President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkey and other nations will address challenges faced by the global economy at this week’s G20 summit in Argentina, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday.
“We will determine the steps that we will take to eliminate the main risks to the world economy by evaluating the global economic outlook,” Erdoğan said while speaking to journalists at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before departing for Buenos Aires, where the two-day meeting will be held beginning Friday.
He warned that the issue of trade was recently causing serious controversy due to the unilateral protectionist actions of some countries.
“Free and fair international trade is one of the key elements of global economic growth,” he said.
Erdoğan said education, health, employment, agriculture, development and energy issues would also be addressed.
He reiterated plans to pay official visits to Paraguay and Venezuela from Dec. 2-3 after attending the G20 summit.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday he was ready to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina to discuss stopping the war in Yemen and beginning peace talks. In an address to reporters, Guterres said he will travel to Argentina to attend the summit that will take place Friday and Saturday."I think we are close to create the conditions for the possibility for peace talks to start, and that will be an extremely important objective. And, of course, Saudi Arabia is absolutely crucial for that purpose, and I'm ready to discuss it with the Crown Prince or with any other Saudi officials," Guterres said.The secretary general noted Saudi Arabia is an important part of peace talks to stop the war in Yemen which has been wracked by violence since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.War crimes allegations filed against Saudi crown princeThe conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains."I believe it is a very important objective at the present moment. If we are able to stop the Yemeni war, we will be stopping the most tragic humanitarian disaster we are facing in today's world."Guterres, however, did not answer whether he would raise the issue of conducting a transparent and independent investigation into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, after reports surfaced the CIA concluded with high confidence that bin Salman ordered the killing.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later that he was killed there.Tunisians protest planned visit of Saudi crown prince
UN chief says ready to meet Saudi crown prince at G20
Russia-Ukraine dispute
Recalling his phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday, Erdogan said he discussed tensions in the Sea of Azov with both parties.
“We discussed with both sides what can be done about this and whether we can play a mediator role,” he said.
Erdogan said he will discuss the issue further with Putin on the sidelines of the summit.
On Sunday, Russia seized two Ukrainian navy ships and a navy tugboat along with 23 crew members off Crimea, accusing Kiev of entering its waters and provoking a conflict.
It said the vessels had ignored calls to stop, sparking military action.
Russia intervened as the Ukrainian ships were relocating from the Black Sea port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.
Videos appeared online showing a Russian coast guard vessel ramming the Ukrainian navy tugboat in the Kerch Strait.
Ukraine also accused Russian warships of opening fire on the ships, asserting that crew members were wounded and the vessels were seized by Russia.
Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum.
Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.
Germany is still committed to the NordStream 2 pipeline, which will allow Russia to bypass Ukraine in transporting gas to Europe, despite escalating tension in the region, a government spokesman in Berlin said on Wednesday.The United States and others have stepped up criticism of the project since Russia seized three Ukrainian ships near Crimea on Sunday. Critics say the pipeline will make Germany and Europe too dependent on Russia for its energy supplies."I have taken note of the criticism but nothing has changed in the basic view of the economic project which is what NordStream is," said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.He added that Germany still wanted to ensure Ukraine would remain a transit country for gas from Russia to Europe. Earlier, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany had said NordStream 2 should be put on hold.Putin accuses Ukraine leader of plotting naval clash to boost ratingsThe United States also wants its European allies to consider further sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine, the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations said on Wednesday.But a spokesman for the foreign ministry said the debate about further sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine was premature."It's a legal instrument that has consequences for those who are affected by the sanctions so that means you need to consider and discuss it carefully," said the spokesman.Several senior European politicians on Tuesday raised the possibility of new sanctions against Russia to punish it for capturing three Ukrainian vessels at sea, an incident the West fears could ignite a wider conflict. US official urges Europe to consider more Russia sanctionsRussian court jails 9 more Ukrainian sailorsIn phone calls, Erdoğan urges Putin, Poroshenko to reach diplomatic solution
Germany sticks to Nord Stream 2 pipeline despite Ukraine crisis
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of orchestrating a naval "provocation" in the Black Sea at the weekend in order to boost his popularity ratings before an election next year.Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews on Sunday over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters, something Ukraine denies.Putin, speaking at a financial forum in Moscow, said the West was ready to forgive Ukrainian politicians their shortcomings because it bought into the anti-Russian narrative Kiev is promoting. He said the Ukrainian vessels had clearly been in the wrong. Russian court jails 9 more Ukrainian sailorsIn phone calls, Erdoğan urges Putin, Poroshenko to reach diplomatic solution
Putin accuses Ukraine leader of plotting naval clash to boost ratings
Syria's Manbij
Erdoğan also said he would meet with his U.S. counterpart on the sidelines of the summit.
“We will discuss [northern Syria’s] Manbij issue with U.S. President Donald Trump in Argentina,” he said.
Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij, northeast of the Aleppo Governorate in Syria, on Nov. 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.
The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, a terrorist group recognized by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU which in its 30-year terror campaign has taken some 40,000 lives.
The U.S. has claimed the YPG/PKK is an “ally” in the fight against Daesh over Turkey’s objections that one cannot use a terrorist group to fight another.
Turkey has repeatedly cited evidence that the YPG is no different from the PKK.