Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – July 21, 2022

By Ahmet Gencturk

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the US to withdraw its forces from regions of Syria east of the Euphrates River as part of the Astana peace process for Syria.

"Türkiye expects this as well because it is America that feeds the terrorist groups there," Erdogan told reporters, referring to the YPG/PKK terrorist group, which the US has partnered with on the pretext of fighting Daesh/ISIS terrorists.

Erdogan marked the 48th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, which proved pivotal in saving Turkish Cypriots from an ethnic violence campaign waged by Greek Cypriot groups.

Referring to an attack on Iraq’s northern Duhok province, Türkiye asked Iraqi government officials not to make statements under the influence of the rhetoric and propaganda of the PKK terrorist organization.

"We invite Iraqi government officials...to cooperate in bringing the real perpetrators of this tragic incident into light," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on the latest developments in the South Caucasus region over the phone.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay revealed that Türkiye's fourth drill ship, the Abdulhamid Han, will launch operations in the Mediterranean in August.

Asserting that climate change is a major contemporary threat, US President Joe Biden announced new executive actions to combat it but stopped short of declaring a climate emergency.

The White House clarified US President Joe Biden's apparent claim that he has cancer, saying he was referring to a skin cancer diagnosis he received before becoming president which has been remedied.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley claimed that Russia has failed to achieve its major goals in Ukraine's Donbass region but has made "incremental tactical successes.”

Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi is expected to resign after a confidence motion crucial for the survival of his coalition government failed to win enough support in the Senate as three main parties -- the League, Forza Italia and 5-Star Movement -- shunned the vote.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said coronavirus cases have doubled in six weeks and reports of monkeypox have soared to almost 14,000 in 70 countries in 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that the West has taken a leading position in the world largely through "robbing other nations," and it cannot offer its own model of the future.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the West’s delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine will expand the geographical tasks of the "special operation" of the Russian army beyond regions in eastern Ukraine.

A "new era" in which only truly sovereign states can show high growth dynamics is coming in world history, he added.

The Chinese military doubled down on its accusations of the US disrupting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait after an American warship recently sailed through the region.

Greece’s population shrank by 3.5% over the last decade to 10,432,481 from 10,815,197, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Lithuania’s parliament ratified Sweden and Finland's NATO membership.

Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt was knocked out of the Conservative party's leadership contest, leaving former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and current Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister.

Sri Lanka's acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected the country's new president as the country grapples with its worst financial crisis.