Day: May 3, 2023

The opposition’s candidate said the Mediterranean countries, the EU and the UN should cooperate to address the issue. Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming elections, has called on the EU to cooperate with Turkey on the migration.

In a Twitter video late yesterday, Kiliçdaroglu criticized the government’s handling of the crisis and promised a shift in Turkey’s refugee policies, but also stressed the need for international cooperation.

Saying that Turkey should meet the needs of its own people in terms of water, energy and infrastructure, he remarked, “Europe has to realize that we cannot even keep the citizens of Turkey, let alone harbor these asylum seekers and irregular [migrants], if Turkey loses its own infrastructure and water.”

“The European Union has to get out of the mindset that I give a bribe and get away with it,” he said, referring to the 2016 refugee deal between the EU and Turkey, which aimed to reduce the number of refugees coming to Europe by providing financial aid to Turkey, which agreed to take back migrants who crossed the Aegean Sea to reach Greece.

However, the agreement has been criticized by human rights groups and the UN for violating international law and not providing adequate protection to refugees. Turkey’s opposition parties have also criticized the government over the deal, accusing it of turning Turkey into “Europe’s refugee camp.”

Repeating this criticism, Kiliçdaroglu said that the agreement needs to be re-evaluated and that Turkey cannot continue to act as a “buffer zone” for climate refugees.

Therefore, he argued, Turkey should lead the Mediterranean Basin countries, where temperatures are rising 20 percent faster than the rest of the world, with “a new vision” for the region, and the EU should cooperate with it.

Climate migration

Kiliçdaroglu further warned that the Euphrates and Tigris rivers could dry up in the next 20 years if no measures are taken, causing agricultural problems in southeastern Turkey and affecting hydroelectric power plants, leading to severe water shortage. This would also result in over 60 million people in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq suffering from famine and water scarcity, he added.

Kiliçdaroglu emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that if Turkey fails to act, it could face an influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq. In response, he called on the EU and countries in the Mediterranean Basin to work together to “reunite Syrians with their homeland” within two years at the latest.

The roadmap

He suggested negotiations with the Syrian administration and the establishment of a protocol with the legitimate government to secure the life and property of those who leave the country. The European Union and the United Nations would be involved in this protocol.

Kiliçdaroglu also proposed that contractors from Turkey build houses, schools, roads, and kindergartens for asylum seekers returning to Syria with funds from this cooperation. This plan aims to help Syrians rebuild their homes and communities, and to ensure a safe and sustainable return to their homeland

Source: English Bianet

Kübra Ünsal and her friends have treated 4,500 cats and dogs in the field clinic. A 28-year-old woman named Kübra Ünsal, who resides in the Antakya district of Hatay, was rescued alive from the rubble of a 12-story building that collapsed during the earthquakes centered in Maras on February 6.

After receiving treatment and having to wear a brace for approximately three weeks due to cracked ribs, Ünsal immediately set up a field clinic with her friends who also had damaged clinics, in Atatürk Park.

Ünsal and her friends have treated 4,500 cats and dogs in the field clinic they established.

After treating injured and needy animals that were abandoned by the people they lived with, Ünsal and her friends redirect the animals to places or individuals who can provide them with better care.

The earthquakes

On February 6th, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck the southern province of Maras in Turkey, causing devastation across 11 provinces in the south and southeast of the country and northern parts of Syria.

Over 50,000 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 227,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, according to government figures.

The latest report from the United Nations shows that the situation in the earthquake-affected area remains dire, with ongoing challenges exacerbating the crisis. Heavy rainfall and aftershocks have continued to wreak havoc in the region, further hampering relief efforts.

As a result, approximately 1.6 million people are still living in temporary shelters or makeshift tents, with limited access to essential services and basic living conditions. Additionally, three million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the disaster

Source: English Bianet

The Minister of Communication Rene Emmanuel Sadi, has told media practitioners that Cameroon is a State that respects human rights, with press freedom constituting the backbone.

Rene Sadi was invited to the brainstorming event organized by the Cameroon Association of English-speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ) and the Cameroonian section of the International Francophone Press Union (UPF), to mark the 30th edition of the World Press Freedom Day.

During activities that took place in Yaounde, on May 3, the Communication boss said the liberalization of the national media landscape within a period of thirty years, has “profoundly transformed Cameroon from a monolithic system to an effective pluralist regime”.

The Minister said journalists have a duty to respect the ethics and laws which are part of the enabling factors of press freedom within the country.

“It must be noted that in many cases, national media practitioners are often at odds with the rules of the ethics and professional conduct that should guide their work. Such a deficiency is likely to discredit the press” Rene Sadi said.

“The abuses observed and induced by this lack of professionalism expose journalists and the media to the sanctions provided for by the laws and regulations in force.”

The Communication Minister also added that “there is the instrumentalization of the media by certain actors with hidden agendas”. He called on media professionals to exercise more vigilance.

Concerning the social security of journalists, media owners were urged to fulfill their social and legal obligations towards the journalists they employ, notably the provision of employment contracts and the regular payment of salaries.

Minister Rene Sadi said the government is aware of the difficulties faced by national media operators in the exercise of their profession, assuring them of the government’s efforts towards ameliorating the situation.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day was celebrated under the theme; “Shaping a future of rights: Freedom of expression as a driver of all human rights”.

Source: Cameroon News Agency