The Monocle Minute

Armenia’s loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan was a blow to the country and its prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan. It has, however, allowed Turkey and Armenia to resume trade negotiations, as well as talks aimed at reconciliation. For Ankara, this is an opportunity to mend ties with a difficult neighbour. A boost in trade between the nations could also help to ease Turkey’s economic woes: the country’s inflation rate hit 75.5 per cent in May, an increase of 25.5 per cent since May 2023.

The border between Turkey and Armenia has been closed since 1993, when the war in Nagorno-Karabakh broke out and Armenia gained control of the territory. Ankara, a staunch ally of Azerbaijan, was unable to normalise relations with Yerevan during the conflict.

Azerbaijan’s victory in Nagorno-Karabakh now means that Turkey can maintain relations with both countries. On Monday, representatives from Ankara and Yerevan met at the nations’ shared border to discuss steps towards opening the frontier and simplifying visa procedures. There was also talk of establishing a rail link, which would benefit both countries’ economies. It’s a significant moment – but will it last?

Probably not, judging by Turkey’s reconciliation efforts with Greece and Syria. After years of negotiations with Athens to dial down tensions in the Aegean, Greek and Turkish warships found themselves in a standoff in July. Though Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently invited Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to Turkey for the first time since 2011, the list of conditions to achieve normalisation is long on both sides.

Tensions and conflict are bad for business. If Turkey wants to reap the economic benefits of resolving its regional conflicts, it will have to pump up its diplomatic muscle.

Hannah Lucinda Smith is Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

The killing of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran yesterday has stoked fears of a further escalation of violence in the region. The Palestinian militant group and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have blamed Israel for the attack.

For Istanbul-based journalist Ruth Michaelson, the fact that the assassination was carried out just hours after the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is significant. “The killing of Haniyeh in Tehran will strengthen the bond between Iran, Palestine and Hezbollah,” Michaelson told Monocle Radio’s The Globalist. “Iranian state television has said that it will delay the ceasefire in Gaza by several months – and warned that we should expect militant groups across the region to retaliate.”

For more on what Haniyeh’s assassination means for the stability of the region, tune in to Wednesday’s edition of ‘The Globalist’ on Monocle Radio.

Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of police in Paris right now. Some 30,000 officers have been deployed to the city from across France’s bewildering array of law-enforcement branches, while reinforcements have been sent from 43 other countries. Today it is perfectly possible to board the Métro and find yourself sharing a carriage with half a dozen officers.

Pulling police from their regional posts could, however, lead to an increase in crime elsewhere in France. There has been growing unrest across the country over the past few years – in particular, a rise in violent crimes committed by those between the ages of 15 and 24. When it comes to ensuring that both residents and tourists feel secure, France still has plenty of work ahead of it. That begins with acknowledging the problem. Earlier this week, Le Figaro newspaper published a list of the nation’s 50 least-safe seaside towns, ranked in order by delinquency.

For art collectors in Hong Kong and visitors passing through, there’s an exciting new addition to the city: Sotheby’s Maison opened its doors this week in the Central district’s Landmark Chater building. Spread across 2,230 sq m over two floors, the Maison is a combination of exhibition and retail spaces. It caters to both collectors and those who simply want to view the objects on display, which can range from dinosaur fossils or Old Master drawings to African art.

On the first floor, you’ll find Sotheby’s Salon – seven rooms housing more than 200 objects spanning 80 million years of history. Everything on show here is available for immediate purchase. The spaces downstairs are more atmospheric, with varying ceiling heights and wooden panelling offering dramatic backdrops for exhibitions and performances. “Collecting today is not what it used to be,” Nicolas Chow, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, tells The Monocle Minute. “Sotheby’s Maison aims to cater to the modern collector, who seeks a rotation of offerings all year round, both at auction and available to buy on the spot.”

Simon Dabadie is the founder and CEO of electric-motorcycle manufacturer Dab Motors. In 2021, his bike design led to collaborations with the likes of Burberry and Peugeot Motocycles. Here, he tells Monocle about the origins of his company and its mission to reshape urban transportation.

How do you balance beautiful design with precision engineering?
I believe that humans want machines to feel more emotional and artistic. In order to achieve that, we need to forget everything that we know about motorcycles. The beauty of electric vehicles is that you can start from scratch, creating art pieces instead of instruments and mobility contraptions. We mix together culture, innovation, technology and madness in our designs.

There’s a lot of conversation right now about the electrification of transport in our cities. Does the debate focus too much on four-wheelers?
Yes. Bikes have huge potential. Cars cause plenty of problems in big cities, which is why we are focusing on two-wheelers. But petrol bikes can also harm the environment because of their high carbon-dioxide emissions. This is where electric vehicles come in. They will eventually replace their petrol counterparts but this will be a gradual process. We don’t yet have the technology for long-haul electric trips.

How important is sustainability for the brand?
We have manufactured our bike parts in Bayonne alongside a small team of artisans since we launched the company. But we have now expanded operations. We still try to manufacture locally, while producing parts in other locations in Europe. We want to inspire our members and customers to consume better. It’s hard to make a big change in your life if it’s not exciting.

For our full interview with Dabadie, tune in to episode 659 of ‘The Entrepreneurs’ on Monocle Radio.

Science fiction and design collide at the Vitra Design Museum in this week’s episode. We also discuss developments in Singapore with our correspondent Naomi Xu Elegant, as well as the ideas and legacy of Dutch landscape designer Mien Ruys.