French foreign minister: Turkey and France have a ‘verbal cease-fire’

Jean-Yves Le Drian told a French TV station there is still a long way to go to improve Turkey-France relations, mentioning Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean. The French and Turkish presidents had a cordial meeting earlier this week.

France’s top diplomat said there is a “verbal cease-fire” between France and Turkey in an interview with French television Friday. He added that there is still work to be done to bridge the divide between the two countries on regional issues following a meeting between their heads of state.

“There is some sort of verbal cease-fire,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told BFM TV. “The verbal cease-fire doesn’t mean action, and we’re waiting for actions to be taken from Turkey on sensitive issues, be it in the eastern Mediterranean, and especially in Libya and Syria.”

Le Drian was addressing a longstanding feud between Turkey and France, as the two states disagree on a host of issues. In the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey wants to drill for energy in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus, and France backs the latter two in the dispute. In Libya, Turkey supported the Government of National Accord in the civil war that ended last year, while France was more supportive of the Libyan National Army rebels. France has since reopened its embassy and established relations with Libya’s unity government. France is also critical of Turkey’s actions in Syria, where Ankara supports Syrian rebel forces against Kurdish forces.

The row has led to several escalations between the two countries in the past year. In June 2020, France accused the Turkish navy of harassing a French warship in the Mediterranean Sea. In October, French President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused French President Emmanuel Macron of Islamophobia. The war of words related to comments Macron made about extremism following the murder of a French teacher who showed an image of the Prophet Muhammad in his classroom. In November, France banned the Turkish ultranationalist Gray Wolves organization.

Relations may be improving. Erdogan and Macron met at the NATO summit on Monday in what Macron described as a “peaceful atmosphere.” The two discussed the situations in Libya and Syria, as well as Macron’s views on Islam, according to the Turkish state’s Anadolu Agency.

Le Drian said France will work with Turkey on the Libya issue, mentioning the preponderance of militias in the country. He also noted both “conflicting” and “shared interests” in Syria. Le Drian added that the eastern Mediterranean dispute remains a “question.” It is up to Erdogan on whether the softer rhetoric between the two countries will lead to solving any issues, the French foreign minister said.

“All this awaits us,” said Le Drian. “We will see if President Erdogan has changed more than in words.”

US Defense Department approves replenishment of Israel’s Iron Dome system

The Secretary of Defense announced during a Thursday congressional session that the request for military assistance has been approved and the US will transfer the requested amount over to Israel.

The United States has pledged to replenish and reinforce Israel’s Iron Dome system following the most recent escalation between Israel and allied terror groups in the Gaza Strip, which culminated with over 4,300 rockets being shot into Israeli territory.

Syrians Await Humanitarian Outcome of the Biden-Putin Summit

Syrians are eagerly awaiting the humanitarian outcome of Wednesday’s summit between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and its impact on the flow of aid to several opposition-held areas.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Syrians hoped the two leaders would have discussed the Bab al-Hawa border crossing.

Even Well-Integrated Refugees Face Deportation in Denmark

The Danish authorities rejected an appeal of a deportation decision against Omar al-Natour and his wife Asma. The Syrian couple started a new life in Denmark six years ago.

The Danish authorities told the couple that they had 30 days to leave for Syria or they would be detained at a deportation camp, although the husband suffers from health problems and is wanted by the security services in Syria, Asma told Zaman al-Wasl. Nevertheless, the Danish Immigration Department refused to renew their residency.

German Interior Ministers Meet to Discuss Deportation to Syria

On Wednesday, German interior ministers held a meeting to discuss the deportation of some Syrian refugees to their homeland, as human rights organizations issue warnings against such deportations.

According to the European website InfoMigrants, German interior ministers will discuss several issues at their three-day meeting. Most notably, they will discuss the option of deporting refugees to Syria and Afghanistan, based on the individual case of each refugee. Refugees who are “dangerous criminals” or “posing a threat” could therefore be deported.

Joe Biden Confuses Syria, Libya Three Times in G7 presser

US President Joe Biden was confused between Syria and Libya multiple times in a G7 media conference on Sunday, as he spoke of possible points of collaboration between the US and Russia, beyond the long-standing tensions between them.

“In Libya, we should be opening up the passes to be able to go through and provide… food assistance and economic – I mean vital assistance – to a population that’s in real trouble,” Biden said.

What Did the Biden-Putin Summit Mean for Syria ?

Analysts cannot offer any definitive indications about the fate of the Syrian issue after the summit between president Joe Biden, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Reports hinted, however, at the possibility of cooperation between the two countries.

Some reports described the Biden-Putin meeting as a pragmatic summit, while other analysts described the meeting as a “red line summit” that was demanded by the two presidents, asserting that the Syrian issue was at the bottom of the agenda.

Iran’s Engineered Election Leaves Reformists With No Good Options

Iranians will go to the polls this Friday to choose the successor to centrist President Hassan Rouhani, who is winding down his second four-year term and cannot run for reelection. The polls will take place in an atmosphere of widespread public apathy, as voters choose from a list of presidential candidates that has been heavily vetted beforehand. Of the seven contenders approved last month by the Guardian Council—an oversight body of 12 clerics who are closely aligned with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—five are regarded as hard-liners, while the other two are uncharismatic moderates with relatively low profiles. Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line jurist, is widely seen as the front-runner.