Since conservatives close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined his Cabinet in a reshuffle last month, there has been speculation that visits to war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo by Cabinet ministers may resume after a halt of 2½ years. Source Japan Times
The British government has refused to join its allies in halting arms sales to Turkey over the country’s military operation against Kurdish forces in Syria. But the bloc stopped short of agreeing to an EU-wide arms embargo against Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, instead issuing a relatively toothless pledge for “strong” arms export control on a country-by-country basis. Source Independent
It’s a frustration of the people on the ground. They see that when certain groups organize a demonstration, the government sets the tolerance limit very high. When other organisations come to demonstrate, the limit is low,” says Roijens. “If a right-wing organisation were to announce that it would be demonstrating next week, you can be sure that all measures will be taken to seal off the neutral zone hermetically.” Source HLN
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey’s military offensive into northeast Syria is as “vital” to Turkey as its 1974 military intervention in Cyprus, which split the island in two.
In a speech he delivered in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday, Erdogan also made clear Turkey would not halt its offensive despite the widespread condemnation it has drawn. Source Ekathimerini
