The Syrian war / The election in Turkey /

Leaders of several Arab countries visiting Syria. AP  

 

The Syrian war  

The Arab League lets Syria in - after eleven years in the cold  

 

The Arab League has adopted a resolution that admits Syria to the cooperation organization after more than eleven years of frozen membership, Reuters reports. According to a spokesperson for the association, the decision aims to restore the relationship with the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. 

 

It was in 2011 that the Arab League cut ties with Syria in connection with the protests against Assad, which were put down with violent brutality. The events developed into a bloody civil war, which caused several Arab countries to recall their diplomats from the capital Damascus.  

 

Recently, there have been several signs that relations with Syria have thawed. Among other things, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister recently visited the country, for the first time since 2011.  

 

Ahead of the union's meeting, Jordan's foreign minister told CNN that this is "just the beginning" of a journey with the goal of ending the political crisis in Syria.

Inför förbundets möte sa Jordaniens utrikesminister till CNN att det här ”bara är början” på en resa med målet att sätta punkt för den politiska krisen i Syrien.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses supporters. Henrik Montgomery/TT  

The election in Turkey 

Analysis: Erdogan is threatened - the first time in 20 years  

Something in Turkey is about to change. That's what Louise Callaghan writes in an analysis in The Times ahead of next week's election, when voters elect parliament and president.  

Callaghan describes it as the most important in the country in modern times, and for the first time in 20 years it looks like President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may lose. Opinion figures indicate an even race between Erdogan and opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and although Erdogan has a loyal voter base, support is expected to decrease in some traditionally strong strongholds, she writes.  

It is explained by high living costs and an economic policy that has not taken off. Erdogan has also been criticized for the way he acted in connection with the earthquakes three months ago. 

Zvi Bar'el is on the same track in an analysis from the Israeli Haaretz. He points to how Erdogan's government started investigations into the question of responsibility after the earthquake but that "very little" has actually happened. Nor has Erdogan's demand to the Riksbank to lower interest rates, despite rampant inflation, had the desired effect for the president, writes Bar'el. 

"Promises of financial prosperity were just words