Unfortunately, Turkey is marking World Environment Day amid multiple environmental crises impacting its seas, waters, forests, air and agricultural lands.
June will be very busy in terms of international diplomacy. At the center will be the G7 Summit between June 11 and 13 in the United Kingdom, the NATO leaders’ summit on June 14, the U.S.-European Union Summit on June 15, the second Berlin Conference on Libya on June 23, as well as the European Union Council on June 24 and 25.
Turkey’s agenda has been preoccupied with the claims of a notorious mafia leader who has been effectively using social media and attracting millions of viewers every week. Since most of the issues gang leader Sedat Peker has brought up are related to homeland security and public order, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu is involved and has become the target of the mafia boss.
A report approved by the European Parliament on May 19 is not very promising for the future of Turkey-EU ties. Adopted by 480 votes in favor, 64 against and 150 abstentions, the parliament’s report demonstrates that EU-Turkey relations are at a historically low point.
Today, Turkey is celebrating the 102nd Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day, marking the beginning of the 1919 Independence War. Out of Turkey’s all other national days, perhaps, this is the most meaningful one as it symbolizes the will of an entire country for complete independence and sovereignty.
As expected, the United Nations Security Council was prevented from producing any concrete measures to stop Israel’s aggression against the Palestinians and the holy sites in Jerusalem. The council was scheduled to hold its meeting yesterday, which was blocked by the United States twice in the past week.
A new era in Turkey’s fight against COVID-19 will begin on May 17 whose details will be announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after a weekly cabinet meeting.
The de-Palestinianization of Jerusalem has been a long-term policy of Israel that effectively started with the annexation of East Jerusalem in 1980 in violation of international law. Since then, Israel has intensified this policy by expelling Palestinians from their homes and permitting the construction of Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands.
A recent pollster has revealed that more than half of the Turkish population is in favor of Turkey getting EU membership, although only one-third of it believes for it to happen. I think this perfectly translates the current psychological state of ties between Turkey and the EU.
