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Erdogan’s influence on German Turks

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zaman-erdoganNothing goes between Berlin and Ankara. Since the German Bundestag has recognized the Armenian genocide earlier this month, the Turkish President Erdogan is furious, criticizing among other impure blood of German MPs of Turkish origin, and calling to give them the lesson they deserve. Eleven of them are now under police protection.

It must be said that the AKP Erdogan has influence on the Turkish community in Germany, this is explained by the dissenting journalists edition of the Zaman newspaper in Berlin with their colleagues of Arte.

http://info.arte.tv/fr/linfluence-derdogan-sur-les-turcs-allemands

Turkey Continues Campaign of Denial at Lecture in OC

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turkish ambassador LAMISSION VIEJO—On the eve of Germany’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Turkish Consul General of Los Angeles, Raife Gulru Gezer, continued Turkey’s campaign of denial during a presentation hosted by the World Affairs Council of Orange County (WACOC).

During her presentation, she discussed the Syrian refugee crisis and Turkey’s humanitarian efforts in the region, claiming Turkey was actually helping millions of Syrian refugees. She omitted discussing Turkey’s relations with ISIS (Dayesh), the strained relations with Russia and Israel and failed in her attempt to portray the Republic of Turkey and Erdogan as compassionate and caring champions of human rights.

At the end of the presentation, as is customary during WACOC event, attendees wrote their questions on cards and submitted them for the moderator to read aloud.

When asked about land records and deeds, and personal property belonging to Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians that had been lost during World War I and the Armenian Genocide, the Gezer’s response was dismissive: she simply stated that in times of war property is lost and gained by many people.

When asked about Turkey’s terrible record with countless journalists in jail, she reached for a handbook under the podium and read aloud the number of journalists in prison and arrogantly stated their incarceration is due to doing more than reporting facts as a journalist.

The Consul General was also asked how Turkey reconciles its position regarding the Armenian Genocide with the fact that the architects of the Genocide, Talaat, Enver and Jemal Pashas were tried and convicted in Turkey for war crimes and mass killing of Armenians, and sentenced to death in Absentia. Her response was that that the three pashas were acquitted of committing many crimes.

Finally, when asked about the Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s continued campaign of denial in light of world opinion and historical fact, she took a stern approach and restated the Republic of Turkey’s policy of denial as she stared down a few of the Armenians that were present. After which the Armenians left the event in protest.

Prior to the presentation, an Armenian woman was singled out by the numerous attendees of Turkish descent in an attempt to intimidate her and force her to leave. She was quietly seated at her table with the Orange County Board of Supervisors who passed a resolution designating April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day when a Turkish woman started arguing about the resolution stating that it was offensive. The Armenian woman responded by saying Turkey’s denial of the Genocide is offensive and that it would be best for the two of them to not talk.

Soon after, others attempted to engage the Armenian woman in an aggressive manner. Some complained to the WACOC and venue’s management who came to her table to warn that police were on their way, suggesting she should leave. She was told it was a private event, and that the organizers had complained even though the Armenian woman was a member and purchased her ticket. WACOC board members, including the chairwoman, helped deescalate the situation while defending the Armenian woman’s right to be present and ask questions.

Unfortunately, the Armenian woman was a victim of ethnic persecution here in the United States just as Armenians continue to be victims in Turkey, where even members of parliament such as Garo Palyan are attacked simply for being Armenian.

The World Affairs Council of Orange County held an event in 2015 during the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide where the ANCA Orange County chapter was one of the sponsors.

Amnesty International Press Release from April 2016 about actual events occurring in Turkey which were omitted in Gezer’s presentation:

“TURKEY: ILLEGAL MASS RETURNS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES EXPOSE FATAL FLAWS IN EU-TURKEY DEAL.

New research carried out by the organization in Turkey’s southern border provinces suggests that Turkish authorities have been rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women and children to Syria on a near-daily basis since mid-January. Over three days last week, Amnesty International researchers gathered multiple testimonies of large-scale returns from Hatay province, confirming a practice that is an open secret in the region.

It is reported that refugee “registration is required to access basic services. In Gaziantep, Amnesty International met with the son of a woman requiring emergency surgery to save her life but who was denied the ability to register – and therefore have the surgery. She eventually was able to register elsewhere and receive the life-saving treatment.

All forced returns to Syria are illegal under Turkish, EU and international law.”

For more information on Turkey’s human rights violations, visit:  

Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/countries/europe/turkey

Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/europe/central-asia/turkey

Reporters without Borders: https://rsf.org/en/turkey

The Minister of the Russian Defence is willing to sell more weapons to Azerbaijan

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russia-weapon azerbaijanWhile exposing to criticism from Armenia, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, welcomed yesterday the military relations “strategic” between Russia and Azerbaijan. He noted the willingness of Moscow to sell more weapons to Baku.

“Our military cooperation has a strategic character,” said Shoygu to his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov, during talks that took place in Moscow.

“I think there’s potential for growth and development of our relations. We certainly will do everything to ensure that our partnership and our friendly strategic ties continue to grow, “he added.

According to a ministry statement, Shoygu also explained that he would be “happy” to see a delegation of Azerbaijan at the massive arms exhibition in the Russian army in September. Russian defense companies will show “etmatériel military weapons” in the country for a week, the statement said.

Hasanov, in turn, meant that relations between the two countries were “strategic and friendly.” He also stressed the importance of training by Russia of Azerbaijani military personnel. He expressed the hope that the number of Azerbaijanis study at Russian military academies will increase next year.

The declaration of Shoygu came more than two months after the offensive of the Azerbaijani army in Karabakh that triggered the escalation of the most serious conflict since the Armenian-Azerbaijani war which took place between 1991 and 1994. The Armenian leaders have accused the sale of Russian weapons to Azerbaijan, which would have greatly encouraged the attack. A position that refutes Russia.

The First Deputy Minister of the Armenian Defense Davit Tonoyan, discussed with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Antonov during their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday. The Russian Ministry of Defense said he spoke of “a number of pressing issues of military cooperation and military-technical cooperation between the two countries.”

Despite the continuing Russian military aid to Yerevan, the apparent willingness of Moscow to sell more weapons to Baku could trigger further criticism of the Armenian government officials and pro-government politicians.

Shoygu met with Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian immediately after his meeting with Hasanov. “We want to maintain our strategic partnership,” Ohanian said.

The Russian minister praised the defense cooperation with Armenia, emphasizing training and military education, rather than on arms deliveries. The Russian Ministry of Defense was quoted as saying that Moscow is “ready” to include over 200 Armenian officers and cadets in Russian military academies this year.

Ohanian, for his part, said that bilateral military ties knew a “dynamic development”. His press office said he also spoke with Shoygu “development of military-technical cooperation.”

Thursday, June 16, 2016,
Claire © armenews.com

Wounded ISIS fighters brought to Turkey hospitals in ‘pick-up trucks’ – doctors, eyewitnesses to RT

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ISIS treated(RT) Islamic State militants are frequently transported across the Syrian border to Turkish hospitals for treatment, according to eyewitness accounts collected by RT on the ground. Their crossing was allegedly ensured by Turkish officials.

Both Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) and Free Syrian Army fighters were able to cross the border from Syria into Turkey en masse and receive medical help – only to then be allowed to go back to resume fighting in Syria, the head of a local doctors’ association told RT’s Lizzie Phelan.

Phelan visited Gaziantep, a city in south-central Turkey some 60 kilometers from the Syrian border. Eyewitnesses and doctors told the RT correspondent that most of the IS fighters were treated in the border city of Kilis south of Gaziantep.

“Many wounded ISIS militants or FSA [Free Syrian Army] fighters were brought to the border in pick-up trucks, not ambulances,” Medical Association Chair in Gaziantep and Kilis Hamza Agca said. “Many were unconscious and bleeding when they were brought to us.”

The injured men were apparently driven right from a “war zone” and doctors often had to deal with things like “grenades falling out of their pockets,” Agca added.

One doctor from Kilis also confirmed to RT that they were receiving fighters from across the Turkish-Syrian border, including IS militants. The doctor said on condition of anonymity that he was just one of the doctors who treated terrorists in Kilis.

The medic described discovering suicide vests on some of the IS patients and feeling terrified as he was forced to take them off.

The doctor added that the flow of IS militants being admitted to Turkish hospitals has decreased, but they still see militants admitted every couple of weeks.

When asked how the doctors felt about treating terrorists, Agca said that as medical professionals they were under an oath to help the injured, no matter who they were. “Any doctor throughout the world would do the same,” he said.

However, after the treatment was over, the fighters were allowed to rejoin the battlefield back in Syria. “We treated these fighters and they went back to fight once they recovered, some were brought for a second or third time to our hospital,” Agca said.

He also said that Turkish government officials ensured that IS fighters were able to cross into Turkey with no obstacles. “In terms of their medical treatment, the government didn’t give us any order but their policy was to provide the opportunity to fighters to use the border crossing.”

The first reports of IS militants receiving costly and complicated medical treatment was reported in May. The information was leaked via tapped phone calls and was handed to the media by opposition MP Erem Erdem.

The Turkish government has been fiercely trampling on any allegations of links to Islamic State, pushing for the prosecution of reporters and opposition MPs alike for reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refers to as “treason.”

“After broadcasting this report, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to enter the country safely again,” Phelan said.

Turkey has been much tougher on local journalists. In May, it sentenced a Turkish reporter to 20 months in jail and took away her parental rights for allegedly breaching the confidentiality of a court case.

Arzu Yildiz published footage over a year ago from a court hearing that witnessed four prosecutors being sued for ordering a search of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization’s trucks that were traveling to Syria back in 2014. The government, which insists the contents were “humanitarian” cargo to Turkmen tribes, intervened to prevent the trucks from being searched and a number of people have been persecuted for the attempt, which fueled allegations that the vehicles were carrying weapons to terrorists in Syria.

Turkey looted all resources from Syria, Syrians deposit 1.2 billion liras in Turkey’s banks in 2016

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AFP photo

AFP photo

Turkey looted all resources from Syria, from factories to money Syrians deposit 1.2 billion liras in Turkey’s banks in 2016

Syrians have deposited around 1.2 billion Turkish Liras ($409 million) in Turkish banks so far this year, the country’s official banking regulation authority said on June 14.

According to the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), Syrians deposited 1,199,632,000 liras in Turkish banks in the first quarter of the year.

As the number of Syrians living in Turkey increases, the amount of the money Syrians deposit in Turkish banks is also increasing, the BDDK stated.

In 2012, assets of Syrians in Turkish banks totaled 311.2 million liras. In 2013 it had risen to 694.3 million liras, in 2014 to 733.8 million liras, and in 2015 to 1.2 billion liras.

Islam Memiş a financial analyst at Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, said rich Syrians had converted considerable amounts of their cash to U.S. dollars due to the loss in value of the Syrian lira.

“Rich Syrians have converted their cash money to dollars [and] invested in either real estate or the food sector. You can now see restaurants and kiosks with Arabic name plates everywhere in Turkey,” Memiş added.

June/15/2016

Acting Armenian Patriarch of Turkey: Shameful Tool of Turkish Propaganda

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Armenian patriach turkeyBy ,

Archbishop Aram Atesyan, General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, sent a highly controversial letter last week to President Recep Erdogan, criticizing the German Parliament’s decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The Acting Patriarch’s letter created a major controversy among Armenians worldwide, including the Armenian community of Turkey. Some called for his resignation; others, including a member of the Armenian Parliament, demanded that he be defrocked!

While successive Turkish governments have attempted to pressure Abp. Atesyan’s predecessors to serve as propaganda tool for Ankara, no previous Patriarch has written such an offensive letter regarding the Armenian Genocide.

It is not clear whether the Acting Patriarch wrote last week’s letter on his own initiative or it was drafted for him by Turkish officials. Those who personally know Abp. Atesyan insist that the letter could not have been written by him because he is not too proficient in the Turkish language. Whatever the case, he did sign and disseminate the letter to the media, which was published by several Turkish newspapers.

 

Regrettably, this is not the first time that the Acting Patriarch has displayed such a boot-licking attitude vis-à-vis the Turkish authorities, intending to secure the support of the government for his hoped for election as Patriarch. During a public meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Istanbul last year, Abp. Atesyan dared to insult her for criticizing Pres. Erdogan’s violations of human rights!

Describing the Armenian Genocide merely as “events that happened during the tragic times of World War I,” Abp. Atesyan stated in his letter that the Armenian community of Turkey shared the Turkish nation’s regret for the German Bundestag’s decision. The Acting Patriarch, speaking on behalf of the Armenian community of Turkey, claimed that the German Parliament “has no right” to pronounce judgment “on behalf of the entire German nation.” He further added: “it is also questionable to what extent this decision expresses the feelings of German citizens.” It is nonsensical for Abp. Atesyan to insist that the Parliament does not speak for the German people, since it adopted the resolution on the Armenian Genocide with a near unanimous vote!

Also, the Acting Patriarch blamed the German Parliament for “sidestepping the negative role of the Third Reich in a few sentences and pointing to the Ottoman Empire as the sole perpetrator.” It is shocking that Abp. Atesyan is covering up Turkish denials of the Armenian Genocide and belittling Germany’s honest admission of complicity!

Those who try to justify the Acting Patriarch’s anti-Armenian statements, by claiming that one has to live in Turkey to fully appreciate the oppressive nature of Erdogan’s regime, should know that many Armenians in Turkey are outraged by Abp. Atesyan’s letter. They wrote dozens of messages on his Facebook page, expressing their disagreement.

The harshest criticism of the Acting Patriarch came from the editor of Agos, an Armenian newspaper published in Istanbul: “We read your letter … with sorrow, anger and shame…. Your presentation of the systematic annihilation, by state decision, of its own citizens living on its own lands, using the government’s description as ‘events that happened during the tragic times of World War I,’ is an affront to the ancestors, victims, and survivors in the eyes of the society to which you also belong.”

Contrary to the Acting Patriarch’s claim that Armenians are treated as equals with Turks, Agos asserted that “Armenians have been subjected to discrimination, fascism and public threats.” The newspaper also countered Abp. Atesyan’s statement that the German Parliament’s decision had caused “sorrow and pain,” by affirming: “The pressure that forced you to pen this letter is a source of pain and sorrow for us…. The Armenian community’s identity is harmed by your words, not as you say, by the Bundestag’s decision.”

Agos also told the Acting Patriarch that his letter represented “a specific statement of denialism against your own people. We will shortly see who will ‘enthusiastically welcome’ your words…. We pray that God bestows upon you good sense, sound judgment and thoughtfulness.”

In order not to cause further damage to his people and their sacred cause, I humbly advise Abp. Atesyan to refrain from any future political and propagandistic statements. Otherwise, he should seriously consider resigning from his post, since Armenians of Turkey will never accept him as their chosen Patriarch, even if Erdogan supports his election!

Opposition warns of ‘ethnic civil war’ in Turkey

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Selahattin Demirtas, the head of Turkey’s left-wing pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)

Selahattin Demirtas, the head of Turkey’s left-wing pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)

The leader of a Turkish opposition party has warned of an “ethnic civil war” in the country as a result of growing divisions between Kurds and Turks.

“The war in Syria is tied to the conflict here because the Turkish government sees Kurds in Turkey and in Syria as one,” said Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

The Turkish government has been hitting the positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey as well as in northern Iraq and Syria over the past months.

A shaky ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish government collapsed in July 2015 after a deadly bombing in the southern Kurdish town of Suruc, which claimed the lives of more than 30 people and wounded dozens more.

“It is impossible to have peace in Syria without peace in southeast Turkey,” Demirtas said in an interview with The Irish Times.

He pointed to the dire humanitarian situation in the southeastern parts of Turkey, which are home to ethnic Kurds, calling for urgent humanitarian aid.

“More than 500,000 Kurds have left their homes because of the clashes and thousands of people have no shelter, no place to live; only tents,” Demirtas said.

“There are more than 10 residential areas now completely destroyed. They need humanitarian aid urgently,” he added.

The Turkish parliament on Friday introduced a bill to grant immunity to soldiers who are involved in operations against “terrorist” groups.

According to the bill, whose draft was produced by the Defense Ministry, if security services commit an offence, it will be deemed as a “military crime” and therefore, will only be tried in a military court.

The bill also maintains that the permission of the Turkish prime minister would be required for the investigation and trial processes of commanders and the chief of general staff.

It also covers Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel and civil servants “tasked within the battle against terrorism.”

The HDP has strongly censured the bill as a “coup agreement between the government and the military,” warning that the new law would give unprecedented powers to the military.

Last week, Erdogan claimed that the government forces had killed over 7,600 members of the PKK in Iraq and Turkey, a toll which has been highly disputed by the group.

Turkey: No cooperation with ‘terrorists’ in Syria

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6Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Turkey will not allow cooperation with terrorist organizations in Syria, referring to Kurdish groups which the US supports. 

Ankara and Washington have long been at loggerheads over the role of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey says the fighters are a terrorist organization affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) but the US sees them as a partner in Syria operations.

In a speech to his ruling AK Party in parliament on Tuesday, Yildirim said Turkey won’t allow formation of new states in Syria, echoing suspicion that the Kurdish campaign was aimed at establishing a separate state.

Turkey has been shelling the positions of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily denounced US troops for wearing insignia of Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) during an operation in Syria.

In his Tuesday speech, Yildrim also said Turkey will never change its anti-terrorism laws, even if it would mean a collapse in a deal with the EU to secure visa-free travel for Turks to Europe.

Turkey and the EU have been discussing visa liberalization since 2013 and agreed in March to go ahead with it as part of a broader deal to halt refugees from Turkey to the EU.

But progress stalled when Brussels insisted that Ankara must also reform its tough anti-terror laws.

Ankara is under fire for its heavy-handed crackdown on the country’s Kurdish minority in the southeast.

Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu ruled out any potential alteration of the law.

source: presstv

Euro 2016 Day 3: Sad day for Turks, The Croatians beat the Turks 1-0

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turkey croatiaPARIS. – Paris was divided into three parts on Sunday: Those who were going to go to the Euro 2016 match between Turkey and Croatia; those who wanted to go, but could not; and those who did not want to go. The second was the largest group.

Turks have a fairly large community in France. In addition, many had arrived from Turkey. But there are a lot of Croatians, too.

History recalls six heavy wars when the Kingdom of Croatia and the Ottoman Empire had battled one another.

And I, for may part, decided to have a photo from this match, and naturally, against the backdrop of the tricolor national flag Armenia.

The Croatians, who were asking me questions, were finally asking me where I was from. And when I was responding “Armenia,” they were becoming so delighted that I was starting to think about the Armenian community in Croatia, our similarities in history, and ultimately, about Kim Kardashian, again.

The Croatians beat the Turks 1-0

All cafés in Paris were filled with football fans.

The Croatians celebrated their victory in cafés.

Turkey, the world’s Epicenter for smuggling Man, caught trying to sell Gadhafi’s dagger

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Gadhafi-daggerA businessman has been caught in Istanbul trying to sell a dagger looted from the palace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi. He was trying to sell the dagger, which was made of ivory and garnished with gold, emeralds, diamonds, rubies and sapphires, for $10 million, Turkish daily Habertürk reported on June 13.

The businessman, identified as A.A., was caught by anti-smuggling police as he tried to sell the dagger to Saudi businessmen.

“Your exchange office should pay our exchange office $10 million. If the dagger is not authentic, then you can come and take your money from us,” A.A. told the police, who had disguised themselves as customers wanting to buy the dagger. 

The police then began to track the businessman, who was a textile exporter from the southeastern province of Mardin, and started an operation after learning he was going to sell the dagger to his Saudi customers in a hotel in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul.

A.A., who left Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir district in one of three luxury cars, was stopped by the anti-smuggling police, who were disguised as traffic police. The cars were trying to reach Bakırköy separately from three different roads and the dagger was found in the trunk of one of the cars. The businessman and two others working with him were detained in the operation. 

A.A. claimed he bought Gadhafi’s dagger from the opposition groups in Libya for $4.6 million. 

The dagger was later sent to Turkey’s Chamber of Jewelers to prove its authenticity and the chamber concluded that the dagger was original. It was worth at least $2 million, according to the chamber. 

Legal action was taken against the businessman for the ivory in the dagger, which violated the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and for smuggling. 

Gadhafi’s dagger was seized on the grounds that it was a piece incompatible with CITES and was brought to Turkey illegally.

source: hurriyetdailynews