Report: Major Rift Starts between Erdogan, Army after Downing of Russian Warplane over Syria

November 29, 2015 By administrator

TEHRAN (FNA)- The crisis that started by Turkey’s shooting down of the Russian Su-24 bomber in the Syrian airspace is leading to a standoff between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the country’s army, Turkish media reports said.

Arab media outlets quoted the Turkish-language daily, Sözcü, as reporting that Erdogan and the Turkish army’s joint chief of staff are now at odds after the Turkish president in controversial remarks – that was contradicted later – claimed that Ankara did not know the warplane was Russian when targeting it.

“We would have acted differently if we had known that the fighter jet was Russian,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish paper quoted an informed military source as saying that Erdogan had taken a “hasty” position and declared that the army had been unable to identify the nationality of the plane in official remarks, “and this complicated the problem”.

“Had the politicians kept quiet, we could have resolved the problem very fast,” the unnamed source told the Turkish daily, according to the Arab media.

After Turkey shot down Russia’s Su-24 bomber as it was conducting an anti-terrorism operation against terrorists in Syria, the relations between the two countries strained.

Only a few days into the incident, Russia deployed S-400 air defense system to take harsh measures against any possible threats in Syria by tracing 300 targets at ranges up to 400 kilometers.

Military explanations show that the sophisticated air defense shield can cover the entire Syrian airspace.

Informed sources said earlier today that the Turkish Air Force has warned its pilots to avoid any further violation of the Syrian airspace after Russia deployed its sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft missile system in Lattakia.

The arrival of S-400 system coupled with the Russian fighter jets’ maneuvers along the Turkish border, has forced Ankara to take prudent measures to ease tensions with the Russian Federation after they downed the latter’s SU-24 bomber in Syia’s Lattakia province on Tuesday, the sources said.

The Russian Air Force amplified the number of airstrikes along the Turkish border on Saturday, striking the Turkish backed ISIL militants at the Aleppo border-city of A’zaz and inside the Turkmen Mountains of Northern Lattakia.

Now no Turkish plane can violate the Syrian airspace even in the mountainous areas due to the capabilities of S-400 air defense systems.

On Tuesday, a Turkish F-16 shot down the Su-24, claiming that the aircraft violated its airspace. Russian officials and the Su-24 pilot, who survived the crash, insist that the plane did not cross into Turkey. The crew, according to the pilot, did not receive any warning prior to the attack.

The Russian media reported on Thursday that the country has already deployed S-400 missile defense systems in Syria, a move many political and military analysts see as the start of Moscow’s response to NATO following the downing of its bomber by Turkey over Syria.

The S-400, an upgrade of the S-300 Growler family, is a new-generation anti-aircraft defense system operated solely by the Russian military. The S-400 ensures air defense using long- and medium-range missiles that can hit aerial targets at ranges of up to 400 kilometers (almost 250 miles).

In what is a prime example of twisted logic, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Russia against using its ultra-modern S-400 air defense system to shoot down Turkish fighter jets if they violate Syrian airspace just days after Ankara brought down a Russian Su-24 bomber.

Egypt Interested in Replacing Turkish Goods on Russian Market

November 29, 2015 By administrator

Cairo asked Moscow to provide it with a list of goods recently prohibited or restricted for import to Russia from Turkey to replace them Egyptian goods, Egypt’s Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade said in a statement Sunday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – According to the statement, the issue was discussed by Egypt’s Minister of Industry and Trade Tarek Kabil and his Russian counterpart, Denis Manturov, at a meeting in the United Arab Emirates.

“Egypt is interested to meet the needs of the Russian market in goods, especially those that came from Turkey, in light of Russia’s decision to limit the Turkish imports to the Russian market in fruit and vegetables to 66 percent, as well as in clothing and leather,” the statement said.

Relations between Russia and Turkey escalated after the downing of a Russian Su-24 Fence in Syrian airspace by the Turkish Air Force on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to boost national security and introduce economic measures against Turkey, including restrictions in labor, travel and trade spheres.

Russia Building Up Air Defense Shield All Over Syria?

November 29, 2015 By administrator

Russia is actually building an all-over air defense zone in Syria, according to Russian Zvezda TV channel. The Hmeymim air base, Russian jets and also pilots will be protected by the most advanced Russian weapons.

After a Turkish jet shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber over Syria, the Russian Defense Minister reported to President Vladimir Putin that the air defense system around the base needed to be enhanced.

The president said approved the move and 24 hours later an S-400 missile defense system was deployed to the Hmeymim base.

The S-400, an upgrade of the S-300 Growler family, is a new-generation anti-aircraft defense system operated solely by the Russian military. It knows no equals in the world, including the US-made Patriot system.

The S-400 ensures air defense using long- and medium-range missiles that can hit aerial targets at ranges of up to 400 kilometers. It is also can hit ground and sea targets.

The system is not only versatile but also very mobile. It has a mobile deployment time of 15 minutes, and a stand-by deployment time of only 15 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Russian Air Force task unit continues to carry out airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIL) positions in Syria. Russian jets are conducting up to 80 sorties a day.

Russia plans to build up its anti-ISIL offensive in Syria. New Su-27 and Su-30 jets are expected to be deployed to the Hmeymim base in the near future. Russian pilots will also be equipped with advanced electronic warfare devices.

Armenia continues playing major geopolitical role for Russia, Turkey – Stepan Danielyan

November 29, 2015 By administrator

Turkey would not have downed a Russian warplane thus acting against a nuclear power without certain guarantees on the part of NATO member-states, Stepan Danielyan, Chairman of the Cooperation for Democracy NGO, told Tert.am.

Mr Danielyan, Russian-Turkish relations are getting worse. Russia has imposed economic sanctions in response to the downing of its jet by Turkey. What are the reasons for Turkey’s confrontation with Russia?

International press is offering numerous leads. Russian and Turkish interests are in many respects diametrically opposite. And Syria is the present field where their interests have clashed. Russia’s actions in Syria have gone beyond the limits, and Turkey could not put up with it. However, one fact can be of interest. Turkey would not have downed a Russian warplane thus acting against a nuclear power without certain guarantees on the part of NATO member-states. However, Turkey seems to have made a mistake. A NATO official’s statement that the conflict is not between Russia and NATO proved a surprise to Turkey… By coming into conflict with Russia, Turkey will lose part of its sovereignty. The United State’s role in Turkey is actually growing, which may have a number of consequences for Syria and Kurdish autonomies in Iraq, as well as for Turkish Kurdistan. All the developments are immediately involving us.

Do you consider Armenia’s direct or indirect involvement in the processes possible, given the fact that Russian troops are defending the Turkish-Armenian border?

Do you mean the Armenian territory or the Armenian State? Regrettably, as a state, Armenia does not decide anything. But Armenia’s territory is of importance. It is no coincidence that, in the 19t century, Russia was settling Armenians from Persia and western Armenia here – Armenians were to play the role of a Christian buffer between Turkey and Azerbaijan’s Turkic people. And Armenia’s major geopolitical role does not seem to have changed now, and it is no coincidence that everyone has remembered Armenia during the Russian-Turkish escalation. I do not think Armenia will be able to implement an independent policy until a barrier between the country’s authorities and society has been removed.

Asking for Trouble: Erdogan Drags Europe Into New ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’?

November 29, 2015 By administrator

Turkey’s “unprecedented” provocation could well lead to a standoff reminiscent of the darkest days of the Cold War, political analyst Pyotr Iskenderov asserted, adding that by downing the Russian Su-24 bomber Ankara managed to achieve the unthinkable: it “outperformed” the Soviet Union’s archrival.

“It also proves the existence of a very dangerous geopolitical trend directly related to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which have already become NATO or EU members, or cherish the dream of joining these organizations (often at any price),” the expert wrote for the Strategic Culture Foundation.

Turkey, according to Iskenderov, decided to shoot down the Russian bomber because President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confident that NATO and particularly the US will back him no matter what happens. Moreover, “the desire to exploit the contradictions between great powers has always been an instrument of the (Neo)Ottoman Empire’s policy,” he explained in an article titled “Turkey Paves Way for Another Cuban Crisis.”

In addition, Turkey does not want the Syrian crisis to be resolved and is ready to add fuel to the fire if necessary, the analyst stated. Protracted civil war in the neighboring country will allow Ankara to continue its illegal oil business with ISIL. It is also trying to pit the radical group against the Kurds as much as possible.

ISIL’s defeat, according to the analyst, does not suit Turkey. “It also does not serve the interests of the United States implementing its strategy of controlled chaos and geopolitical isolation of Russia,” Iskenderov observed.

The downing of the Russian bomber, which was engaged in an anti-ISIL operation, cast a shadow on the already strained relations between Moscow and Western capitals. Therefore, preventing Erdogan from dragging Turkey and other European countries “into a new Cuban crisis” is a priority, the analyst emphasized.

“It should be noted that … as the crisis of 1962 unfolded the opposing sides did not bring down each other’s aircraft. These days, Turkey has ‘outperformed’ even the United States of the Cold War era,” Iskenderov added.

Russia Imposes Economic Restrictions Against Turkey After Downing of Su-24

November 28, 2015 By administrator

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Saturday to boost national security and introduce economic measures against Turkey, the Kremlin press service said.

“Russian President V.V. Putin has signed a Decree ‘On Measures to Guarantee National Security in the Russian Federation and Protect Russian Citizens Against Criminal and Other Illegal Actions, and on Special Economic Measures Against the Turkish Republic,” the statement said.

The visa-free regime between the countries will be partially suspended after January 1, 2016. The measure does not concern Turkish nationals who have a temporary or permanent resident permit, as well as Turkish staff of diplomatic or consular missions in Russia and their families.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has been ordered to notify Ankara about these changes, the statement added.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian government had reached a decision to suspend the free-visa regime between Russia and Turkey due to security concerns.

The move comes as Russia started to question Ankara’s commitment to the fight against terrorism following the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber on Tuesday by the Turkish Air Force over Syria.

Russian travel agencies will have to stop selling tours to Turkey, according to the Kremlin. The directive is part of a decree that aims to boost Russia’s national security.

“Travel operators and agencies should refrain from selling tourist products to Russian citizens that involves going to the Turkish Republic.”

Charter air transportation between Russia and Turkey will also be banned.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the incident would negatively affect all aspects of relations between Moscow and Ankara and recommended Russians to refrain from visiting Turkey. Cooperation in the tourism industry between Moscow and Ankara may be stopped, the Russian Federal Tourism Agency said.

Moreover, Russia will restrict import of certain Turkish goods except for the goods imported for personal use to an extent permitted by law of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the statement said.

The activities of Turkish organizations in Russia will also be restricted, according to the Kremlin’s press service.

Moreover, Russian employers will not be allowed to hire Turkish citizens starting from January 1, 2016.

Source: sputniknews

Russia says has right to military response after jet downing

November 27, 2015 By administrator

Russian lower house speaker Sergei Naryshkin. (Photo: AP)

Russia has the right to make a military response after the downing of a Russian warplane earlier this week by NATO member Turkey, lower house speaker Sergei Naryshkin said on Friday.

Speaking in an interview with Romanian television station Digi24, Naryshkin, who spoke in Russian and was translated by the broadcaster, said: “This is intentional murder of our soldiers and this deed must be punished.”

The shooting down of the Russian warplane by the Turkish air force on Tuesday was one of the most serious clashes between a NATO member and Russia, and further complicated international efforts to battle Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

“We know those who did this and they must be judged. At the same time, the response from the Russian side will surely follow, in line with international law. And aside from this, Russia has also the right to military response,” added Naryshkin, who was attending a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in Bucharest.

Naryshkin, who said economic measures against Turkey might be on the cards, said Moscow had allocated additional military resources on Thursday to boost the security of Russian warplanes.

“Even yesterday, military resources were allocated, (for) the S400 Triumph, which is the most advanced missile defence system, with the role to maintain flight safety of Russian planes, of our military and air forces whose task is to destroy terrorist infrastructure of the so-called ISIL and other organizations operating in Syria.”

World leaders have urged both sides to avoid escalation, and China’s Foreign Ministry added its voice to that on Friday.

On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted as saying, Russia should apologise for violating Turkey’s airspace.

Serbian President Nikolic Turkey Attempts to Involve NATO in Conflict With Russia

November 27, 2015 By administrator

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic sent a telegram to Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing his condolences following the downing of the Russian bomber that killed a pilot and a marine.

Nikolic spoke to Sputnik Serbia in an exclusive interview expressing his solidarity with the Russian anti-terrorist operation in Syria.

“At the same time it is the condemnation of seditious acts by Turkey, which Ankara has tried using to prevent the destruction of the terrorists (by the way, Russia has almost completed this process) and involve the rest of the NATO states in conflict with Russia,” Nikolic said.

The President noted that such an incident should not have occurred, recalling that Turkey itself repeatedly violated Greek airspace, but those violations were always then solved by diplomatic means.

“When the Syrian forces shot down a Turkish jet, Turkey said that it was still a negative gesture and that everything could be solved via diplomacy and by one phone call, although it was more than 10 minutes in the airspace of Syria. This time it was 17 seconds (and Turkey has no evidence that it was in its airspace), they argue that they contacted the pilot and consulted the Defense Ministry. All this is unconfirmed,” Serbian President told Sputnik Serbia.

He further said that “The incident is too serious for Russia to hold out its hand of reconciliation to Turkey.” Nikolic also believes that one can hardly expect aid from Turkey in the fight against terrorism, which is killing Europe.

President Nikolic said that he would not interfere in the relations between Russia and Turkey or comment on possible sanctions from Moscow, however, he said, “I know that President Putin is a reasonable person ready to defend his country’s national interests and will take the right decision. It will be a wise decision, which will show that with Russia, especially now that it is fighting against the evil of the world, no one dares to behave so frivolously.”

He noted that Turkey and Russia may try to improve relations during the OSCE Ministerial Council in Belgrade, which will be held in early December.

“But Turkey must make the first move, because it is guilty. Do not expect Russia to offer to make it up to the person who caused the conflict without any sign of remorse and without guarantee that this will not happen again,” Nikolic told Sputnik Serbia.

Pepe Escobar: Sultan Erdogan’s War on…Russia “Must Read”

November 27, 2015 By administrator

Photo, by gagrule

Let’s cut to the chase. The notion that Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-24 by a made in USA F-16 was carried out without either a green light or at least pre-arranged “support” from Washington invites suspension of disbelief.

Turkey is a mere vassal state, the eastern arm of NATO, which is the European arm of the Pentagon. The Pentagon already issued a denial — which, considering their spectacular record of strategic failures cannot be taken at face value. Plausibly, this might have been a power play by the neocon generals who run the Pentagon, allied with the neocon-infested Obama administration.

The privileged scenario though is of a vassal Turkey led by Sultan Erdogan risking a suicide mission out of its own, current, desperation.

Here’s Erdogan’s warped reasoning in a nutshell. The Paris tragedy was a huge setback. France started discussing close military collaboration not within NATO, but with Russia. Washington’s unstated aim was always to get NATO inside Syria. By having Turkey/NATO — clumsily, inside Syrian territory — attacking Russia, and provoking a harsh Russian response, Erdogan thought he could seduce NATO into Syria, under the pretext (Article 5) of defending Turkey.

As Bay-of-Pigs dangerous as this may be, it has nothing to do with WWIII — as apocalyptic purveyors are braying. It revolves around whether a state which supports/finances/weaponizes the Salafi-jihadi nebulae is allowed to destroy the Russian jets that are turning its profitable assets into ashes.

Married to the (Erdogan) Mob

President Putin nailed it; it was “a shot in the back”. Because all evidence is pointing towards an ambush: the F-16s might have been actually waiting for the Su-24s. With Turkish TV cameras available for maximum global impact.

Two Su-24s were getting ready to strike a bunch of “moderate rebels”. Ankara says they were Turkmen — which the Turks finance and weaponize. But there is just a small bunch of Turkmen in northern Syria.

The Su-24s were actually after Chechens and Uzbeks — plus a few Uyghurs — smuggled in with fake Turkish passports (Chinese intel is also on it), all of these operating in tandem with a nasty bunch of Turkish Islamo-fascists. Most of these goons transit back and forth between the CIA-weaponized Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Jabhat al-Nusra. These were the goons who machine-gunned the Russian pilots as they parachuted down after the hit on the Su-24.

The Su-24s posed absolutely no threat to Turkey. Turkish UN Ambassador Halit Cevik’s letter to the Security Council is a joke; two Russian jets “warned 10 times in five minutes” to change direction, both flying “more than a mile” into Turkey for an interminable 17 seconds. The whole thing has already been amply debunked. Not to mention that Turkish — and NATO — planes “violate” the Syrian border all the time.

Erdogan well knows how US neocons were livid with French President Francois Hollande after his “it’s war” cry was followed by a drive to work together with Russia against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

So the real target was not a Su-24, but the evolving possibility, after the Paris attacks, of a real coalition — the US, Britain and France on one side, the “4+1” (Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq plus Hezbollah) on the other side — finally converging their interests into a unified fight against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

Where would that leave Ankara, which for years has invested heavily in the Salafi-jihadi nebulae, from Jabhat al-Nusra to Ahrar al-Sham and myriad other outfits, culminating with aiding and abetting and even funding ISIS/ISIL/Daesh?

Turkey, for all practical purposes, has been a handy, sprawling Salafi-jihadi Infrastructure and Logistics Center; it offers everything from porous borders enabling countless jihadi return tickets from Syria to Europe, facilitated by corrupt police, to a convenient crossroads for all kinds of smuggling and a hefty money laundering ops.

So Ankara, with a missile, thought it might completely change the narrative.

Hardly. Just follow the money. Even in the US and Europe the Turkish game is becoming increasingly transparent. A research paper at Columbia University details at least a fraction of the multiple instances of collusion between Turkey and ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

Bilal Erdogan, the Sultan’s son, is a major profiteer of illegal trading of stolen Iraqi and Syrian oil. Imagine his terror after Putin revealed to G-20 leaders in Antalya — Turkish territory! — how Russian intel has identified most of the mobster maze of connections pointing directly to ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

Imagine mobster/Turkish commodity dealer sentiment at the prospect of losing their cut with the impossibility of buying Syrian stolen oil to the tune of $50 million a month. After all the Russian Air Force had already destroyed oil farms, refineries and most of all over 1,000 tanker trucks — and counting; imagine the prospect of losing all the oil flow, the money flow, a Smugglers Inc. scattered in the desert with no place to go.

And we Also Do Extortion

NATO command may be stand-up comic material — just watch Dr. Strangelove’s Greatest Hits, as in Gen. Philip Breedlove and his “Russian aggression” meme. But the generals are not foolish. NATO won’t go to war with Russia over a mere vassal. And Russia won’t provide NATO with a pretext for war.

In the Big Power Politics arena, certainly now we do have the post-modern return of the historic tension between the Russian and Ottoman empires. But that will play over time, slowly. The Russian direct response will be cold, calculated, extensive, swift — and most of all unexpected. No response would imply a carte blanche for “moderate rebels” to be weaponized in Syria ad infinitum.

What’s certain is that Russia will turbo-charge the bombing of all ISIS/ISIL/Daesh supply corridors from Turkey into northern Syria, as well as the stolen oil smuggling routes from northern Syria into Turkey.

Russia can play with so many options to increase the pressure. For instance, S-300 and S-400 air defense systems covering the Turkish-Syrian border. That would be part of a Russian no-fly zone in Syria, approved by Damascus, for any jet daring to fly without explicit permission from the government. The Sultan wouldn’t dare “violate” this airspace.

Erdogan’s desperate gambit reveals that the last thing Ankara wants is a Vienna-conducted peace process in Syria. “Assad must go” is non-negotiable — for an array of geopolitical reasons (neo-Ottomanism), political (the need for a Sunni-dominated, pliant, Syrian satrapy) and economic (the proposed Qatar gas pipeline traversing Syria all the way to Turkey.)

German chancellor Angela Merkel had to go to Ankara to kiss the Sultan’s feet so she may be able to “save” her refugee policy. Erdogan came up with the proverbial offer you can’t refuse. You want me to hold the refugees here? Just give me 3 billion euros. Unfreeze Turkey’s accession dossier to the EU (guess who’s the top nation against it: France). And let me have my “safe zone” in the Turkish-Syria border.

Incredible as it may seem, Europe gave in. The European Commission (EC) has just given Erdogan the 3 billion euros. He starts getting the cash on January 1, 2016. The official spin is these funds are part of the “efforts to solve the migrant crisis.” European Commission First-Vice President Frans Timmermans glowingly framed the so-called Turkey Refugee Facility as “providing support to further improve the daily lives and socio-economic conditions of Syrians seeking refuge in Turkey.”

Don’t expect the EC to monitor how the cash will vanish in the mobster maze — or will be used to further weaponize “moderate rebels”.

Erdogan does not give a damn about refugees. What he wants is his “safe zone”, not in Turkey, but 35 km deep in northern Syria, out of bounds for the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), militias under Iranian command, Hezbollah forces and most of all the Russian Air Force. He wants his no-fly zone and he wants NATO to get it for him.

Erdogan is on a mission from Allah — at least his version of Allah. The downing of the Su-24 is just the preamble. Get ready, because 2016 promises an even bigger bang.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.

Source: sputniknews

Pepe Escobar

Journalist

Pepe Escobar is a Brazilian journalist. He writes a column – The Roving Eye – for Asia Times Online, and works as an analyst for RT as well as Al Jazeera and Iran’s Press TV

Russia Suspends Visa-Free Regime With Turkey – Lavrov

November 27, 2015 By administrator

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow will suspend the visa-free regime with Turkey starting January 1, 2016.

Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem that Russia would suspend the visa-free regime with Turkey.

“The Russian government reached a decision to suspend the free-visa regime between Russia and the Turkish Republic. The decision will come into effect on January 1 2016,” Lavrov said at a press-conference after talks with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem.

The Russian minister added that threats coming from Turkey were “not artificial.”

“On the contrary, these threats are very real, and we are saying this with full responsibility,” he underscored.

The move comes as Russia started to question Ankara’s commitment to the fight against terrorism following the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber on Tuesday by the Turkish Air Force over Syria.

Source: sputniknews