Australians awoke on Sunday to a new prime minister in Anthony Albanese, the center-left Labor Party leader, though it remains unclear whether his party can form a majority government.
Ankara has a chance to use the situation to achieve its goals, Naim Baburoglu says
Turkey should take full advantage of the historic opportunity provided by Finland and Sweden’s bids to join NATO, a retired Turkish Brigadier General Naim Baburoglu has said.
The two Nordic nations have applied to become members of the US-led military bloc in the wake of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
But NATO-member Turkey said it’s going to oppose their bids, accusing Finland and Sweden of supporting the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been outlawed by Ankara.
Thanks to its veto power, Turkey has now received a strategic card, which is only drawn once in 30 or 40 years, and it must be used to make sure than not only Helsinki and Stockholm, but all NATO members, designate the PKK as a terrorist organization, Baburoglu told the Sozcu newspaper on Sunday.
Finland and Sweden denouncing the PKK and handing over Kurdish suspects, and the US approving the sale of F-16s to Turkey, which were among the demands recently voiced by Ankara, shouldn’t be enough for the Turkish government to change its stance, he added.
“Even if it takes 20 years, Turkey must capitalize on its veto power on the issue of Sweden and Finland,” said the retired general, who used to work at NATO’s headquarters near the Belgian city of Mons.
According to Baburoglu, it’s in Washington’s power to resolve the deadlock over Helsinki and Stockholm’s membership bids.
“Who has the most interest in Sweden and Finland being in NATO? It’s the US because it wants to surround Russia from the northern Baltics. Therefore… Turkey should discuss this matter with the US in the first place,” he said.
The vessel can reportedly carry dozens of drones, unmanned ships and submersibles
China has unveiled the world’s first autonomous drone carrier vessel, which can be used for both maritime research and security purposes, hosting dozens of unmanned planes, local media have reported.
According to the South China Morning Post, the launch of the 88-meter ship named Zhu Hai Yun took place on Wednesday. The vessel can either be controlled remotely or navigate autonomously in open water, the report said, adding that it will contribute greatly to marine scientific research and observation. The Zhu Hai Yun could be deployed for marine disaster prevention and offshore wind farm maintenance, China’s Science and Technology Daily reports.
Aside from these civilian uses, the carrier could also reportedly be deployed to intercept “invasive targets.”
The Zhu Hai Yun, which aside from a swarm of drones hosts unmanned ships and submersibles, is able to navigate without human intervention thanks to a unique on-board artificial intelligence system. Called the Intelligent Mobile Ocean Stereo Observing System (IMOSOS), it was developed by the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory.
Speaking to the Science and Technology Daily outlet last year, Chen Dake, the director of the laboratory, said the “intelligent, unmanned ship is a beautiful, new ‘marine species’ that will bring revolutionary changes for ocean observation.”
The drone carrier can reach speeds of up to 18 knots (33km per hour), Chinese media reported.
The Zhu Hai Yun, all parts of which were designed and manufactured in China, is expected to enter service by the end of the year.
Turkey has also been pursuing similar technology. Last May, Forbes reported that national drone manufacturer Baykar had come up with a way to turn the Anadolu assault ship into a drone carrier. But judging by media reports, Ankara has not yet carried out the project.
