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Erdogan says Turkey must be ‘included’ in European security mechanisms before Nato summit

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday Turkey must be part of all of Europe’s defense and security structures, a week before a major Nato meeting in Ankara.

His views come amid a push to overhaul European defences in the face of the danger from Russia and the potential of a US withdrawal from Nato as the military alliance gets ready for a major summit in the Turkish city on July 7-8.

Turkiye’s vital contributions to European security are frequently underappreciated, Erdogan told legislative delegations from all 32 Nato member states in Istanbul, saying Turkiye wished “to be part of all defence and security initiatives” in the continent.

The dispute centres on Turkey’s access to the European Union’s 150 billion euro ($176 billion) Security Action for Europe (Safe) project, a programme that is vital to enhancing European security capabilities.

Greece has vowed to prevent Turkey’s access to the Safe project, which it is technically eligible for but needs the consent of all 27 EU countries.

“We are expecting your support, lawmakers, for Turkiye’s inclusion in the defence and security initiatives announced by the EU,” Erdogan told them.

The Turkish leader also called on Nato to remove all obstacles to military sector trade among alliance members.

“We need to tear down the barriers to defence industry trade while ensuring a balanced and fair burden-sharing among allies if we are to overcome the challenges we face,” he said.

Turkey has the second largest army in the alliance behind the United States and a growing defence sector which has been going from strength to strength, supported by bilateral defence transactions.

But its defence industry has been hit by US sanctions imposed over Ankara’s purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, with Washington also booting Turkiye out of its F-35 programme, in a move that has soured relations between the two Nato allies.

Washington says it wants to draw a line under the disagreement, but eliminating the so-called CAATSA restrictions requires Congressional approval and analysts say there was little chance it would be settled by the time of the summit.

But US President Donald Trump has promised to do something to make Erdogan “very happy” when he flies to Turkiye for the Nato get-together alongside a host of other foreign leaders.

Analysts believe it will be a delivery of a few dozen US-made F110 engines Turkiye needs for its fifth-generation KAAN fighter jets, under development and whose delivery has been halted since the installation of the CAATSA sanctions.

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Pakistan begins issuing e-passports at diplomatic missions worldwide

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Director General Immigration and Passports said that Pakistan has started issuing electronic passports (e-passports) at Pakistani diplomatic missions across the world, a major milestone achieved under the vision of the prime minister and orders of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

This launch was accomplished due to the ongoing effort of the team of Directorate General of Immigration and Passports.

The e-passport is equipped with state-of-the-art security measures and constructed according to international standards and is a step forward in modernising the passport services in Pakistan.

The director general said machine-readable passports currently issued would stay valid until their expiry dates, and e-passports would be issued to anyone applying for new passports.

The effort has been termed as a key step in modernising Pakistan’s passport services in line with the vision of “One Nation, One Passport, One Identity”.

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Interior Minister Naqvi warns against online fraud, cybercrime and blackmail

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Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned the residents about the increasing hazards of online fraud, cybercrime and blackmail and advised them not to post personal images and videos with unconnected persons.

New types of online fraud were coming to light, including situations where women and girls were coaxed into revealing their images and videos and later blackmailed, Naqvi said during a press briefing on cyber crime in the province capital.

He warned people, especially women, to be very careful about sharing personal images, as some people use pictures and films to blackmail. He made a special appeal to moms and sisters to keep their private images private.

The interior ministry also warned individuals not to transfer money online without verification, even if someone claimed to be sick and asked for financial help online, to avoid falling victim to online financial scam. He called on people to check the names of those who asked for money and to beware of bogus accounts.

Fraudsters impersonated residents on social media with bogus identities, Naqvi added. He said the cyber police are being mobilised to check cybercrime and measures are being taken to provide assistance to the victims in time.

He said he will start a public awareness campaign to educate individuals about online fraud, phoney identities and extortion. He also committed his complete support to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

The interior minister stated the NCCIA was getting the largest number of instances of harassment of girls. He said he encountered three girls who tried to commit suicide.

“It is important to prevent online harassment and blackmail, protect victims and provide timely assistance,” Naqvi said when talking about the occurrences.

He appealed to residents to be careful when using the internet and social media and to avoid unnecessarily sharing personal information and images and to report the proper authorities if they came across any suspicious online behaviour.

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German defence ministry accords guard of honour to President Zardari

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A magnificent celebration was hosted in honour of President Asif Ali Zardari at the Ministry of Defence in Germany. Additionally, a guard of honour was presented to him at this event.

Upon President Zardari’s arrival at the German Ministry of Defence, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier extended a warm welcome to him. The ceremony included the playing of the national anthems of both countries, as well as the presentation of a guard of honour to the president of Pakistan.

In response to President Steinmeier’s invitation, President Zardari is currently taking a trip to Germany. Due to the fact that this is the first time in almost 23 years that a Pakistani head of state has travelled to Germany, the visit is of great significance.

During this year, Pakistan and Germany are also commemorating the 75th anniversary of the foundation of their diplomatic relations with one another.

During the course of his tour, President Zardari will meet with his German counterpart as well as senior officials from the German government. He will also be accompanied by a high-level team.

The topics that will be discussed include bilateral ties, events in the area and the world as a whole, and strategies to improve economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Pakistan and Germany are expected to deepen their collaboration in a variety of fields as a result of President Zardari’s visit, which is likely to add new momentum to the bilateral relations between the two countries.

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