World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (October 7, 2011)

The Washington Post reported that on Thursday, a day after the Obama administration and the Spanish government announced they would base Aegis Cruisers on Spain’s coast, the Russian government issued a statement condemning the agreement and threatening to scuttle any cooperation with the United States. The agreement, it said, was made “without collective discussion” and raised concerns about a “significant build-up of U.S. missile potential in the European zone.” The missile shield in Europe, the Obama administration says, is intended to protect against any ballistic missile strikes from Iran or other hostile countries. But Russia has long seen plans for the shield as a stalking horse to neutralize its own defenses. In Moscow, President Dmitry Medvedev said the alternative to collaborating with the United States and NATO on missile defense was “a new arms race,” which Russia could not afford.

“Venezuela's Chavez secures $4 bn Russian loan” is an article published by the Turkish information agency Hurriyet. It says that Russia has granted Venezuela a new $4-billion line of credit for "military and technical cooperation," the South American nation's leader Hugo Chavez said. The two countries also signed accords late Thursday to accelerate oil production in Colombia's Orinoco belt and explore for offshore gas. During a signing ceremony with Russian officials, Chavez thanked Moscow for the latest offer and for previous loans, saying that prior to the assistance "Venezuela was unarmed." "We have the right to equip our defense forces. It is an obligation for me as the head of state and the commander of the armed forces," Chavez said.

The same agency reported that Turkey and France will establish mechanisms to jointly fight against terror, organized crime, and human and drug smuggling as part of a rare substantive bilateral agreement to be inked today, which will be a first of its kind for Turkey. “The agreement has both technical and operational dimensions,” French Interior Minister Claude Gueant, who came to Turkey for official talks, told reporters in Ankara yesterday. “We will identify threats common to both countries. And we will move against them together. That would surely require joint operations as well.” Gueant met with EU Minister Egemen Bağış and Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay and will hold talks with Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin today where an agreement will be signed. Gueant will also be received by President Abdullah Gül on Friday.

The Iranian Press TV published the article headlined “Iran proposes D8 petrochemical market.” Iranian Industry, Mine and Commerce Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari has offered a plan on establishing a joint petrochemical market among eight developing countries (D8). Addressing the second summit of industry ministers of the D8 in Turkey, Ghazanfari called on his counterparts to participate in relevant research, development and training services. He added that the group should introduce representatives to follow up the work in this regard. Iran is the second biggest petrochemical producer in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia.