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NDTV
09-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
What Is 'Asisguard Songar': Turkish Armed Drone Used By Pak Against India
New Delhi: The Pakistani military launched Turkish-made 'Songar' armed drones on Thursday night, the government said in a briefing today. The Songar, developed by Ankara-based defence company Asisguard, is the first armed drone in the Turkish military. The Songar comes in five variants, including one in non-lethal role, according to information on Asisguard's product portfolio page on its website. The five variants are differentiated by the weapons they carry - 5.56 x 45 mm assault rifle, 2 x 40 mm grenade launcher, 6 x 40 drum-type grenade launcher, and 3 x 81 mm mortar gripper. The non-lethal version can carry up to eight tear gas or smoke canisters. The system can broadcast real-time video and operate within a mission radius of up to 5 km, Asisguard says. This indicates the Pakistani drones were launched from areas very close to the border with India. The grenade-launcher version has close air support capability and can fire up to two grenades. Their effective range is 400-450 metres.
CBC
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Why this young activist is risking his freedom to speak out against Turkey's president
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators calling for democracy have flooded the streets across Turkey, marking the largest anti-government protests in the country's recent history. The protests erupted on March 19 in response to the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on corruption charges. İmamoğlu is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's main political rival. He was poised within days to be named by the Republican People's Party (CHP) as its presidential candidate for the upcoming election. The protests quickly grew beyond calls for İmamoğlu's release, with demonstrators demanding broader political reforms and an end to the democratic backsliding under Erdoğan's rule. In over one week, almost 2,000 people were detained, including student leaders, journalists and municipal workers. CHP leader Özgür Özel announced a boycott of businesses linked to Erdoğan's government. Youth activist Enes Hocaoğulları gave a speech as a youth delegate at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Strasbourg, France, urgently calling on decision makers to take a stand. He is the international relations coordinator of Ankara-based ÜniKuir, an association advocating for the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ people within Turkish universities. He spoke to As It Happens host Nil Köksal about returning to Turkey and the anti-government protests there. What was it like to return? What I feel is a mix of euphoria and stress — not knowing if I'll be detained [in the] next hour. But the euphoria definitely [outweighs it] since for every one message I receive saying I should be put in jail or killed, I get 10 that says they are glad someone has given us a wake-up call. Your family, were they worried after they saw that speech being shared and reshared? Yes. I was anxious about whether I was going to be able to enter the country without detention. Are you prepared for that possibility of detention? Yes. Unfortunately, right as we speak, 301 of my peers are in jail waiting for a decision to be made. We are not certain whether I will join them or not. But I am as prepared as I could be when it comes to preparing a bag and telling my mom I love her, as well as preparing myself mentally for such [an] unfortunate result. Why [are] so many young people so vocal? Mayor İmamoğlu has been a key opposition figure against Erdoğan since 2019. But these protests are not necessarily about İmamoğlu alone. The demonstrations focus on issues like media censorship, authoritarianism, freedom of expression and assembly, all together. They are not only necessarily protests for İmamoğlu, but against Erdoğan. Why the Turkish youth is so courageous right now is that they have lost their future. They have lost their opportunities, but while doing so, they also lost their fear. We have nothing left to be afraid of. So that's how we are so easily on the streets fighting for a possibility of a future. Are you seeing a difference this time compared to past protests? The biggest difference, especially in comparison to the Gezi protests in 2013 and 2014, which was the biggest in that decade, is the intersectionality. Erdoğan has gained so many enemies in the past ten years that people don't care about their differences anymore. They just care whether you are in favour of Erdoğan or against Erdoğan. I have never seen such inclusive, such diverse protests in my life. They know that they are against Erdogan and that's enough for them. Even the slogan CHP is using for these protests is, "There is no salvation alone, whether it's altogether or none of us." It makes sense that we've had so much polarization in the country, [so] that the only way to go through this is to get together. WATCH | Demonstrators in Istanbul clash with police: Demonstrators in Istanbul clash with police after city's mayor is detained 12 days ago Duration 0:45 Do you think [the economic boycott] will have the kind of impact you and your supporters are hoping? Yes, I think so. If not, even if it does not have a big impact on the country's economy, I think it will still give the people the feeling that they can do something. What would you like to hear and see from other countries? I would say the main problem in Turkey right now is the authorities not caring about the protests, so what I would suggest to decision makers abroad is to urge the Turkish authorities to listen to our needs and if you're not a decision maker outside Turkey I would urge you to contact your decision makers so that they can speak out against these human rights violations. How do you feel about the climate right now and the potential for İmamoğlu's release and the kind of change that you would like to see? I still feel a bit more optimistic about the possibilities, considering that I'm not a politician, I'm not spending my days in the parliament, talking to the same people. I'm always on the streets, I see the hope in the people, I see the hope in the youth. That's what keeps me still optimistic. The possible future we are talking about does not necessarily consist [of] İmamoğlu. It just consists [of] democracy. It consists [of] human rights. It consists [of] a holistic … human rights-centred and intersectional future where the rule of law is respected.
Rudaw Net
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Turkish parties taking ‘positive steps' towards peace process: Researcher
Also in Turkey DEM Party says might visit Rojava for Turkey-PKK peace talks DEM Party ready to facilitate implementation of Ocalan's peace message: Spox Turkey's nationalist leader welcomes Ocalan's call for disarmament Erdogan ready for dialogue, but threatens 'iron fist' if PKK disarmament fails A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Political parties in Turkey have taken 'positive steps' towards a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after Abdullah Ocalan called on the armed group to disarm and disband, a researcher told Rudaw. 'We are currently at the beginning of a new process, so we cannot talk about some practical developments, but the parties' willingness to take positive steps continues,' Kadir Temiz, director of the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ORSAM), said in an interview with Rudaw's Hevidar Zana on Sunday. On Thursday, a DEM Party delegation shared a letter from Ocalan in which he urged the PKK to disarm and disband. The message - conveyed from Turkey's secluded Imrali prison where Ocalan has been imprisoned since 1999 - has sparked hope for the resolution to the nearly four-decade conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which has claimed over 40,000 lives. The PKK declared a unilateral ceasefire with Turkey on Saturday, stating it agrees with the contents of Ocalan's recent letter that called on the group to disarm and disband, but set a physical meeting with their jailed leader as a precondition to any successful peace process. Temiz stressed that Ankara must work on 'economic revitalization' to prevent clashes and that the country is waiting for 'practical steps that will bring peace, stability, and democracy for the Kurdish people, Turkey, and the region.' The following is the transcript of the interview with Kadir Temiz Rudaw: Sirri Sureyya Onder, a member of the Imrali delegation, says their delegation will meet with the government delegation next week. What topics will be discussed in the meeting between the Imrali delegation and the government delegation? We are currently at the beginning of a new process, so we cannot talk about some practical developments. The parties' willingness to take positive steps continues. As you know, this process did not start suddenly; it began in light of a set of regional and global developments. The parties are aware of developments in the region and the world, especially the latest events in Syria. After the withdrawal of some regional actors, Turkey and other actors took the initiative. For these reasons, practical developments are occurring. Right now, there is only an announcement. After this, we are all waiting for practical steps to occur that will bring peace, stability, and democracy for the Kurdish people, Turkey, and the region. The PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire, wanting to prepare for a congress where it would decide to lay down arms and dissolve itself. However, fighting continues and helicopters are bombing in the Kurdistan Region. How can the PKK hold a congress in such circumstances, and why isn't the government taking necessary measures? Turkey has two priorities in the region. Turkey has emphasized this from the beginning, and we as the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies have observed these two priorities in all our research in the region. First, all peoples of the region are demanding economic revitalization, from south to north, from east to west. The peoples of the Middle East region are demanding economic revitalization. Syria, Gaza, Iraq, and the Kurdistan geography, the Balkan countries and Central Asia, all are tired of war. In Turkey, there is a positive agenda for economic revitalization of these regions; this process has been worked on for a long time. Regarding Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, the agenda is Iraq's Development Road. The second priority is security stabilization. The PKK has announced a ceasefire and plans to hold a congress, but fighting still continues. How can it hold a congress and lay down arms under attacks and bombardment? That's exactly what I wanted to say. The parties must see this positive aspect. Turkey is taking a positive step, but this always has a security dimension. If positive steps are not taken regarding economic revitalization, the political system, and laying down arms, the security issue will continue. Unfortunately, this continues as a reality in our region. I believe that the Republic of Turkey, alongside its security priorities, is working on economic revitalization, the political system, and political will, and the current government also supports this option. Right now, there is an announcement, and in response to this announcement, there is a statement. This is a positive process, and where this process is headed, we will all see together. Therefore, the security issue and the positive agenda [economic revitalization] must be properly analyzed. No one can end these two issues simultaneously.
Egypt Independent
02-03-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
Ethiopia close to Somali port deal, ending border dispute
Somalia may grant its landlocked neighbor Ethiopia access to an Indian Ocean port, a move that could help end a dispute ignited by Addis Ababa's push for a direct trade route to the sea, Ashraq Business reported on Friday. Both countries are in talks to reach a framework agreement on the matter by June, Somalia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar told Universal TV on Thursday. 'This framework agreement will determine the type of port that will be made available, the specific area on the Indian Ocean, and the total cost of the project,' he added. His comments came after Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in the capital, Mogadishu. The press secretary for the Ethiopian prime minister's office, Bellene Seyoum, and the spokesperson for the Ethiopian foreign ministry, Nebiat Getachew, did not respond to text messages seeking comment. Easing tensions Somalia and Ethiopia have sought to ease tensions that escalated in January 2024, when Abiy Ahmed announced plans for a deal with the autonomous region of Somaliland (which Somalia claims sovereignty over) to gain access to a seaport and a military base on the Gulf of Aden. In return, Somaliland was to receive an unspecified stake in Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest airline. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan brokered an agreement between Abiy and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in December to resolve the dispute by the end of the month. In October, Somalia announced that Ankara-based Turkish company Metag Holding would begin building a port in the coastal city of Hobyo by the end of the year. Ethiopia, the third-largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, has been landlocked since 1993, when Eritrea gained independence after a nearly 30-year war, leaving it dependent on its neighbors' ports. Although Somaliland declared independence in 1991, it has not yet received formal recognition from any nation.
