Erdogan conspired with Saudis to help militants in Syrian Idlib onslaught: Report

May 29, 2015 By administrator

A recent report has revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conspired with Saudi Arabian authorities and facilitated the ground for foreign-sponsored militants to capture the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib last March following days of clashes with Syrian troops.

The report, published by Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Manar satellite television network and citing unnamed sources, said that Riyadh funneled weapons and money to the militants, including the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra group, while Ankara provided logistical support as well as massive fire cover for the extremists.

The al-Manar report also said that a command center was set up in Turkey in order to organize the offensive against Idlib, located roughly 295 kilometers (183 miles) north of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Saudi officials, in return, paid for satellite images that the command center needed for the purpose.

Moreover, Turkey supplied the militants during the battles with Wi-Fi Internet connectivity via an unmanned aerial vehicle that flew overhead and linked the computers and smart phones used by the militants together.
On March 28, foreign-backed militants seized Idlib in northwestern Syria after more than five days of fierce fighting with units of government forces.

Syria has been plagued by a deadly crisis fueled by Takfiri groups since March 2011. More than 222,000 people have so far been killed in the conflict, according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Over 3.8 million Syrians have also fled the violence to neighboring countries, namely Jordan and Lebanon, and more than 7.2 million others have also become internally uprooted, according to the United Nations.

MP/HJL/HRB

While Turkey successful pre-occupying the west with ISIS, Iran, Russia: Erdogan turning Turkey into major defense industry power

May 27, 2015 By administrator

ANKARA | By Jonny Hogg and Can Sezer

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during an opening ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

For years Turkey has boasted NATO’s largest army, bar only the United States, and now President Tayyip Erdogan wants a defense industry to match.

Erdogan’s dream that Turkey will make all its own military equipment within a few years reflects his ambition to play a greater role in a turbulent region and achieve independence from long-time allies in the West. report Reuters

Trying to drum up nationalist support as the ruling AK Party heads into tough parliamentary elections next month, Erdogan has also called repeatedly for the country to become a major exporter of everything from rifles to fighter jets.

This chimes with his declared aim of returning Turkey to the glories of the Ottoman empire – Erdogan has already built a 1,000-room presidential palace, drawing accusations from opponents that he is behaving like a modern-day sultan.

“As long as there are assailants in the world, we will always be required to be ready for defense,” he told a defense industry conference in Istanbul this month.

Erdogan’s sights are set on the centenary of the modern Turkish republic’s foundation. “Our goal is to completely rid our defense industry of foreign dependency by 2023,” he said.

Ankara spends around $18 billion a year on defense with just over half of its equipment made domestically. Defense exports rose 18 percent last year to $1.65 billion, and a tank and infantry rifle are nearly ready for mass production.

Warship and fighter jet projects are in the early design phase but Erdogan hopes they will go into production by 2023, when he wants defense exports to total $25 billion.

“Turkey’s rulers firmly believe that Turkey cannot be the regional power they wish it to become without a really deterrent military force,” said Burak Bekdil, a defense analyst and columnist with the Hurriyet newspaper.

“PAINFUL EXPERIENCE”

Ankara had to ask NATO to deploy Patriot missiles in 2014 to bolster security along its frontier with Syria. This kind of dependency has long grated on Turks.

Last month Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu remarked on Turkey’s “painful experience” in World War One when it was forced to buy arms from abroad.

“A nation without its own defense industry cannot fight the cause of liberation,” he said at the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, adding that by 2023 a locally-made combat plane will “fly the Turkish skies”.

Turkey’s desire for self-reliance is understandable as it shares a 1,200 km (750-mile) border with Syria and Iraq, where Islamic State has carved out a self-declared caliphate.

A U.S. arms embargo imposed after Turkish forces invaded northern Cyprus in 1974 left Ankara under-equipped and served as a wake-up call, according to Atilla Sandikli, a retired naval officer and head of the Bilgesam security think-tank.

The embargo was lifted a few years later. Small projects to develop everything from radios to aircraft tyres were followed by production under license of F-16 jets in the 1980s, coupled with joint modernization projects with Egypt and others.

FROM TANKS TO SATELLITES

Now Turkey is home to two of the world’s 100 largest defense companies, Aselsan and TUSAS. But if the sector wants to compete with Western defense giants, it must diversify its exports away from Europe – where defense budgets are being cut – to Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where expenditure is rising.

“We’re making products better than most in the West. We’re cheaper … We’re ready to share technology. The Turkish defense industry can be a valid alternative to the West,” Faik Eken, General Director of Aselsan, Turkey’s biggest defense firm, told Reuters.

The transfer of technology has been the latest sticking point between Turkey and its NATO allies. Ankara chose China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp in 2013 as the preferred bidder for a $3.4 billion long-range missile system, saying that acquisition of new technology was a priority.

This has raised concerns about security in the West, as the Chinese firm has been previously hit by U.S. sanctions over alleged violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

Turkey’s Western allies are also worried about the compatibility of the Chinese technology with NATO systems.

While still young, the Turkish defense industry is gaining the ability to tackle big projects, said Muharrem Dortkasli, the chief executive of TUSAS. Now it wants a place alongside its biggest NATO allies, the United States, France and Britain, as well as Russia and China.

“We are talking about a country that will have its own national tank, national ship, national helicopter, satellite and war plane,” he said. “We are aiming to have everything the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have.”

(Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, and Ayla Jean Yackley in Istanbul; Editing by David Dolan and David Stamp)

Turkey: Erdogan’s palace declared illegal by Turkish court

May 27, 2015 By administrator

The Turkish Supreme Court has ruled that the construction of an 1,100-room palace by President Erdogan was illegal. The palace was constructed on protected land.

Tuesday’s decision by Turkey’s Supreme Court revoked the building permit that had been issued to build President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s palace after the fact because it had been illegally built on protected land. report DW

The palace was inaugurated in October to coincide with Erdogan’s transition from head of government as Prime Minister to head of state as President. The building has had plenty of critics, many of whom focus on the construction costs of just over 500 million euros (well over $600 million) for the 1,100-room palace.

The presidential palace, popularly dubbed Ak Saray (“White Palace”) was built under controversial circumstances, in a wooded area within the Ataturk Forest Farm in Ankara. The construction went ahead despite environmental concerns and court orders, prompting its critics to instead call it Kacak Saray (“Illegal Palace”).

It appears now that they may be right with the moniker, however it remains unclear if the court decision will have any consequences for Erdogan or the completed palace.

Parliamentary elections in Turkey are approaching on June 7. As president, Erdogan is not allowed to partipate in any campaigning, but his recent speeches have carried a distinct undertone of support for the AKP, the party he previously led as prime minister. There is also increased support in Turkey for Erdogan’s plan of assigning more powers to his new role as president, currently seen as a largely ceremonial role.

mz/msh (AP, dpa, AFP)

‘Erdogan brags about Turkish reconnaissance APC, even though it was jointly made with Israel’

May 23, 2015 By administrator

Weighing between nine and 14 tons, the Hurricane seats up to seven people who use it to engage in combat and reconnaissance missions.

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had to figuratively wipe egg of his face this weekend.

According to a report in the Turkish daily newspaper Zaman, the firebrand leader paid a visit to the pavilion hosting the International Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul, during which he boasted of his nation’s growing influence in the global arms trade.

During a stop at one particular exhibit hosted by the Turkish weapons manufacturer BMC, Erdogan pulled the covers off of an armored 4X4 Humvee, bragging about how Turkey’s new “global brand.”

The only problem was that Erdogan had unveiled the Hurricane, a vehicle that was manufactured jointly with an Israeli firm, Hatehof (the company has since been renamed Carmor, while the vehicle itself was rechristened as “Carmine” during the exhibit).

Weighing between nine and 14 tons, the Hurricane seats up to seven people who use it to engage in combat and reconnaissance missions.

Israel’s once thriving strategic relationship with Turkey has disintegrated following fierce policy disagreements on the Palestine question, specifically as it relates to Gaza.

Erdogan has accused Israel of pursuing a policy of “genocide” against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, while the Turkish leader has been denounced as “an anti-Semitic bully” by former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman.

The Israeli Daily: ISIS Sends Congratulatory Note to Turkish Leader on Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

May 6, 2015 By administrator

by Cliff Magnum,

The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan received an unexpected show of support from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on the centennial of the massacres that killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians. Report The Israeli Daily

“Your modesty about Turkey’s involvement is endearing. Your people have showed generations of young, insecure Jihadists everywhere that, with just a bit of stick-to-itiveness, it is in fact possible to obliterate crusader armies. The devil worshippers have been looking over their shoulders ever since the Ottoman Empire went apeshit in 1915. Thank you,” ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi wrote to Erdogan.

In response, the Turkish leader said during a television interview, “The Western world supports Armenian lies and sides with hatred. We continue to maintain that almost two-million Armenians perished as a result of a curiously undocumented 8.5 magnitude earthquake during World War I. Still, we are proud of our growing relationship with ISIS and look forward to meeting all the organization’s future ransom demands.”

In another sign of the strengthening ties between Ankara and ISIS, the militant group recently made the turkey club sandwich its official, mandatory meal. “Yes, Islam prohibits pork, which is why we use soy protein bacon strips. Allahu Akbar and Bon appetite, y’all! “The Islamic State’s Executive Chef Ramzi Ghannam said.

President of Turkey Shocked to Learn Most Americans Already Know About Genocide Against Native Americans

May 6, 2015 By administrator

by Scott N. Towel

At a press conference called to condemn Pope Francis for saying that Turkey did ‘you know what to you know who,’ Turkish President Recep Erdogan was surprised to learn that most Americans know of their nation’s genocide against millions of Native American. Report The Israeli Daily

A reporter questioned Erdogan about the Turks continual refusal to accept their intentional killing of 1.5 million Armenians during WWI, through mass deportation, starvation, and outright murder. An angry Erdogan responded, “You are ignorant to make such a claim. How would America feel if I went to the UN and shamed them by demanded that they acknowledge their responsibility in the death of all those Indians – I mean the feather ones, not the dot ones?”

When the reporter explained that President Obama had in fact apologized to the Native Americans back in 2009, the Turkish president grew visibly perplexed. “Really? And nobody rioted? Didn’t people take this as a sign that Obama isn’t a real American?”

The conversation went on for some time, as reporters tried to explain the long, complex, and brutal history of the United States’ relationship with Native Americans. One reporter suggested that there were many potential paths forward Turkey might take. He gave the example of Native American Tribes building wealth by being given concessions to own casinos. Erdogan considered this. “Interesting. So I would let Armenians open casinos? One question: do I have to let them win?”

In related news, it has not been confirmed that the Turkish President was reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States in the image above.

Whistleblower: Avni claims Erdoğan lined pockets through arms to ISIL, smuggled oil & Libyan wealth

May 4, 2015 By administrator

Infamous government whistleblower Fuat Avni in a tweet on Sunday claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan amassed his wealth from arms trafficking to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that was funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Avni said Erdoğan used National İntelligence Organization (MİT) head Hakan Fidan and his advisor Mücahit Aslan to control the money transfers that went into purchasing arms for ISIL from Serbia and Libya. These weapons were later shipped to ISIL in trucks through Turkish territory. Avni said Erdoğan took commissions from these money transfers, which both Fidan and Aslan are aware of.

The whistleblower said foreign countries including the United States, Germany and Iran are aware of the money transfers and arms trafficking. He also said Erdoğan is risking not only his and his family’s future but also that of Turkey’s.

He revealed that proceeds from the oil smuggling network run by ISIL in Syria also partially went to Erdoğan.

Avni further claimed that Erdoğan has taken over some of the wealth of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi through his surviving daughter.

Source: Zaman

Video Bibi Netanyahu expos Turkish Crime Against Armenian & Kurd But as Gov. Yet to recognize Armenian Genocide

April 16, 2015 By administrator

Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu

Both Obama and Netanyahu have one thing in common both privately Recognize Armenian Genocide but not as Government, in-fact his father told him that Armenian genocide lead to Jewish holocaust. will they get energize by POPE and EU parliament?

Born in Tel Aviv to secular Jewish parents, Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state. Netanyahu joined the Israel Defense Forces during the Six-Day War in 1967 and became a team leader in the Sayeret Matkal special forces unit. He took part in many missions, including Operation Inferno (1968), After graduating from MIT with S.B. and S.M. degrees, he was recruited as an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.

He returned to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute, named after his brother Yonatan Netanyahu, who died leading Operation Entebbe. Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988.

Netanyahu profile Source: Wikipedia

BBC: The problem with insulting Turkey’s President Erdogan

April 16, 2015 By administrator

By Mark Lowen BBC News, Istanbul

With US President Barack Obama, they focus on his ears. For UK Prime Minister David Cameron, it’s his cheeks; French President Francois Hollande, his stature. And for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the cartoonists go for the downturned mouth, a jowly look that Penguen, arguably Turkey’s most famous cartoon magazine, loves to play on.

“He provides us with plenty of material,” admits Selcuk Erdem, one of Penguen’s editors, scribbling an image of Mr Erdogan in seconds.

The problem is that Turkey’s president isn’t laughing.

Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 12 years in office – first as prime minister, now as president – Penguen has been sued a number of times, including by Mr Erdogan himself for portraying him as different animals.

The latest case came over a recent front cover.

The president is depicted in front of his new, controversially extravagant palace.

“We could at least have sacrificed a journalist for the inauguration,” says Mr Erdogan, with connotations of an Islamic ritual.

The man welcoming him is shown buttoning a suit jacket with a gesture that was deemed to suggest Mr Erdogan is homosexual.

A complaint was filed with the prosecutor, backed up by Mr Erdogan’s lawyers, on the basis of “insulting the president”.

The two Penguen cartoonists were sentenced to 14 months in prison.

It was reduced to 11 months for “good conduct” and then commuted to a fine of 14,000 Turkish lira ($5,350; £3,630).

‘No sense of humour’

“We were very sorry – sad actually,” says Selcuk Erdem, “not as cartoonists but as citizens, because someone going to court due to a cartoon is a very sad thing.”

He insists that the gesture was misinterpreted and that his liberal publication would never joke about sexuality.

Mr Erdogan and his government “don’t have a sense of humour”, says Mr Erdem.

“They don’t want – or like – freedom of speech or criticism. We’ll carry on drawing cartoons. We don’t insult anyone – and worrying about court cases will lead to censorship in your mind, which is something we don’t want.”

Turkey’s hard line on insults:

Between August 2014 and March 2015, 236 people investigated for “insulting the head of state”; 105 indicted; eight formally arrested
Between July and December 2014 (Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presidency), Turkey filed 477 requests to Twitter for removal of content, over five times more than any other country and an increase of 156% on the first half of the year
Reporters Without Borders places Turkey 149th of 180 countries in the press freedom index
During Mr Erdogan’s time in office (Prime Minister 2003-14, President from 2014), 63 journalists have been sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison, with collective fines of $128,000
Article 299 of the Turkish penal code states that anybody who insults the president of the republic can face a prison term of up to four years. This sentence can be increased by a sixth if committed publicly; and a third if committed by press or media.

Sales of Kurdish oil point to beneficiaries close to Erdoğan

April 4, 2015 By administrator

By DOĞAN ERTUĞRUL / ISTANBUL

Kurdistan, Turkish Cash Cow (photo gagrule)

People close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are the beneficiaries of a lucrative oil deal signed between Ankara and Arbil that has laid the framework for the transfer of Kurdish oil, as the company granted the exclusive right to the transfer through Turkey is run by a former deputy candidate from the ruling party and an ex-official from Çalık Group, a company known to have ties with the ruling party.

Furthermore, according to a book written by the Hürriyet daily’s Washington correspondent, Tolga Tanış, Powertrans, the company that was given the exclusive license to carry and trade Kurdish oil by the cabinet shortly after its foundation in 2011, is run by Berat Albayrak, who is married to Erdoğan’s daughter, Esra Albayrak.

Who are the people behind Powertrans? Well, Turkey has sought an answer to this question since the establishment of the company. According to trade registry data, the general manager of the company is a former deputy candidate from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Ahmet Sadi Güngör, who also previously worked in the Petroleum Trade Coordination department of Çalık Group. For this reason it is claimed that the company’s secret partner is Çalık group.

Players making profit from oil deal between Arbil and Baghdad not known.

On Dec. 29, 2013, a new relationship between Turkey and Kurdistan began. On that day, Ankara and Arbil signed a series of agreements that had been in development for some time. The agreements, valid for 50 years, regulate the delivery of Kurdish oil and gas to the Ceyhan district of Adana, products which will then be sold on the international market.

As expected, Baghdad fiercely opposed the deal, accusing Arbil of “being in pursuit of independence.” The Maliki government also accused Turkey of “interfering in the sovereignty rights of Iraq,” but by then the genie was out of the bottle, and Ankara added new agreements to the deal in March 2014.

Access to Kurdish oil was indeed a great opportunity for Turkey and the region. But things did not go well. A transparent oversight mechanism open to international monitoring announced by Energy Minister Taner Yıldız was never established. Today it is unknown who buys Kurdish oil and who then sells it to whom at what prices, or how Turkey gains from the trade. It was only after Baghdad’s appeal to an international court of arbitration that people learned the names of the local and foreign companies selling Kurdish oil on international markets.

Due to the failure to establish a transparent mechanism to oversee the sales of oil extracted in northern Iraq, little is known about the buyers and sellers of the oil, extracted by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the price at which it is sold, or what Turkey gains as a gateway country for the Kurdish oil to be sold on international markets. The oil extraction capacity of the Kurdish region rose to 400,000 barrels per day as of January, while 150,000 of those barrels are sold on the domestic market.

The rest is flown to the Ceyhan pipeline in line with the agreement signed with Baghdad, while a portion of this oil is given to some oil extraction companies in order to pay off Kurdistan’s prior debts. According to information given by the Vice President of Arbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mele Mecid, the foreign companies and the Turkish companies extracting oil take 30 percent of all extracted oil in order to cover debts Arbil is unable to pay in cash. Oil companies then sell 30 percent of the oil they extracted on international markets at prices they determine.

On the other hand, no transparency has been achieved on the identity of the bank where these petro-dollars will be deposited, an issue which Ankara, Arbil and Baghdad have been negotiating. It had been announced that the parties had agreed on state-run Turkish bank Halkbank. Yıldız even announced in October 2014 that $700 million had been deposited in Halkbank. However, it is still a mystery how much revenue has been made by the sale of Kurdish oil today.

Due to regional circumstances, there is no mechanism in the KRG to monitor and oversee oil sales. The only functioning supervising authority is the Committee on Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Parliament. The committee obtains information from Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami periodically.

In an interview with Sunday’s Zaman, committee head Sherko Cevdet provided information about the official data and the process regarding oil sales.

“Kurdish oil is sold at low prices due the economic crisis in the Kurdish region. As of January, 34 million barrels of oil were sold, which is equal to $2.5 billion,” he said. “Oil companies and some intermediaries are making big money. No one wants them to be disclosed,” he continues.

Cevdet added there are some 30 companies from 19 countries operating in the Kurdish region and it is difficult to make oil sales transparent and place the sales under supervision.

According to him, in order to make the sales of Kurdish oil more transparent, the disagreement between Baghdad and Arbil should be overcome. But there is little hope for a resolution of the crisis in the near future.

When asked, Arbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Mele Mecid said, “What is the role of Ankara in the sale of Kurdish oil?” He said Turkey has a vital role in the sale of Kurdish oil after the energy agreement between the KRG and Turkey, which fundamentally changed the oil trade.

“There used to be tankers which shipped oil through land and a railway until the deal was made with Turkey. After the agreement, a limitation was placed on the trade made through tankers because Kurdish oil now flows directly to Ceyhan,” he says.

“The sale of Kurdish oil is under the control of the Turkish Energy Ministry. The ministry knows how much oil was sold, who bought it and how much money was deposited because the agreement stipulates so. On the subject of private companies, well, every government can grant some privileges. Turkey could have given privileges to some companies as well,” he added.

Delay in money transfers with Halkbank

“It is true that there is a bank account of Kurdistan in Halkbank. All the petrodollars used to be deposited there. But now not all the money is accumulated in Halkbank. Two new accounts were opened in the US and Germany as money transfers was not convenient with Halkbank. Money is now being transferred more rapidly. Halkbank was transferring money slowly due to a shortage of cash. Because of that, new accounts have been opened,” says Cevdet.

Even Kurdish Parliament does not know the fate of the money deposited in Halkbank. “We don’t know how much was withdrawn from the money accumulated in Halkbank. We don’t know how much interest rate the money yielded as well,” Cevdet said.

Iraq possesses 8.7 percent of oil reserves in the world, which is equal to 143 billion barrels. Around 30 percent of Iraqi oil reserves are located in the Kurdish region.

A total of 550,000 barrels of oil a day flow into Ceyhan from the Kurdish region and Kirkuk.

Powertrans: Mysterious company granted privilege in Kurdish oil

Return to the biggest question regarding Kurdish oil: Which Turkish firms are participating in the sale of oil from northern Iraq? Is Powertrans, which was founded by businessmen close to President Erdoğan, selling Kurdish oil from Ceyhan to international markets as claimed?

The knowledge of Kurdish authorities and the businessmen involved in the oil business in the region regarding those who are selling the oil is limited. This is due to the fact that the procedure on the sale of oil was not institutionalized at Kurdish administrative level.

In addition to Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami and Prime Minister Nachirvan Barzani, only a few have thorough knowledge on the subject. Furthermore, the Kurdish authorities are not interested in those who sell oil in Ceyhan because of the terms of the agreement.

Nonetheless, the officials Sunday’s Zaman spoke to say the answer to the question is in the deal signed on November of 2013.

Interestingly, before Kurdish oil flowed into Ceyhan, debates on who would sell the oil had come onto the agenda of Parliament.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Aytun Çıray in a parliamentary inquiry had asked the energy minister what the agreement with Arbil featured, who was granted the license and privilege to transport Kurdish oil and, if it was true as claimed, according to which criteria Powertrans was given the privilege. However, no answer provided, as expected.

In response to a parliamentary question posed by CHP deputy Mevlüt Dudu on May of 2013, the ministry acknowledged that Powertrans had been given license to ship Kurdish oil from the Mediterranean to world markets.

But the questions asking which companies besides Powertrans had applied to transport the oil and according to which criteria the selection had been made were left unanswered, though it constituted an outright breach of the Constitution and Parliament bylaw.

Today no one, including Parliament, knows the terms of the agreement made with Arbil. Why? Because the KRG is not a sovereign state and thus the agreement made with it is not considered similar to agreements signed between states. It is qualified as an agreement based on terms of private law.

It also means the agreement did not require Parliament’s approval. The monitoring of an agreement worth billions of dollars was thus circumvented on a technical legal pretext.

On the other hand, Powertrans’ inclusion in the agreement is shrouded in mystery. According to data obtained by Sunday’s Zaman from KRG officials, Turkey founded an off-shore company to extract and sell Kurdish oil. The agreement with the KRG on the production of oil was made via this company.

The partners of the company that will operate in the six fields in the KRG include the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and the Turkish Petroleum International Company (TPIC) — nothing wrong here. But according to claims, the company also has domestic and foreign partners that are subjected to private law terms. Could these partners include Powertrans? It’s highly likely. What is certain is that Powertrans has the privilege to buy and sell Kurdish oil flowing to Ceyhan.

Powertrans not responding to allegations

Though Powertrans has been at the center of debates for some time, no official explanation has been provided by company officials. Our request for a meeting was not accepted by officials staying at a plaza in Maslak.

The officials of the company, who left our questions unanswered, said “According to our business contract, even a general manager might be fired if he provides information about the company,” and upon our insistence, said if we sent questions via e-mail, they would notify the headquarters in Singapore and we would then be contacted by the headquarters.

But two weeks have passed and no response has been provided by Powertrans to the below questions:

-Does Powertrans export northern Iraq oil? In which other regions and countries does the firm have a presence?

-Is Powertrans the only firm entitled to export Kurdistan’s oil flowing to the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık pipeline?

-How much of the sales of 34 million barrels of oil since June of 2014 was done by Powertrans?

-What is the duration of the privilege granted by the Customs and Trade Ministry to Powertrans to sell oil?

-Is the money obtained by Powertrans after oil sales deposited in the Halkbank account of the KRG?

-Does your company have a partnership with the Çalık Group?

My questions may solve the mystery in the sales of Kurdish oil in Ceyhan to a certain extent. But the claims of illegality and fraud about the oil trade have not been satisfactorily explained because the answers should be provided by the Energy Ministry and the government that should monitor and provide transparency on the agreement.

Source: TodayZaman