Ankara Archives

PressTV: ISIL opens 1st consulate in Turkish capital

October 3, 2014 by administrator

The ISIL Takfiri terrorists have purportedly opened a consulate in Turkey and use it to issue visas for those who want to join the fight against the Syrian and Iraqi governments.

The Turkish daily Aydinlik said in a recent report that the consulate was founded in the Cankaya district of the capital Ankara.

The militants are said to be operating freely inside the country without much problem.

Other reports said the members of the Takfiri group have rented luxurious houses in the upscale neighborhood of the capital and Istanbul and use them for residence or as offices.

The terrorists are said to be using minibuses with black windows to get around the city.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Izadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.

Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.

The terrorist group has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.

The United States started conducting airstrikes on the ISIL only after US interests were threatened by the militants.

Presstv

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Turkey Gunfight in Ankara causes casualties

August 23, 2014 by administrator

The unidentified group’s bullet-ridden car carries a licence plate registered in Ankara province. Photos: Hürriyet / Rıza Özel

A gunfight between police and a group reportedly linked to organized crime has left at least one dead and four injured in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

The clash occurred in Dikmen neighborhood on Aug. 23 when a unit from the Ankara Police Department Organized Crime Control Bureau came under fire after they stopped a vehicle, according to Doğan News Agency.

An assailant was killed during the clash in which three police officers and a woman, who is suspected to be a member of the group, were injured.

Cihan News Agency identified the dead as Bülent A., who was convicted for crimes including being a gang leader, robbery, extortion and drug trafficking. The group fired on the police after they saw that Bülent A. would be detained, according to the report.

Gunfight with a suspect who managed to run away continued in the streets, as police went door-to-door canvassing in the neighbourhood.

he suspect, who left behind the group’s bullet-ridden car behind, reportedly asked for locals to let him hide in an apartment, while officials warned them to lock their doors.

The Doğan News Agency footage shows the moment police handcuffed the injured suspect in the immediate aftermath of the gunfight:

Crowd sets fire to Ankara building for Syrian refugees over rumors of beaten local

May 8, 2014 by administrator

ANKARA hurriyet daily news

The fire could only be extinguished after police intervened to disperse the crowd. DHA Photo
A building sheltering Syrian refugees in Ankara’s central district of Altındağ was set ablaze late May 7 over claims that a local passing in front of the building was beaten by a Syrian national.

Many people were injured due to the fire, which also caused significant material damage, while some locals among the group attacking the building were detained. The incident reveals the growing tension between refugees in Turkey’s main cities and locals living in central neighborhoods.

A large fight broke out between a group of residents and the Syrian refugees after rumors of the beating began to circulate. The angered crowed first threw stones at the three-floored building sheltering the Syrians, prompting the deployment of riot police.

However, the crowd reassembled after the police’s intervention, throwing flammable materials that ignited a fire on the second floor of the building. Part of the group also tried to block the fire brigades.

The fire could only be extinguished after police intervened to disperse the crowd. Some police officers were also among the injured, Doğan News Agency reported.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Numerous Syrian families can be now seen in the center of Turkey’s main cities, where evacuated old houses and cheap housing in central neighborhoods have become makeshift refugee camps.
May/08/2014

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US House of Representatives John Boehner paid a surprise visit to Ankara on Tuesday #armeniangenocide

April 15, 2014 by administrator

15 April 2014, Tuesday /ANKARA, TODAY’S ZAMAN

Speaker of the US House of Representatives John Boehner paid a surprise visit to Ankara on Tuesday to hold high level meetings with Turkish officials.

Boehner held meetings with President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek. His visit came at a time when two resolutions on the “Armenian genocide” are on the agenda of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

Four US Congressmen introduced a resolution to the US House of Representatives on April 4, calling on US President Barack Obama to encourage a Turkish-Armenian relationship based on Turkey’s “acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide,” in a move parallel to a resolution which was introduced to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and passed on April 10.

Following his meeting with Çiçek, Boehner said that the US Congress is unlikely to get involved in “Armenian Genocide” issue, stressing that Turkey has no reason to worry since it is not up to the US Congress to rewrite history.

Çiçek described the Armenia issue as defamation against Turkey as well as a major burden in US-Turkey relations. He also claimed that Turkey is ready to face its history, yet if parliaments make decisions on historical issues, it may hamper bilateral relations between the countries involved.

US Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and US Senator Mark Kirk introduced the resolution to the Senate committee on April 3, urging the Senate to remember and observe the anniversary of the “Armenian Genocide” on April 24, 2014.

“The Armenian Genocide is a horrifying factual reality that can never be denied,” Chairman Menendez said when he introduced the resolution. “This resolution reaffirms in the strongest terms that we will always remember this tragedy and honor the memory of innocent Armenian men, women and children who were killed and expelled from their homeland. The Armenian Genocide must be taught, recognized, and commemorated to prevent the re-occurrence of similar atrocities from ever happening again,” he said.

The resolution also states that Obama should ensure that US foreign policy “reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.”

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Tuesday that Turkey will respond if the resolution is passed by the US Senate and reiterated remarks made during a recent visit to Mexico that the government does not expect such possibility. Last week, Davutoğlu called on US authorities to prevent the deterioration of US-Turkey relations after the resolution was passed by the US Senate committee.

Armenian-Turkish relations must be based on Ankara’s acceptance of truth of Genocide – ANCA

April 8, 2014 by administrator

April 08, 2014 | 04:17

Turkey’s denial of the truth and justice of the Armenian Genocide is a threat to Armenia, it is a dangerous precedent for the entire world, and it is the main obstacle on the road to the normalization of bilateral relations.

Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Commenting on the newly introduced US Senate legislation on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Hamparian specifically said:

“This is a long-term measure which is aimed at the US recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and the establishment of equal, constructive, steady and long-lasting Armenian-Turkish relations, which will be based on [official] Ankara’s acceptance of a right and just decision in connection with the still-unpunished crime.”

On April 3, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez and Senator Mark Kirk introduced legislation calling upon the United States President to work toward an Armenian-Turkish relationship based on Turkey’s truthful acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

Senators Barbara Boxer and Ed Markey have already joined in as original cosponsors of the human rights measure.

In a statement issued upon introduction, Chairman Menendez noted, in particular, “The Armenian Genocide is a horrifying factual reality that can never be denied. This resolution reaffirms in the strongest terms that we will always remember this tragedy. The Armenian Genocide must be taught, recognized, and commemorated to prevent the re-occurrence of similar atrocities from ever happening again.”

Senator Kirk concurred specifically noting, “To honor the survivors and the memory of those lost, and to lead globally on human rights, the United States should finally join the European Union and 11 of our NATO allies in officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide.”