One of the big surprises of the June 2024 European Parliamentary elections occurred in the Republic of Cyprus, where a 24-year-old YouTuber and social media influencer, Fidias Panayiotou, won a seat running as an independent having secured over 19 percent of the vote. Whereas the vast majority of polls had predicted the rise of the radical right National People’s Front Party (ELAM) in Cyprus along with other far-right parties in Europe, Panayiotou’s victory and overall vote tally was unforeseen. His win came at the expense of the left-wing Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL), dashing the hopes for the re-election of Turkish Cypriot MEP Niyazi Kızılyürek, whose 2019 election to the European Parliament was seen as a milestone for bi-communal relations in divided Cyprus. Kızılyürek’s defeat highlights the persistent difficulties in achieving greater political integration and representation for Turkish Cypriots within the EU framework. This underscores the urgent need for inclusive dialogue, economic integration, and proactive measures to address Cyprus’s unique challenges, aiming to foster a more cooperative and resilient future for the island.
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IPI, Keio University, National Institute for Environmental Studies, and Institute for Global Environmental Studies, with support from the Government of Finland, Stockholm Environment Institute, Global Forum for National SDG Advisory Bodies, Japan Foundation, and Ministry of the Environment of Japan cohosted a policy forum on July 10th on the topic of “Exploring Synergies and Trade-Offs for Transformations to the SDGs and Beyond.”
According to the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), bringing about the transformation required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires facilitating synergies and eliminating trade-offs between different SDGs. Understanding these synergies and trade-offs is critical to assessing progress toward the SDGs through voluntary national reviews and to considering global goals beyond 2030.
The event introduced ongoing research on these synergies and trade-offs conducted by some of the institutions where members of the Independent Group of Scientists that drafted the 2023 GSDR are based. Implementation of the SDGs relies on localized actions and local contexts. Therefore, case studies and empirical data on context-specific synergies and trade-offs are critical for drawing lessons on how transformation takes place. Speakers discussed examples from Japan, Finland, and Sweden, and called for collaboration and partnerships on accelerating progress toward the SDGs by facilitating synergies and eliminating trade-offs.
Opening Remarks:
Yutaka Matsuzawa, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs (Ministry of the Environment of Japan)
Speakers:
Norichika Kanie, Professor at the Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan
Mustafa Moinuddin, Fellow, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Eeva Furman, Secretary General of the Finnish Commission on Sustainable Development
Ivonne Lobos Alva, Stockholm Environment Institute
Video Message:
Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan
Moderator:
Jimena Leiva Roesch, IPI Director of Global Initiatives and Head of Peace, Climate, and Sustainable Development
In the wake of regional threats in the South Caucuses and Middle East, it is of pivotal importance for all of the Turkic countries to unite as part of a common NATO-like defense pact, where an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all. Such a defense pact will strengthen the Turkic countries.
The importance of having such a defense pact is great in light of Armenia’s thirty year occupation of Karabakh and the seven Azerbaijani districts in violation of four UN Security Council resolutions. If such a defense pact was in place, Armenia would have thought twice before attacking Azerbaijan and illegally occupying an entire region for thirty years in defiance of the international community.
The defense pact could initially include Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, all of which share common linguistic and cultural ties. However, it can eventually expand to include all Turkic-speaking states.
The fact that Turkey is part of NATO will help for the Turkic NATO to be enhanced both strategically and operationally, and model their organization effectively off of NATO. However, this Turkic alliance would have to be careful to avoid an escalation from Iran in the wake of forming such a union, as such a union is a direct challenge to Iranian hegemony in the Middle East region. Historically, the Ottoman and Persian Empires were rivals, and thus a Turkic NATO can be seen as a rival to the Shia Crescent, which Iran created and that presently includes Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Historically, in the Middle East, there are also other alliances that are similar to this and they have shaped our world. For example, the Gulf Cooperation Council has a collective security mechanism and the Arab League Joint Defense Pact also serves a model. The Turkic NATO would need to learn from these examples, thus ensuring strong political will, adequate funding, and effective coordination among member states.
The proposal for a Turkic NATO, while ambitious, is grounded in the strategic need for enhanced regional security and cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. With Azerbaijan potentially playing a leading role, bolstered by its recent military successes, the alliance could offer a new paradigm for regional stability. However, careful planning, substantial investment, and diplomatic finesse will be essential to navigate the complex geopolitical landscape and establish a viable and effective military alliance.