Turkey's Runoff Election: Who Backs Who
Plus: Iran appoints new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Germany issues arrest warrant for Lebanon's central bank chief, UAE emerges as a major trade hub for Russian Gold, and more.
Welcome to Inshallah, your weekly source for the latest and most newsworthy news from the Middle East. I'm Dario Sabaghi, and I've got my eye on the most impactful stories of the week just for you.
Join me on this journey of discovery and stay ahead of the curve with the most insightful news from the region. Best of all, subscribing to Inshallah is free.
Turkey's Runoff Election: Who Backs Who
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a boost as a former presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan, who placed third in the previous election, endorsed him for a third term.
In the first round of the election, Erdogan fell just short of the 50% threshold needed for an outright victory.
This is the first time Turkey has held a second-round vote.
Erdogan's party also gained support from the Huda-Par, a predominantly Kurdish political Islamist party.
On the other hand, opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu was backed by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which is affiliated with the wider Kurdish movement.
Additionally, Umit Ozdag, the leader of the nationalist Victory Party, endorsed Kilicdaroglu in an effort to challenge Erdogan in the upcoming runoff election on May 28.
Iran Appoints New Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Iran has chosen Alireza Enayati, a seasoned diplomat specializing in Gulf affairs, as its new ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Enayati previously served as Tehran's ambassador to Kuwait from 2014 to 2019.
In a significant development, Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the mediation of China, announced in March that they had reached an agreement to restore diplomatic relations after a seven-year period without formal ties.
As part of the deal, the two nations agreed to reopen their respective embassies and consulates and also pledged to implement security and economic cooperation agreements that were signed more than two decades ago.
Germany Issues Arrest Warrant for Lebanon's Central Bank Governor
Germany has notified Lebanon of an arrest warrant issued for Riad Salameh, the Central Bank Governor, on corruption charges, including forgery, money laundering, and embezzlement.
This is the second reported foreign arrest warrant for Salameh within a week.
France had previously issued a warrant on May 16 after he failed to appear in a Paris court hearing.
Interpol has also issued a Red Notice for Salameh at France's request, citing charges of money laundering, fraud, and involvement in a criminal association with intent to commit punishable offenses.
Salameh, aged 72, is under investigation in Lebanon and multiple European countries for allegedly misappropriating hundreds of millions of dollars from Lebanon's central bank to the detriment of the Lebanese state, as well as laundering the funds abroad.
US Congress Members Urge PayPal to End Ban on Palestinian Businesses
A group of eleven U.S. Congress members has urged PayPal to lift its ban on Palestinians in the occupied territories while allowing Israeli settlers to use the platform.
Representative Mark Pocan authored a letter stating that PayPal's discrimination denies Palestinians equal access to the digital economy.
The letter was addressed to PayPal's CEO, Dan Schulman, ahead of the company's upcoming stockholder meeting.
PayPal has not provided a public explanation for singling out Palestinians, only citing the region as "high risk."
However, other financial service providers like Visa, Mastercard, and Apple Pay operate in the West Bank and Gaza without issues, and PayPal operates in conflict areas such as Yemen and Somalia.
UAE Emerges as Major Trade Hub for Russian Gold Amidst Western Sanctions
Russian gold exports have shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as Western sanctions disrupted traditional routes due to the Ukraine conflict, according to a Reuters exclusive report.
Russian customs records reveal that the U.A.E. imported 75.7 tonnes of Russian gold worth $4.3 billion, a significant increase compared to previous years.
China and Turkey were the next major importers, with each country receiving around 20 tonnes of Russian gold.
Together, these three countries accounted for 99.8% of Russian gold exports during the analyzed period.
Following the start of the Ukraine conflict, many multinational banks and precious metal refiners stopped handling Russian gold, which was previously shipped to London.
Despite warnings from Washington, there is no evidence of any U.S. sanctions violations by the U.A.E. or Turkey in the data examined by Reuters.
Thanks for tuning in to this week's edition of Inshallah, your go-to source for Middle Eastern news. Don't forget to share and subscribe to stay informed, all for free!
About me
My name is Dario Sabaghi, and I am a freelance journalist interested in international news focusing on the MENA region.
Check out my work at dariosabaghi.com.
You can follow me on Twitter: @DarioSabaghi
Did I miss any important news from the Middle East? DM me on Twitter.
Cover photo: google.com