Turkey : Part Four

[Exit40]

Assad pledges to continue onslaught that has displaced 900,000
As government forces make gains in northwestern Syria, UN warns of 'horrifying' crisis amid 'indiscriminate' violence.
18 hours ago

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to continue an onslaught on the country's last major rebel stronghold, saying the war was not yet over but a "complete victory" was in sight.

The fierce Russian-backed government offensive has displaced 900,000 people in the northwestern region since the start of December, the United Nations said on Monday, warning that the "horrifying" crisis was forcing those fleeing to sleep outside in freezing temperatures and had resulted in babies dying of cold as camps are full.

But in a rare address carried on state television on Monday, al-Assad congratulated his forces for recent gains that led to them consolidating control over Aleppo province and pledging to press ahead with a military campaign in Idlib province....

Snip... In his address, al-Assad also alluded to Ankara's warning, saying the offensive will go ahead despite "empty voices that are coming from the north"....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan threatens 'imminent' Turkish operation in Syria
Turkish leader says talks with Russia over northwest Syria failed to achieve 'desired result'.
2 hours ago

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch an operation in Syria's Idlib region by the end of the month if Damascus fails to withdraw behind Turkish military positions.

"An operation in Idlib is imminent," Erdogan told his party's legislators in Parliament on Wednesday. "We are counting down, we are making our final warnings".

Russia - the Syrian government's main ally in the nearly nine-year war - responded by saying any Turkish offensive against Syrian forces in Idlib would be the "worst scenario"....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan’s mission to defend lira unsettles overseas investors
Measures to fight speculation have helped push foreign money out of Turkey’s markets
Laura Pitel in Istanbul, Tommy Stubbington and Anna Gross in London YESTERDAY

When the Turkish lira was struck by a bout of selling nearly a year ago, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that speculators would pay a heavy price for their “provocations”. He warned: “Our currency is the Turkish lira, and we will protect it.”

Some dismissed the remarks as bluster. But over the past 12 months, Turkish authorities have backed up the president’s words with measures designed to support the currency — and offset interest rate cuts aimed at rebooting economic growth.

On Wednesday, Turkey cut its benchmark rate for the sixth time in a row, with the one-week repo rate moving to 10.75 per cent, from 24 per cent last July. The falling interest rate — together with a general emerging-market sell-off and concerns over the conflict in Syria — has piled pressure on the currency. Rising inflation means that real interest rates have turned negative.

In response, state banks have sold billions of dollars in a bid to prop up the lira, according to traders, while the banking regulator has taken further steps to curb short selling of the currency.

The stakes are high. A stable lira is vital both for Turkish companies, which are saddled with large amounts of foreign-currency debt, and to keep consumer prices stable. The exchange rate is seen in Turkey as a barometer of Mr Erdogan’s management of the economy....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Feb 21, 2020, 02:03pm
Turkey And Russia Fight It Out: Is This The End Of The Road For Erdogan?
Melik Kaylan

Developments in Syria's northern Idlib region have put Turkey's President in a tight corner, perhaps the tightest since he first hijacked state power ten or more years ago. Upwards of a million refugees, purged by Assadist forces operating under Russian air support, are stumbling northwards toward the Turkish border. The border is closed. But you can't keep a million starved, frozen, desperate refugees out by main force. Turkey already houses over three million Syrian refugees and the country's native inhabitants have had enough. The resentment of Turkish citizens threatens to derail Erdogan's grip on power.

Ergodan sent in the Turkish army, with tanks, artillery and armored vehicles, long-range rockets in tow. But they have no protection from Russian air power. A nation with a long militaristic history like Turkey can endure battlefield martyrs, inflows of refugees, curbs on freedoms and strongman posturing in its leader, up to a point. What it won't tolerate is defeat, especially defeat that a supine media can't hide from the populace. Plus, the collapse of Ankara-backed Sunni rebels in Syria will free the Kurds to unite geographically along Turkey's southern border thereby furnish support to fellow Kurds inside Turkey. An even bigger blow. So Erdogan abuts a Waterloo moment. He is asking Nato desperately for Patriot air cover from Russian airstrikes against Turkish soldiers. Having spurned Nato and the West, having defiantly purchased Russian missile batteries, Erdogan has run out of bluffing room on both sides....

Snip... Putin never ends a smoldering conflict if there's still leverage to be gained. As yet, the Kremlin has no reason to play nice with a recalcitrant Erdogan. So the Russia option, as Turkey's President is just discovering, was never a haven....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Tensions rise in Syria after Turkish soldier killed in Idlib
Turkish president says he will meet leaders of Russia, France and Germany to discuss Idlib at summit on March 5.
8 hours ago

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will meet the leaders of Russia, France and Germany next month to discuss the situation in northwest Syria, where a military push by Moscow-backed government forces against the last opposition-held enclave has displaced nearly a million people.

His comments on Saturday came as the Turkish defence ministry said a Turkish soldier had been killed in Syria's Idlib province in a bomb attack by government forces, becoming Turkey's 16th military death during a month in which talks between Ankara and Moscow have failed to de-escalate a recent spike in fighting.

Speaking to reporters in Izmir, Erdogan did not specify where the March 5 meeting would be held. He added, however, that Turkey "determined our road map" for Syria after calls on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Are Turkish Cypriots Done with Ankara?
by Burak Bekdil February 25, 2020 at 4:00 am

For the Turks, Turkey is the homeland and Cyprus is the "baby homeland."

In January 2018, several thousand Turkish Cypriots marched against what they said was Turkey's unwanted influence that has emboldened hard-right groups to try to silence opposing views.

Erdoğan's government has been generously sending Turkish taxpayers' money to religious foundations, associations, NGOs and Quranic schools in Turkish Cyprus via the Turkish Aid Delegation. Turkey also built a (Sunni Muslim) theology academy at the same time as it ignored local criticism against it.

"There have been mosque constructions in all areas in northern Cyprus, including former Greek Orthodox churches. All that effort has upset Turkish Cypriots." — Yusuf Kanlı, a prominent Turkish Cypriot columnist, to Gatestone Institute, February 18, 2020....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Greece's Migrant Crisis: "A Powder Keg Ready to Explode"
by Soeren Kern February 28, 2020 at 5:00 am

"People have seen their properties destroyed, their sheep and goats have been slaughtered, their homes broken into. A few years back, when there were 5,000 migrants on the island, things seemed bad enough. Now there's a sense that the situation has really got out of hand." — Nikos Trakellis, community leader in Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos.

"I fear for the safety of our people, the residents of Lesbos. For the situation to change, many refugees have to be transferred to the mainland and new arrivals from Turkey must be stopped. If not, we are doomed." — North Aegean Regional Governor Kostas Moutzouris.

"Welcome in Greece are only those we choose. Those who are not welcome will be returned. We will permanently shut the door to illegal human traffickers, to those who want to enter even though they are not entitled to asylum." — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Greek officials have said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally controls the migration flows to Greece and turns them on and off to extract more money and other political concessions from the European Union.

Turkey, which currently hosts nearly four million Syrian refugees, has said it cannot handle a new influx. It has repeatedly threatened to re-open the floodgates of mass migration to Europe....

Snip... Greek officials have said that Erdoğan personally controls the migration flows to Greece and turns them on and off to extract more money and other political concessions from the European Union....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Al Jazeera English

Turkey says it is attacking “all known targets of the Syrian regime” following a dramatic escalation in the battle for Idlib province.
At least 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian government air strike.
The United Nations secretary-general has expressed grave concern as NATO's chief condemned what he called the “indiscriminate” air strikes by Syria and Russia.
Al Jazeera's Andrew Chappelle reports.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4VGgpFDf_M

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Syria says 2 warplanes downed by Turkey as tensions soar
The fighting has increased tensions between Turkey and Russia.
03/01/2020 08:24 AM EST

KASTANIES, Greece — Syria’s official news agency said two of its warplane were shot down by Turkish forces inside northwest Syria, amid a military escalation there that’s led to growing direct clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces.

SANA says the jets were targeted over the Idlib region, and that the four pilots ejected with parachutes and landed safely.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down two SU-24 aircraft and destroyed air defense systems after one of its aerial drones was downed. Earlier, Syrian military-run media said it had downed a drone inside northwest Syria, and was closing its airspace for any flights or drones across the country’s northwestern region. It said any aircraft that penetrates Syrian airspace will be treated as hostile and shot down....

Snip... Erdogan did not explicitly link his decision to open the gates to Europe to the military escalation in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Greece stands firm on migrants, as Turkey opens floodgates to Europe
By Arwa Damon and Murat Baykara, CNN
Updated 7:44 PM ET, Sun March 1, 2020

Pazarkule, Turkey (CNN)Thousands of migrants are gathered at Turkey's border with Greece, after the Turkish government last week allowed the refugees passage to Europe saying it had "reached its capacity."

The move tramples on a 2016 deal struck with the European Union to halt migrants traveling from the Middle East towards Europe.

It comes on the back of an air strike by Russian-backed Syrian forces on the city of Idlib in the neighboring country last week, killing 33 Turkish soldiers. Turkey's about-face is seen as a way of leveraging European support for its military operation in Syria....

Continues

God bless

David

[Exit40]

Al Jazeera English

As fighting rages on in Syria, the Greek prime minister has warned that any refugees who try to enter the country will be turned back.

Thousands of migrants and refugees are trying to cross from Turkey after Ankara said it would no longer enforce its border.
Al Jazeera's Natasha Ghoneim reports from Edirne in Turkey, near the border with Greece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP-SIzDMyn4

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Opinion Syria
Erdoğan is reaping what he sowed: Turkey is on the brink of disaster in Syria
Simon Tisdall

The Turkish president has gone beyond proxy war to direct confrontation with Assad. And he has alienated all his allies
Mon 2 Mar 2020 12.37 ESTLast modified on Mon 2 Mar 2020 16.51 EST

Maverick, out-of-control authoritarian leaders – and here we are talking about Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president – tend to think they know best about everything, and are fiercely intolerant of criticism. It is this hubris that has finally led Erdoğan and Turkey to the brink of disaster in Syria after nine years of bombastic threats, proxy conflict and direct military intervention.

Erdoğan is now isolated on all sides, sharply at odds with other major players in the Syrian crisis. Having sent an extra 7,000 troops and armour into Idlib last month to reinforce existing military outposts, Turkey has plunged in open warfare with Bashar al-Assad’s regime. It has attacked airports and radar sites well behind the de facto “frontline”. It has declared all regime “elements” to be legitimate targets.

In mid-2011, when the Arab spring uprisings were just getting going, Ahmet Davutoğlu, then Turkey’s foreign minister, met Assad in Damascus and urged him to discuss the demonstrators’ demands. Assad refused. Davutoğlu later told me the Syrian leader just wouldn’t listen. The chance was lost. As Assad’s crackdown intensified, Erdoğan threw Turkey’s weight behind the rebels, including Islamist groups....

Snip... Erdoğan is now pinning his hopes on a face-to-face meeting with the Russian leader to prevent more, costly collisions that Turkey cannot win. He will travel to Moscow on Thursday in search of a ceasefire – after Putin agreed to make time for him. Yet Putin may be in no mood to back off...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan's Attempts to Blackmail Europe are Doomed to Fail
by Con Coughlin March 5, 2020 at 5:00 am

If the current crisis facing Turkey is entirely of Mr Erdogan's own making, that has not prevented the Turkish president from trying to deflect attention away from his own mishandling of the conflict by seeking to provoke a new migrant crisis in Europe.

When Turkey took the controversial decision last year to purchase Russia's state-of-the-art S-400 anti-aircraft missile system, Mr Erdogan calculated that it would herald new era of friendly cooperation with Ankara's long-standing rival in Moscow even if, by pressing ahead with the deal, the Turks risked jeopardising their relationship with NATO, which bitterly opposed the deal.

Russians now find themselves in a direct confrontation with Turkish forces in Idlib province, where the Turks are trying to protect a number of Islamist militias committed to overthrowing the Assad regime... [A]s the recent escalation in fighting has demonstrated, the Russians' main priority is to support the Assad regime.

Mr Erdogan is also about to discover that there has been a hardening of attitudes among European leaders about dealing with unwanted migrants since the Turkish leader last used his blackmail tactics five years ago.... These days, senior politicians in Mrs Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats take a more hard-nosed approach to the migrant issue, with one senior party member warning the migrants this week, "There is no point coming to Germany.
We cannot take you in."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan, Putin announce Idlib ceasefire after Moscow meeting
Ceasefire came into effect after midnight in Idlib amid reports of fresh violence between Turkish and Syrian troops.
13 hours ago

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have announced a military ceasefire in Idlib, after a meeting in Moscow that lasted six hours.

Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria, has witnessed increased violence and bloodshed since last December, the start of a Russia-backed Syrian offensive to regain control over the region.

"At 00.01 tonight, as in, from midnight, the ceasefire will be put in place," Erdogan told reporters on Thursday in the Russian capital.

Erdogan added that Turkey, which has sent thousands of troops into Idlib to repel the Syrian army, would not "remain silent" if Syrian government forces continued attacks and warned that Ankara would retaliate with full force....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

MARCH 8, 2020 / 6:32 AM / UPDATED 19 HOURS AGO
Erdogan to discuss migrant crisis with EU, urges Greece to 'open your gates'
Ezgi Erkoyun

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged Greece on Sunday to “open your gates” to refugees trying to enter the European Union from Turkey and said he hoped to win more help from the EU at talks on Monday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters in Silivri near Istanbul, Turkey, March 8, 2020. Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS
Tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to get into Greece, an EU member state, since Turkey said on Feb. 28 it would no longer try to keep them on its territory - as agreed in 2016 with the EU in return for billions of euros in aid.

Turkey hosts about 3.6 million war refugees from Syria, where its troops and allied rebel forces are battling Russian-backed government forces, and says the EU has failed to honor promises made to Ankara....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Erdogan demands 'concrete support' from EU, NATO over Syria
Turkish president in Brussels for talks with EU and NATO leaders after tensions at Greek border over fate of refugees.
20 hours ago

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded more support from his NATO and European Union allies over the war in Syria as fighting rages in Idlib, and a refugee crisis unfolds at the Turkish-Greek border.

Erdogan flew to Brussels for talks with EU and NATO leaders after tensions rose over the fate of tens of thousands of refugees trying to enter EU-member Greece since Ankara said last month it would no longer try to keep them on its soil.

After talks on Monday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Erdogan said he wants Turkey's Western partners to do more to support his country to cope with millions of refugees from Syria.

"The crisis stemming from Syria, with its security and humanitarian aspects, is threatening our region and even all of Europe," Erdogan said. "No European country has the luxury to remain indifferent."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey threatens 'heavy' retaliation if Idlib ceasefire is broken
Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war, agreed on a ceasefire to stop escalating clashes in Idlib.
4 hours ago

Turkey is expecting Russia to take measures over "small violations" of a week-long ceasefire by its allied Syrian government forces in Idlib province, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, warning that Ankara will respond heavily if its military observation posts in the region come under attack

Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war, agreed on the ceasefire to stop escalating clashes in Idlib that brought the two countries close to direct confrontation amid a Moscow-backed Syrian government offensive that has displaced almost a million people.

As well as supporting certain rebel groups in Idlib, the last opposition stronghold in Syria, Turkey set up 12 posts in the province under a 2018 deal with Russia aimed at preventing an assault by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

"In the face of the smallest attack [on our posts], we will not only retaliate, but we will respond much more heavily," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara on Wednesday....

Continues

God bless

David

[Exit40]

European Union: Closing the Borders?
by Judith Bergman March 14, 2020 at 5:00 am

Even Germany is unwilling to take any of the migrants shuttled by Erdogan to the Greek-Turkish border.

"I thank Greece for being our European 'aspida' [the Greek word for shield]." — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, March 3, 2020.

The "solidarity" with Greece expressed by leading EU representatives seems to have come from having no alternatives other than relying on Greece to struggle with the situation.

Even if the EU manages to resolve its issues with Erdogan, which is doubtful and bound to be only temporary, Europe's fundamental problem will remain: As long as migrants think that a better future awaits them in Europe, the welfare states, which have shown themselves extremely accommodating in receiving migrants and granting them all sorts of social rights, can continue expecting migrants to try breaching Europe's borders....

Continues

**** All without a mention of COVID 19. I don't think for a minute it has not been considered to send infected people in hopes of a greater pandemic than the EU already is facing. D ****

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

'Very secretive': Hidden coronavirus 'disaster' brewing in Syria
by Joel Gehrke | March 14, 2020 12:00 AM

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad is allowing a “disastrous” coronavirus outbreak to fester due to his dependence on stricken Iran to win the long-running civil war, according to local reports and international observers.

“It's very secretive,” MedGlobal founder Zaher Sahloul told the Washington Examiner. “If the epidemic spread in Syria, it would be disastrous, especially in the northwest.”

Sahloul, a U.S.-based doctor whose organization provides aid to civilians affected by the conflict, said that a prominent Syrian doctor revealed a case had been confirmed in a major Damascus hospital and then recanted after being detained by the regime. The MedGlobal founder thinks there could be 2,400 coronavirus cases that are currently being hidden by the regime....

Snip... “Given the really horrible conditions, I think it would be a miracle if these displaced Syrians do not contract coronavirus,” Aykan Erdemir, a former Turkish parliamentarian and a senior analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner. “All three, meaning the Syrian regime and Russian and Iranian forces, have proven their complete indifference to such humanitarian worries.”...

Continues

**** Well, there you have it. D. ****

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Russia, Turkey begin joint patrols along Syria's M4 highway
Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu reports from Istanbul.
Al Jazeera English Mar 16, 2020

Russia and Turkey have been holding joint military patrols in Syria to monitor a ceasefire in the last rebel-held stronghold of Idlib, a result of talks in Moscow.
The patrols oversee a six-kilometre stretch to the north and south of the strategic M4 highway, effectively advancing Russia's presence further north into the province.
Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria's nine-year war....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYOHMfjHgA

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Are Greece and Turkey putting refugees in danger? | The Stream
Mar 17, 2020 Al Jazeera English

Thousands of people fleeing war, persecution and other imminent threats to their safety are trying to enter Greece from neighbouring Turkey after Ankara announced it would no longer stop their efforts to reach Europe – and it is inflaming long-simmering tensions between the two countries.

Authorities in Greece say they have stopped more than 42,000 attempted entries into the country since the Turkish government unexpectedly announced the opening of its western border in late February.

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Europe must "share the burden" of coping with the approximately 3.7 million refugees already in Turkey, most of whom fled the war in neighbouring Syria. He says the border will remain open until the European Union satisfies the terms of a March 2016 deal that pledged about six billion euros of aid to Turkey in exchange for it hosting people fleeing the Middle East and Asia.

Greece's prime minister says "Greece’s borders are also Europe’s borders", while the European Commission president says European unity "will prevail". But as the political squabbling continues thousands of people are stuck at the gateway to Europe and are being denied the right to file Greek asylum applications - including more than 450 people who have recently reached Greek territory and who are now being detained on a navy vessel....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2pAJS6ULqU

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Violence against Women Continues to Escalate
by Burak Bekdil March 24, 2020 at 4:00 am

Violence against women has become Turkey's new normal.

In 2010 Turkey was shaken by the surfacing of alleged serial rapes.... including cases of adults raping minors and minors raping toddlers, killing one.

In 2014 Erdoğan said that "women should know their place," and that "gender equality is against human nature"....

No doubt Turkey's gender equality deficit bitterly shows that Islamist culture is much stickier than any Western-inspired legislation. Patriarchal cultural codes are deeply engraved throughout the society; unfortunately, it will take more than legislation to make them disappear....

Continues

God Bless

Avid

[Exit40]

Jamal Khashoggi: Turkey charges 20 Saudis over journalist's murder
3 hours ago

Jamal Khashoggi was a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia's government
Turkey has charged 20 suspects over the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October 2018.

Prosecutors said an indictment accused former Saudi Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad Asiri and former royal aide Saud al-Qahtani with instigating the murder.

The 18 others are accused of carrying out the "deliberate and monstrous killing" inside the Saudi consulate.

Western intelligence agencies believe it was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – something he denies.

A United Nations special rapporteur says Khashoggi was "the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible".

At the time of his death the 59-year-old worked for the Washington Post and had become a prominent critic of the Saudi government....

Continues

God bless

David

[Exit40]

March 27, 2020
That ‘Special Drug’ China Gave Turkey for Coronavirus

"From this morning we have brought a special drug used in China which is claimed to have resulted in improvements in intensive care patients, cutting their time in care from 11-12 days to four days. The new drugs will be used by COVID-19 patients being treated in intensive care units.”
Source: TRT-World, March 24, 2020

The drug is neither new nor Chinese

Turkey has received from China a new special drug to treat coronavirus, Turkish Health Minister Fehrettin Koca announced in a written statement on March 24.

"From this morning we have brought a special drug used in China which is claimed to have resulted in improvements in intensive care patients, cutting their time in care from 11-12 days to four days. The drugs, which reached Ankara late at night, were distributed to 40 cities via air ambulances. The new drugs will be used by COVID-19 patients being treated in intensive care units."...

Snip... MIT analysis said:

"The data: While favipiravir, an antiviral made by Toyama Chemical (part of Fuji Film), generated hopeful headlines, the report from doctors at China’s Wuhan University makes more modest claims....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Pressures, Attacks, and Discrimination against Christians
by Uzay Bulut March 29, 2020 at 4:30 am

When Protestants introduce themselves to the authorities as a church, they receive warnings that they are not legal and may be closed down.

In 2019, however, many members of the foreign clergy, as well as church members, were deported, refused residence permits, or denied entry visas into Turkey -- as in previous years.

Some textbooks also target Christian communities. "Missionary Activity" continues to be a heading under the section related to "National Threats" in the eighth grade elementary school textbook entitled, Revolutionary History and Kemalism. This teaching continues to be referenced in supplementary textbooks and tests related to missionary activity being considered a "national threat"....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

March 30 2020 22:34:00
Erdoğan launches national campaign against COVID-19
ANKARA

Turkey’s president on March 30 launched a “National Solidarity Campaign” to aid the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Announcing the “We are self-sufficient, Turkey” campaign, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was donating seven months of his salary as a way to kickstart the fundraiser and added that several ministers have already joined as well.

“I am launching the campaign personally by donating my seven-month salary,” Erdoğan said in his address to the nation.

“Our goal is to help those financially struggling, especially daily wage workers, due to the precautions taken against the outbreak,” Erdoğan noted.

Cabinet members in the government and lawmakers have donated 5.2 million Turkish Liras ($791,000) to the campaign, he added....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey's unique hand-sanitizing method
For hundreds of years, this Ottoman-era cologne has been synonymous with Turkish hospitality. Now, it’s being used to fight coronavirus.
8 April 2020

As commercial hand sanitisers run dry in the US and Europe, people in Turkey are turning to a traditional, aromatic fragrance that has taken on a whole new relevance amid the coronavirus pandemic: kolonya.

Meaning “cologne”, kolonya has been a treasured symbol of Turkish hospitality and health since the Ottoman Empire, and it’s often described as Turkey’s national scent. Traditionally, this sweet-scented aroma made with fig blossoms, jasmine, rose or citrus ingredients is sprinkled on guests’ hands as they enter homes, hotels and hospitals; when they finish meals at restaurants; or as they gather for religious services. But unlike other natural scents, this ethanol-based concoction’s high alcohol content can kill more than 80% of germs and act as an effective hand disinfectant.

So, when Turkey’s Minister of Health championed kolonya’s capacity to fight the coronavirus on 11 March, it not only inspired a wave of national media attention touting the cologne’s anti-Covid-19 powers, but also caused queues stretching nearly 100m to quickly form at chemists and stores across Turkey. In fact, since Turkey’s first confirmed coronavirus case in mid-March, some of the nation’s main kolonya producers have said that their sales have increased by at least fivefold....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey to free thousands of its prisoners to curb coronavirus
Apr 15, 2020
Al Jazeera English

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has tabled a bill to free tens of thousands of prisoners to help contain the pandemic.
But the move is being criticised as it excludes government opponents, rights activists and journalists.
Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu reports from Istanbul....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jF44JeOk1E

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Why Is Turkey Embracing Hamas?
by Khaled Abu Toameh April 17, 2020 at 5:00 am

If the reports about Erdogan's readiness to invite Hamas leaders to live in Turkey are true, that would also turn Erdogan into the spiritual father of a terrorist group that seeks to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state.

It now remains to be seen whether the international community, including some Arab countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, demand that Turkey distances itself from Hamas.

A Hamas move to Turkey would mean the terrorist group would continue masterminding and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel -- but this time, under the protective eyes of the Erdogan administration....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

100 tons of gold hidden 'under mattresses' put back into Turkey's economy
BY DAILY SABAH ISTANBUL BUSINESS APR 20, 2020 2:41 PM GMT+3

Turkish banks and gold refineries helped 100 tons of gold hidden in homes to be put back into the financial system although some 3,000 to 5,000 tons remain stashed under people’s mattresses, the head of a leading gold refinery said.

Ayşe Esen, CEO of the Istanbul Gold Refinery (IAR), said they had launched a project with 12 major commercial banks 10 years ago to change people’s gold saving habits, preventing them from hoarding the precious metal at home.

“We are aware of the fact that there is around 3,000-5,000 tons of gold saved under mattresses, which amounts to an informal economy with a size of $200-300 billion,” Esen said....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Erdoğan Is Getting Coronavirus Dancing to His Tune
by Burak Bekdil
April 23, 2020 at 4:30 am

One of the laws Turkey's rubber-stamp parliament passed before the recess allowed the release of tens of thousands of common criminals to ease overcrowding in jails and protect inmates from the coronavirus pandemic. The amnesty, however, excluded hundreds of political prisoners including journalists, writers, academics and social media users critical of Erdoğan's authoritarian regime

In 2020, the collective fear is the coronavirus pandemic. And just as in the previous instances based on fear, it seems to be working in Erdoğan's advantage.

"The people tend to unite behind strong leaders in times of national crisis like war, terror, security threats, disasters or pandemic." — Özer Sencar, president of Metropoll, non-partisan pollster, Hurriyet, April 16, 2020....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Risks are mounting for Turkey's economy
Shrinking foreign reserves, fragile currency and high external debts place Turkey on weak footing as it enters downturn.
an hour ago

Turkey's economy faces growing risks as it enters a downturn with dwindling reserves and a fragile lira, financial markets signalled on Friday, as data showed factories slowing due to the coronavirus outbreak.

For the first time since the worst day of a currency crisis in 2018, the Turkish lira on Wednesday briefly breached seven lira to the United States dollar after the central bank slashed rates twice as much as expected. It stood at 6.97 at 11:42 GMT on Friday.

Traders have pushed up the odds of a default on government debt in the next 12 months, reflecting unease with a drop in the central bank's net reserves below $26bn last week from more than $40bn at the beginning of the year.

Turkey faces the combination of high external debt of some $170bn this year, an inability so far to secure a foreign funding source, and the rising costs of girding the economy for a fallout from the pandemic....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

APRIL 27, 2020 / 5:17 AM / UPDATED A DAY AGO
Turkish ruling party, lawyers clash over cleric comments on homosexuality

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A suggestion by Turkey’s leading Muslim cleric that homosexuality causes illness has prompted a clash between President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party and the country’s lawyer assocations over freedom of expression.

The lawyers condemned the cleric’s comment as harmful to human dignity, but an AKP spokesman said he had simply been speaking up for the values of the Turkish people and accused the lawyers of harbouring a “fascist mentality”.

On Friday, Ali Erbas, head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, said Islam condemns homosexuality because “it brings illnesses and corrupts generations”, adding that it also causes the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that leads to AIDS....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Dozens killed in fuel-truck blast in Syrian town of Afrin
Death toll expected to rise after massive explosion in northern Syrian town controlled by Turkish forces.
29 Apr 2020

At least 46 civilians were killed, including 11 children, when an explosive-rigged fuel truck detonated in the northern Syrian town of Afrin, which was seized by Turkish forces more than two years ago.

Another 50 people were wounded in the explosion in a crowded street of Afrin. Turkey's defence ministry blamed the attack on the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia.

Photos released by the Syrian Civil Defence rescue workers, also known as the "White Helmets", showed firefighters battling to douse flames amid gutted buildings and rescue workers carrying charred bodies away from the scene on makeshift stretchers....

Snip... "The enemy of humanity PKK/YPG has once again targeted innocent civilians in Afrin," the Turkish ministry said on Twitter....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Death on a Hunger Strike Unmasks a Hate-Filled Turkey
by Burak Bekdil May 5, 2020 at 4:00 am

The placard read: "Let Nuriye and Semih live." Just one line -- it was a simple, peaceful wish that the two teachers would not die in prison during their hunger strike. The governor's officials and law enforcement authorities acted immediately. From security cameras, they identified the persons who displayed the placard and launched a criminal probe against them on charges of "supporting a terror organization"

This is a compilation of shame for Turkey. Bölek and other members of Grup Yorum have never been charged with engaging in any terrorist activity. They were prosecuted for allegedly sympathizing with a terrorist organization with their songs. With their songs, not guns or bombs.

Those in the free world do not have to care what ideology Grup Yorum adopted; what they should be aware of is the level of religious zealotry and overbearing governmental control that has been reached in a presumably "Western," NATO-member country....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

How Turkey’s courts turned on Erdogan's foes
Thousands of Turkey’s judges and prosecutors have been sacked or jailed as Erdogan's government wields the judiciary against its opponents. They have been replaced by loyal and inexperienced newcomers, some in their 20s, plunging the courts into crisis.
By Reuters staff Filed May 4, 2020, noon GMT

ISTANBUL - It took 16 judges to convict Kurdish politicians Gultan Kisanak and Sebahat Tuncel of belonging to a terrorist organization last year.

Their trial in Diyarbakir, the biggest city in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast, was concluded in just a dozen sessions, but during that time the three-judge panel was in constant flux. The women, who maintain their innocence, were brought to court only once - to hear the “guilty” verdict.

Their lawyer, Cihan Aydin, said mounting a proper defence was all but impossible because he never knew who was going to be sitting in judgment. The judges, several of them young and inexperienced, were switched without explanation....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish 'Justice': Free Mobsters, Keep Dissidents Locked Up
by Burak Bekdil May 12, 2020 at 4:00 am

When drafting the bill, Erdoğan and his MPs were surgically precise not to let one single political prisoner walk free.

About 50,000 inmates who were excluded from the bill, as terror convicts and suspects would not be eligible for amnesty.

You forgive the mafia... You don't forgive journalists that write the truth. You don't forgive those that want peace." — Turan Aydoğan, opposition lawmaker.

Under Erdoğan's 18 years in power, the free-fall of this professed NATO ally back toward the authoritarian East looks sadly irrevocable....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Erdogan's "Leftovers of the Sword"
by Uzay Bulut May 13, 2020 at 4:00 am

"Leftover of the sword" (kılıç artığı in Turkish) is a commonly used insult in Turkey that often refers to the survivors of the Christian massacres that mainly targeted Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians in the Ottoman Empire and its successor, Turkey.

The use of "leftovers of the sword," therefore, does not represent a denial of massacres or genocides. On the contrary, it declares the pride of the perpetrators. It means: "Yes, we slaughtered Christians and other non-Muslims because they deserved it!"

During a coronavirus briefing on May 4, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used a most derogatory phrase "the leftovers of the sword".

"We do not allow terrorist leftovers of the sword in our country," he said, "to attempt to carry out [terrorist] activities. Their number has decreased a lot but they still exist."...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

MAY 14, 2020 / 9:49 AM / UPDATED 21 HOURS AGO
Exclusive: Turkey seeks global funding help to gird against lira shock
Orhan Coskun, Jonathan Spicer

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey’s government has appealed to foreign allies in an urgent search for funding, three senior Turkish officials said, as it prepares defences against what analysts fear could be a second currency crisis in as many years.

Treasury and central bank officials have held bilateral talks in recent days with counterparts from Japan and the United Kingdom on setting up currency swap lines, and with Qatar and China on expanding existing facilities, the officials said.

Cevdet Yilmaz, the ruling AK Party’s deputy chairman for foreign affairs, confirmed on Thursday that Turkey was seeking swap agreements.

“We are having negotiations with different central banks for swap opportunities,” he told a panel discussion, adding: “It is not only the U.S., there are also other countries.”...

Continues

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

In Stunning Reversal, Turkey Emerges as Libya Kingmaker
With a succession of quick victories, Turkish-supported forces in Libya have rolled back the gains of a would-be strongman whose allies, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, now face tough choices.
By Declan Walsh May 21, 2020

CAIRO — A string of victories by Turkish-backed forces in western Libya this week dealt a heavy blow to the ambitions of the aspiring strongman Khalifa Hifter and signaled the arrival of Turkey as a potentially decisive force among the foreign powers battling for supremacy in the Middle East’s biggest proxy war.

Libyan fighters backed by Turkish firepower captured on Monday a major air base west of Tripoli, the capital, used drones to destroy newly arrived Russian air defense batteries, and on Thursday pressed their offensive by ousting Mr. Hifter’s forces from a key town south of Tripoli.

The triumphs marked a stunning reversal of fortunes for the United Nations-backed Tripoli government, which looked weak and badly besieged by Mr. Hifter until President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey sent troops and armed drones in January. It was Turkey’s most forceful intervention in the oil-rich North African nation since the end of the Ottoman Empire over a century ago.

“It’s Turkey’s Libya Now,” read the headline on a briefing posted by the European Council on Foreign Relations....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Ready1]

This seems significant.

[Exit40]

This seems significant.

Considering Erdogan has bucked the trends of the West, US,UN, and EU, who stood against the East, Russia and UAE, he seems to stand alone as the major supporter, and perhaps controller, of the Libyan govt. How this fits into an end times scenario I am unsure it even does. We may still be a long ways off. But this does seem significant if one can apply the following verses from Daniel 11.

Dan 11:43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

Any thoughts on this ?

God Bless You

David

[Exit40]

This article reveals a confusing array of backers to one or the other, or possibly both, sides in this conflict. Turkey still appears to have the upper hand though...

As military power shifts in Libya, Turkey and Russia control country’s fate
By Sudarsan Raghavan May 23, 2020 at 9:32 a.m. PDT

CAIRO — A series of swift military reversals in Libya has diminished a warlord's hopes of ruling the North African oil producer and allowed Turkey and Russia to deepen their imprint on one of the world's most strategic ­regions.

In recent weeks, Turkish drones and air defense systems have helped the U.N.-backed government to retake nearly all of western Libya from the forces of Khalifa Hifter, who is backed by Russia and has tried since last year to overrun the capital, Tripoli.

Hifter announced a withdrawal of his fighters from some front lines in Tripoli last week. But his foes continued to press their advantage, adding to their capture of a string of coastal towns and a key air base. Hifter's forces are now under pressure in their last western stronghold....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Ready1]

The alignment of nations from this chapter seems to be complete or nearly complete. Never before in the history of humanity have these countries come together on the same side.

Eze 38:2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
Eze 38:3 and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
Eze 38:4 And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords.
Eze 38:5 Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
Eze 38:6 Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you.

My view, although I know some will dispute it:

Gog/Magog = Russia
Persia = Iran
Cush = Somalia
Put = Libya
Gomer = Western Turkey & areas N of Black Sea
Beth-Togrmah = Eastern Turkey/Armenia/Georgia

[Ready1]

Erdogan seeks to extend his Libya gains into a foothold in Algeria
May 26, 2020 @ 10:54

Turkey is cajoling Algeria into signing a defense pact with the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli after capturing the strategic Watiya air base from Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s (LNA) forces, DEBKAfile’s Mid East sources report. On Sunday, the 1,200-1,500 Russian mercenaries fighting for Haftar were flown to Jufra in southern Libya to regroup and chart their next steps, after the GNA and Turkish-backed troops destroyed the LNA’s air defenses in Watiya, including the Russian Pantsir-1 battery posted there.

Russia, which supports the general’s yearlong battle to conquer Tripoli, responded by transferring half a dozen warplanes from Syria to Libya to enable the LNA to keep on bombing GNA forces and Turkish assets. Erdogan countered with a threat to bring Turkish Air Force warplanes over to bomb Haftar’s troops. The Turks have hitherto used drones.

GNA control of al-Watiya not only puts a stop to Haftar’s use of the facility to mount air raids on GNA forces in Tripoli. It also provides Turkey with a strategic base for building up a military presence in Libya and its Mediterranean coastline. Haftar’s backers, Russia, Egypt and the UAE may have second thoughts about helping the Libyan general’s thrust from his eastern stronghold to seize the capital.

https://www.debka.com/erdogan-seeks-to-extend-his-libya-gains-into-a-foothold-in-algeria/

[Exit40]

Turkish special forces troops invade disputed land in Greece 0
BY LLB REPORTER AT 2:31 PM MAY 23, 2020
Turkish special forces troops have invaded a contested piece of land in Greece with tension close to being on a war footing.

Some 35 special forces and infantry soldiers crossed over the Greek border on the east bank of the River Evros at Melissokomeio, and the Turkish soldiers raised their flag from a tree, according to Greek sources.

The Evros River marks the border between the two countries and as the river moves, it leaves land that belongs to Greece, with land that also is technically part of Turkey.

It has been claimed by sources that the invasion took place as the Greek Army conducted a survey of the 1.6 hectare site to build more border fences.

The occupation by Turkish soldiers is illegal under international law and both Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952....

Continues

God bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Where Criticizing Islam Can Land You in Prison
by Uzay Bulut June 2, 2020 at 4:00 am

According to the Koran and the recorded sayings (hadith) and biographies (sira) of Islam's founder, "To leave Islam, to insult Muhammad or Allah, to deny the existence of Allah, to be sarcastic about Allah's name, to deny any verse of the Koran" or to commit other acts of blasphemy are all punishable by death.

More alarming is that these pressures and bans come not only from governments. Many of the people in the countries mentioned above also appear enthusiastically to support strict or even deadly blasphemy and apostasy laws.

According to a 2013 Pew survey, overwhelming percentages of Muslims in many regions -- Southeast Asia (84%), South Asia (78%), the Middle East and North Africa (78%), and Central Asia (62%) -- favor making sharia, or Islamic law, the official law of the land. According to sharia, blasphemy and apostasy are punishable by death....

Continues

God Bless

David

[Ready1]

Erdogan Doubles Down on Opposition to Israel’s Coming Annexation

Turkey’s Erdogan claims that he won’t allow anything to happen to Palestinian land; Claims he’s the “only voice” defending the Palestinians today. Speaking as the self-proclaimed guardian over Palestinian land, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday that he would not allow anything to happen to Palestinian land. His statement comes Amid Israel’s pending annexation of areas in Judea & Samaria (The West Bank).

In a video he recently produced for Muslims living in America, Erdogan stated, “We will not allow Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone.” The video was made in order for Erdogan to voice his support for Muslims on Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast), which Muslims are celebrating today. This holiday marks the end of Ramadan.

https://beholdisrael.org/erdogan-doubles-down-on-opposition-to-israels-coming-annexation/

Is there anyone that has given any thought to "the annexation" as the event which precipitates Ezekiel's war? With the US all tied up with internal problems...

[Exit40]

Is there anyone that has given any thought to "the annexation" as the event which precipitates Ezekiel's war? With the US all tied up with internal problems...

Hi Ready1. Quite possibly this is the event which starts the Ezekiel war. Those areas are Judea and Samaria in the Scriptures, so I think the following verses reflect this annexation.

Mat 24:15 ¶ “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

One can see the need to flee from those areas is very urgent, and Jerusalem and surrounding areas are technically in the mountains. If an invading army of some type, such as the isis hordes, comes swiftly to those areas the people told to flee must leave everything behind in order to save their lives. But, this is not the final attack to Israel, rather the occupation of those lands in the name of saving Palestinians. So where will the people who fled live ? As there will be no place for them they will be refugees too, and live in camps set up for them. They will live as so many refugees do in the ME, in tents. Which brings the following verses into play when the final attack comes.

Zechariah 12:7-9 ¶ “The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.

“In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.

“It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

God Bless You

David

[Exit40]

Erdoğan's Libya Campaign: Another Neo-Ottoman Design
by Burak Bekdil June 3, 2020 at 4:00 am

Erdoğan knows that every political adventure outside Turkish borders increases his popularity, especially at a time when economic hardships could prune his approval at home.

Further escalation may turn Libya into a second proxy for Turkey's war theater, after Syria. There, Turkish and Russian interests remain deeply conflicting. Turkey wants to overthrow President Assad and to replace his regime with Sunni jihadists; Russia wants Assad in power and is fighting Sunni jihadists.

Libya is fast becoming another challenge for a man who loves military challenges -- but tends to lose most of them.

A military confrontation between Turkey and Russia in Libya would be too risky a venture even for a ruler who does not want to miss a single opportunity to revive his country's once glorious imperial past -- especially at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently wishes to seal his country's imperial dream of having a permanent presence in the Mediterranean -- in Syria and Libya.

For Turkey, the Libya campaign is part of a sectarian (pro-Sunni) war. Erdoğan wants a loyal, Turkey-friendly regime in Libya, one that could be useful for restoring to power in Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood, another Islamist Erdoğan ally, like Hamas.

Russia's Putin also appears keen to have his second permanent military presence in the Mediterranean after Syria....

Continues

God Bless

David