Erdogan inaugurates mosque in Albania, pledges military drones as he begins Balkan tour

Erdogan inaugurates mosque in Albania, pledges military drones as he begins Balkan tour
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CaptionAlbanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (R) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchange signed documents at the Prime Minister's office in Tirana, on October 10, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 11 October 2024
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Erdogan inaugurates mosque in Albania, pledges military drones as he begins Balkan tour

Erdogan inaugurates mosque in Albania, pledges military drones as he begins Balkan tour
  • Two sides sign agreements to boost cooperation in agriculture and education
  • Erdogan will also visit Serbia as he tries to boost ties with a region once ruled by the Ottoman empire

TIRANA, Albania: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled Thursday to Albania’s capital to inaugurate a Turkish-funded mosque with 50-meter-high minarets as part of a trip to boost ties and discuss regional issues.

Erdogan also said that his country would give an unspecified number of drones to boost military capabilities in Albania, whose population is slightly more than 50 percent Muslim.

The new Namazgah mosque in Tirana is one of the largest in the Balkans.

Erdogan met with Albanian President Bajram Begaj and later with Prime Minister Edi Rama, with whom he has close ties. Following a meeting of top officials from both countries, the two sides signed agreements to boost cooperation in agriculture and education.




A view of The Great Mosque of Tirana or Namazgah Mosque, the largest mosque in the Balkans, on the day of its inauguration on October 10, 2024. (REUTERS)

Turkiye is a strategic partner of Albania and one of its largest investors, contributing to infrastructure and other sectors. Erdogan said the two countries should aim to double their annual trade to 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion).

Some 600 Turkish companies employ more than 15,000 people in Albania, Erodgan said in February when he hosted Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

It is one of the five biggest foreign investors in the country, he said, with $3.5 billion (3.2 billion euros) committed there.

Construction of the new mosque was started in 2015 with some 30 million euros ($34 million) from the state-run Turkish Muslim organization Diyanet.

The construction already had been completed for more than a year, but the inauguration was delayed because of Erdogan’s concerns that a group that Turkiye calls the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO, would have influence over the mosque.

Under agreements reached with the local Albanian Muslim community, Turkiye’s Diyanet organization will have representation on the mosque’s governing board.

Turkiye says that FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated a failed coup in Turkiye on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded. Gulen has denied any involvement.

In addition to the four minarets, the Namazgah mosque has a central dome of 30 meters and the capacity to hold 8,000 people. It sits on a 10,000-square-meter parcel of land near Albania’s parliament, and the first floor includes a cultural center.

The site is near landmark Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals.

Sunni Muslims make up nearly 46 percent of Albania’s population, and Bektashi Muslims another 5 percent. Catholics are 8 percent and Orthodox Christians 7 percent, according to a 2023 census. The various religious groups live together peacefully without tensions.




Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, his wife Emine Erdogan and Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama cut the ribbon, during the inauguration of the Namazgah Mosque in Tirana on October 10, 2024. (REUTERS)

Kamikaze drones

At a briefing after the meetings, Rama said Turkiye’s gift of military drones sends a “very clear message” that “Albania cannot be attacked.”

“It is a present that comes as a strong message from the Republic of Turkiye that Albania is unhittable,” Rama told a joint news conference during on one-day visit by Erdogan.

The so-called kamikaze drone is a loitering munition that cruises toward its target before plummeting at velocity and detonating on impact.

Rama also said that the acquisition of an unspecified number of Turkish kamikaze drones does not mean “Albania will attack anyone.”

Most countries in the Western Balkans, including Albania, have started to upgrade their aging militaries after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Albania and Turkiye are both members of NATO. The government in Tirana has already acquired a fleet of Turkish-made Bayraktar reconnaissance and attack drones.

Trip to Serbia

On Friday, Erdogan will move on to Serbia, where Turkiye made a major diplomatic comeback in 2017 with a landmark visit to Belgrade.

The trip helped Erdogan and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic mend ties between the countries.

The five centuries of the Ottoman presence in Serbia have traditionally weighed heavily on relations between Belgrade and Ankara.

Another source of tension has been Turkiye’s cultural and historic ties with Serbia’s former breakaway province of Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move Belgrade still refuses to recognize.

But Erdogan’s 2017 visit repaired Turkiye’s relationship with Serbia, Belgrade-based analyst Vuk Vuksanovic told AFP.

Since then “the Balkans is quite a success story for Turkiye,” he added.

Even so, it has not been all plain sailing with Belgrade furious last year when Turkiye sold drones to Kosovo, something Serbia said was “unacceptable.”

But the row could be patched up, the analyst insisted.

“I would not be surprised if we see a military deal at the end of this visit,” Vuksanovic said.

He expected the talks in Belgrade to focus on “military cooperation, the position of Turkish companies, and attempts by Belgrade to persuade Ankara to tone down support for Kosovo.”

Even though the rapprochement is relatively recent, economic ties between the two countries are already significant.

Turkish investment in Serbia has rocketed from $1 million to $400 million over the past decade, the Turkiye-Serbia business council told Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency.

Turkish exports to Serbia hit $2.13 billion in 2022, up from $1.14 billion in 2020, according to official Serbian figures.

Turkish tourists are also hugely important for Serbia, second only in visitor numbers to those from Bosnia.

 

 

 


Elders group of global leaders warns of Gaza ‘genocide’

Delegations from “The Elders” visit Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP)
Delegations from “The Elders” visit Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP)
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Elders group of global leaders warns of Gaza ‘genocide’

Delegations from “The Elders” visit Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP)
  • “Today we express our shock and outrage at Israel’s deliberate obstruction of the entry of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza,” group of public figures said

LONDON: The Elders group of international stateswomen and statesmen for the first time on Tuesday called the situation in Gaza an “unfolding genocide,” saying that Israel’s obstruction of aid was causing a “famine.”

“Today we express our shock and outrage at Israel’s deliberate obstruction of the entry of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the non-governmental group of public figures, founded by former South Africa president Nelson Mandela in 2007, said in a statement after delegates visited border crossings in Egypt.

“What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide,” it added.

Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, called on Israel to open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza so aid could be delivered, after visiting the site.

“Many new mothers are unable to feed themselves or their newborn babies adequately, and the health system is collapsing,” she said.

“All of this threatens the very survival of an entire generation.”

Clark was joined by Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the visit.

She said that international leaders “have the power and the legal obligation to apply measures to pressure this Israeli government to end its atrocity crimes.”

The delegation “saw evidence of food and medical aid denied entry, and heard witness accounts of the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, while trying to access aid inside Gaza,” said the statement.

They urged Israel and Hamas to agree a ceasefire and for the immediate release of remaining Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

The London-based group also called for the “recognition of the State of Palestine,” but added “this will not halt the unfolding genocide and famine in Gaza.”

“Transfers of arms and weapons components to Israel must be suspended immediately,” it added, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be sanctioned.

Israel has faced mounting criticism over the 22-month-long war with Hamas, with United Nations-backed experts warning of widespread famine unfolding in besieged Gaza.

Netanyahu is under mounting pressure to secure the release of the remaining hostages, as well as over his plans to expand the war, which he has vowed to do with or without the backing of Israel’s allies.

Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 61,499 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, whose toll the UN considers reliable.


Madonna urges the pope to visit Gaza ‘before it’s too late’

Madonna urges the pope to visit Gaza ‘before it’s too late’
Updated 29 min 45 sec ago
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Madonna urges the pope to visit Gaza ‘before it’s too late’

Madonna urges the pope to visit Gaza ‘before it’s too late’
  • The superstar posted her appeal to the pontiff on social media Monday
  • Madonna added that she wasn’t taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war

LONDON: Madonna has urged the pope to travel to Gaza and “bring your light to the children before it’s too late.”

The superstar posted her appeal to the pontiff on social media Monday, saying her son Rocco’s birthday prompted her to make the post. Rocco turned 25 Monday.

Addressing Pope Leo XIV, she wrote: “Most Holy Father. Please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering.

“The children of the world belong to everyone. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry,” she added. “We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children. There is no more time. Please say you will go. Love, Madonna.”

The singer added that she wasn’t taking sides in the war.

“I am not pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides. Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages,” she wrote. “I pray that they are released as well. I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation.”

The pope recently renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect humanitarian laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

“I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” the pontiff said last month.

Aid workers and doctors have said that after months of Israeli blockade and turmoil in the distribution of supplies, children in Gaza with no previous conditions are starting to die from malnutrition.

Israel’s air and ground offensive, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel, has displaced most of the some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza and pushed the territory toward famine.

The United Nations said that across Gaza, more than 5,000 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in May, though that is likely an undercount. Malnutrition was virtually nonexistent before the war. Doctors struggle to treat the children because many supplies have run out, the UN says.

Israel denies a famine is taking place or that children are starving. It says it has supplied enough food throughout the war and accuses Hamas of causing shortages by stealing aid and trying to control food distribution.


Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border

Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border
Updated 12 August 2025
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Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border

Thailand warns it may act in ‘self-defense’ after soldier hurt by a mine blast near Cambodian border
  • ‘This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement’
  • Cambodia and Thailand have previously clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer border

BANGKOK: Thailand’s army warned that it may have to “exercise the right of self-defense” in response to continuing incidents it blames on Cambodia, in which Thai soldiers patrolling along the two countries’ border have been wounded by land mines.

A statement from Thai Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said a sergeant was patrolling the border with seven other soldiers Tuesday morning when he “stepped on an anti-personnel land mine covertly planted by the Cambodian side, resulting in severe injuries to his left ankle.”

The incident and the Thai reaction indicates the precariousness of the ceasefire that took effect on July 29 with the aim of ending five days of armed clashes over disputed territory along their border. The fighting killed dozens of people on both sides, including civilians, and displaced more than 260,000.

Tuesday’s land mine incident was the fourth of its kind in about a month, and the second since the ceasefire. It took place about 1 kilometer from Ta Muen Thom temple, which Thailand claims is located in its Surin province.

The area, which was the scene of heavy fighting in July, is one of several along the border that both countries claim as their own.

In another disputed area Saturday, a Thai sergeant major suffered severe injuries, including losing his left foot, while two privates suffered lesser injuries.

“This incident serves as clear evidence that the Cambodian side has violated the ceasefire agreement and shows no respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use and placement of all types of anti-personnel land mines,” said the Thai army statement about the latest incident. Both countries are parties to the international agreement.

The statement noted the multiple similar incidents and declared that Thailand “has consistently adhered to peaceful approaches and has not been the initiating party.”

“However, should circumstances become compelling, it may be necessary to exercise the right of self-defense under international law principles to resolve situations that cause Thailand to continuously lose personnel due to violations of ceasefire agreements and sovereignty encroachments by Cambodian military forces,” it warned.

Cambodia’s Defense Ministry “categorically and unequivocally rejects the baseless, false, and deliberately misleading allegations from the Thai side regarding the injuries of Thai soldiers,” said its spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.

“Cambodia, as a proud and responsible State Party to the Ottawa Convention, maintains an absolute and uncompromising position: we have never used, produced, or deployed new land mines under any circumstances, and we strictly and fully honor our obligations under international law,” she said, echoing previous official denials.

Ly Thuch, senior minister and first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, noted that Cambodia has cleared more than 1 million mines and nearly 3 million other pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from more than three decades of war and civil unrest that began in 1970, according to an interview with the Cambodian state news agency AKP.

Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their 800-kilometer border. Tensions had been growing since May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand’s domestic politics.


ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis

ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis
Updated 12 August 2025
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ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis

ASEAN to send first peace mission to Myanmar over Rohingya crisis
  • Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ first such engagement since 2021 Myanmar military coup
  • It is planned to take place before UN-backed Rohingya conference in Doha in September

DHAKA: Malaysia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send a peace mission to Myanmar to help address the Rohingya crisis, officials said Tuesday, as Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, whose country hosts most refugees, met with Malaysian leaders.

The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim ethnic minority, lived for centuries in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state but were stripped of their citizenship in the 1980s.

Since then, many of them have fled to Bangladesh, with around 700,000 arriving in 2017 after a military crackdown that the UN has been referring to as a textbook case of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar.

Today, more than 1.3 million Rohingya are cramped inside 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar district on the southeast coast of Bangladesh, making it the world’s largest refugee settlement.

Yunus, the Nobel Peace Laureate who pledged support for the Rohingya upon taking office last year, is on a three-day visit to Malaysia — the ASEAN chair for 2025 — at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“We are concerned with the burden placed on Bangladesh on having to cater for enormous numbers of Rohingya refugees,” Anwar said in a press conference with Yunus.

“The (Malaysian) foreign minister will coordinate a team with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand to visit Myanmar in the next few weeks to ensure that peace is attained and the atrocity (against) some ethnic minorities and the people of Myanmar can be amicably resolved.”

Despite multiple attempts from Bangladeshi authorities, a UN-backed repatriation and resettlement process of the Rohingya has been failing to take off for the past few years.

Efforts have been stalled by armed conflict in Myanmar since the military junta seized power in 2021. Violence in Rakhine State, home to most of the Rohingya, has surged in recent months amid clashes between the junta and the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic militia.

Retired Maj. Gen. Shahidul Haque, former diplomat and defense attache of the Bangladesh Embassy in Myanmar, told Arab News: “The issue of Rohingya repatriation is in a complex state in 2025.

“Multiple actors are involved in Myanmar: the capital, Naypyidaw, is controlled by the Myanmar military, while the Rohingyas’ birthplace, Rakhine, is under the control of the separatist Arakan Army.

“It will not be possible to repatriate a single Rohingya without reaching some form of agreement with the Arakan Army.

“A UN-backed Rohingya conference will be held in Doha next September, and the ASEAN peace mission visit may also help boost the UN initiative to find a sustainable solution to the crisis.”

The UN estimates that in the past 18 months alone, targeted violence against the Rohingya has driven an additional 150,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.

The protracted crisis has begun to affect the host community, which despite not being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, has been supporting the Rohingya by providing not only land, but also water, electricity, healthcare and a huge law enforcement presence.

The Bangladeshi government estimated last year that it had spent around $2 billion since the beginning of the crisis only on maintaining the infrastructure for refugees.

The ASEAN mission will be the first such visit since the Myanmar military coup.

“This peace mission by the ASEAN is a breakthrough initiative for finding a resolution to the Rohingya crisis. Until now, Myanmar authorities have not welcomed any third-party engagement or visit on Rohingya issues,” Haque said.

“The timing of this visit is also very important as the Myanmar military rulers will hold a general election in December. The military rulers in Myanmar need support and recognition from ASEAN peers regarding the election. Maybe for this reason, they are now willing to engage with ASEAN nations.”


Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander

Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander
Updated 12 August 2025
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Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander

Somalia executes 2 soldiers convicted of helping Al-Shabab kill commander
  • A military court in the capital Mogadishu sentenced the two soldiers to death in August, after they were convicted of killing their battalion commander in July
  • One was found to have received the explosive device, while the second placed it under the bed of their commander, before it was detonated remotely

MOGADISHU: Two Somali soldiers sentenced to death for conspiring with extremist militant group Al-Shabab to assassinate a commander were executed on Monday, military court officials said.

The impoverished Horn of Africa nation is witnessing a rise in attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked militia, fueling concerns of a jihadist resurgence.

The group has seized dozens of towns and villages in an offensive that has reversed nearly all of the gains the army made in 2022 and 2023.

A military court in the capital Mogadishu sentenced the two soldiers to death in August, after they were convicted of killing their battalion commander in July.

One was found to have received the explosive device, while the second placed it under the bed of their commander, before it was detonated remotely.

“They were executed today for their involvement in the assassination of Commander Aided Mohamed Ali,” prosecutor Hassan Siyad Mohamed said.

“Anyone found having links with the Kharijites and proven, one day God will expose you, and you will come out, and we will find you and execute you by firing squad,” said Liban Ali Yarrow, chairman of the supreme military court, using the term officials adopt to describe Al-Shabab.

Three Al-Shabab members found guilty last week of killing people in Mogadishu were executed by firing squad.