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Turkey’s pro-Kurdish HDP party to select new leadership duo

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Selahattin Demirtas, the incarcerated co-leader of the left-wing pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy (HDP) party, will not stand for re-election. Now a successor must be found as the party seeks a fresh start.

Selahattin Demirtas’ exit from the political stage in January was a blow to critics of the Turkish government. The co-leader of the left-wing Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), is revered by many in the Turkish opposition as a principled democrat who refuses to be bowed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Many Kurds had expressed hope that the HDP under Demirtas could bring help bring an end to ongoing ethnic exclusion. However, Demirtas’ decidedly dissident stance was not tolerated for very long. In November 2016, he was arrested on terrorism charges and has remained behind bars ever since. Turkey’s state prosecutor is demanding a 142-year jail sentence for Demirtas.

Now that Demirtas has said he will not run for HDP leadership, speculation over his potential successor is rife. All will be revealed on February 11, when a new HDP leadership duo is elected at a party conference in Ankara. Organizers expect some 25,000 attendees. Numerous European left-wing parties, like Syriza from Greece, Podemos from Spain and Germany’s Left party have been invited to act as observers.

The HDP is a Kurdish umbrella organization that unites several different groups active in western Turkey, including socialist parties, feminists, anti-militarists, environmentalists and LGBTI activists. As a matter of principle, the HDP leadership duo comprises one candidate with Kurdish roots and another with a Turkish and socialist background.

The name of one candidate has been common knowledge for a while: Pervin Buldan, a prominent figure in the Kurdish political movement. In June 1994, her husband, Savas Buldan, a Kurdish businessman, was abducted by unidentified armed individuals, tortured and then murdered during Turkey’s “dirty war” against the Kurds during the 1990s.

HDP spokesperson and parliamentarian Ayhan Bilgen hopes the party conference will mark a fresh start. “Our party is five years old. And Turkey’s political landscape has changed,” Bilgen said. He does not want to party to change its basic principles. Instead, he thinks, the HDP should pursue them by employing new methods and reorganizing. “We can neither give up on our goal of democratizing Turkey, nor on fighting for the rights of Kurds,” Bilgen insisted. He said his party should wage a democratic fight against Erdogan’s state of emergency in order to counter the country’s polarization.

Armenians and Greeks of US call to bloc sale of F-35 fighters to Turkey

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The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) have launched a campaign against reckless sale of America’s most advanced fighters to Turkey.

The statement of the organization warns against the sale of F-35 fighters to a country that may very well turn them against American forces or our regional allies, including Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Armenia.

The organizations call on American citizens to ask their U.S. Senators to oppose the F-35 sale.

Independent: Turkey accused of recruiting ex-Isis fighters in their thousands to attack Kurds in Syria

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Turkey recruiting ex-Isis fighters

Exclusive: Former Isis fighter tells The Independent that Turkey is using the name of the now defunct, Western-backed Free Syrian Army to conceal its use of jihadi mercenaries.

Turkey is recruiting and retraining Isis fighters to lead its invasion of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria, according to an ex-Isis source.

“Most of those who are fighting in Afrin against the YPG [People’s Protection Units] are Isis, though Turkey has trained them to change their assault tactics,” said Faraj, a former Isis fighter from north-east Syria who remains in close touch with the jihadi movement.

In a phone interview with The Independent, he added: “Turkey at the beginning of its operation tried to delude people by saying that it is fighting Isis, but actually they are training Isis members and sending them to Afrin.”

An estimated 6,000 Turkish troops and 10,000 Free Syrian Army (FSA) militia crossed into Syria on 20 January, pledging to drive the YPG out of Afrin.

The attack was led by the FSA, which is a largely defunct umbrella grouping of non-Jihadi Syrian rebels once backed by the West. Now, most of its fighters taking part in Turkey’s “Operation Olive Branch” were, until recently, members of Isis.

Some of the FSA troops advancing into Afrin are surprisingly open about their allegiance to al-Qaeda and its offshoots. A video posted online shows three uniformed jihadis singing a song in praise of their past battles and “how we were steadfast in Grozny (Chechnya) and Dagestan (north Caucasus). And we took Tora Bora (the former headquarters of Osama bin Laden). And now Afrin is calling to us”.

Isis suffered heavy defeats last year, losing Mosul in Iraq after a siege of nine months and Raqqa in Syria after a four-month siege. The caliphate, declared by its leader Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi in 2014, was destroyed, and most of its experienced commanders and fighters were killed or dispersed.

But it has shown signs of trying to revive itself in Syria and Iraq over the last two months, assassinating local opponents and launching guerrilla attacks in out-of-the-way and poorly defended places.

Isis fighters are joining the FSA and Turkish-army invasion force because they are put under pressure by the Turkish authorities. From the point of view of Turkey, the recruitment of former Isis combatants means that it can draw on a large pool of professional and experienced soldiers. Another advantage is that they are not Turks, so if they suffer serious casualties this will do no damage to the Turkish government.

Isis and Turkey are seeking to use each other for their own purposes. Faraj, 32, an Arab from the mixed Kurdish-Arab province of Hasakah in north-east Syria, says that he does not like the YPG, but he is suspicious of Turkey and believes that it is trying manipulate Isis. “Turkey treats Isis like toilet tissues,” he says. “After use they will be thrown away.”

Turkey is evidently aware that using Isis fighters as the spearhead for the assault on Afrin, even if they relabelled as FSA, is likely to attract international criticism.

Faraj says that Turkish commanders have discouraged Isis from using their traditional tactics of extensive use of suicide bombers and car bombs at Afrin because this would make the Isis-Turkish cooperation too blatant.

He says that the FSA men are “professional in planning car-bomb attacks as they have experience before with Isis in Raqqa and Mosul”.

But he cites Turkish officers as discouraging such identifiable tactics, quoting one as telling an FSA group in training that “we leave the suicide attacks for the YPG and the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party which carries on guerrilla warfare in Turkey), so that the world will be convinced that they are terrorists”.

Turkey has had an ambivalent relationship with jihadi groups since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. At first, it allowed foreign jihadi fighters and military supplies to cross into Syria, though this tolerance ebbed after the fall of Mosul in June 2014.

Nevertheless, Ankara made clear by its actions during the siege of the Kurdish city of Kobani that it would have preferred victory to go to Isis rather than the YPG.

As the YPG advanced after Kobani with the support of US air power, Turkey’s priority became to reverse the creation of a de facto Kurdish state in Syria under US military protection.

The US is in a particularly difficult position. It was the YPG who provided the ground troops who, backed by US air strikes, have defeated Isis in many battles.

Without them there would have been no victory over Isis as was claimed by President Trump in his State of the Union message. But the YPG is now facing some of the same Isis fighters in Afrin with whom it fought over the past four years. It will not look good if the US abandons its proven Kurdish allies because it does not want a confrontation with Turkey.

Such a confrontation could be just around the corner. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened at the weekend to expand the Turkish invasion to include the Arab town of Manbij, captured from Isis by the YPG in 2016 after a long siege. He said that the Americans “tell us, ‘Don’t come to Manbij.’ We will come to Manbij to handover these territories to their rightful owners.”

The fighting between Turks and Kurds and the growing confrontation between the US and Turkey are all in the interests of Isis. It does not have the strength to recover from its crushing defeats last year, but the opponents it faced then are now fighting other battles.

Eliminating the last pockets of Isis resistance is no longer their first priority. The YPG has been transferring units that were facing Isis in the far east of Syria to the west where they will face the Turks.

Turkey is not in a very strong position militarily almost three weeks after its invasion of Afrin. It can only win by bombing round the clock, and for this it will need Russian permission, which it probably will not get. If it is going to expand its attacks, it will need more combat soldiers and this will provide an opportunity for Isis to join in a new war.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/turkey-isis-afrin-syria-kurds-free-syrian-army-jihadi-video-fighters-recruits-a8199166.html

Back off Cyprus gas or face confrontation, Egypt warns Turkey

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Turkey will face a confrontation with Egypt if it does not respect Cairo’s rights for gas exploration won in a deal with Greek Cyprus, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid warned on Tuesday.

The maritime border demarcation deal in question was signed in 2013 between Egypt and Cyprus, and gives Cairo access to an area of the East Mediterranean that is of particular interest for hydrocarbon companies since the discovery of the huge Zohr gas fields in 2015.

However, Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu appeared to contest the deal, when he declared that Turkish Cypriots had been unfairly prevented from claiming their “inalienable rights to the natural resources” around the island, and revealed Turkish plans to begin exploration in the area.

“Nobody can contest the validity of the agreement,” the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah quoted Abu Zeid as saying in response, adding that the deal has been delivered to the United Nations.

Reuters reported that the foreign ministry spokesperson warned that “any attempt to infringe or diminish Egypt’s rights in that area” would be confronted.

Turkey’s relations with Egypt have been unfriendly since the current president, Abdel Fettah al-Sisi, deposed his predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, in a popularly-supported coup in 2013.

EU expresses concerns over Turkey’s Invasion in Syria’s Afrin

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EU expresses concerns

The European Union (EU) warned on Tuesday that Turkish military offensive against the Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin in the northern Syria could derail a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

“The Afrin offensive could have political consequences on the internal balances inside the future Syria at large and on the potential of political negotiations because the new escalation of violence can push away the chances for a political solution to the conflict,” said Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, according to Stockholmcf.org.

“We need to concentrate all of us in supporting the UN-lead negotiations in Geneva. The war in Syria is not over yet,” said Mogherini during a speech in the debate on current human rights situation in Turkey and the situation in Afrin at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

“We are deeply worried about the new front opened in Syria. We are worried first of all for humanitarian reasons. The people of Syria cannot afford a new front and a new crisis,” she said. Mogherini has also stressed that dialogue with Turkey today “is more important than ever,” and noted that “Turkey is facing enormous challenges.”

Turkish warplanes began striking Afrin on January 20, as dozens of civilians, including children and women, were reported to have been killed by air raids and shelling.

The campaign dubbed “Operation Olive Branch” by Turkish autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is meant to clear Syria’s Kurdish-held northwest district of People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters who Turkey claims are an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Ankara has labeled the US-backed Kurdish forces a “terrorist organization” and has been infuriated by Washington’s support for the YPG.

The US, which is backing the Kurds in the ongoing battle against ISIL in Syria, said it was concerned and has called on Turkey to limit its military offensive in the Kurdish region.

 

Netherlands recalls ambassador from Turkey

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Netherlands recalls ambassador

The spat between the Netherlands and Ankara stems from the Dutch refusal to allow Turkish ministers to campaign for a 2017 referendum. The Dutch foreign ministry said repeated efforts to normalize relations have failed.

The Netherlands has officially withdrawn its ambassador from Turkey, the Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The ministry added that it will not allow a new Turkish ambassador in Amsterdam as long as there is no Dutch ambassador in Ankara.

Despite recent talks between the two countries, Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said “we could not reach an agreement on how to normalize relations.”

The Dutch foreign ministry has “paused” talks with Turkey on resolving the matter, it said.

Turkish referendum 

The withdrawal of the ambassador is a largely symbolic gesture as the diplomat has been barred from Turkey since March 2017, when relations between the two countries took a downward turn over the Dutch refusal to allow Turkish ministers to campaign in the Netherlands ahead of a referendum.

Protests erupted in Rotterdam after the Netherlands expelled Turkey’s Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kayar before she could address a campaign rally of Dutch-Turkish citizens in favor of the vote which sought to expand the powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syria: Afrin asks Russia to help halt Turkey’s invasion

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Stop Turkish invasion of Syria

Authorities in Afrin have called on global powers to halt Turkey’s invasion on the region as thousands of people take to the streets in the Syrian city in condemnation of Ankara’s incursion.

“We ask the Russian federation in particular to rescind its support for the Turkish state’s terrorism against the people of Afrin,” said Afrin’s local administration — the semi-autonomous government in power since 2013 – in a statement released on Sunday.

“It bears responsibility for the massacres the fascist Turkish state is carrying out against innocent civilians,” it added. The statement referred to Russia’s move of withdrawing its troops who were stationed in Afrin when Turkey launched its assault.

It also called on the United States, EU, United Nations Security Council and the US-led coalition to “immediately intervene to stop Turkey’s aggression.”

Turkey launched the so-called Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin on January 20 in a bid to eliminate the YPG, which Ankara views as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Germany grants asylum to four former Turkish military forces amid soured ties

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Turkish paramilitary police and members of the special forces escort former Air Force Commander Akin Ozturk and other suspects of the 2016 failed coup, outside the courthouse at the start of a trial, in the capital Ankara, on August 1, 2017. (AP photo)

Germany has granted asylum to four former Turkish military forces, including one whom Ankara accuses of assuming a leading role in the country’s 2016 failed coup, amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.  

Turkey accuses former Turkish colonel and then head of the Ankara military academy Ilham P., whose surname cannot be disclosed under the German law, of being a leader of the coup, weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported.

Germany’s Interior Ministry said it cannot provide comment with regard to the issue for protection of data and privacy of individuals.

Ties between Turkey and Germany soured over a host of issues after the July 2016 coup attempt against the government in Turkey, with Berlin critical of Ankara’s post-coup crackdown and the arrest of German citizens in Turkey.

In early January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited Germany following months of dispute between the two countries. During the trip, Cavusoglu and his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel agreed to devote all efforts to mending bilateral ties.

Turkey, which remains in a state of emergency since the coup, has been engaged in suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected to have played a role in the failed coup.

In the post-coup crackdown, Turkey has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 judges, policemen, teachers, and civil servants and arrested over 55,000 others.

Turkey has accused Germany of harboring “terrorist” organizations opposed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The two countries have also clashed over Germany’s alleged support for Kurdish opponents of the Turkish government and its opposition to a controversial referendum in Turkey in April 2017, which gave Erdogan new sweeping powers. German authorities at the time prevented some pro-Erdogan campaigns in the country, a move that infuriated the Turkish president.

One of the disputes between Ankara and Berlin revolves around Turkey’s arrest of several Germans. Germany believes Turkey has detained seven Germans, four of whom have dual nationalities, for political reasons.

Germany-Turkey economic cooperation has also been hit as a result of the tense political relations.

Germany is Turkey’s biggest trade partner, but in the first nine months of 2017, the European country’s exports to Turkey dropped by about six percent.

‘Worse than Afrin’: Erdogan’s aide threatens to ‘break legs’ of Greek ministers over disputed isles

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Greek officials who set foot on contested islands in the Aegean Sea will face Turkey’s wrath that will be “worse than that in Afrin,” a Turkish presidential advisor has charged. Athens swiftly denounced his rant.

“We will break the arms and legs of the [Greek] Prime Minister [Alexis Tsipras] or of any minister, who dares to step onto Imia in the Aegean,” Yigit Bulut, a senior advisor to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told the Turkish TRT broadcaster Thursday. The official was referring to a pair of uninhabited isles in the eastern part of the Aegean Sea that have long been the subject of a bitter territorial dispute between Turkey and Greece.

If Athens would further attempt to infringe upon what Ankara claims to be its territorial sovereignty, it would “feel the anger of Turkey, worse than that in Afrin,” the official warned, referring to the ongoing Turkish military operation in the northern Syria targeting local Kurdish militias. His angry remarks were apparently prompted by the Greek Defense Minister’s recent attempt to visit the contested territories.

On January 28, Turkish media reported that Turkey’s coast guard “blocked” the Panos Kammenos from approaching the islands. Kammenos was heading to the disputed territories to lay a wreath in commemoration of three Greek officers who died there in a helicopter crash in 1996.

Following the warning from the Turkish military, the vessel carrying the minister left the area without any incident, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported, citing the the Turkish interior minister and the General Staff.

The Greek Foreign Ministry slammed Bulut’s threats by calling them “unspeakable.” Such remarks “are alien to European political culture,”the ministry said in a statement, adding, that “such positions do not contribute to improving relations” between Athens and Ankara.

It also pointed out that “the legal status of the Aegean is clear and guaranteed by international law,” apparently implying that the disputed islands are Greek territory.

The incident adds further fuel to already escalating tensions between the two neighboring NATO allies. Greek media reported about “a spike in Turkish airspace violations in the Aegean.” While Turkish news outlets said “the Turkish Armed Forces continue to determinedly protect the nation’s rights and interests stemming from international law and agreements.”

Bulut, a former editor-in-chief at the Turkish news channel Haberturk TV, is known for his controversial statements. In 2013, he claimed that some foreign powers had been trying to kill Erdogan using telekinesis. The Turkish president was PM at the time. The same year, he also claimed that German airline Lufthansa were fuelling anti-government protests in Turkey, allegedly concerned over passenger flows being diverted from Germany to Turkey.

The Imia islands, also known as the Kardak islands in Turkey, are two small islets that together occupy a total area of some 40,000 square meters. The isles lie 4.6 kilometers from the nearest Greek island and 7 kilometers away from the Turkish coast.

The territorial dispute over the islands has already pushed Greece and Turkey to the brink of war. In 1996, tensions around the contested territory escalated rapidly with both Athens and Ankara sending Special Forces to the area. The crisis prompted the US to intervene to prevent an armed conflict between the two NATO member states.

Kurdish forces in Afrin Syria Launch nine rocked into Turkish town kill 2 wanded 18

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At least two people were killed and 18 others wounded in Reyhanli and Kilis in nine rocket attacks launched from northern Syria amid an ongoing Turkish invasion against Kurdish enclave of Afrin.

Rockets fired from northern Syria wrought havoc in downtown Reyhanli, a border town in the southern province of Hatay, on Friday, killing two residents.

The rocket attacks have intensified after Turkey’s foray into northwestern Syria to capture Afrin from People’s Protection Units (YPG), Kurdish Fighters

Speaking of the “Operation Olive Branch,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday five Turkish people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in total in 82 rocket attacks launched from northern Syria.

Turkey’s border towns have become targets in what is believed to be retaliatory attacks from YPG-controlled areas since the onset of the Turkish operation against Afrin.

Friday’s attacks were the most ferocious ones as nine rockets were fired in a single day.