Soufyan Ali decided to write a letter to all members of the European Parliament to ask for their help.

Bosnia moves migrants ahead of colder weather

Around 1500 migrants were rounded up in northwestern Bosnia and moved to a camp in the country on Wednesday. The town of Bihac cannot provide adequate shelter for these people in the winter weather, authorities said.

A long line of male migrants, walking two or three together, wind their way about 10 kilometers along a road in northwestern Bosnia. The men have been rounded up from the town of Bihac where they had been camping and staying. The video of the march, from the Associated Press news agency (APTN), shows mountains lining the horizon and trees at the side of the road sparkling gold, red and brown in the autumn sunshine. Some migrants carry plastic bags with belongings, others appear to just have the clothes they’re wearing. A few Bosnian policemen accompany the group, walking purposefully at the top of the column and making sure everyone keeps together along the side of the road.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU allocates additional €3.5 million to support vulnerable refugees and migrants

The European Commission has announced today an additional €3.5 million in humanitarian aid to help vulnerable refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina facing a humanitarian disaster. More than 1,700 refugees and migrants remain without appropriate shelter and support in Una Sana canton. After the closure of the reception centre in Lipa, which was not winter-proof and which also suffered a fire, 900 people are currently on the former campsite. In addition, a further 800 refugees and migrants are staying outdoors in harsh winter conditions, including children.

Will Turkey use Syrian mercenaries in Kabul?

Turkey is allegedly planning to use Syrian fighters in its proposed mission to guard and run Kabul’s airport, but this time recruitment is expected to proceed via private security firms.

Turkey’s government appears to have learned little from the troubles it has faced for deploying Syrian fighters in the wars in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, as media reports suggest it is now out to recruit mercenaries for its planned mission to secure Kabul’s airport after the US-led NATO mission completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Syrian mercenaries sustain Turkey’s foreign policy

Some say they’re former opposition fighters, others say they’re refugees looking for a paycheck. One thing is clear: Turkey’s Syrian mercenaries have formed an integral part of the country’s foreign policy ambitions.

The conflict has pitted Armenia against Azerbaijan since the early 1990s, when the region was captured by local ethnic Armenians. However, the conflict has witnessed a new feature develop for the first time since it erupted nearly three decades ago.

Turkey Aims To Roll Out World’s First Drone Carrier – OpEd

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is pursuing an ambitious goal. In order to realize Turkish great power fantasies, Turkey is not only developing an armory of international standing, but also wants to join the circle of the world’s preeminent military powers in the next few years. The construction of a light aircraft carrier as a supra-regional operational platform serves this goal.

In the near future, Turkey sees its warships, painted in light gray camouflage and flying the red flag with a white crescent moon and star, sweeping the Aegean, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. Its navy, however, can also operate in parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The idea of the “blue fatherland” and the vision of transforming the Turkish coastal navy into a powerful ocean-going fleet serve as motivation to do so.

Turkey and the West: Drifting Further Apart

In theory, Turkey is a NATO ally. In theory, also, Turkey is in negotiations with the European Union for full membership. In reality, both are illusions.

In April, the European Council on Foreign Relations surveyed more than 17,000 people in 12 European countries. The survey found that: “Turkey is the only country that more Europeans see as an adversary than a necessary partner…. Europeans understand there are aspects of their relations with Russia, China, and Turkey that make these countries rivals or even adversaries.”