Turkey : Part Four

[Exit40]

Turkey: Erdogan Fueling Hostility Against the West
by Uzay Bulut
October 13, 2020 at 4:00 am

The current problem is greater than the Turkish government's violations against territorial waters and airspace of Greece, its continued occupation of northern Cyprus, or its threatening Europe with mass Muslim immigration or Islamist terrorists, among other hostile actions.

The problem includes Erdogan's fueling of hatred and hostility within society against Europe and the rest of the West.

This attitude does not seem fit either for Turkey's European Union candidacy or its NATO membership....

Snip... Macron stated that the seven EU leaders wished "to avoid an escalation, but that does not mean we should be passive". He added:

"We must be tough with the Turkish government and not with the Turkish people who deserve more than the Erdogan government. All unilateral actions of Turkey, such as the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, without respecting the rights of Greece, are unacceptable. It unfairly multiplies the challenges.

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

It’s Time to Get Real About U.S. Interests in the South Caucasus
Hagop Toghramadjian and Kathleen Bailey National Review•October 13, 2020

Coverage of the decades-long Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict often focuses on regional implications, repeating customary lines about potential tensions between Russia and Turkey and mentioning the proximity of Iran. But the scale of the fighting since September 27 is striking enough to justify attention on its own. As of October 12, at least 500 Armenian soldiers have been killed in nonstop firefights along a 100-mile front (Azerbaijan does not release casualty information). Azerbaijan has unleashed a campaign of indiscriminate cluster bombing against Armenian civilian centers; Stepanakert (population 55,000) is reduced to rubble. In Armenia, where thousands of volunteers have streamed to the front, the battle is grimly referred to as the goyamart: a fight for survival. In just two weeks, the clashes have already developed into one of the largest conventional military engagements of the 21st century .

In the name of hard-headed “realism,” important voices in the D.C. foreign-policy establishment are pressing a dangerously simplistic view of the conflict. To them, there is nothing much to discuss: Azerbaijan is “on our team” against Iran and Russia, so we should cheer for its success against the outnumbered Armenians. It’s irrefutable “geopolitical math.”

The assumptions underlying this simplistic interpretation are faulty. As we discuss below, Azerbaijan is in fact deceptively close to Iran and Russia. Meanwhile, Armenia’s fundamental social and political orientations promise to make it a much more sincere and durable partner of the United States....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Why Palestinians Will Not Accept Advice from Arabs
by Khaled Abu Toameh October 14, 2020 at 6:00 am

Palestinian leaders are continuing to act not only against the advice of [former Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak and other Arabs, but also against the interests of their own people.

"The Palestinian leadership has lost its credibility in the eyes of the new Arab generation, which is a generation of technology...." — Abdullah Al-Ghathami, professor of criticism and theory at King Saud University, Twitter, September 25, 2020.

Pointedly,.... the Fatah delegation in Istanbul last week met with officials from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as Turkish and Qatari intelligence officers.... and discussed... ways of "coordinating positions to direct blows to the interests of the Arab countries, especially the Arab Gulf states and Egypt."

The report added that "analysts specializing in the Palestinian issue commented that Qatar and Turkey will use Abbas to harm the interests of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Sudan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia."

The report also revealed that Qatar recently gave Abbas and some of his aides more than $50 million for their personal bank accounts inside banks in Israel and the Palestinian Authority areas."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan Declares War on Arabs
by Khaled Abu Toameh October 16, 2020 at 5:00 am

"Some countries in our region did not exist yesterday, and they may not exist in the future...." — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing parliament on October 1, 2020.

"His [Erdogan's] crimes against the Arab peoples must be exposed, such as his massacres against the Syrian people, against the Kurds in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and in Libya...." — Abdel Aziz Razan, a Saudi adviser at the Center for Arab-Russia Studies, Okaz, October 4, 2020.

Such powerful responses made by Saudis and other Arabs to Erdogan's contemptuous statements show that the Arabs now understand it is Erdogan and his friends in Iran whom they should fear. In the eyes of these Arabs, Erdogan and his Iranian connections represent the real threat to their security and stability.

In light of such reactions, perhaps more Arab countries will follow the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in signing diplomatic agreements with Israel. The State of Israel, as it turns out, is a strategic and strong ally that can help Arab countries stop Turkey and Iran from spreading their contagion of terror in the Middle East....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Viewpoint: Why Turkey is flexing its muscles abroad
By Gonul Tol
Center for Turkish Studies, MEI Published15 hours ago

Immediately after a long-simmering conflict in the South Caucasus burst into open warfare late last month, Turkey came to the aid of its Turkic allies in Azerbaijan. It has supplied arms and, allegedly, fighters transferred from Syria, although that has been denied in Ankara.

Unlike most outside powers that called for an immediate ceasefire, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to fight on.

The Caucasus is only the latest venture for a more muscular Turkey, whose military engagements have stretched from Syria across the Mediterranean.

Where has Turkey become involved?
In the last few years, Turkey has:...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

One War and Six Losers
by Amir Taheri October 18, 2020 at 4:00 am

If Azerbaijan wins, a coalition of Turkey, Israel and the United States would end up in the winning camp while the Islamic Republic will be seen as indifferent to the aspirations of Azerbaijan, which is supposed to be the third largest Shiite nation after Iran and Iraq. If Armenia wins, the likely co-winners would include Russia and Israel, again leaving Iran isolated.... If Armenia loses, Tehran will get a bad mark from Moscow as a fickle friend.

This war may produce only losers. Azerbaijan is unlikely to succeed in regaining full control of the disputed enclave. Armenia has already lost some territory and faces a wave of refugees flowing into the capital Yerevan. Turkey may win a propaganda round as protector of Azeris but would be dragged into a fifth war which, its economy already under stress, it may not be able to sustain. Israel may have to come off the fence and choose one side by losing the other. Russia would lose by seeing militants find a niche so close to itself while being forced to abandon its claim of peacemaker among former Soviet republics. Tehran, too, will be a loser on both geopolitical and ideological grounds. Khamenei claims to be the supreme leader of Muslims throughout the world. Yet, we now see that he cannot even influence events on his doorstep....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: The Dark Side of Religious Sects
by Burak Bekdil October 20, 2020 at 4:00 am

The school curriculum teaches boys that the female sex is inferior and second-class, while it teaches girls to be a slave to a man. — Professor Esergül Balcı, Report from Izmir September 9th University, September 5, 2020.

In 2010 a scandal in Siirt in southeast Turkey revealed serial rapes in this conservative little town, including cases of adults raping minors and minors raping toddlers, even killing one.... "This is a small town," the mayor said... "Almost everyone is related to everyone.".... No one was prosecuted.

When, in 1925, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, banned all Islamic sects, dervishes, lodges and other religious cults dating from the Ottoman times, he publicly said, "The Turkish Republic cannot be a republic of sheiks, dervishes and their disciples. The only right sect is the sect of civilization." Almost a century after the birth of a modern nation, nevertheless, the Turkish Republic has indeed become a republic of sheiks, dervishes and their millions of disciples.

The findings of an academic from Izmir's September 9th University are worse than scary. The following is from Professor Esergül Balcı's alarming report:...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish president dares U.S. to impose economic sanctions
By ANDREW WILKS yesterday

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan challenged the United States to impose sanctions against his country while also launching a second personal attack Sunday on French President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking a day after he suggested Macron needed mental health treatment because of his views on Islam and radical Muslims, Erdogan expanded his range to take aim at foreign critics.

“Whatever your sanctions are, don’t be late,” Erdogan said, referring to U.S. warnings for Turkey not to get directly involved in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, where Ankara supports Azerbaijan against ethnic Armenian forces.

The Turkish leader also mentioned Washington’s threat of sanctions after Turkey tested the Russian-made S-400 air defense system. The purchase has already seen Turkey kicked off the F-35 stealth fighter program....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish lira sinks amid Erdogan fury with allies
Published2 hours ago

The Turkish lira has hit a record low of 8.15 against the dollar amid investor anxiety about the Turkish economy, hit by coronavirus and friction with Nato allies.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has riled France and the US among others.

Analysts attribute the weakening to concern about Turkish inflation - 11.7% last month - and the central bank's refusal to raise its key interest rate.

A rate rise could dampen inflation and encourage investors to buy lira.

President Erdogan's regional muscle-flexing - in Libya, Syria, around Cyprus and in the Caucasus - has disconcerted investors, market analysts say.

"The rising geopolitical tensions with the USA and EU are new sources of pressure weakening the lira," said a Turkish foreign exchange trader quoted by Reuters news agency....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish Bank Case Showed Erdogan’s Influence With Trump
New details of the Justice Department’s handling of the accusations against Halkbank reveal how Turkey’s leader pressured the president, prompting concern from top White House aides.

By Eric Lipton and Benjamin Weiser Oct. 29, 2020 Updated 8:28 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — ​Geoffrey S. Berman was outraged.

The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Mr. Berman had traveled to Washington in June 2019 to discuss a particularly delicate case with Attorney General William P. Barr and some of his top aides: a criminal investigation into Halkbank, a state-owned Turkish bank suspected of violating U.S. sanctions law by funneling billions of dollars of gold and cash to Iran.

For months, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey had been pressing President Trump to quash the investigation, which threatened not only the bank but potentially members of Mr. Erdogan’s family and political party. When Mr. Berman sat down with Mr. Barr, he was stunned to be presented with a settlement proposal that would give Mr. Erdogan a key concession.

Mr. Barr pressed Mr. Berman to allow the bank to avoid an indictment by paying a fine and acknowledging some wrongdoing. In addition, the Justice Department would agree to end investigations and criminal cases involving Turkish and bank officials who were allied with Mr. Erdogan and suspected of participating in the sanctions-busting scheme.

Mr. Berman didn’t buy it.

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Why Is Turkey Suddenly Fighting With Everyone?
Erdogan’s quest to make Turkey great again has made some enemies.
By JOSHUA KEATING OCT 28, 20202:06 PM

How many battles can Turkey fight at once? One year ago, Turkey launched a military incursion into Northern Syria—with U.S. President Donald Trump’s blessing—to push Kurdish rebel forces away from its southern border. Earlier this month, Turkey’s parliament voted to renew the mandate for the mission for another year. Turkey has also intervened in Libya, sending military equipment, funding, and Syrian mercenaries to back the internationally recognized government in the country’s civil war. Turkey also sent Syrian fighters to back Azerbaijan—a majority-Turkic country—in its conflict with Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On top of all this, Turkey is clashing with another historic rival, Greece, over potential gas resources in the Mediterranean, deploying warships to accompany a survey mission in Greek-claimed waters.

And there’s yet another conflict brewing. Turkey’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Saudi kingdom’s ally, have been rocky since the Arab Spring, when the countries backed opposite sides in the Egyptian revolution, and have only gotten worse since the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul (and the Turkish government’s subsequent use of the killing to inflict maximum diplomatic and public relations damage on the Saudis). Recently, more Saudi businesses have been pledging to boycott Turkish products. Turkey also recently threatened to suspend diplomatic ties with the UAE over the latter’s decision to recognize Israel, which is a little odd given that the Turkish government, despite its frequent and fierce criticism of Israel, has itself had diplomatic relations with the Jewish state for decades. One Saudi official recently told the Financial Times that tensions with Turkey are beginning to rival those with Iran. “If you look at the threat matrix in the region, Turkey has very quickly gone into a prominent spot—they are everywhere,” he said....

Continues

God bless

David

[Exit40]

France, Turkey And The Charlie Hebdo Cartoons: What's Behind The Dispute?
October 28, 202012:50 PM ET
Peter Kenyon - ELEANOR BEARDSLEY

Tensions between Turkey and France are rising, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls for a boycott on French good and slams French President Emmanuel Macron's call for a "French Islam."

The increased friction follows the beheading of a teacher in France after he showed his class caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad published by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Schoolteacher Samuel Paty was killed after a lesson on freedom of speech to his civics class involving the cartoons. In Macron's eulogy at Paty's funeral, he said France would never give up its liberties, or its cartoons.

"We will continue, professor. We will defend the freedom that you taught so well and we will promote secularism, we will not renounce caricatures, drawings, even if others retreat," Macron said earlier this month. "We will continue the fight for freedom and the freedom of which you are now the face."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

The Real Enemy of Islam
by Khaled Abu Toameh
November 3, 2020 at 5:00 am

"The beheading of the French history teacher proves that political Islam has become a real threat to world peace in light of its expansionist tendency, which is currently embodied by Erdogan's project, which not only targets the societies of Muslim countries, but also other societies that incubate important Islamic communities." — Al-Habib Al-Aswad, Tunisian journalist, Al-Arab, October 28, 2020.

He wants to represent himself as a defender of Islam. Which Islam does he speak for? Erdogan has committed crimes in Libya, Syria and all Arab countries. He is the one who is offending Islam." — Mustafa Bakri, Egyptian media personality, Al-Dostor Studio, October 30, 2020.

The reactions of many Arabs and Muslims show that they view Erdogan as a more serious threat to Islam than Macron or others in the West....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey Glorifies Historic Crimes
by Uzay Bulut
November 3, 2020 at 4:00 am

"In our civilization, conquest is not occupation or looting. It is establishing the dominance of the justice that Allah commanded in the [conquered] region.... This is why our civilization is one of conquest." — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, MEMRI.org, August 26, 2020.

"Turkey will take what is its right in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Aegean Sea, and in the Black Sea.... This is why we are determined to do whatever is necessary politically, economically, or militarily. We invite our interlocutors to put themselves in order and stay away from mistakes that will open the way for them to be destroyed." — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, MEMRI.org, August 26, 2020.

"The most savage treatment was always reserved for those visibly proclaiming their Christianity: clergy and monks 'were burned to death, while others were flayed alive from head to toe.'" — Raymond Ibrahim, historian, Frontpage Magazine, August 7, 2019.

In 2018, the Speaker of Turkey's parliament, İsmail Kahraman, described Turkey's military offensive against northern Syria as "jihad." "Without jihad," he added, "there will be no progress." During the same offensive, Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) also called for "jihad" and declared in a weekly sermon that "armed struggle is the highest level of jihad."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

France to ban Turkish ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves
Stuart WILLIAMS, AFP• November 2, 2020

France plans to ban a Turkish ultra-nationalist group known as the Grey Wolves, the interior minister said Monday, in a move that risks further straining already tense relations with Ankara.

The dissolution was announced after a memorial centre to mass killings of Armenians during World War I was defaced with graffiti including the name of the Grey Wolves at the weekend.

The move to ban the Grey Wolves -- seen as a wing of a party allied to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- will be put to the French cabinet on Wednesday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told a parliamentary committee.

"To put it mildly, we are talking about a particularly aggressive group," Darmanin said....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdoğan's Jihad on "Infidel Europe"
by Burak Bekdil
November 7, 2020 at 5:00 am

Middle Eastern politics is always a trap for radical ideologues. In Erdoğan's mindset the "infidel West" is militarily helping Armenia (the evil) and Turkey is militarily helping Azerbaijan (the righteous).

Although Ankara and Baku categorically deny accusations, press reports and independent human rights observers have confirmed the arrival of hundreds of jihadists in Azerbaijan to fight Armenia.

After the Turkish military's direct armed engagement on Iraqi and Syrian territories, proxy wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen, military tensions on the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, Erdoğan's new jihadist adventurism has found a new theater of war in the Caucasus. What's next?...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: The Return of Demons
by Amir Taheri
November 8, 2020 at 4:00 am

Though Empire-builders of the first order, the Ottomans were always careful not to bite more than they could chew. Erdogan, however, is leading Turkey into empire-building adventures which it does not want and cannot afford.

It has... launched a war of words with the European Union as a whole. Ostensibly, Turkey's beef is about old maritime demarcation lines that deny it the right to tap underwater oil and gas resources. What Erdogan does not realize is that the potential market for those resources is the very European Union he is now casting as enemy. In any case, the disputed resources cannot be tapped without massive investment from the West, not to mention the technology needed.

By promoting a strategic break with Europe, Erdogan is leading Turkey into the unknown, with demons whispering in his ears.

"Our past was in Asia but our future is in Europe!" This was how Mesut Yilmaz portrayed his vision for Turkey in a panel debate in Davos in the 1990s....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

How will a Biden presidency affect Turkey?
Getting ‘tough on Turkey’ is a way for Biden to break with Trump’s respect for authoritarian leaders, analysts say.
By Sami Kent 8 Nov 2020

Istanbul, Turkey – Just a couple of weeks before president-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the US election, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was giving a party rally of his own in southeast Turkey, delivering a defiant message to the United States.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” said Erdogan to his NATO ally.

“Impose your sanctions already, whatever they may be,” he added, referring to US threats over Turkey’s purchase of a controversial Russian missile system.

The comments were perhaps also directed at Biden. As one senior Turkish government official told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity: “People here are not overwhelmed with the prospect [of a Biden presidency]”....

Snip... As the senior Turkish official argued, “Biden would be advised to wake up every morning and look at the map and see where Turkey is located.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan rhetorical shift sparks rally in embattled Turkish lira
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a new economic growth strategy that could herald a shift back to more orthodox policies. 11 Nov 2020

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged a new economic growth strategy on Wednesday based on stability, lower inflation and international investment, an abrupt shift in rhetorical gears that sparked a rally of up to 4 percent by the lira.

Erdogan – who in the past has scapegoated foreign investors for Turkey’s economic woes and repeatedly called for lower interest rates – said the strategy would be built on price, monetary and financial stability.

Turkey needs to rebuild both depleted foreign reserves and faith in the beleaguered currency, he said, seeking to burnish Turkey’s free-market credibility after its currency dropped to a series of record lows in recent months.

The speech to ruling AK Party lawmakers came days after a surprise leadership overhaul in which the head of the central bank was removed and the finance minister, Erdogan’s son-in-law, stepped down with little immediate explanation.

The comments, including Erdogan’s pledge to personally tell international investors about opportunities in Turkey, could mark a shift from a more combative tone since 2018 that in part blamed foreigners for a halving in the value of the lira.

“We are building a growth structure which creates qualified employment, which does not cause inflation and a current account deficit,” he said. “We will not refrain from implementing the correct recipe, even if it’s bitter.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Pompeo Stirs Turkey Furor Over Trip Without a Visit to Erdogan
By Nick Wadhams and Selcan Hacaoglu November 13, 2020, 9:50 AM PST

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo won’t meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or other government leaders when he visits Turkey next week, a highly unusual situation that U.S. officials chalked up to scheduling conflicts and Turkish officials considered an insult.

U.S. officials briefing reporters Friday on Pompeo’s 10-day, seven-nation trip said he wants to concentrate on issues of religious liberty. He plans to meet in Istanbul with religious figures including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholowew I, the Greek Orthodox Christian leader, but isn’t traveling to the capital, Ankara.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry labeled Pompeo’s planned meetings as “extremely inappropriate” interference, defending the nation’s record on religious freedom despite Erdogan’s actions in elevating the role of mosques and Islamic worship.

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Cyprus
Erdoğan met by protests from Turkish Cypriots during visit
‘Provocative’ trip to northern Cyprus angers residents as well as the south and Greece Sun 15 Nov 2020 12.17 EST

Turkey’s president has been greeted with protests from Turkish Cypriots denouncing Ankara’s overt meddling in their domestic affairs as he visited northern Cyprus.

In a rare display of opposition for a leader whose tolerance for critics is notoriously low, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was met by demonstrators as he flew into the territory for celebrations marking its unilateral declaration of independence 37 years ago.

Ignoring police attempts to ban the protests, many demonstrators expressed dismay over Erdoğan’s decision to use the occasion to enjoy a picnic in the controversially reopened beach resort of Varosha, holding banners that said: “No picnic over pain”. The resort visit has been widely condemned for violating UN resolutions aimed at reuniting the war-torn island.

“It’s now or never. We have to raise our voice in open defiance” Sener Elcil, a prominent trade unionist, told the Guardian. Speaking in the UN-patrolled buffer zone dividing Cyprus, he added: “Turkish Cypriots will become extinct if our country isn’t reunited … Erdoğan is a loose cannon, he can do anything.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish investors buy up dollars during record lira rally
Nov 17 2020 10:27 Last Updated On: Nov 17 2020 10:35

Many Turkish companies and individuals bought foreign currency last week even as the lira registered its biggest weekly gain in almost two decades, Bloomberg reported, citing currency traders it did not identify.

Demand for dollars barely grew as the lira surged by more than 10 percent against the dollar, demonstrating that the increase did little to restore faith in the currency among many Turks, Bloomberg said.

“Local retail investors were unwilling to sell their hard-currency deposits,” said Onur Ilgen, head of treasury at MUFG Bank in Turkey. “On the contrary, they were gradually buying the U.S. dollar after the pair broke through the 8 handle.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Caucasus: Clash of Imperial Dreams
by Amir Taheri November 22, 2020 at 4:00 am

To start with, the mini-victory he [Erdogan] has won against Armenia may have whetted Erdogan's appetite for further conquests. Pro-Erdogan papers in Turkey are beating the drums about "victory in the Caucasus" as the first time, since the end of the Ottoman Empire, that Turks have managed to "liberate" a chunk of Islamdom from "infidel" rule.

Worse still for Putin, Erdogan has already indicated he wants to involve his Foreign Legion of Jihadis in protecting "Muslim lands".

By mixing his Muslim Brotherhood jihadism with pan-Turkic themes that recall Enver Pasha, Erdogan hopes to replace the Ataturk narrative with a new narrative of religious nationalism.

It is no accident that he is also sharpening his anti-West rhetoric and tightening ties with the Grey Wolves, a pan-Turkish outfit banned by the European Union as a "terrorist organization." The "Grey Wolves" dream of a Turkic empire stretching from the Balkans to Central Asia....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan says Turkey sees itself a part of Europe
Sun, November 22, 2020, 4:01 AM PST·

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that his country, an official candidate for European Union membership, sees itself as an inseparable part of Europe but will not give in to attacks and double standards.

"We see ourselves as an inseparable part of Europe...However this does not mean that we will bow down to overt attacks to our country and nation, veiled injustices and double standards," Erdogan said in a speech to the members of its AK Party.

Turkey's drilling activities in a disputed part of the eastern Mediterranean have raised tensions with the EU as Turkey locked in a dispute with and Greece and Cyprus over the extent of their continental shelves and hydrocarbon resources....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish lira weakens to pre-rate hike levels
Ahval Nov 23 2020 12:01 Gmt+3 Last Updated On: Nov 23 2020 12:01 Gmt+3

The Turkish lira fell, erasing the gains it made after a central bank rate hike last week.

The lira dropped by 2 percent to 7.7862 per dollar in Istanbul, declining for the second day.

Turkey’s central bank increased its benchmark interest rate by 4.75 percentage points to 15 percent on Thursday, matching the expectations of economists. Monetary policymakers said they would only lend to banks via that single rate going forward, abandoning a so-called interest rate corridor.

The Turkish central bank hiked rates after the lira slumped to a record low of 8.58 per dollar earlier this month, prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to sack the bank’s governor and replace him with former finance minister Naci Ağbal. The lira has lost almost 25 percent of its value this year....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdoğan's New Charm Offensive: Bogus Democratic Reforms
by Burak Bekdil December 5, 2020 at 5:00 am

Erdoğan's new reform pledge came at a time when a former leader of a pro-Kurdish party, along with dozens of others, remains in jail for the past years. Almost all the elected Kurdish mayors have been replaced by government-appointed administrators. Hundreds of journalists, politicians and intellectuals spend jail time on absurdly flimsy charges.

Pro-government judges announce rulings in defiance of rulings from superior Turkish courts, including the Constitutional Court, and from the European Court of Human Rights. Those judges who dare make "undesirable verdicts" are probed and often get disciplinary punishments.

Erdoğan's new charm offensive is deeply problematic. It is not genuine. It is too little too late. Just a few days after he launched his reform campaign, he refused calls for the release of a jailed Kurdish politician and a civil rights activist. "Erdoğan's reform program survived only nine days," said Bekir Ağırdır, a prominent political analyst and director of the research company KONDA.

Erdoğan has a serious predicament: He wants his country to keep suffering as a third world democracy while he hopes to lure foreign investment at the same amounts and terms as a Western democracy. That will not happen....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Erdogan Threatens Europe
by Uzay Bulut December 7, 2020 at 4:00 am

That a NATO member and European Union candidate, Turkey, is openly threatening the security of Westerners, is unprecedented.

One of the most abusive Ottoman practices was the institution of "devshirme," also known as the "child levy" or "blood tax," with which Christian boys were forcibly abducted from the conquered population, enslaved, converted to Islam and later trained as soldiers. Erdogan evidently sees the Ottoman occupation and abuse of European nations as Turkish "contributions" to Europe.

This current belligerence once again demonstrates major differences between Europe and Erdogan's regime. It is a crisis between a mentality that respects a free press versus a mentality that jails critical journalists. It reveals a mentality that wants to preserve the safety of its citizens versus a mentality that aims to force others to submit to its demands through threats and use of terror. It is a mentality that stubbornly believes in violating and even trying to invade the territories of its neighbors versus one that tries to resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.

It is Erdogan's regime who targets the safety and freedoms of Europeans -- as well as Armenians, Syrians, Iraqis, and many of his own Turks....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan seeks energy talks as EU mulls sanctions over East Med
Turkish president says he sees a ‘win-win’ solution, but says Ankara will not not bow to threats and blackmailing over Eastern Med. 7 Dec 2020

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes “a win-win formula” can be found in a row with Greece over undersea resources, as the European Union mulls sanctions ahead of a key summit.

NATO members Turkey and Greece have been at loggerheads over maritime territory in the Eastern Mediterranean, believed to be rich in energy resources including natural gas.

“I am calling on all neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean, especially Greece, not to see this issue as a zero-sum game,” Erdogan said on Monday.

“I believe a win-win formula that observes everyone’s rights could be found.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Legitimizing Extremist Violence
by Burak Bekdil December 8, 2020 at 4:00 am

Then there is the Turkish Hezbollah, a Sunni violent organization that aims to found a Kurdish-Islamic state based on sharia. Although the Turkish Hezbollah is not to be confused with the Lebanese Hezbollah, it too has links with the Shia regime in Iran.

Journalist Ismail Saymaz detailed in his column how the former Turkish Hezbollah, now the Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par), has infiltrated into scores of schools in Diyarbakır for wider future influence in the Kurdish provinces.... Saymaz says the Free Cause network has spread around Turkey so successfully that the movement now runs a television station and publishes a daily newspaper.

With democratic voting since 2002, Turkey has evolved from a secular state that had strong institutional bonds with the West to a religious, fundamentalist state hostile to the Western civilization and Israel. The next two decades may see even Turkey's non-violent religious institutions evolving into violent ones....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

EU summit: Turkish sanctions on agenda as Erdogan shrugs threats
European leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss possible action against Ankara over the eastern Mediterranean crisis, coronavirus, Brexit and budget. 10 Dec 2020

Concerned that their credibility is at stake, European Union leaders are set to consider on Thursday expanding sanctions against Turkey over its exploration of gas reserves in Mediterranean waters claimed by EU members Greece and Cyprus.

At their last summit in October, the leaders offered “a positive political EU-Turkey agenda” to Ankara, including trade and customs benefits and the prospect of more funds to help Turkey manage Syrian refugees on its territory if it halts its “illegal activities” in the eastern Mediterranean.

But EU foreign ministers unanimously agreed this week that Turkey’s behaviour has not improved. After chairing their videoconference on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “in several aspects, the situation has worsened”.

“The stakes are very precise, very clear: the credibility of the European Union,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told reporters. He recalled that the leaders said in October that there would be consequences if Turkey “continued its delinquent behaviour”.

“So now, it will be seen whether, as Europe, we are really credible in what we ourselves have agreed to,” Mitsotakis said....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

An Assertive Turkey Muscles Into Russia’s Backyard
Erdogan extended support for Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, a rare foray into Kremlin’s sphere of influence By David Gauthier-Villars Dec. 11, 2020 9:23 am ET

ISTANBUL—When Russia single-handedly brokered an agreement last month to stop fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, two former Soviet republics, the Kremlin granted an important concession to Turkey, allowing Ankara to monitor its implementation.

Turkey’s strong military support for Azerbaijan was a reality the Kremlin couldn’t ignore, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What can I tell you,” he said on Russian television when asked about Turkey’s broader role in the Caucasus days after fighting stopped last month. “It’s a geopolitical fallout from the downfall of Soviet Union.”

Turkey’s foray into an area the Kremlin has traditionally regarded as its exclusive sphere of influence is emblematic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to refashion the NATO member and once-pliant U.S. ally into a power player at the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East and Asia....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey summons Iranian ambassador over Azeri poem tensions
Sat, December 12, 2020, 7:56 AM CST

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey on Saturday summoned the Iranian ambassador to Ankara over Iran's “aggressive” reaction to the Turkish president’s recitation of a poem on a visit to Azerbaijan, which Tehran deemed to support a secession of Azeri ethnic parts of Iran.

The diplomatic spat between neighbors Iran and Turkey began earlier this week when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who strongly backs Azerbaijan, read parts of a poem during a parade in the Caucasian country's capital of Baku. The verses that Erdogan read included lines about how a border tore apart ancient Azeri, or Azerbaijani, lands “by force.”

In a statement Saturday, Turkey’s communications director Fahrettin Altun said Iranians had distorted the meaning of the poem “to fuel senseless tensions.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Choice
The Turkish leader can embrace the West or accept sanctions.
By The Editorial Board Dec. 16, 2020 6:27 pm ET

Turkey has long been a fickle NATO ally, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally went too far when buying the Russian S-400 air-defense missile system. The State Department’s Monday announcement that Ankara now faces sanctions was unfortunate but inevitable.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that Turkey’s “purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of U.S. military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector, as well as Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry.” The sanctions will target Turkey’s defense procurement agency and its top officials. This will sting, as international financial institutions will have to think twice before doing business with the agency.

Mr. Pompeo added that the White House wants to resolve the issue but is obligated to impose sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa), a 2017 law meant to discourage weapons purchases from Russia. Our only criticism is that the Trump Administration took so long to act....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey discovers $6bn gold reserve, report says
December 23, 2020 at 3:35 pm | Published in: Europe & Russia, News, Turkey

Turkey discovered a major gold reserve in the midwest town of the country holding an estimated 3.5 million ounces (99 tonnes) of the precious metal valued at around $6 billion, the Anadolu state news agency reported yesterday.

According to the report, the head of the Agricultural Credit Cooperatives of Turkey and the Gübretas fertiliser production firm Fahrettin Poyraz reported the discovery in the midwestern town, Sogut.

"We are talking about a value close to six billion dollars," Poyraz told Anadolu....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Commander threatens to target Turkish forces in Libya
NOHA ELHENNAWY Thu, December 24, 2020, 12:35 PM CST

CAIRO (AP) — A Libyan commander who launched an offensive last year to capture the capital Tripoli from the U.N.-recognized rival government threatened Thursday to use force against Turkish troops if Ankara doesn't stop interfering in the war-stricken North African country.

Khalifa Hifter's comments came in response to the Turkish parliament's decision to extend for 18 months a law that allows the deployment of Turkish troops to Libya. Turkish military assistance to the Tripoli-based government — including advisors, equipment and intelligence — helped stop Hifter's year-long offensive on the capital. Turkey has also been accused of sending thousands of Syrian mercenaries to Libya.

“There will be no security or peace as long as the boots of the Turkish military are desecrating our immaculate soil," Hifter said in comments from his eastern stronghold, Benghazi, on the 69th anniversary of Libya’s independence day. "We will carry weapons to bring about peace with our own hands and our free will."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: From Europe With Love
by Burak Bekdil
December 26, 2020 at 5:00 am

Erdoğan also said that he sees Turkey's future in Europe -- the same Europe he just had accused of being "Nazi remnants and fascists."

The heart of the matter was how tough the EU would go in sanctions at a time when Turkey's national economy was in free-fall. What Brussels decided, it turned out, was: Not so tough

Legally speaking, the man Erdoğan referred to as a "terrorist" is only a suspect without a court verdict. This, however, is Erdoğan's sick understanding of constitutional rights: He is the elected leader, so he believes he can take the liberty to declare suspects guilty or not guilty while their court cases are in progress....

Snip... The trouble is, an inherently anti-Western, Islamist politician who has built his popularity largely on constant confrontations with other nations cannot mentally transform into a peaceful partner within a span of three months....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Israel suspicious of Erdogan’s overtures
“I don’t really believe he’s being honest,” the source said. “We need to see actions.”
By LAHAV HARKOV DECEMBER 27, 2020 21:28

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot harbor Hamas terrorists and try to forge closer ties with Israel, a senior diplomatic source said Sunday.

“I don’t really believe he’s being honest,” the source said. “We need to see actions.”
The comments came after Erdogan on Friday told reporters Turkey “would have liked to bring our ties [with Israel] to a better point.”

“If there were no issues at the top level [in Israel], our ties could have been very different,” Erdogan said, apparently blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the strained relations between the countries.

Israel’s “Palestine policy is our red line... [Israel’s] merciless acts are unacceptable,” he said....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Turks Celebrate Nazi Sympathizer
by Uzay Bulut December 31, 2020 at 4:00 am

Sadly, Hüseyin Nihal Atsız still has many fans in Turkey.

"As the mud will not be iron even if it is put into an oven, the Jew cannot be Turkish no matter how hard he tries. Turkishness is a privilege, it is not granted to everyone, especially to those like Jews... If we get angry, we will not only exterminate Jews like the Germans did, we will go further...." — Hüseyin Nihal Atsız, in his National Revolution (Milli Inkılap) journal, 1934.

Today, behind many of Turkey's continued aggressive policies such as its anti-Armenian, anti-Greek, anti-Cypriot, anti-Jewish, anti-Kurdish, anti-Western, and anti-Israeli activities lie the racist views of Atsız and the like. Millions of Turks have for decades been poisoned with Atsız's Nazi-like views....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

As the new year approaches I got the idea to look at how many posts there have been in this thread. I can't find the original page, but I believe there were about one million posts there. The subsequent part two, three, and four pages have almost two million posts, the total over maybe fifteen years would be around three million. Seems amazing, but I can't tell where the time went. So, times being what they are, we find ourselves at the edge of something that maybe could be, might be, or maybe not be. Closer, maybe, but there could be a turn around that takes us in a different direction. The news production being what it is, mostly about US politics, and the C19 virus, it's hard to find any real news on an international scale that points to a beginning, of something. Yet there are events in the ME that point to a significant, something. First of all, peace with Israel and the surrounding few Arab nations is significant, with likely more to come. But former enemies may in fact, still be enemies. The closer these nations become, the more dangerous, in my opinion. Familiarity breeds contempt, a saying that comes to mind. Especially when it comes to cultural issues, like economies and religion, the two things that should not be discussed by them lest those differences rear their ugly heads. Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, once brothers are now distant cousins. The closer they become, the more they will contest the 'will', or covenant, they believe was left to them. By their respective Gods. Only time will tell them their answer to what the original 'Will of God' is.

Moving along, Turkey is still a major threat to Israel, Iran also, and especially so as the two are compatible in their hatred for Israel. Turkey's president Erdogan is still moving his country into a caliphate, to include the Arab peoples and nations, with him as the caliph. Neighbor Syria is likely to fall to the presence of both, eventually, placing their forces on the border of the Golan Heights, overlooking northern Israel and a short dash to Jerusalem, in the same manner as isis did with Syria and Iraq. Terrible hard times may be upon us soon, or maybe not for quite a while. Only God Knows, all the pieces of Prophecy, right down to the jot and title, have to fall into their proper positions, so that they may be fulfilled exactly as written. Exactly, precisely, no speculation, no doubt.

I have been on this blog since 2003, and have learned so much from you all here, and from a closer study of His Word so as to be able to answer my interpretations with Scripture supporting Scripture. As time has gone on I have found myself thinking, I don't know the answers, and no one else does either. But we here have some interesting ideas about how things will come about. In my later years I find myself becoming more and more, a man of peace. As such, I am leaving most of the worldly issues to the next generation to deal with, having dealt with mine as best I can. And seeing the result, I find that surely we are in the hands of God, in Whom I have placed my trust. He has taught me what that really means, tested by a serious fiery trial, wherein all I apparently had left was my Faith. Broken and contrite to that point, I told Him I was not giving that up, no matter what, I would accept what He gave me and do my best, be my best, for Him. In turn, He has given me a security I have not known before, at least since the beginning of my search for the Truth, in Him. He tells me to return to my First Love, for Him, so that I may share that with others. My daily prayers are for that, and mostly in gratitude for the comfort He has given me. I pray you all here who are my friends in Christ, receive that Blessing, that we shine as of the Light of our Jesus, in this dark world. You all mean so much to me, I would give you my peace, and the Gift He has given me, if it were permissible.

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ ...

God Bless You

David

[Exit40]

OPINION
What Explains Turkey's Sudden Charm Offensive on Israel? | Opinion
CAROLINE GLICK , AUTHOR AND SENIOR COLUMNIST, ISRAEL HAYOM
ON 12/30/20 AT 11:26 AM ESTCaroline Glick

After a decade of unadulterated hostility, over the past few weeks Turkey's Islamist president Recep Erdogan and his advisors have been waging a charm offensive on Israel. How are we to understand this sudden turn of events?

In the 1990s, aside from the U.S., Turkey was Israel's closest strategic ally. The alliance between the two countries was felt in everything from tourism to weapons sales, from business ties to joint training exercises. Following Erdogan's initial rise to power in 2002, things began gradually shifting. Fashioning himself a new Ottoman sultan on a mission to rebuild the lost Ottoman Empire, Erdogan began warming up to the Muslim Brotherhood, and particularly to its Palestinian branch—the Hamas terror organization.

Turkey led the line of governments that condemned Israel for killing Hamas's terror chief Ahmed Yassin in 2004. Ankara's support for Gaza continued to expand over the years until 2009, when Turkey openly supported Hamas against Israel in its 2009 mini-war. In 2009 and 2010, Turkish television broadcast two openly anti-Semitic drama series that depicted Israelis as baby killers, kidnappers and terrorists....

Snip... Remarkably, even as Turkey casts its eye on Israel as a life raft in the storm Erdogan created for his country, the regime's hatred of Israel continues to bubble over....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey and Israel: Premature Optimism for Normalization
by Burak Bekdil January 6, 2021 at 5:00 am

It would be childish to believe that the man whose political formation was based on a militant expanse of anti-Zionism as raison d'être was not anti-Israeli, but had merely been under the influence of advisors who no longer hold sway. Erdoğan is anti-Israeli today as he was 40, 30, 20 and 10 years ago.

In August, The Telegraph revealed that Ankara had granted citizenship and passports to "senior operatives of a Hamas terrorist cell" .... Also in August, Erdoğan met in Istanbul with Hamas's senior military leader, Saleh al-Arouri, and senior political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

These are not blurred memories from distant past.... They follow an ideological pattern of hostility along religious lines. They do not make Erdoğan a reliable partner for peace.

As a matter of fact, none of the reasons why Erdoğan preferred to steer otherwise friendly relations between Turkey and Israel into where they stand today has disappeared. Without their disappearing for good, a reset will remain but a sweet wish....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey-Israel Reconciliation?
by Uzay Bulut January 14, 2021 at 4:00 am

[I]t was Erdogan who in October called Jerusalem a Turkish city. Referring to the Ottoman occupation of Jerusalem (1517-1917), Erdogan said: "It is still possible to encounter traces of the Ottoman resistance in this city that we had to leave in tears during the First World War. In other words, Jerusalem is our city, it is a city from us."

Apparently, the Erdogan regime is hoping to expand trade with Israel and further gain diplomatic support in international matters. At the same time, instead of genuinely trying to fight anti-Semitism and other forms of racism in Turkish society through education and other means, the Erdogan regime has been indoctrinating its supporters with Jew-hatred and actively supporting Hamas terrorists....

Snip... Two weeks before Erdogan talked about "bettering relations with Israel," a conference organized by a pro-government Turkish organization, the Association of Justice Defenders Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM), promoted the idea of creating a joint Islamic army and a common defense system for the "Confederation of Islamic Countries". One of the main targets of this proposed army is Israel....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Ready1]

Two weeks before Erdogan talked about "bettering relations with Israel," a conference organized by a pro-government Turkish organization, the Association of Justice Defenders Strategic Studies Center (ASSAM), promoted the idea of creating a joint Islamic army and a common defense system for the "Confederation of Islamic Countries". One of the main targets of this proposed army is Israel....

Makes me wonder who this "Confederation of Islamic Countries" is? (Turkey, Iran, Lybia, Somalia, Ethiopia?)

[Exit40]

Makes me wonder who this "Confederation of Islamic Countries" is? (Turkey, Iran, Lybia, Somalia, Ethiopia?)

It seems there is no list of members in this organization per se, but seems to include every single islamic majority nation. Check this out...

GEOPOLITICAL VALUE OF ISLAMIC GEOGRAPHY:

The Islamic geography of 60 countries, having 60 of 193 member states of the United Nations Organization (31% of the member states), 1.6 billion of the world's population of 7,145 billion (22.5% of the world's population), 19 million km2 of the world’s land of 150 million km2 (12.8% of the world's land) has the following with the block they formed when the borders between them are ignored:

Located in the center of Asia, Europe and Africa, known as the World Island;
Controls the Strait of Gibraltar which is considered as the entrance gates of the Mediterranean, the biggest inland sea of the World, Red Sea and Black Sea as well as Bab-El-Mandeb, Çanakkale and Istanbul Straits and the Suez Canal,
Has coasts to Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Caspian Sea,
Land and sea border neighbour to Asia, Europe and Africa continents, superpowers of the world such as European Union, Russia, India, Russia and sea border neighbour to the United States of America.
Has the opportunity to become an unrivalled center of world land, air and sea transportation routes,
Owns 55.5% of world petroleum reserves and 45.6% of its production, 64.1% of natural gas reserves, and 33% of its production;
In the future, it will have the ability to be superpower in the world by combining its geopolitical position, common civilization values and historical build up with its opportunities, efforts and goals....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

‘Dear Tayyip’: Erdogan, Macron exchange letters
The Turkish and French presidents exchange letters in which they agree to resume talks aimed at mending ties.
15 Jan 2021

The Turkish and French presidents have exchanged letters in which they have agreed to resume talks aimed at mending ties.

Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a New Year message to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, expressing condolences for several attacks in France last year, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by local media on Friday.

Macron sent back a “very positive” letter this week, starting with the greeting “Dear Tayyip” and saying he was open to a meeting, Cavusoglu said.

“President Macron expresses the importance of Turkey for Europe and his will to develop positive ties with Turkey as well as to meet our president in the coming period,” Cavusoglu said....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey’s religious authority denounces ‘evil-eye’ charms
The state-run body says the eye-shaped blue amulets – believed to date back to at least 3,300 BCE – are incompatible with Islam.
By Andrew Wilks 23 Jan 2021

Ankara, Turkey – The state-run religious authority has caused alarm by proclaiming the use of talismans to ward off “the evil eye” prohibited under Islam.

The proliferation of the eye-shaped blue glass amulets in Turkey is widespread, as is the belief in their ability to ward off malevolent or jealous intentions.

In a recently published fatwa – a legal or general decree by a religious authority or court – the Diyanet, which governs all matters relating to Islam in Turkey, denounced the use of the ornaments, known locally as nazarlik or nazar boncugu, as forbidden.

“Although the nature and condition of the evil eye are not known precisely, it is accepted by religion that some people can create negative effects with their gaze,” the Diyanet said in an advisory published on its website...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey and Greece: Still More Peace Talks
by Burak Bekdil January 27, 2021 at 4:00 am

Ankara and Athens, starting in 2002, held 60 rounds of talks before their exploratory efforts came to a halt in 2016. After a five-year-long pause the rivals agreed to resume talks on January 25, starting the 61st round.

"The idea that a strategic — so-called strategic — partner of ours would actually be in line with one of our biggest strategic competitors in Russia is not acceptable." — Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden's then-nominee for Secretary of State, Arab News, January 26, 2021.

"Turkey has adopted a strongly militaristic approach, making efforts toward conflict resolution increasingly unlikely." — Dimitris Tsarouhas, a professor of international relations, a Scientific Council member of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies in Brussels, and a World Bank consultant, Arab News, January 26, 2021....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Opinion: Turkey will drive a hard bargain. Here’s how the Biden team can react.
Opinion by Asli Aydintasbas Jan. 28, 2021 at 8:36 a.m. PST

As the Biden administration rolls up its sleeves to formulate foreign policy objectives, one of its more difficult dossiers will be Turkey.

Drifting from the West, flirting with Russia and going authoritarian at home, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey has been a difficult ally, but it remains a NATO partner and a regional powerhouse. Ankara has angered Washington by purchasing the Russian S-400 missiles system and going after U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in Syria. Turkey has also skillfully filled the vacuum from the U.S. retreat in the region by expanding its military footprint in the Caucasus and the Middle East.

Increasingly self-confident and with growing domestic defense capabilities, Turkey’s strongman is no longer interested in being a loyal member of the West. He believes that Turkey should pursue its own destiny — with himself at the helm....

Snip... In anticipation of the Biden administration, Ankara has recently embarked on a charm offensive toward the European Union and reached out to regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia and Israel. After a year of hard-line policies, Turkey is also encouraging the United Nations to restart Cyprus talks on the decades-old division of the island....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish Reforms: From Imperial Repression to Thuggish State
by Burak Bekdil February 11, 2021 at 4:00 am

The Turks' political journey toward the West began a century and a half ago, but Turkey now remains as distant from universal democratic values as the Ottoman Empire was at its collapse.

Modern Turkey's darkest years came between 1976 and 1980, when a campaign of political violence, wrought by a multitude of far-left and far-right urban guerilla groups, killed more than 5,000 people. That era only came to an end when the military took over the country in a completed coup d'état and the violence subsided.

Twenty years later, a militant Islamist, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, pledged radically to reform Turkish democracy and make it an inseparable part of Europe -- via full membership in the European Union. Two decades after that pledge Turkey's democracy remains as remote from Europe's civil liberties, democratic culture and checks and balances as Abdulhamid's empire was in 1876....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey Ravages Cyprus
by Uzay Bulut February 21, 2021 at 4:30 am

Six years after Turkey invaded Cyprus, another military coup d'état, in 1980 in Turkey, would destroy whatever crumbs of freedoms remained. According to US secret diplomatic documents, at least 650,000 people were detained. Many were tortured and hundreds died in custody.

"There is a rule in the [Turkish] Special Warfare: To increase the strength of the people, some of their values must be sabotaged as if [the sabotage were conducted] by the enemy. [For example], a mosque can be burned. We burned a mosque in Cyprus." — Turkish General Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu, Habertürk, September 23, 2010.

In addition to Greek Cypriots, Armenian, Maronite, and other non-Muslim Cypriots were also forcibly displaced. The result was that Turkey effectively crushed the Christian population.

Today Turkey still calls the atrocities it committed in Cyprus in 1974 "a peace operation."

Continues

God Bless

David