Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu’s English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

PALESTINE

GAZA - Following ongoing Israeli attacks on besieged Gaza Strip and developments on the ground on various fronts, including diplomatic engagements in Middle East to contain the Palestine-Israel conflict.

QATAR

DOHA – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to pay official visit to Qatar on Oct. 24-25 to meet his counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman to discuss bilateral ties, regional and global issues. Fidan is also expected to be received by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN CYPRUS

LEFKOSA – As part 2-day joint military drill, Türkiye and Northern Cyprus to conduct naval part of Martyr Ensign Caner Gonyeli-2023 Search and Rescue Invitation Exercise.

US

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden to host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for talks at White House.

NEW YORK – UN General Assembly members to discuss annual report of International Court of Justice and report of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UK

LONDON – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to respond to questions from lawmakers in House of Commons. MPs are likely to ask questions regarding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to host forum as part of Global Gateway initiative, viewed as Europe’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

KAZAKHSTAN

ASTANA – Republic Day celebrations to take place in Kazakhstan.

KYRGYZSTAN

BISHKEK – Meeting of Council of Heads of Government of member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Bishkek on Oct. 25-26.

MOLDOVA

BALTI/MARCULESTI – Moldova to host Aurochs Partner - 2023 joint exercise with US on Oct. 25-31 in cities of Balti and Marculesti.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold separate meetings with Cabinet ministers and representatives of religious associations.

TÜRKİYE

ANKARA – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend Justice and Development (AK) Party’s parliamentary group meeting. He is expected to speak on domestic and global issues.

ANKARA – Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to pay a 2-day visit to Türkiye.

TURKMENISTAN

ASHGABAT – 28th International Conference and Expo Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan (OGT-2023) to be held in Ashgabat on Oct. 25-27.

CHINA

BEIJING – China’s President Xi Jinping to host visiting Colombian President Gustavo Petro for delegation-level talks in Beijing. Petro is on 3-day state visit to China.

BEIJING – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi to embark on official trip to US. Visit holds significance as two sides are possibly preparing for summit-level meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden next month.

BEIJING – China expected to name its new defense minister after Xi sacked Li Shangfu following his remaining off public eye for around 2 months.

SPORTS

PARIS – Following UEFA Champions League group matches as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to face AC Milan in Group F match at home, one of big games of night.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA – Turkish Central Bank to reveal capacity utilization rate for manufacturing sector for October. Since May 2023, rate is over 75% level and it is expected to be at around 77% in October.

SPECIAL REPORT

British-Palestinian professor resigns from Labour Party over ‘very heavy pro-Israel position’

By Mehmet Solmaz

BIRMINGHAM, England – Interview with Kamel Hawwash, a lecturer at the University of Birmingham who has resigned from the UK’s main opposition Labour Party over its support for Israel’s aggression against Palestinians.

Hawwash gives details about the reasons for his resignation, including the party’s growing tilt towards Israel under its current leader Keir Starmer.

He accuses Starmer of supporting “Israel enforcing a full siege on Gaza,” and says the Labour leader has been ignoring the sentiments of his party’s supporters.

The academic says he will only consider rejoining the party if it “acknowledges that Israel is committing war crimes.”

SPECIAL REPORT

Silence on Israel’s attacks while condemning Russia for same crimes is hypocrisy: Expert

By Burak Bir

LONDON – Interview with Linda Ramsden, chair of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), a rights group working to end Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and resolving the conflict.

Ramsden focuses on the divergence in the international community’s stance on Ukraine and Palestine, terming it “hypocrisy.”

She calls for immediate efforts to reform the existing world order and institutions like the UN Security Council, citing its inability to halt Israel’s current aggression and years of oppression of Palestinians.

SPECIAL REPORT

Republic of Türkiye enters new century with formidable domestic defense advances

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) – Report charting Türkiye’s remarkable progress in its domestic defense sector as it gears up to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic.

The report gives details of the major defense systems that have been produced in the country over the years, ranging from missiles to artillery systems and guns.

It also includes the history of the Turkish defense industry’s evolution, from the establishment of the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation to the recent boom driven by Turkish defense giants such as Aselsan, Roketsan, TAI and Asfat.

SPECIAL REPORT

1930-1955: Decades of friendship in long history of Turkish-Greek ties

By Derya Gulnaz Ozcan

ATHENS – Report about the history of Türkiye’s ties with Greece between 1930 and 1955, which was a time of particularly cordial relations between the two countries.

The report gives details about the major decisions and events that paved the way for that period of friendship.

It includes comments from Dimitris Stamapotoulos, an expert on Balkan history at Greece’s Macedonia University in Thessaloniki, who speaks about the role played by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, and the geopolitical issues of the time.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEOS – Latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict

Reports covering developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict, including packages from correspondents on the ground, updates about the overall situation, and other major developments.