Last week, the public agenda in Turkey has been busy with four main topics.
First topic on the agenda was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Canal Istanbul attended by President Erdogan.
Second topic was the joint military exercise conducted between Azerbaijan and Turkey in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
Third topic were recent statements from the Turkish Defense Minister regarding the situation of the Afghanistan Peacekeeping Forces of the Turkish Army.
Fourth topic was the ongoing vaccination efforts and normalization process amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Groundbreaking ceremony for the Canal Istanbul
On Saturday, the Government of Turkey has laid the foundations for Canal Istanbul, a governmental mega-project connecting the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea, which was promoted by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mega project which Erdogan, then-prime minister of Turkey back in 2011, revealed as his “dream,” will see laying foundation of its first bridge to be built over the canal following 10 years of process.
Canal Istanbul, which will be built on the Turkish metropolis’ European side within the borders of Kucukcekmece, Avcilar, Basaksehir, and Arnavutkoy districts, will be around 45 kilometers (28 miles) long, 275 meters (902 feet) wide, and 20.75 m (68 ft) deep.
Following the announcement of the project by Erdogan, various universities carried out the route evaluation studies of the Canal Istanbul in 2011-2013.
When five different options for the Canal Istanbul were examined, the route following the east of Kucukcekmece-Sazlidere Dam-Terkos was determined as the most suitable one.
A marina, container ports, recreation area, and a logistics center as additional project components to the facilities and structures required for Canal Istanbul are also planned.
Six bridges will be built to cross over the Canal Istanbul, which will transform the European side of Istanbul into an island.
Cities with 250,000 residences are planned for both sides of the Canal Istanbul.
It is planned that the project will be completed in six years, at a cost of approximately 15 billion USD, according to Erdogan.
The mega-project aims to prevent risks posed by vessels carrying dangerous shipments through the Bosphorus, the Environment and Urbanization Ministry stated.
Today’s realities, such as threats to the Bosphorus and Istanbul from growing maritime commercial traffic have made the Canal Istanbul a necessity, stressed Recep Tayyip Erdogan, praising the project as his “dream”.
“In case of an accident of ships carrying a wide variety of cargoes from petroleum to organic products, the natural life in our seas faces a huge threat. Should the ships hit the shore, both our cultural heritage is damaged and we can face serious destruction and fire,” Erdogan said.
The container port and logistics center, which will be located just to the right of the Black Sea exit of the canal, would bring a breath of fresh air to the foreign trade of Turkey, he also said, adding that the recreation and renewable energy area to the left of the Black Sea exit would add a special value to Istanbul.
On the other hand, many opposition circles oppose the megaproject, due to its impacts on marine environment, its cutting down of Istanbul’s already-short water supplies, potential real estate corruption on the lands around the canal, and a possible gap in the Articles of the Montreux Convention, that can be exploited by the NATO and the United States.
The Turkish Government denies all these allegations, claiming that the sole purpose of this project is to ease up on the maritime traffic of Bosporus.
Turkish-Azerbaijani joint military exercises
The Turkish and Azerbaijani militaries have started joint drills in Baku, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The two countries deployed tanks, helicopters and drones in the drills in an effort to improve the two countries’ combat interoperability, the ministry said.
The drills, called “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 2021,” were launched in Baku, as Anadolu Agency reported. The name is a reference to modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The drill aims to enhance the interaction of the two militaries during combat operations and develop the decision-making and managing skills of commanders.
Some 600 soldiers, 40 tanks and armored vehicles, 20 cannons, seven war helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and 50 other vehicles are taking part in the drills.
The drills are expected to continue until June 30th.
Photographs released by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry showed a column of armored personnel carriers and tanks from the two countries advancing on flat arid terrain.
“The main purpose of the exercises is to improve the interaction between the two countries’ army units during combat operations, to develop the commanders’ military decision-making skills and their ability to manage military units,” the ministry said.
The exercises were conducted shortly after Turkey and Azerbaijan signed the Shusha Declaration in the last week. The declaration focuses on defense cooperation, promoting stability and prosperity in the region, and on establishing new transportation routes.
The declaration affirms joint efforts by the two armies in the face of foreign threats. It also pledges joint efforts for the restructuring and modernization of their armed forces.
Last week, Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged views on the situation concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region that Azerbaijan liberated last year from decades of Armenian occupation. They made a positive assessment of the efforts of a joint Russian-Turkish center monitoring the resulting cease-fire in the region, the Kremlin statement said.
The future of the Turkish Peacekeeping Forces in Afghanistan
Speaking to reporters in the parliament, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that a US delegation had paid an official visit to Turkey on Thursday to discuss a proposal for Turkish troops to stay in Afghanistan for the security of the airport in the capital Kabul after NATO forces withdraw from the war-torn country.
Akar noted that Turkey already has a presence in Afghanistan, saying: “At the moment, we’re not in a situation to send new soldiers.”
Turkish forces have already been protecting Kabul airport for six years, Akar said.
“We continue our work and contacts to maintain our presence there.”
He added: “Everything is for the safety and well-being of the Afghan people, our Afghan brothers and sisters.”
A delegation from the US has arrived in Ankara on Thursday and talks are ongoing to discuss progress on efforts to keep Afghanistan’s Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport operational, Akar added.
“We want to achieve appropriate results for the interests of our country and Afghanistan, and we are working for this,” he added.
“We aim to continue our contribution to the security, peace and welfare of our Afghan brothers,” he said.
The situation in Afghanistan has gained importance in recent weeks after US President Joe Biden announced that all American forces will withdraw from the war-torn country until September 11th, with NATO allies to follow suit.
Biden and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have discussed the issue at a recent NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels.
Ankara has been running the military and logistic operations of the Kabul airport since six years as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.
Turkey, whose forces in Afghanistan have always been comprised of noncombatant troops, is reported to have offered to guard the airport as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport, which is the main gateway to the capital, Kabul.
Vaccination efforts and the normalization process amidst the Coronavirus pandemic
Amid a nationwide fall in the number of Covid-19 cases, Turkey is set to end all virus-related restrictions starting this Thursday.
Turkey has administered almost 48.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign back in January, according to official figures.
More than 33.43 million people have received their first doses, while over 14.96 million have been fully vaccinated, showed the Health Ministry data.
It also confirmed that 5,283 new coronavirus cases came in the last 24 hours, including 431 symptomatic patients.
Turkey’s overall case tally is now over 5.41 million, while the nationwide death toll has reached 49,634 with 58 new fatalities.
As many as 5,327 more patients have won the battle against the virus, bringing the number of recoveries past 5.28 million.
Over 60.32 million coronavirus tests have been done till today.
The latest figures put the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition at 751.
Turkey has suspended flights from Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka until further notice, as the new delta variant of Covid-19 virus has surged.
Also, passengers from the UK, Iran, Egypt, and Singapore are now required to have a negative COVID-19 test result taken within the last 72 hours.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also released the latest weekly infection rates across the country’s various regions.
Sharing the data for June 19-25 on Twitter, Koca said: “The fall in the number of cases increases our courage for normalization. We will get rid of concerns through vaccines.”
The number of cases per 100,000 people was 54 in the metropolis of Istanbul — home to nearly one-fifth of Turkey’s population — 83 in the capital Ankara, and 27 in the Aegean province of Izmir.
The southern provinces of Osmaniye, Adiyaman, and Hatay had the lowest COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people.