united state Archives

United State alerts citizens of heightened security in Istanbul

June 18, 2017 by administrator

A U.S. Consulate in Turkey has alerted its citizens of heightened security in an Istanbul neighborhood because of a possible terror threat, The Associated Press reports.

The statement released late Friday, June 16 said the Turkish security presence was increased in the central district of Mecidiyekoy and cited a specific street. It said the consulate didn’t have additional information on the specifics of the threat and asked American citizens to remain vigilant.

Turkey’s foreign ministry issued a statement Saturday saying “U.S. authorities made this statement based on normal precautions taken by our security forces rather than any concrete intelligence.”

The U.S. issues security messages and travel warnings throughout the world to inform its citizens of threats and protests. The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Turkey issued at least 22 such messages this year.

Turkish foreign ministry summons US ambassador over arrest warrants for Erdoğan’s bodyguards

June 16, 2017 by administrator

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador to Ankara John Bass after Washington issued an arrest warrant for 12 bodyguards of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over a brawl outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington.

As reported earlier, Washington D.C. Police Department named 18 individuals who have been charged or are facing charges in the attack on peaceful protesters in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in the US capital city. Nine of them are security officers, and three—Turkish police.

In addition, D.C. Police Chief Newsham acknowledged that investigators are looking into the role of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the May 16 attack, but indicated that, despite the available video and other evidence, there is not yet sufficient probable cause to seek his arrest.

United State files espionage charges against Turkish military contractors with Turkish ties

October 12, 2016 by administrator

by Joseph Fitsanakis

In a development that is expected to contribute to the downward spiral in Turkish-American relations, the United States government has reportedly filed espionage charges against three Department of Defense contractors with Turkish background. The three are believed to have been charged with transferring US military secrets abroad and are currently in prison.

A statement published by the US Pentagon said that the group consists of two men and a woman, all of whom are of Turkish background. Two of them are naturalized American citizens. They are listed as owners of a company that conducts research in military technology and has contracted for many years with the US Pentagon. All contracts were allegedly won following competitive bids and can only be awarded to bidders who are in possession of US citizenship and top security clearances. According to Turkey’s pro-government English-language newspaper, Daily Sabah, the three contractors have helped develop and manufacture parts for missile-launching systems used on American warplanes. They have also worked on several generations of grenade launchers used by the US military.

But on Sunday, the three contractors were arrested in simultaneous raids and charged with “funneling military secrets out of the country”, according to Sabah. The paper said the US government decided to arrest the three once it became known that some hardware parts related to the Pentagon bids handled by their company were being illegally manufactured in Turkey. There is no information in the Pentagon’s press release on whether the top-secret military components were also shared with the Turkish government. Relations between Washington and Ankara, two North Atlantic Treaty Organization member-states, have suffered since the failed July 15 military coup in Turkey. Many in the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blame Washington for the coup and for allegedly shielding the man behind it, the Islamic cleric Muhammed Fethullah Gülen, who lives in the US state of Pennsylvania.

Source: https://intelnews.org/2016/10/12/01-1992/

John Kerry: United States deeply values its warm friendship with Armenia

September 19, 2016 by administrator

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has issued a statement in connection with the Independence Day of Armenia. The statement reads as follows:

“On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I want to extend my congratulations to the people of Armenia as you celebrate the 25th anniversary of your nation’s independence on September 21.

The United States deeply values its warm friendship with Armenia and with all of you. In the past quarter century, Armenia has made great progress, and my government looks forward to continuing to work closely with you in support of shared prosperity, strong democratic institutions, the rule of law, and regional peace. We appreciate Armenia’s consistent support for effective international peacekeeping operations and its leading role in responding to the Syrian refugee crisis. We are also grateful for the presence in the United States of a vibrant and highly-accomplished Armenian-American community.

On this special day, I offer best wishes to all Armenians for a peaceful and prosperous year to come.”