France Accuses Turkey of Sending Syrian Mercenaries to Nagorno-Karabakh

‘Clunky Interaction’ Within Government Hampering Australia’s Ability to Navigate New Trade Reality

Australia is ill-equipped to navigate rising geopolitical threats because “clunky interaction” between government departments, and a lack of policy clarity are hamstringing the country’s ability to screen trading relationships, so they are not against the national interest. Michael Shoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said there was little interaction between departments responsible for trade and security, and the government needed to provide clarity on which jurisdictions or partners were trusted. He pointed to a submission (pdf) by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which stated that it was up to businesses to make investment decisions, and that the government was focused on reducing regulatory hurdles. Shoebridge however said this was not enough, he called on the government to stop being “country-agnostic” with its policies and instead clearly outline…

PARIS/MOSCOW鈥擣rance accused Turkey on Thursday of sending Syrian mercenaries to fight in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Turkey has denied sending mercenaries to take part in the conflict.

France, Russia, and the United States are co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, set up in 1992 to mediate a peaceful resolution over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in the South Caucasus.

France Accuses Turkey of Sending Syrian Mercenaries to Nagorno-Karabakh

“President (Emmanuel) Macron and (Vladimir) Putin agreed on the need for a joint effort to reach a ceasefire in the framework of Minsk,” Macron’s office said in a statement after the two leaders spoke by telephone.

“They also shared their concern regarding the sending of Syrian mercenaries by Turkey to Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The French presidency provided no evidence to support the accusation about the mercenaries and the Kremlin statement made no mention of the accusation.

Macron, who has been in a war of words with Turkish President Tayyep Erdogan for months, said on Wednesday Ankara was acting in a “warlike” manner.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday Syrian and Libyan fighters from illegal armed groups were being sent to the Nagorno-Karabakh regions.

Russia has a military base in Armenia and considers it to be a strategic partner. France’s population includes about 600,000 people of Armenian origin.

Armenia’s ambassador to Moscow said on Monday that Turkey had sent around 4,000 fighters from northern Syria to Azerbaijan and that they were fighting there, an assertion denied by an aide to Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, and Turkey’s government.

By Michel Rose and John Irish

Focus News: France Accuses Turkey of Sending Syrian Mercenaries to Nagorno-Karabakh

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