Orientul Mijlociu

No magic tap for Europe to replace Russian gas via Turkey

Europe has been looking to Azerbaijan, Israel and other countries to transit gas via Turkey, but assuming political obstacles can be overcome, the massive investments needed will take time to realize.

The build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and the subsequent brutal invasion has sent European leaders rushing to find new sources of natural gas to replace at least a significant part of the 155 billion cubic meters of gas that the European Union imported from Russia last year — around 40% of its total consumption. But securing new pipeline gas supplies will not be easy or quick. The simple fact is that there is no “magic tap” that the EU can turn on.

How War In Ukraine Is Reverberating Across World’s Regions – Analysis

eyond the suffering and humanitarian crisis from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the entire global economy will feel the effects of slower growth and faster inflation.

Impacts will flow through three main channels. One, higher prices for commodities like food and energy will push up inflation further, in turn eroding the value of incomes and weighing on demand. Two, neighboring economies in particular will grapple with disrupted trade, supply chains, and remittances as well as an historic surge in refugee flows. And three, reduced business confidence and higher investor uncertainty will weigh on asset prices, tightening financial conditions and potentially spurring capital

Will Erdogan draw lessons from Putin’s Ukraine mistakes?

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan watches Russian forces flounder in Ukraine, he may be rethinking his own ambitions — or concluding that Turkey is in a better spot than ever.

Turkey’s diplomatic isolation was the focus of excited punditry in recent years. But today, Ankara is running out of red carpet as a deluge of foreign dignitaries knock at its door.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei: To Reduce Our Defensive Capabilities And Regional Involvement Because Of The Sensitivities Of Others Would Be Naive And Amateurish

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a March 10, 2022 public address which aired on Channel 1 (Iran) that making concessions to the U.S. and other super powers would have put Iran in “great danger.” He explained that it is “naive and amateurish” to say that Iran should reduce its “defensive force” and its “foreign defense capabilities,” and he emphasized that Iran’s strategic “depth” is a result of its regional involvement. In addition, he said that the nuclear issue is about Iran’s scientific progress and its future technology.

How Russia’s assault on Ukraine affects Middle East

Senior bureaucrats believe Erdogan will “wipe the opposition off the table” in next year’s elections, excelling as he does in every major crisis.

With Turkey facing a major economic crisis and presidential elections scheduled for June 2023, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces a host of challenges. Yet the Turkish leader is a master of crisis management, and even the Russian invasion of Ukraine could provide unique opportunities.

New Iran Nuclear Deal Will Create ‘Sanctions Evasion Hub for Putin,’ Experts Say

A new nuclear deal will create a “sanctions evasion hub for Vladimir Putin based in Iran,” according to a new policy brief circulating around Capitol Hill and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

With a nuclear deal likely to be announced in the coming days, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a think tank critical of the agreement, says a new deal will allow Putin to circumvent tough Western sanctions that have been put in place since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Future of Russian arms imports unclear after Scholz Erdogan meeting

It is now unclear whether Turkey will buy Russian weapons in the future, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday.

“Of course, there are weapon systems that we bought. Under the current circumstances, it is unclear what will happen in the future,” Erdogan said when asked by a journalist how long Turkey would continue to buy weapons from Russia.