STRASAM Agenda 0001
1. Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership Process:
On the morning of 18 May, Turkey, Finland and Sweden submitted their official membership applications to NATO. Turkey has prevented the start of negotiations on the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland. Turkey blocked the negotiations that would begin in NATO, on the grounds that the two countries supported the PKK. On 18 May, at a meeting at the NATO embassy level in Brussels, Turkey voted against the initiation of the debate, citing its objection to the proposal.
Even though Turkey did not state that it would directly block the membership process of both countries as of mid-May, President Erdoğan stated that he did not take kindly to the membership process due to the support provided by these countries to the PKK. Meanwhile, Turkey distributed information files to NATO ambassadors regarding the PKK/PYD and the support provided by the Western world to these terrorist organizations.
Looking at the issue from the perspective of Turkish domestic politics, while the 'Kurdish problem' is moving towards a breaking point between the People's Alliance and the Nation alliance, the Turkish Government's public announcement of its opposition to Finland and Sweden's NATO membership and its move in this direction are ultimately as much internal as external. Reflections are also expected.
Turkey; He expects from Sweden and Finland not only the PKK, but also all PKK affiliated organizations like the PYD to be condemned. Turkey wants these two countries to restrict the activities of PKK sympathizers and to end the restrictions on arms exports to Turkey.
2. Foreign Contacts of Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu:
Çavuşoğlu met with Foreign Minister Antony J. Blinken in New York during the session of forums on migration and global food security at the United Nations. During his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, regarding the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland, "Turkey supported NATO's open-door policy even before this war started. We also have legitimate concerns about the possible NATO membership of these two countries. They support terrorist organizations." "There are also restrictions on the export of defense products. We expressed our concerns, I talked to two of my colleagues in Berlin. We understand the security concerns, but Turkey's security concerns should also be addressed," he said.
The first ministerial meeting of the Turkey-USA Strategic Mechanism will take place in New York on 19 May. In the meantime, it is expected to focus on the steps to be taken towards improvement in the still tense US-Turkish relations, the war in Ukraine, as well as Finland and Sweden's applications to join NATO. It is considered that the Biden-Erdogan bilateral summit may come to the fore after the American side tries to get results in the NATO membership of two Scandinavian countries, to which the USA and England openly support, and if there is no solution.
1. US Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen issued Warnings on the Global Economy at the G7 Finance Ministers Meeting.
Yellen warned that she has a negative perception of the course of the global economy and that price increases cause global 'stagflationary effects'. In his statement on May 18, he said that rising food and energy prices suppressed both expenditures and economic growth and created "stagflationary effects" all over the world. Yellen explained that it would not be legal for the US to seize Russian assets and use them to rebuild Ukraine.
2. The European Union is working on a plan to phase out the use of Russian Gas by 2027.
The members of the European Union came together on May 18 to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, protect Europe from rapidly rising energy prices, act as a united front against Moscow, while making an ambitious effort to get rid of Russian fossil fuels before 2027. negotiated to put the plan into action. EU; aims to reduce energy consumption, increase renewable resources and diversify energy imports. To this end, the EU is expected to invest 210 billion euros over a five-year period.
3. The Russia-Ukraine War has thoroughly disrupted the global supply chain problems that were injured during the Pandemic period.
According to the global supply chain index published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on May 18, shutdowns due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the previous pandemic; continued to make it difficult for companies to source parts and products globally.
The index, which tracks global transport costs, delivery times, and other factors in seven major economies, shows that these pressures eased between December 2021 and March 2022, although historically very high, while in April 2022, the index rose again. This was due to the deterioration in April, with longer delivery times for products in China and the EU region, and increased freight costs in air transport.
4. Azov Battalion has agreed to leave the Azovstal Steelworks to the Russians:
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that approximately 1000 fighters at the Azovstal steelworks were surrendered to Kremlin surveillance. The surrender of Ukrainians, including members of the Azov battalion, enabled Moscow forces to lift the nearly three-month siege that devastated the city of Mariupol.
5. Russia expelled 34 diplomats and personnel working at the French embassy in Moscow.
Russia cited the expulsion of 34 diplomats as retaliation for France's expulsion of large numbers of Russian diplomats last month and accused France of undermining Russian security interests.
6. In the Russia-Ukraine War, the West makes all its calculations on the assumption that Russia will lose.
Under the leadership of the USA and England, the Western world's provision of anti-tank weapons, shoulder-fired missiles, drones and intelligence support to Ukraine caused some surprising developments in the course of the Russia-Ukraine war. Thus, in the war that started with the Russian attack on February 24, the pace of action of the Russian forces was slowed down and Russia was forced to withdraw. It has been tacitly acknowledged that the United States "provided intelligence" to Ukraine during Russia's loss of the Moscow cruiser. The US Congress' approval of 40 billion dollars aid to Ukraine has been read as the biggest sign that the American administration will continue to provide active support to Ukraine during and after the war.
Russia's abandoning the siege of Kyiv, changing all its plans and giving its weight to the north of Crimea, the Donbas region and the establishment of the Donbas-Crimea connection is considered as a setback by the West. In addition, the fact that the Russian forces could not break the resistance of Ukraine and on top of that, they suffered great losses, caused the belief that Ukraine could force the Russians to withdraw, gaining weight in the Western world. In addition, with the Western Bloc's sanctions targeting the Russian economy, it was aimed to break the will and determination of the Russians to fight. It is considered important that Ukraine 'wins' so that the aggressor Russia can be brought under control and punished. On the other hand, it is also considered that even if the Russians maintain their current gains in Southern and Eastern Ukraine, they will come out with a great profit from this war. As a matter of fact, as a result of the capture of Mariupol by the Russians on May 18, the Donbas-Crimea connection was established and Azov became a Russian lake. The Russian military doctrine, which always sees the "loss of soldiers" in the war, is known for its long-term resistance. The same is true for Ukrainians of similar doctrine and understanding. It already seems possible to "break the enemy's resistance" and to evaluate that the side that is more patient in these two similar doctrines will result in the victory.
