ANKARA
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed Ankara’s willingness to collaborate with Syria and Russia in counterterror efforts. Saying that the leaders of Türkiye, Russia and Syria could also meet for talks after a meeting of intelligence, defense and foreign affairs officials, Erdogan said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin welcomed the proposal in their latest phone call.
In a separate development, Erdogan said he may discuss censorship against him by Twitter's former management with the social media platform's current CEO Elon Musk.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, during a joint press conference with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib, criticized Belgium over remarks against the country's counter-terrorism efforts in northern Syria, noting that the fight against terror must be pursued without "buts or ifs" and urging it to take action against the PKK terror group.
Cavusoglu, in a separate joint press conference with his Maltese counterpart Ian Borg, called for the extension of the UN Security Council's resolution allowing cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid into Syria’s northwest from Türkiye.
Following a Turkish court verdict Wednesday that sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to over two years in prison for "openly insulting public officials," an alliance of six opposition parties held a rally in Istanbul to denounce the court’s decision.
Driving while drunk, Mounir Elkhamri, husband of the US Consul General in Istanbul, Julie A. Eadeh, injured a person when he crashed his car into the vehicle in front of him.
US President Joe Biden called for the African Union to become a permanent member of the G-20.“It's been a long time coming, but it's gonna come,” he told a leader’s session during the last day of the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.
The US Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, said Serbia has a right to address the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) to deploy troops there.
Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met in the capital Belgrade with Miroslav Lajcak, the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and US Special Envoy Gabriel Escobar to discuss the de-escalation of tensions in the region.
In a related development, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, urged Serbia and Kosovo to hold a dialogue for the normalization of relations.
The European Council on Thursday granted Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status for EU membership. EU leaders approved the decision at a summit in Brussels following a recommendation by the European Commission in October and voting in the European Council and General Affairs Council this week.
Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, blamed the US for sabotaging the international trading system and bullying and urged it to abide by the rules of the World Trade Organization.
The US has added more than 30 Chinese companies to a trade blacklist, restricting them from importing components from American manufacturers, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called the EU's policy on gas prices "madness" and rejected all claims against Russia on the matter. “The collective West has descended on us with an economic war,” Putin said, noting that Western countries were wrong in their calculation that the Russian economy would collapse as a result.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly oil market report that Russian oil exports recorded the highest level since April with an increase of around 270,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 8.1 million bpd in November before the EU crude oil ban began.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned the US against sending its Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, saying it raises the risk of Washington’s direct involvement in the ongoing conflict.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said Russia will launch a new offensive against the capital Kyiv.
Federal Police in Brazil carried out large-scale search and seizure warrants Thursday for supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro suspected of taking part in anti-democratic acts following the presidential election in October.
The European Parliament announced a deal on reception conditions for asylum seekers.
A statement published by the European Parliament noted that "registered asylum applicants will be able to start working sooner and their integration prospects will improve under a draft law agreed by the Parliament and Council."
The US Navy named one of their next-generation amphibious assault ships after Fallujah, a site made famous for civilian massacres in Iraq.
The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday on a “zero-waste” initiative presented by Türkiye. The landmark resolution, which was presented along with 105 other countries, addresses efforts for sustainable development through zero-waste initiatives launched by the Turkish first lady in 2017.
