Cincunri Sakia

Minggu, 11 April 2021

Ukraine turns to Turkey as Russia threatens full-scale war - Al Jazeera English

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Istanbul over the weekend to mark the 10th anniversary of his country’s strategic partnership with Turkey and shore up support from his Black Sea neighbour as tensions escalate with Russia over Ukraine’s simmering war in Donbas.

“Turkey’s support for the restoration of our sovereignty and territorial integrity is extremely important,” Zelenskyy stated in a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Following a meeting with the Turkish leader, Zelenskyy tweeted, “We share common values with #Turkey, including human life and support.”

While Turkey spars with the United States and other Western European leaders over the purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile system and the conflict in Syria, the aspiring NATO country of Ukraine has developed strong ties with Ankara.

Saturday’s visit marks the Ukrainian leader’s second trip to Turkey in less than six months.

In 2017, the countries created a passport-free travel zone and they are currently working on the implementation of a free-trade agreement, which leaders say will more than double the level of bilateral trade between them.

“The drifting away from the West discourse is very popular in European and US capitals. The West doesn’t want to see that there are really problematic areas in Turkish-Russian relations,” Bilgehan Ozturk, an analyst with the SETA Foundation, an Ankara-based think-tank seen as close to the Erdogan government, told Al Jazeera.

Ozturk said Russia’s annexation of Crimea was a game-changer for Ankara’s relations with Moscow and how it viewed the balance of power in the Black Sea.

S-400 deal

Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 has become one of the most intractable elements of Turkey’s relationship with the West, but placed outside its borders and in the hands of Russia, the missile system is also a serious challenge to Turkey’s security.

When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, it immediately began deploying the S-400 there. It also built up its naval forces, stationing submarines and ships with Kalibr cruise missiles capable of hitting targets 2,400km (1,500 miles) away.

Istanbul is roughly 600km (375 miles) from Crimea.

That math led to a 2016 speech by Erdogan in which he stated the Black Sea was becoming a “Russian lake” and warned, “If we do not take action history will not forgive us.”

Erdogan has advocated for a stronger NATO presence in the region as Russia increases the size of its naval fleet.

More recently, Turkey has looked at the Black Sea as a step towards greater energy independence.

In October 2020, it announced the discovery of 405 billion cubic metres of gas off its coast, the largest finding in the country’s history.

“Our main goal is that the Black Sea continues to be a sea of peace, tranquillity and cooperation,” the Turkish president stated, speaking next to his Ukrainian counterpart at Saturday’s news conference.

Military technology

Ankara views Ukraine as a crucial buffer against Russia and has been a strong advocate for its acceptance into the NATO alliance

The two countries are cooperating on a range of defence projects and agreements.

Last year, Ukraine agreed to buy four of Turkey’s MILGEM Ada-class corvettes, small warships known for their manoeuvrability. The countries are jointly producing the vessels.

Faced with growing animosity in Western capitals, Ankara views Ukraine as a partner in the development of military technology in everything from satellites and radar to missiles.

Experts say one of the more advanced areas of cooperation is engine production and design. Turkey is working with Ukrainian companies to develop diesel engines for its fifth-generation fighter jet and main battle tank.

But it is Ukraine’s purchase of Turkey’s combat drones, which military experts and analysts are watching closely, especially as tensions in eastern Ukraine heat up.

Turkey has positioned itself as a niche exporter of UCAVs (unmanned combat aerial vehicles) and promoted them for success on battlefields in Syria, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh. In the latter conflict, Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drone is widely credited with helping to tip the balance of power towards Azerbaijan in that country’s war with Armenia.

Drone sales

In 2018, Ukraine bought six Bayraktar TB2 drones and 200 high-precision missiles from Turkey as part of a $69m defence agreement.

Ukrainian military experts closely studied the use of the drone in Nagorno-Karabakh. They say the similarities between Azerbaijan’s fight against Armenia in that conflict, and Ukraine’s struggle to wrest back control of its breakaway region from another set of Russian supplied forces bodes well for Kyiv.

“We know that Russian capacity is not enough in the face of Turkish UAV’s,” said Ozturk. “They would give the upper hand to Ukrainian forces. Russian backed separatists have their edge, but they are not capable of stemming the new UAVs.”

After engaging in seven years of conflict with Russian-backed separatists, many in Kyiv appear anxious to test the new Turkish technology on the battlefield and see if it can lead to winning back any territory.

Russia says Ukraine is trying to provoke a conflict, while Kyiv has accused the Russian-backed separatists of increasing their attacks against government forces and Moscow of massing troops on its border.

‘Experienced input’

President Erdogan called for an end to the rising tensions in eastern Ukraine but also said Turkey was ready to provide the necessary support to Kyiv.

Ozturk said Turkish support would likely entail advisers and technicians being sent to Ukraine as they were in Azerbaijan. “A combination of the widespread use of UCAVs and experienced input.”

If heavier fighting breaks out in the east, Ankara may be given the chance to turn the tables on Russia as Moscow has done in Syria.

“Turkey has been suffering because of Russia’s continued pressure in northern Syria, where they have the superiority of escalation. If it’s not happy, it can make Turkey pay a cost,” Ozturk said.

Turkish drones deployed in eastern Ukraine allow Ankara to bring its military capabilities to a festering war at Russia’s border.

The chance of replicating the successful combination of Turkish drones and military expertise that led to victory in Nagorno-Karabakh is surely tempting to risk-takers in Kyiv and Ankara.

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2021-04-11 12:35:50Z
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US defence chief in Israel amid Iran nuclear talks - Al Jazeera English

Austin’s two-day visit comes just days after talks restarted on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has arrived in Israel on the first visit by a senior representative of President Joe Biden’s administration, whose stance on Iran has worried Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Israel views the United States as a “full partner” and will work closely with its ally to ensure any new diplomatic accord with Iran does not compromise regional security, Defence Minister Benny Gantz told his US counterpart on Sunday.

Austin told his host that Washington views their alliance as central to regional security as well as “enduring and ironclad”.

Austin’s two-day visit comes just days after talks restarted on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Washington said it offered “very serious” ideas on reviving the hobbled agreement that is staunchly opposed by Israel.

Austin was to meet Netanyahu during the visit, which officials said would include discussions of US arms supplies to Israel.

Netanyahu has been a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear deal, dating back to when it was being negotiated during Barack Obama’s administration.

The Israeli prime minister applauded when former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, which responded by stepping back from several of its commitments under the deal.

‘Accident’

In the latest breach of its undertakings in the troubled agreement, Tehran announced on Saturday that it started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges.

President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated a cascade of 164 IR-6 centrifuges for producing enriched uranium, as well as two test cascades – of 30 IR-5 and 30 IR-6S devices respectively – at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant, in a ceremony broadcast by state television.

An “accident” took place at Natanz on Sunday but caused no casualties or damage, the Fars News Agency reported.

Iran’s Press TV said an electricity problem had caused an incident at the Natanz underground site, without casualties or pollution.

Iran key issue

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Iran tops the agenda to be discussed during Austin’s visit.

“The sides have very different sets of policy priorities on the Iran issue,” Fawcett said.

He added while the Biden administration and Iran are keen on going back to the nuclear deal with certain conditions, Israel continues to say there should be no return.

Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would not be bound to an accord that would enable Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

“An agreement with Iran that would pave the way to nuclear weapons – weapons that threaten our extinction – would not compel us in any way,” said the prime minister.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Biden has said he is prepared to return to the agreement, arguing the deal had – until Washington’s withdrawal – been successful in dramatically scaling back Iran’s nuclear activities.

But the United States has demanded Iranian movement back towards compliance while Tehran has insisted on an immediate end to all American sanctions, with each side demanding the other make the first move.

Israel and Iran have in recent weeks reported sabotage to their ships at sea. Syria has accused Israel of air attacks on its territory where Iranian-backed forces are stationed.

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2021-04-11 10:45:45Z
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Chinese vaccines’ effectiveness low, official admits - Al Jazeera English

Efficacy of a coronavirus vaccine from Sinovac has been found to be as low as 50.4 percent by researchers.

In a rare admission of the weakness of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, the country’s top disease control official says their effectiveness is low and the government is considering mixing them to give them a boost.

Chinese vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates”, said the director of the China Centers for Disease Control, Gao Fu, at a conference on Saturday in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

Beijing has distributed hundreds of millions of doses in other countries.

“It’s now under formal consideration whether we should use different vaccines from different technical lines for the immunisation process,” Gao said.

The effectiveness rate of a coronavirus vaccine from Sinovac, a Chinese developer, at preventing symptomatic infections has been found to be as low as 50.4 percent by researchers in Brazil. By comparison, the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech has been found to be 97-percent effective.

Beijing has yet to approve any foreign vaccines for use in China, where the coronavirus emerged in late 2019.

Gao gave no details of possible changes in strategy but mentioned mRNA, a previously experimental technique used by some Western vaccine developers while China’s drug-makers used traditional technology.

“Everyone should consider the benefits mRNA vaccines can bring for humanity,” Gao said. “We must follow it carefully and not ignore it just because we already have several types of vaccines already.”

mRNA

Gao previously raised questions about the safety of mRNA vaccines. He was quoted by the official Xinhua news agency as saying in December he could not rule out negative side effects because they were being used for the first time on healthy people.

Chinese state media and popular health and science blogs also have questioned the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which uses mRNA.

As of April 2, some 34 million people have received the two doses required by Chinese vaccines and about 65 million received one, according to Gao.

Experts say mixing vaccines, or sequential immunisation, might boost effectiveness rates. Trials around the world are looking at mixing vaccines or giving a booster shot after a longer time period.

Researchers in Britain are studying a possible combination of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines.

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2021-04-11 09:22:18Z
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Electrical ‘incident’ hits Iran’s Natanz nuclear site - Al Jazeera English

No casualties reported at the site that was hit by a large explosion last year.

Tehran, Iran – Parts of the electrical grid at Iran’s main nuclear facilities at Natanz have been compromised after an “incident” early on Sunday.

This is the latest incident to hit the site in the Isfahan province, where locally developed centrifuges are reportedly assembled after it was hit by a large explosion last July.

“The reasons behind the incident are being investigated and additional information will be provided later,” spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi told the Fars News Agency, adding that there is no loss of life or environmental pollution as a result.

After the explosion last year, Iran said “sabotage is certain”, adding there were strong suspicions that “internal agents” played a role.

But the government, citing security concerns, has refrained from disclosing additional information.

On Saturday, a part of the centrifuge assembly and evaluation site at the Natanz facilities was displayed on national television as Iran unveiled 133 “achievements” to celebrate its nuclear technologies day.

The engineer who presented the achievements at the site told President Hassan Rouhani that the “terrorist move” to blow up parts of the facility did not stop its progress.

Iran also began feeding gas to several all-Iranian centrifuges, including 164 IR6 machines, 30 IR5 centrifuges, and 30 IR6s centrifuges, and began mechanical tests on the advanced IR9 machine.

Sunday’s incident comes as Iran and world powers concluded on Friday the first week of “constructive” talks in Vienna to restore the country’s 2015 nuclear deal.

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2021-04-11 08:01:39Z
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