President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned
Turkey would make “no concessions” in the eastern Mediterranean and
told Greece to avoid taking steps that could lead to its
“ruin”.
His remarks come just hours after Athens said it would launch
military exercises Wednesday with France, Italy and Cyprus in the
region, where tensions between the two neighbours have escalated in
recent weeks.
“In the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea, Turkey will get
what is rightfully ours,” Erdogan said in the eastern province of
Mus on the anniversary of the 1071 Battle of Malazgirt where
pre-Ottoman tribes defeated the Byzantines.
The victory has been celebrated with increasing fervour in
modern Turkey in recent years, and this year was no different with
a socially-distanced audience listening to Erdogan.
“We don’t have our eye on someone else’s territory, sovereignty
and interests, but we will make no concessions on that which is
ours,” he said in the televised speech.
“We invite our counterparts to change their ways and avoid
wrongs that will be the path to ruin,” Erdogan added in pointed
remarks to NATO ally Greece.
“We want everyone to see Turkey is no longer a country whose
patience, determination, means and courage will be tested. If we
say we will do something, we will do it, and we will pay the
price,” he said.
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Greece and Turkey are already divided on significant issues
including migration and Byzantine heritage in Istanbul, formerly
Constantinople.
But the discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern
Mediterranean has further strained relations, with Turkey rejecting
calls from the EU and Athens to immediately stop energy exploration
in the region.
Turkey sent the Oruc Reis research vessel accompanied by
warships to disputed waters on August 10. Its activities were meant
to end on last Sunday but were extended to Thursday.
Germany has led the charge in Europe to defuse tensions,
dispatching its foreign minister to Ankara and Athens on Tuesday to
resolve the issue through dialogue.
Both sides said they were open to dialogue after talks with the
German minister, and there will be an informal EU foreign
ministers’ meeting in Berlin on Thursday and Friday.
AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/26/turkey-says-no-concessions-in-east-mediterranean-row/
Agenda 2050: Minister
Seeks Bottom-Up Approach for Implementation
The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem
Ikanade Agba, has stated that the Technical Working
Groups (TWGs) Anchors and Heads of Secretariat are critical to the
development of the Medium and Long-Term National Development Plans,
especially in liaising with other stakeholders such as coordinators
and deputy coordinators drawn from state and non state actors.
The Minister stated this in Abuja, while declaring open a
3-day Capacity Building workshop organized for TWGs Anchors and
Heads of Secretariat constituted for the development of the
Medium Term National Development Plans (2021 – 2025 & 2026 – 2030)
and Long-Term National Development Plans (Agenda 2050).
He noted that the history of development planning in Nigeria showed
a general lack of coordination and harmonization of
programmes/policies, which he stated had also not benefited from a
bottom-up approach, which negatively affected implementation.
“As a responsible government desirous of changing the fortune of
Nigerians and the future of generations yet unborn, the
administration of President Muhammadu Buhari desires that we
periodically draw comprehensive plans through which the welfare of
citizens can be enhanced economically, socially and politically
among others,” he added.
Agba said that the new plans being articulated were expected to
address development challenges in all aspects of the country’s
national life within the agreed timeframe.
According to him, “the planning process is also inclusive and
participatory with the full involvement of the Sub-National
governments (States and Local Governments), the Organized Private
Sector, the major political parties, the National Assembly, youth
and women organizations, the physically challenged, and other
relevant stakeholders.”
“This way, we would have a truly Nigerian National Development Plan
and not a federal government plan,” he explained.
Agba further expressed satisfaction with the various topics
selected for the workshop, which included the history and
trajectory of development planning in Nigeria; development planning
process, Institutional Arrangements for Effective Plan
Implementation, Understanding the Macroeconomic Framework for the
MTNDP 2021-2025, MTNDP 2026-2030 and National Agenda 2050,
Institutional Arrangements for Effective Plan
Implementation.
The Minister commended Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) of Germany,
co-organizers, its Nigerian Country Representative, Dr. Vladimir
Kreck for their continuous support to the Ministry and especially
in organizing and funding the programme.
He recalled that just recently, KAS partnered the Ministry in
organizing a similar capacity building programme for Special
Advisers of the Ministers, stressing that the training was timely
and impact-full as attested to by the participants.
Earlier, KAS Country Representative said the organization decided
to support Nigeria in organizing the workshop given “the manifold
social and economic problems COVID-19 had entailed.”
“This seminar will empower the participants to contribute
efficiently and successfully to the process of creating a
substantial Medium-Term National Development Plan for Nigeria”, he
added.
Imaobong Udoh
for: Director(Information)BNP
26th August, 2020.