World

Turkey’s Kurds eye kingmaker role in election against Erdogan

Kurds who have long felt side-lined in Turkish politics could have a decisive role in a closely fought May election that will determine whether President Tayyip Erdogan extends his rule after more than two decades in power.

With polls showing support finely balanced between Erdogan's ruling alliance and the opposition, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is a potential kingmaker, although a court bid to ban it may mean it has to reform under a new party umbrella.

Among Kurds who gathered on Tuesday for the Newroz spring festival in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, those opposed to Erdogan were upbeat about their chances of securing his defeat at the presidential and parliamentary polls on May 14.

“We expect the regime to go and we will fight for it. We have high hopes for the election. Our peoples are standing together in all their colours,” Zeynep Diyar, 36, a political activist, said as Kurdish music blared from loud speakers.

Soaring inflation and public criticism over the way the government handled the response to a devastating earthquake in February that killed at least 48,000 people in Turkey has left Erdogan and his AK Party facing the toughest electoral challenge since he first rose to power.

For many years Erdogan courted the Kurds, who make up about 20 percent of Turkey's population, winning support in the mainly Kurdish southeast with moves to boost Kurdish rights, economic progress and a bid to end a conflict with Kurdish militants.

But Kurdish support has steadily eroded as Erdogan's government has taken a stronger nationalist line, while his opponents have reached out to the pro-Kurdish HDP to support Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the CHP who opposition parties are backing as their candidate to defeat the president.

‘Freedom and equality’

“Our demand is freedom and equality,” said Diyar, at the spring celebrations, adding that she would vote for Kilicdaroglu if the HDP chose to rally behind him.

With opinion polls showing support for the HDP running at more than 10 percent, it could play a key role in a vote that will decide who leads Turkey and whether to extend Erdogan's brand of economics that once delivered growth and a construction boom, but which has now left Turks battling inflation of 55 percent.

The HDP, parliament's third-biggest party, wants the opposition to back demands for Kurdish rights and other issues. The Kurdish party held talks with Kilicdaroglu on Monday and is expected to announce this week whether it will back him.

HDP lawmaker Imam Tascier said Kilicdaroglu had acknowledged the “Kurdish problem”, terms reminiscent of language used by Erdogan in earlier years when he was seeking Kurdish support.

Now, he said, Erdogan “pushed freedoms, democracy, human rights and the Kurdish problem away with the back of his hand”.

Tascier said he was reprimanded by parliament's speaker three months ago for making a speech in Kurdish not Turkish.

Thousands of HDP members, lawmakers and mayors have been jailed or stripped of their positions in recent years.

In 2019, the HDP cooperated with the opposition to defeat the ruling AK Party's mayoral candidates in major cities.

“I don't think HDP voters will have difficulty in voting for Kilicdaroglu, given his recent efforts to build bridges with both Kurdish and conservative voters,” said Vahap Coskun, a law academic at Diyarbakir's Dicle University.

While the opposition have been building bridges, Erdogan's AK Party has allied with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) since 2015, when a peace process aimed at ending an insurgency in southeast Turkey collapsed. MHP is a firm opponent of the Kurdish movement and its demands for cultural rights.

‘Heal these wounds’

A survey by polling company SAMER in late 2022 showed AK Party support in the southeast had fallen since 2018, while support for the pro-Kurdish HDP had held firm.

Serif Aydin, the provincial head of the AK Party in Diyarbakir, told Reuters the polls were misleading and rejected criticism of the government's crisis response.

“We have tried our best and our people trust only Recep Tayyip Erdogan among politicians in this country to heal these wounds,” he said.

But some residents in Diyarbakir, which was hit by the quake even if less severely than some cities, still say the government fell short. “If they had taken measures, not so many people would have died,” said 55-year-old Mehmet Bektas.

Yet, legal challenges could derail the role of HDP, which also won almost 12 percent of the national vote in 2018.

In a case now in court, the party could be banned from the May vote over charges it has links to Kurdish militants. The HDP, which denies any such ties, has requested a postponement of its April 11 court hearing on grounds it would disrupt its vote preparations.

HDP officials declined to say what the party would do if the court hearing was not delayed but media reports said it would direct supporters to vote for the small Green and Left Future Party, which has adopted a party emblem similar to the HDP's.

The HDP has faced a crackdown since the collapse of Ankara's peace process with the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the insurgency launched in 1984.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Turkey lashes out at Kurdish group in Sweden over tweet

Turkey’s pro-Kurd party to back main Erdogan rival at polls

World

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets with CEOs of leading Norwegian companies

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with a group of CEOs from leading Norwegian companies, as part of their participation in the UAE-Norway Investment Forum, held alongside his official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

During the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed underscored the UAE leadership’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with its international partners.

He highlighted that investment in innovation and knowledge is a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development, noting that enhancing collaboration with Norwegian companies across key sectors will open new avenues for mutual economic growth between the two countries.

The UAE-Norway Investment Forum, taking place in Oslo, aimed to highlight available investment opportunities and strengthen trade relations between the UAE and Norway, fostering shared interests and supporting innovation and knowledge-based economic visions.

-wam

World

At the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS inaugurates 10th global office, releases four books

As part of its Asian research tour, partnership with Aletihad News Center, and
primary sponsorship of the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS
Research & Advisory inaugurated its office in Jakarta, marking its 10th location
worldwide. It also released four books in Indonesian.
The inauguration event was attended by ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, and
Jordan to Indonesia, chairpersons of the UAE and Indonesian Publishers’
Associations, the Director of TRENDS’ Jakarta office, and a group of researchers
and academics.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS
Research & Advisory, stated that TRENDS’ international offices—set to reach 15
by the end of 2024—aim to enhance the Center’s research efforts and deepen its
role in disseminating knowledge, thus serving as a global knowledge bridge.
He emphasized, “At TRENDS, we believe in the importance of cooperation
between think tanks and prioritize this endeavor. We believe the TRENDS office in
Jakarta will enhance the exchange of knowledge and ideas between think tanks in
Asia and the Middle East, opening new horizons for collaboration in various
fields.”

Four books in Indonesian
As part of the Jakarta office’s inaugural activities, four books were released in
Indonesian, including the 11th and 12th books of the Muslim Brotherhood
Encyclopedia and Global Trends in AI and Automation and the Future of
Competition between Man and Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision.

Hostility to Arab states
The 11th book of the Muslim Brotherhood Encyclopedia, The Concept of the State
According to the Muslim Brotherhood, highlights its hostile stance toward Arab
states since its inception. The group views them as an obstacle to its ascent to
power. It opposed the modern principles upon which these states were built,
considering them incompatible with the group’s unique interpretation of Islam,
which it claimed to embody exclusively.

Exclusion of nonconformists
The 12th book, The Muslim Brotherhood: Rejection of Tolerance and Exclusion of
Nonconformists, examines the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance towards
nonconformists, individuals, and entities. The book reveals the group’s binary view
of the world, categorizing others as allies or adversaries. It ties these relationships
to the Brotherhood’s internal power struggles and self-serving interests.

Global Trends in AI
The third book, Global Trends in AI, explores significant developments in AI and
its impact on various aspects of life, including the economy, society, and
governance. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of technological advancements
in AI, its applications across sectors, the ethical and social challenges it presents,
and its future trajectory.

Automation

The fourth book, Automation and the Future of Competition between Man and
Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision, addresses the growing challenges
faced by the human workforce in the face of widespread automation and AI
applications. The book concludes that while automation presents a significant
challenge to the labor market, it simultaneously creates new opportunities. It
emphasizes the importance of preparing for this shift through skills development,
continuous education, and adopting economic and social policies that support the
workforce.

Prominent pavilion and active presence
The TRENDS’ pavilion at the Indonesia International Book Fair has attracted
numerous visitors, including academic researchers and officials, such as the
ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey. Additionally,
chairpersons of Arab and Indonesian publishers’ associations, authors, publishers,
and students visited the pavilion. All were impressed with and praised TRENDS’ diverse, valuable publications. They also commended TRENDS’ active
international presence and ability to address global developments with rigorous
analytical research.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali honored the esteemed guests, including
ambassadors of the UAE and Bahrain to Indonesia, Wedha Startesti Yudha,
Chairperson of the Indonesia International Book Fair Committee, Arys Hilman
Nugraha, Chairman of the Indonesian Publishers Association, and others,
presenting them with TRENDS’ publications and commemorative shields.
Additionally, he awarded TRENDS’ Research Medal to Ni Made Ayu Martini
Indonesian Deputy Minister of Marketing, Tourism and Creative Economy
It is worth noting that during its current Asian research tour, TRENDS announced
the launch of the TRENDS Research Medal, awarded to individuals who make
significant contributions to the development of scientific research and promote collaboration with TRENDS in strengthening a culture of research across various fields.

World

US determined to prevent full-scale war in Middle East, Joe Biden tells UNGA79

US President Joe Biden highlighted the US Administration’s determination to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire Middle East region, noting that a diplomatic solution “remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes on the border safely”.

In remarks he made today before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), the US President said, “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” adding that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

He also touched on “the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank”, and the need to “set the conditions for a better future”, which he said featured “a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalised relations with all its neighbours, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own”.

President Biden underscored the ceasefire and hostage deal put forth by Qatar and Egypt, which the UN Security Council endorsed. He said, “Now is the time for the parties to finalise its terms, bring the hostages home,” adding that this would help ease the suffering in Gaza, and end the war.

-WAM