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10 I Companies & Markets bne May 2021
Russia is what Ankara might gain as a reward from the Biden administration for standing by Kyiv’s side.
Turkey was angered last year when it emerged during Joe Biden’s campaign to become US president that Biden had described Erdogan to the New York Times as an “autocrat”, while urging encouragement for opposition parties setting out to dislodge him. Since Biden became president in late January, he has not placed a call to Erdogan and there has been little progress in solving the disagreements plaguing the US-Turkey relationship.
Washington and Ankara remain at loggerheads over the latter’s acquisition of Russian S-400 advanced missile defence systems – Biden officials have refused to budge on the US response, which includes a ban on Turkey acquiring F-35 stealth fighter jets that is starting to undermine the Turks’ attempts at keeping their air force up-to-date – while the
US State Department has spoken out against Erdogan’s dire human rights record.
Other questions include an upcoming New York trial of Turkish state bank Halkbank on charges of evading Iranian sanctions and the prospect of Biden opting to designate Turkey’s mass killing of Armenians during WWI as genocide.
Army sent into Tirana airport after strike grounds all flights
bne IntelliNews
Military police were sent into Tirana airport on the evening of April 7 to remove striking air traffic controllers from the control tower.
The strike grounded flights at Albania’s only operational international airport as controllers protested against layoffs and pay cuts.
All flights due to depart after 10am on April 7 were cancelled, as are flights until 10am on April 8, as the air traffic controllers announced a 24-hour strike.
According to reports in the Albanian media, the strike was announced after five controllers were laid off. Controllers say their pay has been cut by around two thirds since the start
of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a slump in air transport to and from Albania.
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“I assume that Erdogan is expecting the Biden administration to pay him back for his loyalty, by giving him some wiggle room on the Halkbank issue and the looming decision over the designa- tion of the alleged Armenian genocide. He hopes that through this action Biden will finally place a call to him,” Ash wrote.
US Vice President Kamala Harris comes from California, where there is a large Armenian-American community, and she was a co-sponsor of a Senate resolution to recognise the killings as genocide in 2019.
In further comments on Turkey’s worsening pandemic difficulties, Teneo said: “The government blames virus variants for the surge in infections, saying some 85% of total cases across the country are from the variant first identified in the UK. However, criticism from health professionals is mounting and the public is becoming increasingly frustrated.
“Turkish citizens are also becoming increasingly indifferent to the endless attempts by the government to divert public atten- tion from the raging pandemic and the worsening economic situation. Given the negative trajectory of the pandemic, Presi- dent Tayyip Erdogan will soon have to announce a tightening of the existing restrictions, a move that will further infuriate the Turks and cause additional economic distress.”
Their list of requests includes the return of their colleagues to work, restoration of full salaries and financial transparency for 2021.
However, the strike has become highly politicised. At a press conference, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Belinda Balluku called the strike a “coup”.
“Prime Minister Edi Rama slammed the “hardline” controllers: “Serious sabotage of the activity of Mother
Teresa Airport will not be tolerated!”