MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. Turkey’s Grand National Assembly has formally ratified Sweden's application for NATO membership; Israel has set forth its conditions for starting peace negotiations to end the Gaza conflict; and Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi celebrated the latest stage in the construction of Egypt's Russian-built El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Vedomosti: Turkish parliament ratifies Sweden's application for NATO membership

On the night of January 24, Turkey's Grand National Assembly (GNA, or unicameral parliament) ratified the protocol for Sweden's accession to NATO, with 287 out of 346 deputies voting in favor and only 55 voting against, while four deputies abstained. Turkey’s long-awaited move now leaves Hungary as the only remaining opponent of the North Atlantic Alliance’s expansion, Vedomosti writes.

The fact that the GNA deputies belonging to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling alliance and the majority of opposition deputies joined forces to vote for ratifying the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO is not surprising, according to Turkish political scientist and Ankara University professor Ali Emre Sucu. However, he believes that the adoption of the document by the Turkish parliament will not affect Russian-Turkish relations.

According to the expert, bilateral interactions between Moscow and Ankara are growing both at the global and regional levels. The dynamics of relations may change depending on the course of negotiations, but Turkey's lifting of its veto on NATO expansion is unlikely to be a turning point that could lead to a severing of ties, the expert told the newspaper.

Kirill Teremetsky, an international relations expert at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University), believes that after Turkey ratifies the protocol, Hungary will begin to put forward its own criteria for lifting its veto. Budapest previously refused to consider Sweden's membership in the alliance because of Stockholm's criticism of Hungary's human rights record.

On the one hand, Teremetsky believes that Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban and Erdogan have formed a trusting relationship, and, with Hungary's backing, Ankara may try to impose more demands on alliance members. "On the other hand, Orban represents the ‘party of peace' in the Ukrainian crisis, and he has no interest in escalating relations between Russia and the West. Using the Swedish card, the Hungarian authorities want NATO to change its approach to the current conflict and create conditions for the start of Russian-Ukrainian talks," the expert added. However, he added that NATO has little influence over Hungary.

 

Izvestia: Israel sets forth its conditions for starting peace negotiations on Gaza

Israel is demanding the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip as part of peace initiatives by the EU, US and Arab countries to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and establish two states, Dmitry Gendelman, adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, told Izvestia. At the same time, he confirmed that Israel has made demands for a potential peace with Hamas. In turn, Palestinian Ambassador to Austria Salah Abdel-Shafi questioned the West's ability to resolve the conflict.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported details of a new "90-day plan" for an agreement between Hamas and Israel to end the Gaza conflict. It is said to include three stages: Hamas releasing all civilian hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons; the release of women soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from captivity and the return of the bodies of previously kidnapped hostages in exchange for Palestinian women held in the Jewish state's prisons; and, finally, the release of remaining IDF soldiers and reservists while Israel releases Palestinian prisoners. So far, however, neither Hamas nor Israel has responded positively to such a proposal. According to the WSJ, the mediating countries see the resumption of relations on this issue as a positive step forward.

"There are other proposals from various countries, including the United States government, the European Union, and some Arab governments. Negotiations are underway. Israel has made a number of demands and proposals, first of all for the release of all our hostages. We are waiting for the other side to respond to our demands," Gendelman told Izvestia, adding that Tel Aviv's ultimate goal remains a viable Palestinian power that poses no military threat.

In turn, Palestinian envoy to Vienna Salah Abdel-Shafi told Izvestia that there is no political will on the part of the EU to demand that Israel resolve the issue based on the two-state formula. The diplomat believes that there is no point in discussing a constructive political process with the current Israeli leadership. According to him, ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict requires that the Jewish state be a reliable partner that is ready to recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their own state.

On January 19, a Hamas delegation led by Mousa Abu Marzook, head of the international relations bureau, visited Moscow. A meeting between Russian authorities and the Hamas group could foreshadow an imminent prisoner exchange, Izvestia writes.

 

Vedomosti: Putin, Sisi mark latest step for Egyptian-Russian cooperation in nuclear power

On January 23, a ceremony was held to pour concrete into the base of the fourth power unit at Egypt’s El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which is being built by Russian state nuclear power corporation Rosatom. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi participated in the event remotely. For Moscow, the plant represents an outpost for Russia’s nuclear power sector in North Africa, while for Cairo it is an energy security tool, Vedomosti writes.

The Egyptian leader stressed the need for ensuring energy security in current times. Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev noted that the company’s Egyptian site "is becoming one of the two largest nuclear construction projects in the world." The first, according to him, is the Akkuyu NPP in Turkey, which is also being developed jointly with Rosatom.

According to Grigory Lukyanov, senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, the initiative is critical to Egypt's development strategy during Sisi's 10-year tenure. "Egypt wishes to lessen its reliance on the West; this is the cornerstone for a more independent foreign policy. El-Dabaa is an important factor in determining the status of a ‘great power’ in North Africa and the Middle East: Saudi Arabia is attempting to master it, Iran has already achieved it, and Turkey is halfway there," he told the newspaper. According to Lukyanov, "energy security, as Sisi himself stated, is the most important factor in economic growth."

Ibragim Ibragimov, researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), agrees, adding that the nuclear power plant proposal is part of Cairo's plans to become a regional energy hub by supplying energy surpluses to its neighbors.

El-Dabaa is technically comparable to Akkuyu, with only minor changes, according to Alexander Uvarov, a nuclear energy expert and chief editor of industry website Atominfo. According to him, the Egyptian project will allow Rosatom to expand further into Africa. "There are several dozen countries interested in nuclear energy. They will closely monitor the progress of the El-Dabaa project. If it is effectively finished, we can anticipate the signing of new contracts with Rosatom across the continent," Uvarov said.

 

Izvestia: Regional head of major Swiss party calls anti-Russia sanctions strategic mistake

Public opinion in Switzerland on the Ukraine situation is shifting with society beginning to recognize that the causes of the crisis were far more complex than Europeans had been led to believe in 2022, Alexandre Chevalier, head of the Swiss People's Party's branch in Geneva, said in an interview with Izvestia. Bern must re-establish Switzerland’s status as a neutral country, the politician believes.

Chevalier also described financial sanctions against Russia as a geopolitical mistake and strategic blunder. "We believe that we are now undermining [Switzerland's traditional policy of] neutrality, and tearing it to pieces. Our party believes that we never should have adopted sanctions on a ‘turn-key’ basis. Prior to the situation in Ukraine, Switzerland had never done this. And for the Swiss, it represented a strategic blunder, which in time people will come to recognize," he said.

Chevalier noted that it was very clear that the sanctions would deal a severe blow to those who imposed them. While intending to punish Russia with these restrictions, in the end it was Europe and the European peoples who were harmed. He believes Geneva must remain a place for discussion, dialogue and peace, and must now work to regain the trust that appears to have been lost, particularly in Russia. In terms of Swiss attitudes toward the Ukraine conflict, Chevalier said that the public disposition is changing as it becomes apparent that the conflict has proven to be far more complex than was initially assumed.

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Russian coal exports may decline in 2024

New problems have emerged with the export of Russian thermal coal. Increased transportation costs, an expected decline in foreign demand, developing problems with import substitution of equipment, and the Russian Finance Ministry's plans to raise taxes on coal miners are unlikely to improve the situation in the industry, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. However, the Finance Ministry intends to boost coal tax revenues despite the fact that export volumes are stagnating.

According to Sergey Kolobanov, deputy head of the Center for Economic Analysis of Fuel and Energy Industries at the Center for Strategic Research, the drop in Russian coal shipments at the end of the year had a strictly economic explanation. "At the same time, there are no problems with ensuring production, and domestic market demand is not an obstacle to exports," he added.

The most significant losses for exporters were due to the closure of the European market and the need to divert raw materials to other markets. According to the US Department of Energy, most of Russia's coal now goes to Asian markets.

Foreign experts, as well as Russian officials, recognize that a large increase in coal supplies is impossible due to the limited capacity of Russia's transportation infrastructure. The Russian Energy Ministry also acknowledges the concerns. "Market demand significantly exceeds our export capacity," Deputy Energy Minister Sergey Mochalnikov said. At the same time, experts at the Center for Strategic Research believe that the decline in exports of this fuel is mainly due to the declining profitability of supplies.

"The substitution of European markets has increased the transportation range of supplies. As a result, logistics costs now account for 60% of the cost of coal commodities. For example, while the Northwest terminals originally exported to the European Union, they now export primarily to Turkey, Morocco, India and Pakistan. The average transport distance has quadrupled from 3,100 to 6,500 kilometers," according to Anatoly Nikitin, executive director of the Russian Mining Association. "As a result of the sanctions, the industry is facing a decline in profitability and an increase in costs," he stressed.

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