Der Vorschlag zur Gründung einer „Mittelmeerunion“ war ursprünglich Teil des Wahlkampfes von Nicolas Sarkozy vor den französischen Präsidentschaftswahlen 2007. Nach seinem Sieg wiederholte er die Idee und stellte erste Pläne dazu vor. Trotz der möglichen Spaltung, die die Mittelmeerunion in der muslimischen Welt auslösen könnte, sah Sarkozy den Plan als eine Möglichkeit, zum Friedensprozess zwischen Israel und seinen arabischen Nachbarn beizutragen. Außerdem sollte die Mittelmeerunion in den Augen von Sarkozy eine Alternative zum Beitritt der Türkei zur Europäischen Union darstellen.

Although loyalist forces control the skies, rebels have lobbed hundreds of mortar shells into western Aleppo. Many of the explosives are crude gas canisters repurposed for the indiscriminate shelling that killed 178 civilians in government-held areas in August. The death toll among children there was even higher; the observatory put it at 52.

(26.4.2011) So sagte der britische Außenminister William Hague, London berate mit weiteren Mitgliedern des Weltsicherheitsrats über „ein starkes Signal an die syrischen Behörden“. Staatsoberhäupter wie Frankreichs Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy, Italiens Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi und der türkische Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan appellieren an Assad, die gewaltsame Unterdrückung der Proteste zu beenden.

Die Türkei hat beim Treffen mit den EU-Außenministern in Bratislava ihre Bereitschaft bestärkt, das Migrationsabkommen mit Brüssel weiter zu erfüllen, wie die EU-Außenbeauftragte Federica Mogherini mitteilte.

That is to say, you‘d have to maintain a longterm, delicate balance: we would always be winning in the war, but would never actually win the war.

With that balance in mind, your propaganda would likely be some version of, „Today, our military forces have achieved a significant victory. Of course, the enemy is insidious and resilient, and there is much hard work still ahead.“

Der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan hat geschworen, gegen alle vorzugehen, die die kurdische YPG in Syrien unterstützen. Damit drohen auch europäische und US-Spezialeinheiten in den Reihen der YPG ins Kreuzfeuer der Auseinandersetzungen zu rücken.

He did not give a timeline for restoring ties with either of the Arab nations, but any improvement would mark a further shift in Ankara’s regional policy.

It is not the first time Yıldırım has expressed hope for improved relations with Egypt. In June, he said he did not want to see “permanent enmity” between Turkey and countries such as Egypt and Syria.

The area is some 55 kilometers southwest of Jarablus, where last week Turkish-backed Syrian forces launched „Operation Euphrates Shield“, Turkey‘s first major incursion into Syria since the war started five years ago.

A Reuters cameraman in the area earlier heard a repeated booming sound and saw plumes of smoke rising from the Syrian side of the border.

A sum of 13 Turkish soldiers and a guardsman were killed in three separate clashes and an attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the country‘s east and southeast on Sept. 3 late on Sept. 2.

The Turkish military, which has backed Syrian rebels’ advance on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria as part of its Euphrates Sheild operation, has opened a new front in the neighboring country with tanks and other armored vehicles entering the al-Rai town.

Çelik expressed Turkey‘s strong disappointment with the EU‘s initial reaction to the failed military coup on July 15.

„As a result of the meeting, there is very strong consensus about focusing on a positive agenda and further enhancing cooperation between Turkey and the EU,“ Çelik also told reporters after his talks with EU ministers on Sept. 3.

„On the political level we need a rapprochement, we need to normalise the situation,“ Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told Reuters after the EU ministers‘ meeting with Turkey‘s EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik.

US President Barack Obama has landed in Hangzhou for the G20 Summit slated for Sunday and Monday. It will be his last visit to China before he steps down as the President of the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to arrive in Hangzhou on Saturday, September 3, ahead of the G20 summit taking place in the eastern Chinese city on September 4 and 5.

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Israel and Gaza‘s ruling Hamas agreed to an open-ended ceasefire on August 26 after seven weeks of fighting – an uneasy deal that halted the Protective Edge operation, with more than 2,200 killed.

The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) began their current operation against Hamas after three teens were kidnapped and killed. The military op has already claimed over 1,500 civilian lives in Gaza.

The Hague-based ICC has been considering opening a probe into possible crimes committed by Israelis in the 2014 Gaza conflict for over a year since it was put forward by Palestinian authorities. Israel, however, says the court does not have the right to intervene.

The head of the IAF’s training department, Col. Amit, refused to discuss the identity of the nations that participated in Red Flag during a session with military correspondents.

The U.N. Syria envoy warned that a recent agreement that saw the population of a Damascus suburb evacuated after surrendering to the government could be repeated in other places around the country.

At a press conference in Geneva, Staffan de Mistura warns that “after Daraya, we may have other Darayas.”

Vladimir Putin said Russia and the U.S. are close to striking a deal on fighting terrorists in Syria, potentially a major step toward ending a civil war that’s flooded Europe with refugees and helped give rise to Islamic State.

Xi Jinping stressed that China and Saudi Arabia should consolidate strategic mutual trust and work together to meet the challenges. China supports Saudi Arabia‘s efforts in safeguarding its security and stability and will encourage all parties concerned to jointly maintain regional peace and stability.

China „hopes both sides can achieve even more substantive results in counter-terrorism cooperation“, China‘s state-run Xinhua news agency cited Xi as saying.

Erdogan, in comments before reporters translated from Turkish into Chinese, said the emphasis should be on strengthening their ties.

„Fighting terrorism is a long-term issue, and is also a long-term topic discussed by the G20,“ he said.

„So Gott will, hat die Türkei eine ernsthafte Initiative gestartet, um auch die Beziehungen mit Ägypten und Syrien zu normalisieren“, sagte er in einer im Fernsehen übertragenen Rede.

The Chinese city of Hangzhou felt like a ghost town on Saturday ahead of the arrival of leaders from the world‘s 20 biggest economies, after the government encouraged residents to clear out and cranked up security for the summit.