Latest news with #MHP
Euractiv
7 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Ukraine's chicken giant buys big Spanish poultry and pork producer
Major Ukrainian poultry firm MHP said on Monday that it had sealed a deal to acquire a 92% stake in Uvesa, one of Spain's leading poultry and pork producers, consolidating control of Europe's chicken market. The deal expands the presence of Kyiv-based MHP inside the EU, a company that already controls most of the war torn country's poultry production and has significantly increased exports to the bloc since the Russian invasion. The buyout gives MHP control over Uvesa's core operations, the company said on Monday, with Uvesa president Antonio Sánchez hailing the acquisition as a way to ensure "total food security.' MHP, which ranks among Ukraine's biggest employers, is also Europe's leading poultry producer but its growing European footprint hasn't come without controversy. The company has received multi-million EU loans – meant to support Ukraine's farming sector – despite criticism over lax oversight on environmental and animal welfare standards, according to an investigation by Follow the Money. In June, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development handed MHP an additional €40 million to boost energy security, ramp up production, and diversify operations to buffer the impact of Russia's war. In 2024, wartime trade liberalisation with Ukraine was slammed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who, amid farmer protests in France, said that allowing unlimited chicken imports mostly benefit MHP's founder and CEO, Yuriy Kosyuk. 'Who's benefiting, three-quarters of the time? One group, owned by a billionaire,' Macron said. 'Frankly, we don't want to make this gentleman even richer (...) it doesn't actually help Ukraine.' Quotas and contradictions European producer groups say the rapid expansion of Ukrainian poultry firms like MHP signals 'substantial financial capacity.' 'In that context, the continued calls for exceptional trade preferences and financial support from international donors can appear contradictory,' Birthe Steenberg, secretary general of EU poultry lobby AVEC, told Euractiv. A new EU-Ukraine trade agreement will raise the poultry export quota from 90,000 to 120,000 tonnes per year – short of full wartime liberalisation. It also includes a safeguard clause to suspend imports if they negatively impact the EU market – on economic or societal grounds – a provision viewed as controversial by Ukrainian producers. Farmer protests could justify import bans under new EU-Ukraine deal In practice, farmer protests could be cited as a 'societal difficulty' to trigger safeguard measures. Still, AVEC welcomed that MHP will be subject to full EU rules in Spain, including on animal welfare, environmental protection, labour standards, and food safety. 'We fully support this alignment and consider it a step toward a more balanced and fair integration of Ukraine's poultry sector into the European market framework,' Steenberg added. (jp)
Mint
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Erdogan's Key Ally Proposes Vice Presidency for Minorities
(Bloomberg) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top political ally has proposed senior government positions to be held by the country's Kurdish and Alevi minorities in a surprise statement. Devlet Bahceli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, raised the suggestion in a closed-door party meeting on July 18, according to a statement from his party on Monday. A potential outreach from the MHP — an informal coalition partner of Erdogan's ruling AK Party — is significant, as the party has typically pursued an ultra-nationalist ideology. Until two years ago, Erdogan drew attention to opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu's Alevi background and also claimed that the CHP had links to the Kurdish separatist group PKK, in an effort to rally nationalist and religious voters. Alevis are a religious minority in Turkey who follow a distinct interpretation of Islam, with beliefs and rituals that differ from those of the Sunni majority. Turkey currently has one vice president who's appointed by the president. Bahceli's proposal is part of his broader efforts of what he calls to create 'a terror-free' state as he's softened his rhetoric in past months. That's included encouraging the government to hold peace talks with PKK, as well with pro-Kurdish DEM with the initial outreach coming from Bahceli. Securing the backing of pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which has 56 seats in parliament, could help Erdogan and the MHP reach the threshold needed to change the Constitution, a long-running desire for the president. Some critics say that constitutional amendment is for Erdogan to extend his rule for another term as it's impossible under the current laws. The president has not explicitly expressed his desire to stay in power for more but his top aides and Bahceli have voiced their support. Bahceli, 77, who's built his politics on hardline nationalism surprised observers when he made a peace call to the PKK. The group's jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, welcomed the call. Earlier this month, the PKK began laying down its arms, marking the first concrete step toward disarmament since it announced plans to dissolve in May. More stories like this are available on
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Erdogan's Key Ally Proposes Vice Presidency for Minorities
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top political ally has proposed senior government positions to be held by the country's Kurdish and Alevi minorities in a surprise statement. Devlet Bahceli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, raised the suggestion in a closed-door party meeting on July 18, according to a statement from his party on Monday. A potential outreach from the MHP — an informal coalition partner of Erdogan's ruling AK Party — is significant, as the party has typically pursued an ultra-nationalist ideology.
Rudaw Net
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Erdogan says parliamentary commission ‘first step' in PKK peace talks
Also in Turkey Turkey's ruling party calls for dissolution of PKK affiliates Turkey's ultra-nationalist leader hails 'historic' PKK disarmament PKK says peace process cannot proceed unilaterally PKK disarmament ceremony to proceed without live broadcast: DEM Party A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said that the formation of a parliamentary commission will be a 'first step' in peace talks between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a day after the Kurdish group held a historic disarmament ceremony. 'The problem of terror that has been lingering in our nation for 47 years has, God willing, entered the process of ending,' Erdogan said at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 'The wall of terror is being obliterated.' He accused previous Turkish governments of having oppressed Kurds instead of focusing on trying to end the PKK's armed struggle and said that a parliamentary commission will be formed as a 'first step' to resolving the conflict. The PKK on Friday held a ceremonial disarmament in the Kurdistan Region's Sulaimani province. Thirty fighters and commanders - divided equally between men and women - burned their weapons in a gesture of goodwill before heading back to their mountain hideouts. The disarmament was a major step towards ending decades of a conflict that has spilled out of Turkey's borders and into the Kurdistan Region and Syria. 'In recent years, we almost put an end to the maneuverability and the operational capacity of the terrorist organization… thanks to our cross-border operations in Iraq and the revolution in Syria on December 8,' Erdogan stated. The PKK was founded in 1978 in response to discrimination against Turkey's Kurdish population. The party launched its armed struggle several years later. Erdogan admitted that Ankara had relied on 'wrong policies' in dealing with the PKK. 'We paid a huge price for wrong policies. We did not only lose civilians and security forces as martyrs, but the Republic of Turkey has been destabilized by the terror attacks,' Erdogan said, adding that some 10,000 members of security forces have been killed in the conflict. In his speech, he also thanked his party, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) for their efforts, saying that they will collectively 'cherish' the Ankara-PKK peace process. DEM Party has mediated talks between the PKK and Ankara after MHP leader Devlet Bahceli in October invited PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan to address the parliament. In February, Ocalan, who has been in jail since 1999, called on the PKK to lay down arms and pursue a political path to securing Kurdish rights in Turkey. In a video message released Wednesday, Ocalan reaffirmed the PKK's historic departure from armed conflict and called for the formation of a parliamentary commission to guide the peace process.
Rudaw Net
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Turkey's ultra-nationalist leader hails ‘historic' PKK disarmament
Also in Turkey PKK says peace process cannot proceed unilaterally PKK disarmament ceremony to proceed without live broadcast: DEM Party Ocalan reaffirms PKK shift to peace, urges legislative oversight for peace process Erdogan receives pro-Kurdish party delegation A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leader of Turkey's far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) welcomed the disarmament of a group of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters in Sulaimani province on Friday, calling it the beginning of the end of a 'dark era.' 'Effective today, the separatist terrorist organization has begun to surrender its weapons in groups, while at the same time, historic developments have begun to mark the end of a dark era,' Devlet Bahceli said after a group of 30 fighters publicly laid down their arms in a symbolic ceremony attended by political and civil society figures in the historic Jasana Cave. The disarmament ceremony followed a February appeal by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan who urged the group to abandon its armed conflict and pursue a political path to securing Kurdish rights in Turkey. In a video message released on Wednesday, Ocalan reaffirmed the PKK's departure from armed struggle and reiterated his call for the formation of a legislative commission to oversee peace efforts with the Turkish government. 'The PKK's founding leadership kept its promise, stood by its commitment,' Bahceli said. MHP is a key ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Bahceli initiated the peace process in October when he called for Ocalan to be allowed to address the Turkish parliament and declare the PKK's dissolution. At an opening session of the parliament at the time, Bahceli - historically an opponent of the Kurdish movement - made headlines by shaking hands with leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) who have been mediating the peace process. Bahceli praised the DEM Party, saying it 'has maintained a sensible and responsible political line, remaining sincerely committed to the goal of a terror-free Turkey.' Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), an umbrella group that includes the PKK, expressed support for Ocalan's message on Thursday but said that Ankara must also take action for the peace process to succeed. According to the PKK-affiliated ANF news outlet, KCK co-chair Bese Hozat was among the 30 fighters - 15 women and 15 men - who laid down arms on Friday. On Thursday, upon her arrival in the Kurdistan Region to attend the ceremony, Leyla Zana, a veteran Kurdish politician from Turkey, said Ankara must amend its terrorism law and that she does not 'accept that Kurds be accused of terrorism.' The PKK, founded in 1978 in response to discrimination against the Kurdish population in Turkey, is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara and its allies. The group initially called for an independent Kurdistan, but it later dropped that demand and shifted focus to securing cultural and political rights for Kurds in Turkey.
