After long procedural delays, Turkey has finally given its approval for Sweden to join NATO as a full member. According to Anadolu agency on 23.01.2024, the Grand National Assembly (Parliament) of Turkey voted in favor of the relevant bill with 287 votes “for” and 55 votes “against”. The document must be sent to President R. Erdogan for his signature.
On February 25-26, Azerbaijan will commemorate the 34th anniversary of the “Khojalu genocide”. According to Azerbaijani sources, the republic is getting ready for the event as in previous years: preparing reports, editing new television films, presenting “research” papers and books.
On 20.02.2024, it was reported that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) had uncovered the activities of the French Intelligence Directorate in Turkey. As part of the MIT operation, 3 people were arrested for allegedly spying for France for a year. According to the Turkish media, one of the “spies”, Ahmet Kati, along with two others were detained by MIT and Istanbul police while trying to leave Turkish territory after being warned by French intelligence.
On 21.02.2024 in Paris, a solemn state ceremony was held for the reburial of the remains of a French Resistance hero Missak Manouchian in the Pantheon, where the ashes of France’s greatest figures and sons – Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marie and Pierre Curie, Voltaire, Emile Zola, Alexandre Dumas and others – rest.
On 14.02.2024, Turkish President R. Erdogan paid an official visit to Egypt for the first time in the last 11 years.
On 16.02.2024 it became known that in January this year Azerbaijan has exported to Israel more than 523.5 thousand tons of oil costing $296,947,000. These figures show that Israel took first place in the list of Azerbaijani oil importers and increased the volume of Azerbaijani hydrocarbons exactly during the operation of the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
On 08.02.2024, the President of the European Council Charles Michel was among the first to congratulate Ilham Aliyev on his victory in the presidential elections, even though the official results of these elections will not be vowed until February 17.
According to EADaily, citing Azerbaijani sources, “State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan has collapsed revenues”.
In January 2024, State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) revenues from Azeri–Chirag–Gunashli (ACG–the Azerbaijan’s largest oil block) amounted to $387.645.000, while, last January ACG revenues reached $625 million. The difference is more than obvious.
The events unfolding around Russian-Turkish relations may indicate that Ankara, figuratively speaking, is “packing bags” after a not so long, but stormy “political-economic romance” with Moscow.
