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Putin reported that trade between Russia and South Africa has experienced a 3% growth so far this year, highlighting his commitment to strengthening economic ties.

At the XVI BRICS Summit taking place in Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa held a meeting focused on creating a more equitable world order.

Both leaders emphasized the importance of bilateral relations based on principles of equality and cooperation. Putin reported that trade between Russia and South Africa has experienced a 3% growth so far this year, highlighting his commitment to strengthening economic ties.

Ramaphosa, in turn, praised Russia as a strategic ally and celebrated the successful organization of the summit, as well as efforts to integrate more nations into the BRICS group.

Ramaphosa echoed this sentiment, expressing optimism about the future of their bilateral relations and emphasizing that South Africa views Russia as a crucial ally in its quest for sustainable development.

During this summit, Putin also has scheduled meetings with other international leaders, underscoring the relevance of this event on the global stage.

The outcomes of these dialogues are expected to pave the way for deeper cooperation among BRICS nations and contribute to a more balanced international landscape.

The BRICS countries, many of which are also members of the G20, cover 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, he pointed out.

On Tuesday, on the eve of traveling to Kazan, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised “sincere cooperation” between Türkiye and the BRICS.

“The BRICS countries, many of which are also members of the Group of Twenty like Türkiye, cover 30 percent of the Earth’s surface and account for 45 percent of its population,” the Turkish president explained during a speech to his Justice and Development Party (AKP) party.

“They produce 40 percent of the world’s oil, 25 percent of global exports, and two-fifths of global trade. These figures show the importance of the BRICS platform,” he added.

“Türkiye wants to sincerely develop its cooperation with BRICS, and I trust that the Kazan summit will serve this purpose,” Erdogan concluded.

The Turkish leader did not specify whether this cooperation would include joining the group, a proposal Erdogan himself had floated in 2018 after returning from a BRICS summit in Johannesburg, but did not pursue further.

“Our request is open; there’s a process. But there has been no concrete progress on it,” said AKP Vice President Omer Çelik in September.

According to Erdogan, Türkiye’s cooperation with platforms like BRICS or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization would not distance his nation from the European Union, as his country can function as a bridge between various international blocs.

Bahçeli had also addressed Öcalan at the party group meeting a week ago, saying, "He should unilaterally declare that terrorism is over and that his organization will be liquidated."

Speaking at his party's group meeting on Tuesday, Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the ruling party's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), once again called on Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who is in İmralı Prison, by saying, "If the isolation of the terrorist leader is lifted, let him come and speak at the DEM Party group meeting in the Turkish Grand National Assembly."

"Let them shout that terrorism has completely ended and the organization has been disbanded," said Bahçeli, adding, "Legal regulations regarding the use of the right to hope should be made and the way should be wide open for them to benefit from it."

Stating that they are ready to take responsibility for "a politics without terrorism", Bahçeli continued his words as follows: "If everyone is in alliance, we are ready to do our part, not just our hands but our bodies. Neither Kandil nor Edirne; the address should extend from İmralı to DEM, and this serious and historical terrorism problem should be completely removed from the country's agenda."

Bahçeli also said, "Who knows, maybe I will have taken the first step towards permanently solving the shackles that bind our nation." Bahçeli had also addressed Öcalan at the party group meeting a week ago, saying, " He should unilaterally declare that terrorism is over and that his organization will be liquidated ."

Bahçeli, recalling the words of Öcalan, who was captured in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, in February 1999, when he was brought to Turkey, "I love my country. My mother was Turkish too. If I have the opportunity to serve, I will do it. I will serve when I return to Turkey," asked the PKK leader to give instructions to "lay down the weapons."

The handshake at the opening of the parliament

At the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) on Tuesday, October 1, MHP leader Bahçeli shook hands with the members of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) group.

Bahçeli shook hands with DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, DEM Party Group Deputy Chairman Sezai Temelli, DEM Party Van Deputy Pervin Buldan and DEM Party Ağrı Deputy Sırrı Sakık. Asked by members of the press about his "handshake with the DEM Party", Bahçeli said, "While we want peace in the world, we need to ensure peace in our own country."

The following sentences stood out in Bahçeli's speech at the group meeting held last week, in which he also touched upon the handshake with the DEM Party in the parliament: "It is in everyone's best interest for the DEM Party to come to its senses on this issue and refrain from whipping up an environment of provocation in order to sabotage the hand I have extended. The hand I have extended is a sincere and well-intentioned hand. The hand I have extended is a message to unite in Turkey, to unite in the Turkish nation."

'I am ready to extend my hand for the interests of the Republic of Türkiye'

In last week's group meeting, Bahçeli, referring to the atmosphere of softening between the MHP and DEM Party, said, "When necessary, I extend my hand and call for a gathering around common and national values; when necessary, I extend my head for the homeland, the nation, the flag, the call to prayer, the state, and I drink the sherbet of martyrdom not just for a taste but to my heart's content. I am ready and willing to hold hands around basic and common values ​​and extend my hand in every environment for the sake of the supreme interests of the Republic of Turkey."

Speaking to Euronews Turkish a few weeks ago about Bahçeli shaking hands with the DEM Party group in parliament, DEM Party

Group Deputy Chair Gülistan Koçyiğit had commented , "We need to express that yesterday's handshake was due to the nature of politics. It was wrong that it had not happened until now . "

"We do not find it right to attribute a special meaning to shaking hands," said Koçyiğit, adding, "This is the nature of politics and the normality of the parliamentary foundation. This is exactly how it should be."

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli shook hands with DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, DEM Party Group Deputy Chairman Sezai Temelli, DEM Party Van Deputy Pervin Buldan and DEM Party Ağrı Deputy Sırrı Sakık.

Speaking to Euronews Turkish on Monday, DEM Party Group Deputy Chairman Sezai Temelli, who was one of the names who shook hands with Bahçeli, said , "Contrary to what was reflected in the press and public opinion, there is no resolution process on the agenda of Ankara politics . "

Former Justice and Development Party (AK Party) MP Mehmet Metiner told Euronews Turkish that he found "no harm" in the government's meeting with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.

Solution process in Turkey

The resolution process refers to the negotiations that began between the PKK and the Turkish state in Turkey between 2013 and 2015. This process was initiated with the aim of resolving the Kurdish issue through peaceful means.

The key elements of the process included disarmament, democratic reforms and the expansion of rights for Kurdish identity. PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan played a key role in these negotiations. However, the resolution process effectively ended with the resumption of conflict in 2015. This period brought about significant changes in the political dynamics in Turkey.

Founded on November 28, 1978 in the Lice district of Diyarbakır, the PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom, France, Turkey and many other states.

According to official figures, PKK militants have killed nearly 15,000 people in their attacks that have lasted nearly 40 years.

PKK leader Öcalan has been held in İmralı Prison on the Sea of ​​Marmara since 1999, when he was sentenced to life imprisonment for founding and leading a terrorist organization.