Is Turkey tilting towards Russia?



Md. Kawsar Ahmed, Barta 24.com
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As the geographical location of Turkey is situated in both Asia and Europe the country has occupied an important position in world politics geopolitically or strategically. From the time of the founder of modern Turkey by Mostofa Kamal Atartuk the country has been maintaing close relations with USA and European countries. But when USA lent their support to the Kurdish, the country’s present ruling Islamist party government wants to build a relation with Russia for maintaining balance of power who was a rival during cold war.

For the last one decade Turkey was trying to join the EEU. But the talk has become stalled after an abortive coup against president Tyep Erdowan in July of 2016.

The EEU leaders are accusing president Erdowan that he has violated the very norms and pre-conditions and visa free movement as he carried on arrests and cleansing campaign across the country after the abortive coup.

On the other hand the Turkish president is of opined that we should not be in a fix regarding the joining of EEU. Rather we can join a Eurasian group with Russia and China. Erdowan has said that he has already discussed the matter with Russian president Vladimir Putin. He has discussed the matter with the policy makers of Kazakhstan.

On the other hand these two countries are members of Songhai pact which is a loose security and economic alliance. The other members of this alliance are China, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan.

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Let us come to the core point. Can Turkey is maintaining balance of power? Or it is tilting towards Russia? In NATO led by USA, Turkey is second largest army personnel owned country. Turkey is now carrying on onslaughts in Syria against US interests cooperating with Russia. The relation between Turkey and USA further strained when Turkey purchased most modern missile S-400 from Russia.

US vice-president Mike Pence has warned Turkey for purchasing aircraft destroying missile S-400 technology from Russia. The US is considering it as a threat for the US air power.

Mike Pence has said that now Turkey is to select that whether they will remain as the important member of NATO or they would prefer to take irresponsible decision putting them into security risk?

In reply, the Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Chavusuglu said that it is not possible to scrap that pact with Russia.

Turkish vice president Fuat Oktey twitted that ‘the USA must select whether they want to remain as friend of Turkey? Nor they want to put the long friendship into risk joining their hand with the terrorists. Those who want to weaken the NATO allies against their fight with the enemies. (Source: BBC, April 4 2019).

Now let us know, what are features contained in the S-400 missile defense system for which it is getting so much importance to every one. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute researcher Simon Watzemon “ S-400 is the most modern air defense system till now, it is far in advance than the Western countries’ systems. The capacity of its radar, missiles technology and sensor is much more powerful. Its radar can keep vigil up to 600 kilometers. The range of its missile is up to 400 kilometers. It is also unmistakable in fixing targets.”

The other important features are that it is easily portable, can be installed within shortest time and can be fired on the targets very correctly.

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The military expert of Council on Foreign Relations Kevin Brand said that,” this missile system is very much advanced having many unqualified features. With this missile short range, medium range and long range rockets can be fired. It will depend on the users.” (Source: Al Zajira)

According to foreign policy analysts Ankara is making close relations with Moscow after its relations with US and Europe became sour.

The reason of close relation between Ankara and Moscow lies with the fact that the US encouragement to Turkish leader Fetullah Gulen by giving him asylum and to stage a coup in Turkey by Gulen’s followers. But its root is more deep that the attitudes of Turkey and USA are on different poles on Syria policy.

   

We are ashamed to look at the development of Bangladesh: Pakistan PM



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif praised the economic progress of Bangladesh and said that they are ashamed to look at the development of Bangladesh.

According to a report by Pakistan-based media Dawn on Thursday (April 25), Shahbaz Sharif said this in a view exchange meeting with business representatives at the Sindh Chief Minister's residence in Karachi on Wednesday (April 24).

He said that before independence, Bangladesh i.e. East Pakistan at that time was considered a burden to the country. But they have made tremendous progress in the growth of industrialization.

Shahbaz Sharif said, I was very young when...we were told that it was a burden on our shoulders. Today you all know where that burden has reached (in terms of economic growth). And now when we look at them, we feel ashamed.

Currently, Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan in almost all indicators of the socio-economic sector.

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Mass arrests could not stop anti-Israel protests at American universities



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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US universities have erupted in protest over Israel's military operation in the Palestinian-besieged Gaza. This pro-Palestinian movement is being suppressed even after mass arrests. Rather, as the days go by, the protests are spreading.

The news agency Reuters reported that police made mass arrests at Atlanta's Emory University amid protests. A graduation ceremony at the University of Southern California was canceled due to the protests.

Emory University officials said protesters not affiliated with the college entered campus grounds early Thursday morning. When they refused to leave, the police used chemical spray to disperse them.

According to CBS News, about 108 people were arrested at Emerson College in the city on Wednesday night local time. Earlier in the evening, 93 people were taken into police custody from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

Anti-Israel protests have spread to dozens of US universities within a week of starting at New York's Columbia University.

Meanwhile, a clash between protesters and police took place at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. Later, authorities said that 34 people were arrested from there. These new arrests came after massive arrests of protesters at Columbia, Yale and New York universities.

Students gathered Wednesday (April 24) to protest at the University of Southern California's Alumni Park. At this time they were stopped by the riot police. Protesters were told to leave within 10 minutes by an announcement from a police helicopter. However, the students who remained at the scene were arrested for trespassing.

The protests at the University of Southern California were reportedly peaceful at first. Later the tension spread with the presence of the police. Protesters threw water bottles at the police when they tried to arrest a woman. At this time, they kept shouting slogans - 'Let him go'. Besides, they surrounded the police officers and shouted slogans like 'I want the liberation of Palestine'.

It should be noted that on October 7, the Palestinian independence organization Hamas entered Israeli territory and carried out an ambush. 1200 people were killed. Because of this, since that day, the Israeli forces continue to attack Gaza indiscriminately. 34 thousand 305 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip in the attack that lasted for more than six months. Apart from this, there is a severe humanitarian crisis due to lack of food, water and medical equipment.

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Iran is cracking down on women who don't wear Hijab



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Iran is cracking down on women and girls who don't wear Hijab. The country has started a new campaign named 'Noor' from last April 13. Since then, the implementation of the Hijab law has started to become stricter.

Iran has strict laws on wearing the Hijab. Strict action is taken against those who break this law.

Some videos of women being assaulted have gone viral on social media. In them, it is seen that women who go out without Hijab are forcibly picked up in cars by the members of the 'Morality Police'.

A video shows a mother and daughter walking through Tehran's busiest square in the capital. At that time, they were surrounded by five female and two male members of the police. When they tried to evade arrest, they were violently beaten and taken into a car.

Dina Ghalibaf, a female student at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University, wrote on the micro-blogging site X that she was barred from boarding the metro. When she insisted, she was taken to a room. She claimed that she was beaten and sexually harassed there.

The student was arrested a day after making such a post and taken to Evin prison.

British newspaper The Guardian spoke to some of those arrested. One of them told the media that eight members of the police surrounded her last Saturday. At that time, she was called "prostitute", "naked American prostitute" and insulted her. Apart from this, the young woman claimed that men also touched her during the arrest.



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Boeing incurs huge losses after door open incident



Special Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Boeing lost a huge amount of money due to the opening of the doors of the Boeing aircraft of Alaska Airlines in mid-air. US aircraft manufacturer Boeing reported a loss of US dollar 343 million in the first quarter of this year (January-March).

An unused door on an Alaska Airlines Boeing Max 9 collapsed moments after takeoff from Portland, Oregon last January. Although the Alaska Airlines plane was able to land safely in this incident, questions about Boeing's safety have been raised around the world.

As a result, Boeing reduced the production of the aircraft according to their target. As a result, Boeing is forced to pay huge losses in the first quarter of this year.

After the Alaska Airlines incident, the United States Aviation Agency ordered the grounding of 171 Boeing Max 737 aircraft. In the wake of the incident, Boeing's chief immediately admitted the mistake and promised to fix the problem with 100% transparency. But even this did not save the end. Boeing's CEO was eventually forced to resign.

In order not to cut the heat of this incident, a former Boeing engineer recently talked about the manufacturing defects of the Dreamliner 787. He recommended grounding all Dreamliner aircraft worldwide. In this incident, the safety of Boeing was questioned again.

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