Manila, 30 July 2019 (PNA)

The Philippines and Turkey are eyeing a stronger engagement on the field of defense, economics, and education, following the first bilateral meeting between Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and his Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in Bangkok on Tuesday (July 30).

The two met for the first time on the sidelines of the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences and Related Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.

During their meeting, the top diplomats discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Philippines and Turkey in various fields such as defense, trade and investments, culture, and education, said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In 2018, the two states inked a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, with focus on government-to-government acquisition, as well as the development, production, co-production, and transfer of defense technology between the Department of National Defense and Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries.

But aside from defense, Turkey's commitment to improving ties with Manila expands to the Mindanao Peace Process.

According to the DFA, Turkey serves as the Chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body under the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Framework. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency is also active in Mindanao with its various development projects and activities.

On multilateral cooperation, Locsin and Çavuşoğlu discussed Turkey’s engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a sectoral dialogue partner. Turkey’s partnership with ASEAN was confirmed during the Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017.

READ: Asean, Southeast Asian power engine

Anadolu, Turkey's state-run media, reported that Ankara's trade volume with ASEAN countries reached around USD1.3 billion in 2002, and increased to USD8.7 billion in 2018.

Meanwhile, direct foreign investment from Turkey to ASEAN rose 55 percent in 2018 compared to 2017.

Turkey, which has a free trade agreement with Malaysia and Singapore, is now holding talks with Thailand and Indonesia. (PNA)

Seoul, 30 July 2019 (Yonhap)

Japan is highly likely to pass a bill later this week to remove South Korea from its "whitelist" of trusted trade partners, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, in what would be an additional economic retaliatory measure in a row over wartime forced labor.

"The bill is expected to be passed at a Cabinet meeting and undergo procedures ... before it comes into effect in late August," the ministry said in a report submitted to the National Assembly.

On July 4, Japan imposed tighter restrictions on exports to South Korea of three key chemicals vital to manufacturing memory chips and displays, in apparent retaliation for last year's South Korean Supreme Court rulings ordering Japanese firms to compensate forced labor victims.

Japan has strongly protested the rulings, arguing that all reparation issues were settled by a 1965 accord that normalized the bilateral relations.

In addition to the export restrictions, Tokyo has been pushing to take South Korea off the list of 27 countries given special treatment in purchasing Japanese dual-use products that can be diverted for military use.

Speaking before the parliament's foreign affairs and unification committee on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called Tokyo's measures "not comprehensible and unjustifiable."

"The government's conclusion on the measures is that it has a retaliatory nature," she said.

Asked by a lawmaker about the fate of a Seoul-Tokyo military intel-sharing pact in light of the deepening trade spat, Kang said the government intends to maintain the agreement, though it does not rule out other possibilities.

"The government is now monitoring various situations, and we intend to keep it for now. Depending on how the situation develops, we could consider reviewing it," she said.

President Moon Jae-in's national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, has reportedly told lawmakers that Seoul could review whether to renew the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), signed in 2016. The bilateral pact is supposed to be renewed every year, and the deadline for any objection by either side to its renewal for another year is Aug. 24.

Amid rivalries with an assertive China and resurgent Russia, and tensions with Iran, the United States faces yet another complex foreign policy challenge from within its own alliance network: a rancorous diplomatic spat between South Korea and Japan.

Following Tokyo's recent export control measure, the relationship between the two American allies has been spiraling downward, fueling worries that their spat could hamper Washington's alliance-based drive to keep its geopolitical leadership and promote regional stability.

On July 4, Tokyo enforced tighter restrictions on exports to South Korea of three key industrial materials used in semiconductors and displays -- a move seen as a politically driven retaliatory step linked to last year's Supreme Court rulings here over Japan's wartime forced labor.

Seoul has been calling for Washington's mediation, while President Moon Jae-in appears set to confront Japan's economic jab head-on based on the claim that Tokyo's measure runs counter to free trade principles and could affect the global economy.

David Stilwell, the new top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy, was set to arrive here Tuesday after his trip to Japan. His planned visit to Seoul renewed attention to whether Washington would step into the fray, though he has told Japanese media that Washington had no plan to mediate.

U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomacy prioritizing American interests has raised the prospect of Washington staying ambivalent over the Seoul-Tokyo tussle or demanding the two sides settle their issue bilaterally.

Caracas, 27 July 2019 (TASS)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has expressed gratitude to specialists from Russia, China, India and Turkey for assisting in developing and restructuring the Latin American country's economy.

"I thank for all the assistance provided to us by China, for advice from experts who help us implement our economic program. I thank Russian experts who maintain a dialogue and consultations with us. I also thank experts from India, Turkey," Maduro said in a speech broadcast on Periscope.

He noted that Venezuela started to restructure its economy to remove dependence on oil revenues. "We had a deformed economic model, and it put us in a dependent position," he added.

Venezuela will not focus on developing agricultural and indutrial sectors, he said. "We will produce everything we need by ourselves," Maduro concluded.

Vienna, 28 July 2019 (TASS)

A session of the JCPOA Joint Commission has begun at Palais Coburg in Vienna at the level of political directors, TASS reports from the site.

The sides are expected to look into how the situation has changed since their previous meeting as well as discuss prospects for saving the deal.

Russia is represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. The director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Arms Control, Fu Cong, represents China. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi traditionally represents Iran.

Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid chairs the session. The UK, Germany and France are represented by deputies to the foreign minister in charge of arms control issues or directors of the relevant departments at their foreign ministries.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by Iran with the UN Security Council permanent members (Russia, the UK, China, the US, France) and Germany in 2015. The deal restricted Tehran’s nuclear development in exchange for lifting the UN sanctions and the unilateral restrictions imposed by the US and the EU. On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA. Exactly a year after, President of Iran Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran was suspending a part of its nuclear deal obligations and gave other parties to the deal two months to fulfil their obligations.

Rio de Janeiro, 27 July 2019 (Xinhua)

The rise of emerging markets and developing countries, represented by the BRICS countries, has bolstered a more multi-polar world, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday.

At the Formal Meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Wang also said BRICS cooperation is not a band-aid solution for the five countries but a strategic choice that focuses on common and long-term development and harbors bright prospects.

The five countries are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Wang said no matter how the international landscape changes, the direction of the BRICS cooperation must not change. Faced with new challenges, the five countries should let their voices be heard, offer more solutions to pressing global issues and play a greater role in world affairs.

Wang pointed out that unilateralism undermines international rules and challenges the international rule of law, which exacerbates the instability and uncertainty of the world.

The BRICS countries must take the lead in maintaining multilateralism and safeguarding the global governance system with the UN as its core and under international law.

Furthermore, the bloc should safeguard the multilateral trading system represented by the WTO and protect the common interests and development space of emerging market and developing countries, he said.

The five countries together must continue to integrate the interests of other emerging market countries and developing countries through flexible and diverse platforms such as "BRICS Plus."

At the meeting, the five foreign ministers all agreed to safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, defend multilateralism and free trade, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, strengthen global governance, and build a community with a shared future for humankind.

They agreed that regional hotspot issues should be resolved through dialogue and consultation and that BRICS cooperation should work to benefit the peoples of the five countries.

The foreign ministers also agreed to maintain vigilance on cybersecurity issues and expressed opposition to the use of cybersecurity to suppress the development of science and technology in other countries. They agreed to strive toward an open and non-discriminatory environment for the application of information technology.

The foreign ministers were tasked with preparing for the BRICS summit to be held in Brasilia in November.

Washington, DC - Jane's Defence Weekly

Washington will spend between USD 500 million and USD 600 million to shift part of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter supply chain out of Turkey, as part of its plan to remove the nation from the program.

Five days after Turkey accepted the Russian S-400 surface-to-air (SAM) long-range air defence and missile systems, the Trump Administration broke its silence and announced that it would follow through on its threat to curtail Ankara's participation in the F-35 effort.

"Unfortunately, Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible," the White House said in a statement on 17 July.

Ellen Lord, the US Department of Defense's undersecretary of defence for acquisition and sustainment, and David Trachtenberg, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, held a Pentagon press briefing after the announcement to flush out the details of what this will mean for the program but deferred to discuss potential sanctions.

"Turkey cannot field a Russian intelligence collection platform in proximity to where the F-35 program makes repairs and houses the F-35," Lord told reporters. "Much of the F-35 strength lies in its stealth capabilities so the ability to detect those capabilities would jeopardize the long-term security of the F 35 program."

The United States has suspended Ankara from the aircraft effort while it initiates the process to formally remove the nation from the program. The move will have a significant impact on the supply chain since nearly 900 aircraft parts, including the centre fuselage and the cockpit display, are produced inside the country. Lord said that between now and the end of March 2020, the Pentagon will "unwind" Turkey's participation in the F-35 program and spend between USD500 million and USD600 million in "non-recurring engineering" costs to shift the supply chain.

Doha

Qatar Petroleum has entered into an agreement with Eni and Total to acquire a 25% participating interest (13.75% from Eni and 11.25% from Total) in blocks L11A, L11B and L12 located offshore Kenya.

The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals by the government of Kenya. Following such approval, the partners comprising the consortium will consist of affiliates of each of Eni (the operator) with a 41.25% participating interest, Total with a 33.75% participating interest, and Qatar Petroleum with a 25% participating interest.

Commenting on this occasion, H.E. Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, and President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said: “We are pleased to sign this agreement to participate in exploring these frontier offshore areas in Kenya and to further strengthen our presence in Africa.”

H.E. Al-Kaabi also added: “We hope that the exploration efforts are successful, and we look forward to collaborating with our valuable partners Eni and Total, and the government of Kenya in these blocks. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Kenyan authorities and our partners for their ongoing and continued support.”

The three offshore block (L11A, L11B and L12) are situated in what is considered to be a frontier and largely unexplored area in the Lamu basin east of Kenya and have a total area of approximately 15,000 square kilometers, with water depths ranging from about 1000 meters to 3,000 meters.

In line with its growth strategy, this opportunity strengthens Qatar Petroleum’s position in the exploration of frontier basins with significant hydrocarbon resource potential.

Doha

The Visa Support Services Department of the Ministry of the Interior in cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs organized a seminar recently on the authorization of manpower agencies to bring in domestic workers through Qatar Visa Centres abroad.

Maj. Abdullah Al-Muhannadi, Director of Visa Support Services Department at the General Directorate of Passports, and Mohammed Ali Al-Meer, Director of Labour Inspection Department of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, spoke at the seminar in the presence of representatives of manpower companies and agencies.

Maj. Abdullah Khalifa Al Mohannadi said that this measure is a continuation of the project to complete work visa procedures for expatriate workforce in their own home countries and in order to simplify recruitment procedures in general while protecting the rights of expatriates and ensure their safe and smooth entry into Qatar.

The service allows Qatari citizens and residents and companies to authorize manpower agencies to complete the recruitment procedures of domestic workers through Qatar Visa Centers Abroad. The service will be launched by mid of August, after Eid Al-Adha holidays.

Authorization can be done through Metrash2 and MoI website electronically or at MOI Services Centres manually by selecting one of the listed recruitment office or agency in some simple and quick steps, he said.

After the authorization, the recruitment agencies can complete the recruitment process and the various steps through the Qatar visa centres abroad including enrollment of biometric data, contract singing and medical examination.

Major Al-Mohannadi added that this service aims to guarantee the rights of applicants and ensure the ratification of their contracts by the competent authority in the State of Qatar, in addition to reducing the effort and time on both the applicant and the expatriate.

Ali Al-Mir said that the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs is working on the classification of recruitment agencies operating in the country and evaluating them according to specific professional standards to ensure the best recruitment mechanism.

“This service facilitates the recruitment of domestic workers whereas employment contract will be signed through Qatar Visa Centre in their own country thus protecting the workers’ rights”, Al-Meer said.

Jakarta, Jane's Defence Weekly

The Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has called for greater levels of synergy between the government, military, and the national defence industry in efforts to improve indigenous military production capability.

The MoD said in a recent press release that the requirement for enhanced collaboration is one of several priorities outlined for implementation in its 2020-24 defence industrial development plan. The plan, which will be overseen by the MoD's Defence Industry Policy Committee (KKIP), coincides with the third and final phase of the Indonesian armed forces' (Tentara Nasional Indonesia: TNI's) modernisation program called Minimum Essential Force (MEF).

In announcing the 2020-24 plan, Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that Indonesia's defence industry has improved capabilities following the enactment of the Defence Industry Law 2012 - also called Law 16 - which commits the MoD to procure from local industry whenever possible. Law 16 also states that when defence imports are pursued the foreign contractor delivers the contract through partnerships with local industry.

Ryacudu said local industry programmes supported through Law 16 include the local production of submarines, frigates, medium tanks, rockets, and munitions.

Ryacudu also stressed a requirement during the 2020-24 plan for government, the TNI, and local industry to expand co-operation and "synchronisation" to support local defence production. He also said that the TNI needed to "consistently prioritise" domestic products over defence imports.

Doha, 27 July 2019

Msheireb Museums, the four revived historic heritage houses in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha, has officially released a new smartphone application, featuring an array of digital services to enhance the visitors’ experience while discovering the history and culture of Msheireb and Qatar.

Developed by Msheireb Museums, the application is an innovative and easy way to explore each of the four houses using the geolocation technology to provide the first ever digital audio tour feature in Qatar. With a digital positioning system covering every corner at the Museums, the Tour allows visitors to hear audio narrations and explanations as they move around, giving them the freedom to manage their own tour at their own pace, and make the best out of their experience, while minimising consumption of printed material.

The application boasts an array of other options including location and wayfinding from any place in Qatar, notifications and alerts on upcoming events and workshops as they become available, and social media sharing.

Schools and groups can also now book their special tours via the new Reservation options. Additionally, entities who would like to use the Museums state-of-the-art facilities, for their events, workshops, exhibitions or meetings, can now register using the “Rent” feature included in the mobile application.

Dr Hafiz Ali, Msheireb Museums Director, said: “Innovation is a core component of our vision as a social history museum. We are keen on giving our visitors an interactive, engaging and comfortable experience that encourages them to explore chapters of our country’s history. This is a huge achievement and we look forward to engaging with the community and using the app as a medium for better communication and service.”

Msheireb Museums application is available for free on the App Store and Google Play for both IOS and Android devices, in English and Arabic. The Audio Tour feature is accessible only when at Msheireb Museums and requires a Bluetooth connection.