Turkey emerges as key player in global COVID-19 fight

[dBSPL]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey has proven itself as a key supporter of world efforts. State-run media say Turkey acted promptly and efficiently to curb spread of the coronavirus, and it’s true the government closed schools and universities only one day after the first positive case was identified in the country, among other measures. This response was by far faster than that of some key European countries.

This Easter weekend, Turkey imposed two-days curfew for most of the major provinces, making sure that about 78 percent of its 64 million people would remain at home. Turkey faces over 61,000 identified cases and more than 1,200 deaths so far. The country has increased its production lines for medical protective gear and is distributing masks — free of charge — to its citizens in an effort to prevent further COVID-19 spread.

It comes to no surprise that Turkey is better prepared to deal with such pandemics when one considers that the country has a history of large-scale disasters, from devastating earthquakes to managing millions of refugees and migrants.


In early April, Turkey supplied masks and test kits to Balkan countries, Italy and Spain, answering the request-for-assistance call made through the NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre. The medical supplies crates read: “There is hope after despair and many suns after darkness,” a famous quote by world renowned 13th century poet Jalaluddin Rumi.

So far, 88 countries have requested medical equipment from Turkey. Assistance has been sent to 30 countries so far, per the Turkish Ministry of Health. One of countries receiving medical equipment from Turkey is Israel. Turkey was the first Muslim majority country to recognize Israel, back in March of 1949, but the strategic relationship between the two deteriorated in 2010 after a Turkish flotilla bound for the Hamas-run Gaza strip was raided by Israeli military, resulting in the death of 10 civilians. Israel has so far 10,000 cases and 93 deaths and claims it will develop a coronavirus vaccine within weeks. Ankara expressed expectation that the Israeli government will allow similar shipment of medical supplies to reach the Palestinians at the West Bank and Gaza, but not as a precondition. Turkey also sent 500,000 coronavirus tests to the United States. Turkish Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca told the parliament in Ankara that the country aims to test between 10,000 to 15,000 people in Turkey daily. (It is currently in the range of 35,000/day)

Turkey is also providing much needed medical assistance to Libya, a war-torn country plunged into chaos by warmongering Khalifa Haftar, who in his continued attacks on Tripoli has several times attacked Al-Khadra, a hospital designed to receive COVID-19 cases. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya Yacoub El Hillo described these attacks “as shocking and a violation of the International Humanitarian Law.”

The United Kingdom is also receiving medical aid from Turkey, delivered by Turkish Armed Forces aircraft; this includes 100,000 hazmat suits to boost protection for medics at the hospitals that are on front line fighting COVID-19. This will certainly bring some needed relief for medics in UK following death from COVID-19 of Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a 53 year-old consultant urologist at London hospital who earlier wrote a Facebook message to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlining the urgent need for protective gear for medics. Italy and Spain, the two most affected European countries, are also receiving medical aid from Turkey. In order to manage complexities of meeting local demands and aiding other nations, the Turkish government has imposed export restrictions so companies must seek government approval before committing to export medical protective gear, currently the highest-valued commodity in the world.

In an effort to fight COVID-19, Turkey has also minimized its troop movements in Syria. This comes at a time when tensions between Turkey and Assad’s regime runs high, following the attack on Idlib that killed 33 Turkish soldiers in late February. If Idlib province falls into Assad’s hands, Turkey may face yet another 1.3 million refugees. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million refugees from Syria, along with 365,000 persons of concern. Earlier in March, the U.S. high level delegation that included U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Knight Craft, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield, and the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey visited a refugee camp and Turkish border crossing, lauding what they characterized as Turkey’s hospitality toward Syrian refugees in the country and its seamless coordination of cross-border humanitarian assistance.

The lack of protective medical equipment in many countries shows only how countries were unprepared for a major pandemic and how stock supplies were not enough to address needs of brave medical workers and of the population itself. However, as the countries and communities around the globe unite in radical measures to help beat the coronavirus, placing economies on hold, having people staying at homes and practicing social distancing, it is worth giving credit where credit is due: Turkey is rightly deserving.

https://thehill.com/opinion/interna...merges-as-key-player-in-global-covid-19-fight

Sasha Toperich is senior executive vice president of the Transatlantic Leadership Network. From 2013 to 2018, he was a senior fellow and director of the Mediterranean Basin, Middle East and Gulf initiative at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington.

 

[casual]

make sure to contain the spread of the virus in Turkey!

 

[dBSPL]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1251956440669065216

 

[Baybars Han]

We are not a charity! Our first aim should be to contain it fully in our borders.

 

[dBSPL]

make sure to contain the spread of the virus in Turkey!

When the virus began to spread in Wuhan, Turkey was among the first countries which are send aid shipments. China may have a huge production capacity (even if it reduced production levels at that time). But in this struggle against pandemic; countries need to show solidarity with each other, no matter how difficult. This also carries a symbol value.

Turkey extensively uses its soft power through COVID-19 aids

An important, but ignored, aspect regarding the global fight against the novel coronavirus has been international cooperation.

So contagious and spreading so quickly, COVID-19 has caught almost all countries in the world, even the most developed ones, off-guard and in shortage of medical equipment, masks, protective gear, ventilators and respirators.

The virus hit many countries so strongly that it collapsed their entire healthcare systems and left them desperate. In many cases, calls for help from most virus-hit countries were not be answered by their fellow countries, causing a deep frustration with humanity.

In such a context, Turkey has distinguished itself by trying to respond to the calls for help from a number of countries.

In an interview with the private broadcaster NTV over the weekend, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu informed that Turkey lent support to 44 countries out of 116 which have demanded medical supplies since the pandemic hit the world. Turkey is also fighting the outbreak and has needs, Çavuşoğlu stressed, underlining that Turkish aids will continue provided that it does not lack necessary medical equipment.

This is very much in line with the importance attached to humanitarian diplomacy which has become one of the important pillars of Turkish foreign policy in recent years.

According to the Global Humanitarian Assistance Report, Turkey has continued to be the biggest donor country of the world in 2018 with an official humanitarian aid of $8.4 billion. Turkey has remained as the “most generous country” in 2018 in terms of official humanitarian assistance to its national income with 0.79 percent of its Gross National Income.

Surely, the pandemic has complicated internal and foreign politics. The opposition leaders, who normally don’t object foreign aids, have now criticized the government for helping other countries while the country itself is suffering from the shortage of medical equipment. The government, on the other hand, has not been that transparent on which of the shipments were a donation and which ones were for sale.

A quick analysis of the Turkish assistance during the pandemic days reveals some important points and gives clues over the post-COVID-19 foreign policy of the government. One of the first countries Turkey delivered equipment was Italy and Spain, the most virus-hit countries in Europe. The aids were carried out through a NATO emergency agency and have received appreciation from the alliance.

In Mediterranean solidarity, Turkey, thus, found the chance to thank both countries who deployed air defense systems on the Turkish lands to protect the Turkish airspace against a potential attack by the Syrian regime. Spain still has a Patriot contingent in Turkey, while Italians withdrew their system late 2019. Both nations are traditionally supportive of Turkey’s full membership to the European Union and a gesture from Turkey will not be forgotten.

Plus, according to some experts, Turkey’s aids to these countries in need would help repair its broken image in the continent. It would result in a smoother dialogue between Ankara and Brussels thanks to a focus on civilian matters.

Turkey’s cooperation with the United Kingdom has been attention-drawing in this period and in the context of Brexit. Turkey’s shipment of protective gear and other equipment has been warmly praised by the British government and people, creating a new and solid bond between the two non-EU countries.

Turkey’s help to Balkan countries, Azerbaijan and Middle Eastern countries do reflect its focus on its immediate neighborhood. Palestine, Somalia and Libya are also on the list.

Turkish foreign policy, for a very long time, has been associated with the use of hard power in multiple fronts, in Syria, Libya and in the eastern Mediterranean. With the postponement of all these geopolitical conflicts to the post-pandemic period, Turkey has found an opportunity to reverse its image by the extensive use of its soft power.

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/o...s-its-soft-power-through-covid-19-aids-154014

 

[IblinI]

When the virus began to spread in Wuhan, Turkey was among the first countries which are send aid shipments. China may have a huge production capacity (even if it reduced production levels at that time). But in this struggle against pandemic; countries need to show solidarity with each other, no matter how difficult. This also carries a symbol value.

Turkey extensively uses its soft power through COVID-19 aids

An important, but ignored, aspect regarding the global fight against the novel coronavirus has been international cooperation.

So contagious and spreading so quickly, COVID-19 has caught almost all countries in the world, even the most developed ones, off-guard and in shortage of medical equipment, masks, protective gear, ventilators and respirators.

The virus hit many countries so strongly that it collapsed their entire healthcare systems and left them desperate. In many cases, calls for help from most virus-hit countries were not be answered by their fellow countries, causing a deep frustration with humanity.

In such a context, Turkey has distinguished itself by trying to respond to the calls for help from a number of countries.

In an interview with the private broadcaster NTV over the weekend, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu informed that Turkey lent support to 44 countries out of 116 which have demanded medical supplies since the pandemic hit the world. Turkey is also fighting the outbreak and has needs, Çavuşoğlu stressed, underlining that Turkish aids will continue provided that it does not lack necessary medical equipment.

This is very much in line with the importance attached to humanitarian diplomacy which has become one of the important pillars of Turkish foreign policy in recent years.

According to the Global Humanitarian Assistance Report, Turkey has continued to be the biggest donor country of the world in 2018 with an official humanitarian aid of $8.4 billion. Turkey has remained as the “most generous country” in 2018 in terms of official humanitarian assistance to its national income with 0.79 percent of its Gross National Income.

Surely, the pandemic has complicated internal and foreign politics. The opposition leaders, who normally don’t object foreign aids, have now criticized the government for helping other countries while the country itself is suffering from the shortage of medical equipment. The government, on the other hand, has not been that transparent on which of the shipments were a donation and which ones were for sale.

A quick analysis of the Turkish assistance during the pandemic days reveals some important points and gives clues over the post-COVID-19 foreign policy of the government. One of the first countries Turkey delivered equipment was Italy and Spain, the most virus-hit countries in Europe. The aids were carried out through a NATO emergency agency and have received appreciation from the alliance.

In Mediterranean solidarity, Turkey, thus, found the chance to thank both countries who deployed air defense systems on the Turkish lands to protect the Turkish airspace against a potential attack by the Syrian regime. Spain still has a Patriot contingent in Turkey, while Italians withdrew their system late 2019. Both nations are traditionally supportive of Turkey’s full membership to the European Union and a gesture from Turkey will not be forgotten.

Plus, according to some experts, Turkey’s aids to these countries in need would help repair its broken image in the continent. It would result in a smoother dialogue between Ankara and Brussels thanks to a focus on civilian matters.

Turkey’s cooperation with the United Kingdom has been attention-drawing in this period and in the context of Brexit. Turkey’s shipment of protective gear and other equipment has been warmly praised by the British government and people, creating a new and solid bond between the two non-EU countries.

Turkey’s help to Balkan countries, Azerbaijan and Middle Eastern countries do reflect its focus on its immediate neighborhood. Palestine, Somalia and Libya are also on the list.

Turkish foreign policy, for a very long time, has been associated with the use of hard power in multiple fronts, in Syria, Libya and in the eastern Mediterranean. With the postponement of all these geopolitical conflicts to the post-pandemic period, Turkey has found an opportunity to reverse its image by the extensive use of its soft power.

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/o...s-its-soft-power-through-covid-19-aids-154014

We are awared, thanks.

 

[dBSPL]

We are not a charity! Our first aim should be to contain it fully in our borders.

Remember the 1847, one of the poorest periods in Anatolian history. Even during the period when the Ottoman state treasury was in one of the most difficult situation and foreign debt increased rapidly, we provided foodstuff, medicine and seed aid to England and Ireland while they were fight against epidemic and great famine. This is our characteristic feature. And this situation does not have a direct relationship with the prosperity of our country and our wealth. We share, whatever we have.

 

[dBSPL]

Some critical subcomponents of Ford made ventilators will be deliver from Turkey. Both side working on fast delivery models within the scope of the urgent needs of the USA. https://www.cnnturk.com/video/dunya/abdye-ventilator-parcasi-satisi

 

[dBSPL]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1252847557379624960

 

[dBSPL]

Remember the 1847, one of the poorest periods in Anatolian history. Even during the period when the Ottoman state treasury was in one of the most difficult situation and foreign debt increased rapidly, we provided foodstuff, medicine and seed aid to England and Ireland while they were fight against epidemic and great famine. This is our characteristic feature. And this situation does not have a direct relationship with the prosperity of our country and our wealth. We share, whatever we have.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1252258601651048451

Even after years, some things never change. Difficult times are only and only solidarity days without hiding behind any excuse.

 

[dBSPL]

Turkish government steps in to fulfil UK order for PPE
Ankara rescues RAF supply mission after lack of export licence scuppers order

Laura Pitel in Ankara and Laura Hughes in London


A shipment of protective equipment brought to Britain by the RAF was supplied by the Turkish government after the UK’s plan to buy supplies from a private company descended into chaos. Ankara rode to the rescue when the UK’s original supplier was found to be lacking the necessary export license, prompting delays and embarrassment for Boris Johnson’s government. The bulk of a delivery of gowns and other personal protective equipment for healthcare staff treating coronavirus patients was instead provided by Ushas, a Turkish state-owned health company, according to two people familiar with the discussions to solve the crisis. Turkey’s health minister, Fahrettin Koca, said on Wednesday night that Turkey had “given permission” the previous night for a shipment to go ahead, without providing further details. “In this sense, Turkey for the second time took a step to help the UK,” he said, referring to a previous plane load of emergency aid that was sent to Britain earlier this month.


There were chaotic scenes in Istanbul on Tuesday, as British officials desperately worked with the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to source PPE to load on to an RAF plane after the initial order with a Turkish supplier for 84 tonnes of equipment failed to materialise. UK ministers said the 84-tonne consignment of PPE included an order for 400,000 gowns, which are needed to make up for a critical shortage faced by healthcare staff. But Downing Street declined to say how much PPE arrived on the flight from Istanbul in the early hours of Wednesday morning, only confirming that equipment was being tested before being sent to the front line.


Umit Yalcin, Turkey’s ambassador to the UK, told Sky News: “As far as I understand there have been problems with the private supplier company. Now Turkey is co-operating with the UK authorities to find a quick solution for the UK's urgent needs. “Turkey helped the UK by donating 250,000 pieces of personal protective equipment last week and this time again Turkey is trying to help the UK authorities to resolve this commercial issue.” The RAF had four military aircraft on standby at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to collect more PPE from Istanbul on Wednesday. A flight scheduled for lunchtime was cancelled. Military officials said tentative plans had been made for a flight to depart on Thursday. The UK and Turkey have deepened their already close diplomatic relationship in recent years. Britain rallied to the support of Mr Erdogan after a 2016 attempted coup, and has pursued close ties with Ankara on defence, counter-terrorism and trade. https://www.ft.com/content/8d1522cd-d699-4902-bbce-79f220fc1e09

 

[dBSPL]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1257739405990809601

 

[dBSPL]

OPINION - Exaggerated propaganda and exaggerated critique? The need to be fair and critical
It would serve the public good to have more nuanced, balanced, understanding approach all around, avoiding polarization
Dr. Serkan Birgel |08.05.2020

ISTANBUL

There are drawbacks to weighing in definitively in what is an ongoing and complex process. Although responsible commentary on epidemiological and economic trends are necessary, as well as comparison between countries done in good faith, any conclusive assertions or failsafe premonitions of what the future will exactly hold should always be approached with caution. This goes for both the good and the bad. Simple conclusions that crystallize very definitive futures from an ever-changing body of data are prone to rapid obsolescence. “Seek simplicity and distrust it,” philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead once said.

In light of this, contrary to what has thus far been undue and untimely assumptions, Turkey’s approach to the pandemic seems not to have backfired as suggested earlier and elsewhere. The comparatively lower mortality rates, ICU bed prevalence and utilization, unique treatment approaches, dynamic lockdown measures and so on, render at this stage the contrarian view superior. What is now picking up speed is a back and forth on Istanbul’s fatalities, between what the state and government have discerned, and those who reason that the official figures could be far too inaccurate.

The nuanced nature of this particular debate is welcome, as exemplified in an erudite piece written for Institut Montaigne. Here the matter is placed in its full political context. It is a more measured approach that highlights what may drive differing ends of the political spectrum in an inter-related controversy. This is a refreshing change from the more quick-fire stenographic accounts the public has been treated to. The latter may drive the news, but also add to needless controversy, mutual distrust, and perhaps even polarization within society. As a situation is better understood, a more somber account emerges, where “Turkey’s fatality rate still remained among the lowest compared to similar European countries and the US,” as the authors of the above report still conclude.

This can be contrasted with earlier and more grandiose assertions, the emotive force of which drew from the preliminary and uncertain stages of the fight against the pandemic. An early prediction in March from Deutsche Welle was very worrisome when penned, but quickly became anachronistic as the situation developed. This added to the perception present in Turkey that a persistent bias is at play, all of which deserve further examination.

At the start of the outbreak, there was also the charge that not enough tests were being done in Turkey, while countries such as Germany were doing more. Surely enough, as time went on, the cumulative number of tests increased. Again, a sober discussion emerged, and the public became aware that testing must be taken alongside a sleuth of other measures such as contact-tracing, social distancing, and heightened hygiene.

Testing is but a delayed snapshot in time that may give a discrete and partial picture of the spread of the virus, which may then be taken forward into policymaking regarding a gradual easing of restrictions. On its own, “the number of people tested is meaningless,” as opined in the New York Times; “if you fail to deliver on contact tracing, then you are testing as a ceremony rather than as a way to contain and isolate the outbreak.” As it happens, contact tracing is the thing that Turkey has focused upon, with the nearly 6,000 mobile tracer units deployed across the country, as reported in both CNN [5] and Reuters.

Turkey has also sent pandemic-related aid to more than 60 countries thus far, with presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin recently pointing out that “Turkey is a foul-weather friend.” The cynics saw something quite different, though. Tending toward labels, Turkey is now engaging in (variously): “Erdogan’s coronavirus diplomacy,” “Turkey’s aid diplomacy,” or even “ventilator diplomacy.”

A number of questions come to mind: what exactly is the ulterior motive here? Is that ulterior motive in fact at all negative? Why in the grand scheme of international relations would such a development hold such deterministic weight? Are such developments actually normal and expected? Or would it rather be that aid is not sent, consensus is not built, and relationships are not improved? What feasible alternative would satisfy the critic, if at all? The trouble with utilitarianism, which finds a more nefarious-sounding tautology in "weaponization,” is that it can be found absolutely anywhere, in all walks of life, if only one chooses to see the world that way. What is then plastered over the headlines is a truncated view of how human beings work.

One wonders also if the development aid – unrelated to the present pandemic – that Turkey has historically provided is also to be brushed aside as mere bragging rights, perhaps by a pride itself that cannot see the good in it. Is this all a rightful takedown of exaggerated Turkish propaganda where all the blame is now shifted to making the helpless observer ‘overly critical’? Is the traffic all one way, or is it a two-way street?

It is for the greater public good to have a more nuanced, balanced, and understanding approach all-round, without which polarization will grow. It is incumbent upon all to counter-act it.

To emulate the utilitarianism, a window of opportunity has now taken the long-term economic detriments of the lockdown as its subject; a lockdown that many in fact demanded earlier and in a stricter form. Every state must juggle epidemiological, economic, and societal concerns, with the bottom line being the imperative to save as many lives as possible. It would be irresponsible not to consider the collateral damage that economic recession can generate in the future, as seen in the fallout from the 2008 global economic crisis. The problem is global, and requires a global approach for the betterment of all.

[ The writer is a researcher at Turkey's TRT World Research Center ]

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/o...ique-the-need-to-be-fair-and-critical/1833882

 

[Foxtrot Delta]

I hope they remember this good will gesture in future when uk needs turkish help.