Turkey Archives

France: Sarkozy: It is time someone told Turkey its place is in Asia

September 29, 2016 By administrator

sarkosy-on-turkey Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy considers it necessary to halt European Union membership talks with Turkey if he is re-elected as French president, Interfax reports, citing Hurriyet.

“It is time that someone told Turkey its place is in Asia,” Sarkozy said.

He also pledged to do his utmost to change Britain’s decision on Brexit.

In Sarkozy’s words, in case of being re-elected he would leave for Britain with a draft treaty on EU membership to persuade London to reconsider the referendum results, which led to the departure from the bloc.

“Do you want to stay? If yes, so much better, because I can’t accept to lose Europe’s second-largest economy while we are negotiating with Turkey over its EU membership. And if it’s a no, then it’s a real no,” Sarkozy noted.

Only sign in Turkey where “Armenian Kingdom” is written

September 29, 2016 By administrator

armenian-kingdom-turkey There is solely one sign in Turkey where “Armenian Kingdom” is written.

The sign on the wall of the Surp Boğos (St. Paul) Church, which was built during the reign of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and which has been turned into a mosque in Tarsus (Tarson, in Armenian), Turkey, reads, in Turkish and English, that the church was built in the 11th century, during the reign of the Armenian Kingdom, by King Oshin.

This is a unique sign because “Armenian,” or “Armenia,” is not noted at any historical and cultural monuments in Turkey. And “Armenian church” was added on the sign at the Holy Cross Armenian church on Akhtamar Island on Lake Van, only in 2015.

Photo by Narekavank Tour.

Turkey: 87 intelligence personnel dismissed amid failed coup plot

September 27, 2016 By administrator

The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has dismissed 87 personnel for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), Turkey‘s state-run Anadolu Agency reports citing an intelligence agency source.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said a probe pending against 100 out of 141 MIT personnel had been concluded so far.

Out of 87 MIT personnel dismissed, 52 will face criminal complaints, the source said.

The decision was made under a statutory decree issued in July during the current three-month state of emergency in Turkey.

The dismissed MIT personnel will not be allowed to work in any other state organization.

Turkish government blames FETO for the deadly July 15 coup attempt. At least 241 people were martyred in the coup attempt, which the government has said was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, the head of FETO.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.

Anadolu Agency. Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT dismisses 87 personnel

Turkey minister: Aim of coup attempt was to divide country between Armenia and Kurdistan

September 27, 2016 By administrator

divid-turkey Nihat Zeybekçi, the Minister of the Economy of Turkey, made a scandalous statement with respect to the coup attempt in July.

During a talk with representatives of NGOs and businesses, Zeybekçi said the objective of this coup attempt was to divide Turkey and create two “istans,” reported the SonDakika news website of the country.

“They want to make real the map that was drawn 100 years ago,” he noted.

And when asked by a reporter what these two “istans” mean, the Turkish minister responded that they were Armenia (Ermenistan, in Turkish), and Kurdistan.

Kurdish Liberation Army PKK killed 10 Turkish soldiers seven wounded in attacks Turkey’s southeast

September 26, 2016 By administrator

10-killed-7-wounded At least 10 Turkish soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded on Sept. 26 in two separate attacks by the of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the country’s southeast.

Six soldiers were killed in an atack on a checkpoint in Şırnak, while four others were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Mardin’s Derik district.

PKK remotely detonated an explosive placed on the Kızıltepe-Derik motorway during the passing of a civilian-plated minibus carrying soldiers at around 9:20 a.m. near Tepedağ village.

Four soldiers were killed and another six were wounded in the attack, according to initial reports.

The wounded soldiers were transferred to hospitals in Derik and Kızıltepe.

Hous later, six soldiers were killed in the Uludere district of the southeastern province of Şırnak during a clash with PKK , Doğan News Agency has reported.

A number of ambulances were dispatched to the scene for the wounded soldiers at the checkpoint near a prison, Doğan said. One PKK militant was also killed in clashes.

Separately, a bomb planted by PKK hit a freight train in the eastern province of Van on Sept. 25, injuring two personnel and damaging four wagons, the regional governor’s office said.

“The train’s locomotive was damaged and burnt, while four wagons derailed,” a statement by the Van Governor’s Office said.

Earlier, the local railway station directorate in the province’s Saray district told Anadolu Agency that PKK detonated the bomb when the TCDD-53032 train passed by after it came from the Kapikoy border gate located along the Turkish- Iranian border, 10 kilometers away from Saray.

Meanwhile, a Turkish armed drone “neutralized” at least three PKK in an airstrike in southeastern Turkey’s Hakkari.

Battle for Aleppo: Turkey’s-Backed Rebels Shut Off Water for 1.5 Million Syrian Civilians

September 25, 2016 By administrator

AFP Photo

The so-called “moderate” rebels turned off the water to 1.5 million civilians living in West Aleppo in retaliation for a Syrian Army airstrike on East Aleppo that allegedly left 250,000 residents without water setting the stage for an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

The city of Aleppo is “dying” according to United Nations officials after a fierce wave of bombing last night by the Syrian Army in an attempt to break the stalemate in what once was the economic capital of the country but is now left to rubble after years of combat between the Assad government and rebels.

Last night’s airstrikes according to early reporting by the United Nations left 115 dead as hostilities have intensified following the collapse of the ceasefire earlier this week resulting in large part from a US-led coalition airstrike on a Syrian Army base in Deir Ez-Zor that left 62 dead and hundreds injured “paving the way” for a major offensive by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists and over 300 ceasefire violations by the rebels.

The rebels signaled in the day before the ceasefire that they would not comply with the agreement brokered by the United States and Russia with the second largest rebel group Ahrar al-Sham even saying that it was “impossible” for the group to breakaway from al-Nusra Front terrorists (formerly Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate prior to a rebranding effort) because the two groups had become too entangled fighting under the common banner of the Army of Conquest.

With hopes for peace on hold Syrian airstrikes have escalated which the rebels claim undermined attempts to repair a water pump supplying rebel-held districts in East Aleppo with water allegedly blocking the flow of the vital resource to some 250,000 residents. In an act of reprisal, the rebels switched off the Suleiman al-Halabi pumping station that provides water to 1.5 million Syrian civilians in government controlled West Aleppo raising the possibility of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in what has already turned into the largest displacement of civilians in human history. Kieran Dwyer, spokesman for the UN Children’s Rights & Emergency Relief Organization (UNICEF) explained that the Bab al-Nairab pumping station supplying rebel-held parts of Aleppo was allegedly damaged on Thursday and subsequent strikes rendered repairs impossible. “Then in retaliation for that attack a nearby pumping station that pumps water to the entire western part of the city – upwards to 1.5 million people – was deliberately switched off,” said Dwyer.

UNICEF fears that families in West Aleppo will be forced to use contaminated liquid carrying waterborne diseases to which children are particularly vulnerable as a result of the intentional act of terroristic sabotage by the rebels in contravention of international humanitarian standards.

“Aleppo is slowly dying, and the world is watching, and the water is being cut off and bombed – it’s just the latest act of inhumanity,” said UNICEF Deputy Director Justin Forsyth.

Moody’s downgrades Turkey credit rating to ‘junk’

September 23, 2016 By administrator

Moody’s rating agency has cut Turkey’s credit rating by one notch to “junk” level.

Moody’s rating agency has cut Turkey’s credit rating by one notch to “junk” level, saying the country’s finances have strained amid increased political turmoil, a further blow to an economy already battered by numerous terrorist attacks and a recent botched coup.

“Moody’s Investors Service has today downgraded the government of Turkey’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings to Ba1 from Baa3,” said a statement from the leading credit ratings agency on Friday, adding that the country “continues to operate in a fragile financial and geopolitical environment.”

An increase in the risks related to the country’s considerable external debt – some $156 billion in payments due this year – and the weakening in previously supportive credit fundamentals, particularly growth and institutional strength, were the main factors that led to the recent rating cut.

“This large external funding need exposes the country to sudden shifts in investor confidence, which has been weak and volatile over the past 18 months,” the agency added.

It also cited the impact on the country’s tourism industry from a series of terrorist attacks and months-long row between Ankara and Moscow over the downing of a Russian warplane last year, which kept Russian tourists away and prompted the European country to impose a raft of sanctions against Turkey.

Moody’s also said the mid-July failed coup impacted the country’s economic prospects as it scared off vital foreign investment and hampered economic reforms.

“The government’s response to the unsuccessful coup attempt raises further concerns regarding the predictability and effectiveness of government policy and the rule of law going forward,” it added.

The rating agency has joined the Standard and Poor’s (S&P), another financial services company, to place Turkey’s credit rating in the junk territory, while Fitch, a third global rating agency, has Turkey’s grade rating on review for downgrade.

Terrorist State of Turkey detains journalist Altan hours after release

September 23, 2016 By administrator

journalist-altan ANKARA – Agence France-Presse

Turkish authorities detained prominent journalist Ahmet Altan late on Sept. 22, less than 24 hours after he was released in connection with a probe into an attempted coup on July 15.

Altan was initially freed before dawn on Sept. 22 while the Istanbul court arrested his academic brother, Professor Mehmet Altan.

But the journalist was detained again after an arrest warrant was issued late on Sept. 22.

Hours earlier, the court placed Mehmet Altan under arrest on charges of “attempting to remove the government or attempting to obstruct its work.”

He was also charged with “being a member of a terrorist organization,” referring to the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt.

The Altan brothers were first detained on Sept. 10 and were two of the most high-profile figures detained after the coup attempt on July 15.

Their case sparked an international campaign for their release with famous writers criticizing the government.
Altan now faces the same accusations in the warrant issued prior to his detention.

His brief freedom came after almost 12 hours in court in a marathon overnight hearing.

The pair were detained over comments in a talk show on the Can Erzincan TV channel on July 14, the eve of the coup which contained “subliminal” messages that the coup was imminent.

The broadcaster, seen by the authorities as pro-Gülen, has since been shut down.

September/23/2016

Terrorist State of Turkey President Erdogan Threatens Expat Citizens With Links To US-Based Cleric

September 21, 2016 By administrator

erdogan-expat Turkish president has threatened his citizens around the world who may have links to a U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July, vowing that they won’t be safe wherever they are in the world.

“There is no country or region in the world that will be a safe haven for [followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen],” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference as he departed for New York to attend UN General Assembly meeting.

Erdogan’s remarks on Monday illustrated his government’s unwavering determination to push further to curb activities of the Gulen movement around the world. In New York, Erdogan said he would have a chance to explain to world leaders how this movement poses a threat.

“It would be too late,” Erdogan said during his UNGA speech on Tuesday, “when you realize how dangerous this organization is.” The president was referring to the Gulen movement.

“From this podium I am calling on all our friends to immediately take the necessary measures against the Fethullahist terrorist organization for their own safety and the future of their nations,” Erdogan said.

In the U.S., the Turkish government hired at least 10 lobby and law firms to go after the Gulen movement and affiliated organizations.

Since the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, Ankara has intensified its efforts abroad to undermine the Gulen movement’s activities. Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Sudan, Iraqi Kurdistan and Somalia, Turkey’s closest allies, either shut down or nationalized educational facilities and hospitals run by Gulenists.

Despite putting pressure on the U.S. and other European countries, Western nations were reluctant to go after the Gulen institutions and individuals and demanded that Ankara provide substantial evidence to back up its claims.

The president repeatedly claimed that the Gulen movement is not only a threat to Turkey, but also to host countries. He claimed last week that the Gulen movement’s goal is to take over 170 countries, where it established schools and charity organizations.

Turkey’s top national security council officially framed the Gulen movement as a terrorist group late May. The U.S. announced that it does not view the Gulen movement as a foreign terrorist organization and that it “is up to Turkish officials” to do so.

Last year, President Erdogan ordered all Turkish ambassadors in the world to go after individuals and institutions affiliated with the Gulen movement. He hired a British law firm headed by Robert Amsterdam at a rate of $50,000 a month to pursue the Gulenists in the US and in Africa, where they established hundreds of schools, orphanages, hospitals and aid centers.

Kim Kardashian takes out New York Times ad calling for recognition of ‘Armenian genocide’

September 19, 2016 By administrator

Photo: US reality television star Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloe visited the genocide memorial last year. (AFP: Karen Minasyan)

Kim Kardashian, the world’s most famous Armenian, has taken out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the massacre a century ago of up to 1.5 million Armenians to be recognised as genocide.

It was in response to the Wall Street Journal publishing an advertisement earlier this year, which supported the denial of the event.

The United States and Australia are among the nations that do not recognise the event as a genocide. Reality television star Kardashian has long campaigned for that to change, and visited its memorial last year.

What did the ad say?

On Saturday, Kardashian’s advertisement read:
“For the Wall Street Journal to publish something like this is reckless, upsetting and dangerous.

“It’s one thing when a crappy tabloid profits from a made-up scandal, but for a trusted publication like WSJ to profit from genocide – it’s shameful and unacceptable.”

She went on to ask:

“If this had been an ad denying the Holocaust, or pushing some 9/11 conspiracy theory, would it have made it to print?

“Many historians believe that if Turkey has been held responsible for the Armenian genocide, and reprimanded for what they did, the Holocaust may not have happened.

“In 1939, a week before the Nazi invasion of Poland, Hitler said, ‘Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’

“We do. We must We must talk about it until it is recognised by our government because when we deny our past, we endanger our future.”

What do we know about the event?

One-and-a-half million Armenians and other minorities were forcibly expelled from Ottoman Turkey and went on to die during the so-called death marches between 1915 and 1917.

Armenians recognise this as a genocide, a term which Turkey has outright rejected.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians died in partisan fighting which started in 1915, but denies that up to 1.5 million were killed and the deaths constituted an act of genocide.

Who recognises it and who doesn’t?

Pope Francis inflamed the debate last year describing it as the ‘first genocide of the 20th century’ during a mass to mark the centenary of the Ottoman killings of Armenians during World War I.

Countries like France and Germany both recognise the event as a genocide, France even has a law against denying the event.

Australia and the United States do not recognise the event as a genocide at a federal level.

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