Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a Turkish technology and aviation festival in Baku in May. AP Photo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a Turkish technology and aviation festival in Baku in May. AP Photo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a Turkish technology and aviation festival in Baku in May. AP Photo
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a Turkish technology and aviation festival in Baku in May. AP Photo


Turkey's expanding role in Central Asia is a boon for Nato


  • English
  • Arabic

July 05, 2022

As Nato leaders gathered in Madrid last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin embarked on a crucial diplomatic mission of his own. His first trip abroad since his country’s late February invasion of Ukraine was not to either of the two regional powers, India and China, that have with their increased gas imports provided Moscow an economic lifeline.

Mr Putin instead sought to reassert Russian influence in Central Asia, visiting Tajikistan, where its leader embraced him on the tarmac, then Turkmenistan for a summit of Caspian Sea leaders, including those from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Iran.

“An atmosphere of friendship and co-operation reigns in the Caspian,” Mr Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, asserted. Yet, Russian influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia was widely seen as receding even before the conflict with Ukraine. Now, with significant western sanctions disrupting trade routes, Russian ties across Eurasia – and with regional heavy hitter China – may soon be critical to its economic survival.

This is not news to Turkey, which has been expanding its regional footprint for years. Back in 2009, Ankara created the Organisation of Turkic States (formerly the Turkic Council). Today, the bloc’s five members (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan) and two observer states (Turkmenistan and Hungary) are home to some 170 million people and an aggregate GDP of $1.5 trillion.

In March, former Turkish deputy prime minister Binali Yildirim, chair of the bloc’s Council of Elders, said it hoped to establish an EU-like alliance, with full freedom in the movement of goods and people. This echoes the vision of the 10-member Economic Co-operation Organisation, which is significantly older and also counts Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan as members, as well as Tajikistan.

The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones are in great demand. AFP
The Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones are in great demand. AFP
If Nato seeks to counter this rising Russian-Chinese axis in Eurasia, it could hardly find a better partner than Ankara

But the stressing of pan-Turkic identity and Turkey’s status as the most populous member gives Ankara a degree of control over the Turkic organisation, which is why most observers view the bloc as a tool to expand Turkish influence, focused on energy and trade.

Turkey has few domestic energy reserves and thus must rely on imports, with Russia providing nearly half its natural gas. Ankara’s main goal in backing Azerbaijan in the late 2020 war for Nagorno-Karabakh was arguably its hope of gaining greater access to Azerbaijani gas and the Trans-Caspian, potentially becoming an energy transit state.

The Turkic organisation is all about developing bigger, better ports and more direct trade corridors. One recent example is the first Kazakhstan-Iran-Turkey train, which arrived in Tehran with its cargo of sulphur in late June. More specifically, Ankara aims to develop the Middle Corridor to China, poised between the southern and northern routes through Iran and Russia.

A crucial element of that vision is reviving the Zangezur corridor, which, as this column has previously detailed, is a train link across Armenian territory that would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan, bordering Turkey. This would give Ankara a gateway to the Caspian basin and one of the faster routes to Central Asia and China, offering huge economic and energy potential and the opportunity for significant Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) investment.

Six weeks ago, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Ankara and signed 15 bilateral deals as part of an enhanced strategic partnership. Mr Tokayev pointed out that, since Kazakhstan began using Turkish shipping corridors, the cargo transport time from Khorgos to Istanbul has gone from 60 days to just 13. Surely Beijing took note.

Kazakhstan also agreed to begin domestic production of Turkey’s unmanned Anka drones. This seemed fitting, as the Turkic organisation sometimes seems like a showcase for Turkey’s domestic defence. Turkey’s military backing, mainly via advisers and Bayraktar TB2 drones, played a crucial role in Azerbaijan’s victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. Late last year, Kyrgyzstan confirmed it had purchased Turkish drones.

Turkmenistan has also purchased at least one TB2, which it showcased last September. Home to the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan is the alliance’s most recent addition, becoming an observer in November 2021. It may soon request member status, despite its predilection for avoiding regional alliances. Its main energy customer has been China, but those proceeds mainly go to debt repayment.

Turkmenistan may now view Turkey as the best alternative buyer and the most direct trade route – across the Caspian to Baku, through Zangezur to Turkey and on to Europe. In February, Ankara agreed with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to transit gas from their joint Dostluk field to Europe.

Building its trade superhighway to the West, China probably hopes to keep Russia and Turkey from gaining a stronger foothold. One key node of that effort is Uzbekistan, where China emerged as the country’s leading export market last year ($1.74 billion compared to Russia’s $1.7bn). China is also Uzbekistan’s largest source of foreign investment, more than doubling that of Russia.

Mr Erdogan visited Tashkent in March to seal the Turkey-Uzbek partnership just weeks after Beijing and Tashkent signed their own deals. Turkey’s commitments included a $150 million thermal power plant and a $140m gas piston power plant, making Ankara the third-largest export market to Uzbekistan.

“It’s a race between Turkey and China in Central Asia,” Kamran Bokhari, former head of Central Asian studies at the US’s Foreign Services Institute, recently told me, “as to who gets more influence as Russia recedes.”

While Mr Putin was making nice in Central Asia, Sweden and Finland agreed to address Turkey’s concerns about terrorism – though they still need to follow through – as Russia’s Ukraine invasion spurred prompt Nato expansion. Receiving much less media coverage was Nato’s decision to shift its strategic focus eastward.

The bloc’s new strategic concept, released in Madrid, asserted that China’s “stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values” and warned of “the deepening strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after the summit of Caspian Sea littoral states in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Thursday. AP Photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after the summit of Caspian Sea littoral states in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Thursday. AP Photo

Nato member state officials have for years expressed concerns about China spreading its economic influence through the BRI, with large investments in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and into the Balkans. Now, one of the most pressing results of the war in Ukraine is Moscow aligning more closely with Beijing.

Ankara may be pursuing its own interests in Central Asia and the Caucasus, but as I detailed last year, those interests are largely aligned with its Nato allies. Both aim to ensure stability and access to energy resources while curbing the influence of Beijing and Moscow.

Paul Goble, a longtime specialist on Eurasia and once adviser to former US secretary of state James Baker, said in a recent interview that Turkey is likely to continue to emerge in the region as Russia declines. “Russia is terrified of the rise of [Turkey],” he said. “Russia is concerned that it represents a threat to the southern part of the Russian Federation, which it does.”

The US already supports the development of Turkey’s Middle Corridor as a way to help Europe move away from Russian energy, and may provide significant funding and diplomatic support for Ankara’s completion of the Trans-Caspian route. If Nato seeks to counter this rising Russian-Chinese axis in Eurasia, it could hardly find a better partner than Ankara.

As in Afghanistan with the Taliban, in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and grain release efforts, and with the Syrian refugee crisis, Turkey, despite regularly taking anti-western positions, once again finds itself perfectly poised to help out its western allies.

Europe's top EV producers
  1. Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
  2. Iceland (33%)
  3. Netherlands (20%)
  4. Sweden (19%)
  5. Austria (14%)
  6. Germany (14%)
  7. Denmark (13%)
  8. Switzerland (13%)
  9. United Kingdom (12%)
  10. Luxembourg (10%)

Source: VCOe 

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh122,745

On sale: now

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars

- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes

- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chad%20Stahelski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Keanu%20Reeves%2C%20Laurence%20Fishburne%2C%20George%20Georgiou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Pakistan v New Zealand Test series

Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza

New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner

Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

Results

Male 51kg Round 1

Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.

Male 54kg Round 1

Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; ​​​​​​​Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; ​​​​​​​Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.

Male 57kg Round 1

Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.

Men 86kg Round 1

Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1

​​​​​​​Men 63.5kg Round 1

Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.

Female 45kg quarter finals

Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.

Female 48kg quarter finals

Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.

Female 57kg quarter finals

Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.

Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
High profile Al Shabab attacks
  • 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
  • 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
  • 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
  • 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
  • 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
  • 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

Results:

Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

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The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD

Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm

Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)

0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds

Top speed: 202kmh

Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km

Price: From Dh122,900

Fines for littering

In Dubai:

Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro

Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle. 
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle

In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches 

Updated: July 05, 2022, 11:26 AM`