Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - Nov. 30, 2022

ISTANBUL (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

While noting the EU's harmony with NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized the European bloc's lack of engagement with Ankara regarding a new military training mission for Ukraine.

Seeking Türkiye’s greenlight to join NATO, the foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland met their Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of a foreign ministers’ meeting of the alliance in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

The trio "reviewed steps taken in line with the Trilateral Memorandum and stressed (Türkiye’s) expectations," Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter, referring to a pact signed in June under which the Nordic countries agreed to work to address Türkiye’s security concerns.

NATO foreign ministers condemned “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stand in solidarity with Türkiye in grieving the loss of life after the recent horrific terrorist attacks," in a statement published on the first day of the meeting in Bucharest.

Türkiye's UN envoy slammed statements about Turkish airstrikes on the YPG/PKK terror group in northern Syria, saying that calling the name of a terror group "democratic" is an affront to democracy.

Feridun Sinirlioglu was referring to the US’ partner in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF.

"You may change the name of this terrorist organization as many times as you want. But there is no changing its intent," Sinirlioglu told a Security Council meeting on Syria.

The US Department of Defense said it has reduced patrols with the PKK/YPG in the wake of Türkiye's airstrikes against the terror group.

Air raid alerts sounded Tuesday across Ukraine, including in the capital, Kyiv, due to impending Russian attacks, according to officials.

The UN announced that the first shipment of Russian fertilizer left the Netherlands for the African country of Malawi.

The shipment of 20,000 metric tons of fertilizer loaded on a World Food Program-chartered vessel will go through Mozambique, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The UK will exclude China from the development of its new nuclear energy project by owning 50% of the stakes and seeking new third-party investment to finance the construction and operation, according to a statement.

The British Foreign Office summoned China’s Ambassador to London, Zheng Zeguang, amid a diplomatic row sparked by the arrest and alleged beating of a BBC journalist in Shanghai during protests, according to a government source.

Edward Lawrence was detained Sunday at the main coronavirus lockdown protest in Shanghai and held for several hours before being freed, according to a report by the BBC.