China, having styled itself as a “near-Arctic nation”, is jockeying to play a greater role in the contested High North. Beijing attained permanent observer status to the intergovernmental Arctic Council in 2013. In July, Chinese shipping giant Cosco announced plans to send more cargo vessels to the Arctic. Source: SCMP
Ankara’s purchase of the S-400 missile defense systems from Russia should not be worrying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, as he announced the deal with Russia has been signed Source Daily Sabah
Media reports claiming that Turkey would buy Russian S-400 air defense systems were not true, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford said at a security forum in Aspen, Colorado on July 23. Source Hurriyet Daily
The news of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili being stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship felt so sudden and out of nowhere. One thing is sure: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s team didn’t take a summer break, it is already working hard on getting ready for the 2019 presidential elections. Source BNE
