Turkey and Czechia signed a declaration of intent on cooperation in environmental protection.

This came according to what the Minister of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change, Mehmet Özhaseki, announced on Thursday through his account on the “X” platform.

Özhaseki explained that he met his Czech counterpart, Petr Hladik, and his accompanying delegation in the capital, Ankara, and said: “We signed a statement of good intentions regarding cooperation in protecting the environment between the two countries.”

He pointed out that the meeting witnessed consultations on the projects implemented by the Ministry, most notably “Zero Waste,” which has become a well-known brand worldwide.

He added: “We will increase our efforts to make the world a livable place for future generations based on our awareness of the need to move together and find common solutions to environmental problems.”

He continued: “We will exchange our experiences in combating climate change and cooperate on environmental projects in line with our goal of achieving net zero emissions and the 2053 green development goal set by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that his country had joined the “genocide” lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

This came in a press conference held by Fidan with his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on Wednesday in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Fidan indicated that he sensed during his discussions in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with the countries that recognize Palestine, especially within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League countries, that some of them were ready to take a position on the genocide lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

He stated that Nicaragua and Colombia had taken a concrete position on the issue, adding: “We presented the results of our assessments today to President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan), and I would like to announce them here for the first time. In accordance with the political decision taken, we in Turkey decided to join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel.” (genocide) at the International Court of Justice.”

Minister Fidan expressed his hope that the case at the International Court of Justice would proceed in the right direction with this step taken by Turkey.

He continued: “We will complete our legal procedures after our president made this political decision and announced it to the whole world.”

He added: “In the meantime, we will continue to work with all friendly and allied countries on what can be done regarding the issue and any other countries that can also submit requests.”

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The US State Department said on Tuesday that Turkey is an important country in diversifying European countries’ energy resources and reducing their dependence on Russia.

In his daily press conference, US State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel touched on Turkey’s talks with the American energy company ExxonMobil.

Patel noted that he would not comment on the ongoing trade talks, but stressed that Washington encourages all countries in the region to diversify energy resources and reduce their dependence on Russia.

He added, “Turkey, as the host country of the Southern Gas Corridor, plays a very important role in diversifying energy supplies in Europe and achieving independence from Russia.”

He stated that Ankara took steps to diversify its resources of liquefied natural gas during the war in Ukraine.

Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar announced talks with ExxonMobil to purchase 2.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas worth about $1.1 billion.

According to the statement of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister Bayraktar confirmed in an interview with the British newspaper the Financial Times that Turkey has taken various steps to increase its independence in the field of energy.

He pointed out that Turkey imports almost all of its natural gas needs and that it aims to create a new supply portfolio without relying on a single supplier.

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Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States, Mirvokhid Azimov, said Thursday that the Turkish countries have begun work to form a specialized team of engineers with the aim of producing a joint satellite to enhance cooperation in the field of space.

Azimov expressed his pleasure at the success of the meeting of space agencies of the Organization’s countries, which was held in Ankara, hosted by the Turkish Space Agency.

Azimov said that the organization discussed the results of the activities of the technical team that was formed last year to implement the “cube satellite project.”

He added: “We agreed at the meeting to form a specialized team of engineers that will work on behalf of the Turkish countries to manufacture a joint satellite.”

He added: “This team will continue its activities at the research center in Kazakhstan, and the ultimate goal is to launch a cube satellite in the name of the Turkic States Organization.”

Azimov praised Turkey’s great contribution to developing space cooperation within the organization.

Turkey previously sent the first astronaut into space last February.

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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Germany and Turkey are two countries that cannot do without each other and we need each other.

This came in a joint press conference on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Ankara.

Steinmeier explained that relations between Germany and Turkey are based on a long and rich history, and that he is visiting Turkey coinciding with the centenary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

He added: “Our country does not have such intense friendly and family relations with any other country as is the case with Turkey.”

Steinmeier stated that these relations are not limited only to the two states and governments, but rather there are distinct human and popular relations.

He pointed out that about 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany since the signing of the labor agreement in 1961.

He stressed the need to restore importance and momentum in Turkish-German relations in a short time, especially in these difficult times.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, the German President said that Israel’s security cannot be guaranteed without a political perspective for the Palestinians, and this can only be achieved with a two-state solution.

Steinmeier stressed the need to reform the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country and Germany aim to increase the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries from $50 billion to $60 billion.

This came in a joint press conference on Wednesday held by President Erdogan with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Erdogan added: “We hope that Turkey and Germany will from now on talk about joint production projects in defense industries and not about obstacles.”

He continued: “We want to completely remove from our agenda the restrictions we face in the defense industries with Germany.”

He stressed that human ties contributed to strengthening existing bilateral relations between the two countries, thanking in this context the German people for standing by the Turks in the devastating earthquake disaster that struck southern Turkey on February 6, 2023.

The Turkish President pointed out that he discussed with his German counterpart bilateral relations in all their aspects and details, stressing Ankara’s desire to strengthen relations with Berlin.

He continued: “Our cooperation in the field of tourism is developing day after day. In 2023, we hosted more than 6 million German tourists, and I believe that this number will increase.”

He added: “We discussed the steps that must be taken, especially with regard to the customs union agreement and visa liberalization. We also exchanged views on regional and international developments.”

Erdogan indicated that he discussed with Steinmeier issues related to the Turkish community in Germany, and stated that they attach importance to the integration of the Turkish community there and encourage it to do so.

He stressed that Turkey considers the new German citizenship law, which makes dual citizenship possible, an important step in this context.

He added, “But on the other hand, our concerns are increasing about the anti-foreigner, anti-Islamic, far-right, and racist organizations that are rising in Germany and throughout Europe.”

He stated that during his meeting with Steinmeier, he also touched on combating terrorist organizations that disturb the peace in Germany and attack representative offices belonging to Turkey.

He continued: “We need more effective cooperation in combating these organizations that harm our alliance. We expect more support and solidarity from the German authorities in the fight against terrorism.”

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country is currently making efforts regarding the exchange of hostages between Israel and the Palestinian factions, expressing his hope for success in this.

This came in a joint press conference on Wednesday held by President Erdogan with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

The Turkish President renewed his calls to stop the Israeli injustice that has been continuing in Gaza for more than 200 days.

He stressed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is endangering the security of our entire region, including his own citizens, in order to prolong his political career.”

The Turkish President also warned of Israel’s efforts to divert attention from its “crimes against humanity and its massacres in Gaza.”

He pointed out that everyone realizes that as long as the Israeli attacks continue, the threats to regional and global peace will increase, and that the escalating tension between Iran and Israel last week is the latest and most prominent example of this.

He added: “We all know that the suffering of innocent people (Palestinians) condemned to death, hunger and misery will not be forgotten even after generations have passed, and we in Turkey have taken a firm, conscious and courageous stance on this issue from day one.”

He added: “We will continue to intensify our efforts to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza and provide adequate, uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.”

Regarding trade and economic relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv, President Erdogan said: “We no longer establish extensive trade relations with Israel. The matter has ended, and our Foreign Minister announced this a short time ago.”

President Erdogan pointed out that some of those injured in Gaza, including children, women and the elderly, continue to be treated in Türkiye.

He stressed the horror of the current situation in Gaza, adding, “Our German friends must see the bitter scene of children, women and the elderly in Gaza. Gaza and Palestine have been completely destroyed.”

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Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said that the expected visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq tomorrow, Monday, represents a “qualitative shift” in bilateral relations between the two countries and will witness the discussion of “important files.”

This came in statements made by Al-Awadi prior to Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad, and comes 12 years after his last visit to Iraq.

Al-Awadi added that the visit will be a “qualitative shift” in Iraqi-Turkish relations, especially since preparations for it have been taking place for about a year.

It is expected that Erdogan’s visit to Iraq will give an “important impetus” to strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries, in addition to politics and security issues.

Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Polat previously said that Baghdad and Ankara will sign during President Erdogan’s visit to Iraq “a joint declaration regarding the establishment of the joint economic and trade committee and the protocol for establishing a consultation and cooperation mechanism in the areas of product safety and technical barriers.”

He added: “The Turkish Council for Foreign Economic Relations and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Iraq will also sign 3 agreements in the trade field, including a memorandum of understanding.”

The Iraqi government spokesman explained that “there are 4 important files on the agenda, the most important of which is the water file and the development road file, in addition to the security file related to the terrorist PKK organization.”

The fourth file, according to Al-Awadi, is “the Turkish companies file, which gains its importance from the strength of trade exchanges between Iraq and Turkey, in addition to other files that will dominate the Turkish president’s visit to Baghdad.”

Regarding the water file, Al-Awadi pointed out, “A strategic agreement will be signed between Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, given that Turkey is a country described internationally as one of the best countries in the world in investing in water wealth by all means and methods, and therefore they have great experience.”

Regarding the development path, the spokesman stressed that “there will be important agreements and things announced between the two sides, given that the center of the path is Turkey, and it will be at the heart of the negotiations, along with the file of Turkish companies’ investments and their role and work in Iraq.”

The development road project includes a land road and a railway linking trade routes in Asia, the Gulf states to the south, and European markets through Turkish territory.

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Turkish diplomatic sources said that Ankara supports Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.

The sources said on Wednesday that Palestine must obtain the approval of the UN Security Council and the support of two-thirds of the members of the UN General Assembly for its full membership.

It indicated that Algeria will submit a draft resolution for Palestine to gain full membership during the next UN Security Council meeting.

It pointed out that the issue has not been presented to the Council until today due to expectations that the United States of America will use its veto power against the draft law.

It stated that “Washington intends to use its veto against the draft resolution that Algeria will submit.”

The sources confirmed that “recent developments show that the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state is enjoying increasing support in the international community.”

It added: “Turkey has always been one of the strongest supporters of this issue and was a pioneer in Palestine obtaining the status of an observer member by the General Assembly’s decision in 2012, and during this stage we will also support the recognition of Palestine in all our meetings.”

The American administration had indicated its intention to use its veto power if Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations was proposed.

Earlier Wednesday, the US representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that she “does not believe that full membership of Palestine in the United Nations will help achieve a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

Palestine obtained the status of a non-member observer state at the United Nations after a resolution adopted by the General Assembly by a large majority on November 29, 2012.

Palestine applied for full membership in the United Nations in 2011, but this application did not receive the necessary support in the UN Security Council.

On April 2, the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, requesting that the membership application be reconsidered.

The Security Council will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution regarding Palestine gaining full membership in the United Nations instead of “non-member observer” status.

Obtaining full membership requires the approval of 9 member states of the Security Council (15 countries), provided that none of the five veto countries, namely the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and China, object.

If the Council approves, the membership application will be referred to the General Assembly, and it must obtain two-thirds of the votes of the Assembly, which is composed of 193 countries, 139 of which recognize the State of Palestine.

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Turkey launched the “Mesopotamia Express” tourist train to discover its tourist areas located in the south and southeast of the country.

The train scheduled to depart from the capital, Ankara, towards the state of Diyarbakir (southeast) on April 19, will pass through the states of Kayseri, Malatya, and Elazig before arriving in Diyarbakir.

The train takes its name from the “Mesopotamia” region, which means “Mesopotamia” and includes parts of Turkey, Syria and Iraq.

On Saturday, the aforementioned tourist train completed its trial tour aimed at promoting it.

The train arrived in Diyarbakir on Saturday, one day after the start of the test flight from Ankara.

The train gives its passengers the opportunity to tour and shop in the states and tourist stations that it passes through, and discover their tourist, archaeological and historical attractions, as well as their local dishes.

The length of the tourist train line is 1,051 km, and the first official trip is scheduled to depart on April 19 from Ankara, arriving in Diyarbakir the next day, and departing from there towards Ankara again on the 21st of the same month.

The capacity of one trip of the Mesopotamia Express is 180 passengers.

The train also includes 9 cars with beds for two people.

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