Morning Briefing: May 9, 2024

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday, including several EU member states considering jointly recognizing Palestine as a state, US President Joe Biden says he will not give Israel weapons to attack Rafah, and North Macedonia's opposition declared victory in both presidential and parliamentary elections.

TOP STORIES

• Several EU member states considering jointly recognizing Palestinian state on May 21: Report

Several member states of the European Union are considering to jointly recognize the state of Palestine on May 21, Irish media reported Wednesday.

Public broadcaster RTE said Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta have recently intensified contacts to jointly recognize Palestinian statehood on that day.

In a joint statement on March 22, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar and his Spanish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts said they had discussed their "readiness to recognize Palestine and said that we would do so when it can make a positive contribution and the circumstances are right.”

• Biden says he will not give Israel weapons to attack Gaza's Rafah

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he will not send Israel bombs and artillery shells to attack the southern Gazan city of Rafah in what marks the first time he has conditioned aid to Israel.

The warning comes after Israel began what US officials are calling a "limited" operation to seize Rafah's border crossing point with Egypt on Tuesday after Hamas agreed to a cease-fire proposal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to launch a ground invasion of the city "with or without" a deal with Hamas.

• North Macedonia’s opposition declares victory in elections

North Macedonia’s conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE coalition declared victory Wednesday in both presidential and parliamentary elections.

According to preliminary results, the VMRO-DPMNE coalition has won 42.88% or more than 356,000 votes with 85.71% of the ballots counted so far.

The Social Democrats, who have been in power for seven years, have won 14.82% of the vote.

• Türkiye, Azerbaijan buttress economic ties with 4 key agreements

Members of the Joint Economic Commission between Türkiye and Azerbaijan convened on Wednesday, with top officials from the two sides signing four new agreements.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov met one-on-one and led inter-delegation talks during the 11th-term meeting of the commission held at the Presidential Complex in the Turkish capital Ankara, followed by the signing ceremony for the deals.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding between the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA) of Azerbaijan, an agreement establishing a joint working group to facilitate commerce between Türkiye's Trade Ministry and Azerbaijan's Economy Ministry, a cooperation agreement in the field of water, and a declaration of intent for cooperation in combating animal diseases.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Trade turnover between Russia and Armenia set a new record in 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
• The US said Wednesday that the level of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip is "unacceptable" and urged Israel to open the Rafah border crossing "as soon as possible."

• Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to expediting the long-awaited Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railways project, which would boost bilateral and regional trade and serve as a "bridge between South and Central Asia."

• The Brazilian Civil Defense said Wednesday that deaths caused by heavy rains and flooding in the southeastern state of Rio Grande do Sol have reached 100 with 128 missing and 372 injured in 417 cities.

• Dozens of European lawmakers urged the EU on Wednesday to impose sanctions on Israel because of its recent attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip

• Palestinian medical teams have discovered a third mass grave at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the government media office said on Wednesday.

• Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday received Poland’s head of national security Jacek Siewiera and Romania’s national security adviser Ion Oprisor in Ankara

• Microsoft on Wednesday has unveiled its fourth annual Work Trend Index report, revealing 75% of knowledge workers worldwide utilize generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) at work.

• A ship carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip sailed Wednesday from Türkiye to the coastal enclave, according to officials.

SPORTS

• Fiorentina book back-to-back Europa Conference League finals

Italy's Fiorentina advanced to their second straight UEFA Europa Conference League final after a 4-3 aggregate win against Belgium's Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Fiorentina earned a 1-1 draw at Brugge's Jan Breydelstadion as a late penalty scored by Lucas Beltran sent the Viola to the 2024 final in Athens.

• Olympiacos eye spot as 2nd Greek side in history to vie for UEFA final

Olympiacos may go down in history as the second Greek team to reach a UEFA competition final as they prepare to take on English Premier League side Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

The Greek side, which won the first leg of the semifinal against Aston Villa 4-2, may become the first Greek team to reach a UEFA competition final in over half a century, since Panathinaikos' 2-0 loss to Ajax in the 1971 European Cup final.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Turkish investment agency receives award from world’s leading investment platform in Abu Dhabi

Türkiye’s Investment Office received an award at the AIM 2024 (Annual Investment Meeting) Congress in Abu Dhabi for becoming one of the most successful investment agencies worldwide through its sustainable and innovative projects.

International investment agencies were evaluated under eight categories: innovation and research collaboration, global competitiveness enhancement, community and social impact, ease of doing business, diversification of industries, investment size, trade balance effects, and sustainability and local linkages.

• Türkiye’s BOTAS inks LNG trade deal with ExxonMobil in US

The Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS) and US energy company, ExxonMobil, signed a cooperation deal on liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade, the Turkish energy and natural resources minister announced Wednesday.

Alparslan Bayraktar, who is in Washington DC for talks, announced the deal on X.

“With this agreement, which is planned to be long-term, we will take another step in diversifying our resources,” Bayraktar said as he highlighted existing LNG trade between Türkiye and the US.