The German army bans the use of Chinese-made drones

The German army has banned the use of drones made in China, including for training purposes, and will replace them with European ones, according to what the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday.

The ministry said that the drones “made in China will no longer be used... and will be replaced by products from local sources or; Where possible, European, with existing systems,” she said, noting the need for data security and information technology.

Der Spiegel magazine was the first media outlet to announce the decision based on concerns that drones could transmit data about military activities, training sites, or weapons systems to Chinese intelligence services.

The ministry reported that the armed forces used “cheap, commercially available drones for training purposes.” It was purchased with “minimum bureaucracy.”

She added, "In order to enhance the self-sufficiency of the (Bundeswehr - German Armed Forces) and its sovereignty in the field of technology, Chinese-made models will no longer be used for specific purposes or (even) for the purpose of training."

Turkey welcomed the start of discussing areas of cooperation aimed at building confidence between the two parts of the island of Cyprus under the auspices of the United Nations, while it adheres to its position on a two-state solution on the island, which has been divided since 1974.

Commenting on the meeting in which the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Maria Angela Holguin Koya, brought together the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Tufan Erhorman, last Monday, in a United Nations complex inside the buffer zone in Nicosia, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keccali said that Turkey “welcomes the discussion that took place during the meeting on areas of cooperation aimed at building confidence between the two sides.”

Kitchali spoke, in a statement on his “X” account, about “limited” progress on opening new crossings between the two parts of the island, saying that it is “an issue that has been on the agenda for a year and a half, within the framework of a cooperation process launched based on the proposal of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres.”

He added, "Achieving further progress in areas of cooperation, including opening the crossings, during the upcoming tripartite meeting between the President of the two sides of Cyprus and Guterres, requires the (Greek) Cypriot side to change its position of rejecting consensus."

Koya and the spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, Alem Siddiq, read out a UN statement to reporters regarding the results of the discussions, in which they announced that Christodoulides and Erhorman had reached an agreement regarding the opening of two new crossings between the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (which is not internationally recognized) and the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, the first between Akncılar and Lipmia, and the second between Geme Konagi and Kampos (Campo). And Karavostasi.

The two sides have disagreed about the basic rules of the talks since their meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the island last summer, but the statement described Monday’s meeting as “positive,” pointing out that the two Cypriot leaders will hold talks again in the coming weeks in the presence of Guterres.

Cyprus was divided after a Turkish military intervention on the island in 1974, in response to a brief coup at the behest of the military rulers who ruled Greece at the time. Before that, the power-sharing administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots collapsed in 1963. A United Nations force, in one of the oldest peacekeeping operations in the world, monitors the 180-kilometre ceasefire line that separates the two parts of the island.

In 2004, Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan to reunite the divided island. Talks to reunify it, which took place under the auspices of the United Nations at the Crans Montana resort in Switzerland, also collapsed in July 2017, and no official UN-brokered negotiations have been held since that time to reach a comprehensive settlement of the conflict on the island.

Christodoulides said after the meeting: “We are continuing this effort very seriously, and one goal is to resume the talks before the end of the term of the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the end of this year.”

Among the reasons for the failure of previous talks is the disagreement over the role that Türkiye will play in the future. The Greek Cypriots oppose any direct intervention, while the Turkish Cypriots see its role as necessary.

Turkey asserts that the most realistic solution to the Cyprus issue is the “two-state solution,” and calls on the international community to recognize the “inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriots,” most notably “sovereignty equality, equal international standing, and energy resources” in the Mediterranean.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed his country’s position, in statements last Sunday, saying: “We will not leave the Turkish Cypriot people alone and helpless. The whole world must know this matter and know it by heart: The Cyprus issue is not just a foreign political matter for us. We do not consider the absence of a solution in Cyprus a solution, and we support the two-state solution.”

Erdogan added: “We will continue to stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in international forums, and we will continue to take steps and implement projects that will strengthen its presence... The Cyprus issue is a national issue that we will follow until justice is achieved, and everyone should know that now.”

The Turkish proposal regarding the “two-state solution” in Cyprus faces rejection from the European Union and the United States, and these parties adhere to the continued work of the United Nations formula to unify the divided island.

The Russian TASS news agency quoted Russian Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin as saying that a large-scale prisoner exchange agreed upon by Moscow and Kiev during the talks that took place in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday may be implemented during the next two or three weeks. TASS, citing Zorin, also reported that the exchange would include more than a thousand prisoners from each side.

Chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that Russia would continue talks with Ukraine after the negotiations, but he stressed that Moscow saw no justification for meeting with the Europeans on this matter. Medinsky told reporters: “It is certain that the discussion will continue,” adding that Moscow “has not received a single peace initiative or a single concrete proposal for peace from European countries.” So it is not clear what can be discussed with them.

On the other hand, a senior Ukrainian negotiator said on Wednesday that the peace talks had witnessed “positive momentum” towards reaching a solution before the end of the year. David Arakhamia, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the talks should be multilateral, not tripartite, adding that Europe should be represented in them.

US envoy Jared Kushner said that he and his colleague Steve Witkoff will go to Moscow tomorrow, Thursday, and then they will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Irish capital, Dublin, after their trip to Russia. Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, added that the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi are a “good first step.”

The Russian-Ukrainian talks, which are being held under American mediation, have resumed in Abu Dhabi in an effort to reach a settlement of the dispute between Moscow and Kiev, according to what the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustam Umarov, announced on Wednesday.

Umarov’s post on the Telegram platform said: “We begin the second day of negotiations. “Initially, a tripartite meeting will be held with the United States and Russia, and then we will hold a separate meeting with our European partners.”

During talks with Russia, mediated by the United States, Ukraine insisted that Moscow stop the fighting before any discussion about future security arrangements for Europe, according to what a source in the Ukrainian delegation told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

In a phone call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin receives constant reports from the Russian delegation about the negotiations.