Turkey shot down Russian bomber over Syria
- Thread starter RedFox
- Start date
angelburst29
The Living Force
The Islamization of Turkey is a US project
http://katehon.com/article/islamization-turkey-us-project
The Islamization of Turkey is a long project, and the so-called neo-Ottoman discourse was also part of this Islamization. The project begun in the 19th Century and came to the forefront with the AKP government when it came to power in 2002. From the 1990’s to the 2000’s, the United States of America forced Turkish political actors to abandon Kemalism or republican thoughts, and to replace them with Islamism or a neo-Ottoman discourse. This has been a prolonged attack on the Turkish republic as well as on the Turkish nation, because Islamization culturally, politically, and in its foreign policy is substituting Turkish national and nationalist politics with another ideology.
That was a US project from the beginning, so in that sense it is not a new development, but it has, without question, gained a different level of intensity with the alliance between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We think as a Patriotic party that our first goal as a country now is to defend our national unity. This also means that we should defend other countries’ national unity - a National constitution - above all, in Syria and Iraq. In that sense we do not at all support pro-American Islamization and our government’s position towards neighboring countries.
It is a part of a general US plan for the region, which is to dissolve the national states into smaller entities of ethnic and sectarian groups. For that you need regional actors that pursue Islamization in their own country, as well as with neighbors. So if Turkey follows the Islamist or İhvanist (like Muslim Brotherhood) ideology in the Middle East, this would be following US policy, and not for the benefit of our country or our neighbors.
Erdogan has actively promoted himself as the vice-President of the great Middle Eastern Project, but I don’t think he does this with the same energy as he did before, because the Turkish population and also the Turkish elites are starting to realize that this project will lead, in the mid term, to Turkey’s own division into ethnical and sectarian groups. So, as the project is losing ground day by day, Erdogan is more and more in his public discourse distancing himself from the project. And above all he himself seems to have been abandoned.
150 terrorists entered Syria from Turkey
http://katehon.com/news/150-terrorists-entered-syria-turkey
The Russian Coordination Center in Hmeimim reported on Thursday the infiltration of some 150 terrorists into northeastern Lattakia after they were seen crossing the border from Turkey.
The Center stated in a statement published on the site of the Russian Defense Ministry that some 150 terrorists were monitored and tracked by the Russian Coordination Center as they crossed through Turkish army checkpoints in order to enter Syria through the northeastern countryside of Lattakia.
On April 11, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation announced that the Turkish regime still supports Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and provides it with weapons and terrorists.
Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff said “the Turkish side still sends weapons and gunmen to groups affiliated to Jabhat al-Nusra,” adding that “two armed groups including more than 100 members arrived in Handarat camp, north of Aleppo, along with a tank and 22 four-wheel cars loaded with machine guns, while nearly 200 gunmen have arrived in Tal Hadyah town in Aleppo northern countryside.”
Turkish Pundit Calls for Swift Reversal of Sputnik Ban
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160415/1038077718/turkey-sputnik-website-closure.html
In an interview with Sputnik, eminent Turkish expert on Russia Emre Ersen expressed surprise on the closure of the Sputnik news agency website in Turkey, a decision that he said should be annulled as early as possible.
According to him, it is still unclear if the closure is directly related to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rather harsh and critical remarks on Turkey during his Q&A on Thursday or something else.
"For all those Turks who study Russia this decision came as a surprise, something that cannot be explained. Turkish authorities refuse to provide any explanations on the matter," he said.
He voiced hope about the reopening of the Sputnik news website in Turkey, quoting a spokesperson for the Turkish Telecommunications Department as saying that the website's closure is considered temporary until the court makes a final decision.
"I would like to believe in it, because I always read this website to get the news on Russia. In this sense, the website's closure certainly affects everyone who studies Russia, including students, researchers and writers," he said.
He specifically stressed the significance of the Sputnik news agency website being reopened in the nearest future.
"I hope that Turkish authorities will cancel the decision on the website's closure and that the website will be available again in Turkey in the immediate future, something that is of paramount importance to us. I think that there will be no foot-dragging on the reopening," he concluded.
The Turkish Telecommunications Department has confirmed that a decision was made to block the Russian news agency Sputnik's website within the country, Sputnik's bureau chief in Turkey said on Friday.
Sputnik, which is the foreign language news site in Russia's Rossiya Segodnya media holding, was blocked in Turkey on Thursday evening amid so-called "administrative measures."
In January 2015, the Turkish Prime Minister and other ministers received the right to block any type of resource on the Internet without a court order. The ministers may demand the Turkish Telecommunications Department and providers to block sites or delete content within four hours after receiving a notice of "national security, protection of social order, or for the prevention of crime."
Turkish Sputnik Block a Rash Attempt to Strong-Arm Russia Into Negotiations
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160415/1038067739/turkish-sputnik-block-russian-senator-reaction.html
On Friday, the Turkish Telecommunications Department confirmed that a decision had been made to block the Sputnik website in the country on Thursday evening, citing "administrative measures." A Turkish court is expected to make a decision on the block later.
Speaking to Sputnik, Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, suggested that the move was a foolhardy attempt to try to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
"In my view, what the Turkish authorities are now doing, and this includes the arrest of two Russian citizens, and yesterday's developments with the Turkish [Sputnik] website – I think all of this is an attempt to draw us into a political dialogue. That is, it is seen as a way to somehow resume political contacts in order to begin talks on improving relations."
However, the senator emphasized, if that's the case, the Turkish government is going about it all wrong.
"These efforts are provocative; the Turkish side seems not to understand that in order to make steps in the right direction, they will need to do one simple thing: to apologize for the crime committed by Turkish authorities when they shot down our jet [last year]. All these pieces form links of a chain, and I think that now our relations will continue to stagnate, because they cannot develop in a positive direction in such a state."
http://katehon.com/article/islamization-turkey-us-project
The Islamization of Turkey is a long project, and the so-called neo-Ottoman discourse was also part of this Islamization. The project begun in the 19th Century and came to the forefront with the AKP government when it came to power in 2002. From the 1990’s to the 2000’s, the United States of America forced Turkish political actors to abandon Kemalism or republican thoughts, and to replace them with Islamism or a neo-Ottoman discourse. This has been a prolonged attack on the Turkish republic as well as on the Turkish nation, because Islamization culturally, politically, and in its foreign policy is substituting Turkish national and nationalist politics with another ideology.
That was a US project from the beginning, so in that sense it is not a new development, but it has, without question, gained a different level of intensity with the alliance between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We think as a Patriotic party that our first goal as a country now is to defend our national unity. This also means that we should defend other countries’ national unity - a National constitution - above all, in Syria and Iraq. In that sense we do not at all support pro-American Islamization and our government’s position towards neighboring countries.
It is a part of a general US plan for the region, which is to dissolve the national states into smaller entities of ethnic and sectarian groups. For that you need regional actors that pursue Islamization in their own country, as well as with neighbors. So if Turkey follows the Islamist or İhvanist (like Muslim Brotherhood) ideology in the Middle East, this would be following US policy, and not for the benefit of our country or our neighbors.
Erdogan has actively promoted himself as the vice-President of the great Middle Eastern Project, but I don’t think he does this with the same energy as he did before, because the Turkish population and also the Turkish elites are starting to realize that this project will lead, in the mid term, to Turkey’s own division into ethnical and sectarian groups. So, as the project is losing ground day by day, Erdogan is more and more in his public discourse distancing himself from the project. And above all he himself seems to have been abandoned.
150 terrorists entered Syria from Turkey
http://katehon.com/news/150-terrorists-entered-syria-turkey
The Russian Coordination Center in Hmeimim reported on Thursday the infiltration of some 150 terrorists into northeastern Lattakia after they were seen crossing the border from Turkey.
The Center stated in a statement published on the site of the Russian Defense Ministry that some 150 terrorists were monitored and tracked by the Russian Coordination Center as they crossed through Turkish army checkpoints in order to enter Syria through the northeastern countryside of Lattakia.
On April 11, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation announced that the Turkish regime still supports Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and provides it with weapons and terrorists.
Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff said “the Turkish side still sends weapons and gunmen to groups affiliated to Jabhat al-Nusra,” adding that “two armed groups including more than 100 members arrived in Handarat camp, north of Aleppo, along with a tank and 22 four-wheel cars loaded with machine guns, while nearly 200 gunmen have arrived in Tal Hadyah town in Aleppo northern countryside.”
Turkish Pundit Calls for Swift Reversal of Sputnik Ban
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160415/1038077718/turkey-sputnik-website-closure.html
In an interview with Sputnik, eminent Turkish expert on Russia Emre Ersen expressed surprise on the closure of the Sputnik news agency website in Turkey, a decision that he said should be annulled as early as possible.
According to him, it is still unclear if the closure is directly related to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rather harsh and critical remarks on Turkey during his Q&A on Thursday or something else.
"For all those Turks who study Russia this decision came as a surprise, something that cannot be explained. Turkish authorities refuse to provide any explanations on the matter," he said.
He voiced hope about the reopening of the Sputnik news website in Turkey, quoting a spokesperson for the Turkish Telecommunications Department as saying that the website's closure is considered temporary until the court makes a final decision.
"I would like to believe in it, because I always read this website to get the news on Russia. In this sense, the website's closure certainly affects everyone who studies Russia, including students, researchers and writers," he said.
He specifically stressed the significance of the Sputnik news agency website being reopened in the nearest future.
"I hope that Turkish authorities will cancel the decision on the website's closure and that the website will be available again in Turkey in the immediate future, something that is of paramount importance to us. I think that there will be no foot-dragging on the reopening," he concluded.
The Turkish Telecommunications Department has confirmed that a decision was made to block the Russian news agency Sputnik's website within the country, Sputnik's bureau chief in Turkey said on Friday.
Sputnik, which is the foreign language news site in Russia's Rossiya Segodnya media holding, was blocked in Turkey on Thursday evening amid so-called "administrative measures."
In January 2015, the Turkish Prime Minister and other ministers received the right to block any type of resource on the Internet without a court order. The ministers may demand the Turkish Telecommunications Department and providers to block sites or delete content within four hours after receiving a notice of "national security, protection of social order, or for the prevention of crime."
Turkish Sputnik Block a Rash Attempt to Strong-Arm Russia Into Negotiations
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160415/1038067739/turkish-sputnik-block-russian-senator-reaction.html
On Friday, the Turkish Telecommunications Department confirmed that a decision had been made to block the Sputnik website in the country on Thursday evening, citing "administrative measures." A Turkish court is expected to make a decision on the block later.
Speaking to Sputnik, Senator Vladimir Dzhabarov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, suggested that the move was a foolhardy attempt to try to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
"In my view, what the Turkish authorities are now doing, and this includes the arrest of two Russian citizens, and yesterday's developments with the Turkish [Sputnik] website – I think all of this is an attempt to draw us into a political dialogue. That is, it is seen as a way to somehow resume political contacts in order to begin talks on improving relations."
However, the senator emphasized, if that's the case, the Turkish government is going about it all wrong.
"These efforts are provocative; the Turkish side seems not to understand that in order to make steps in the right direction, they will need to do one simple thing: to apologize for the crime committed by Turkish authorities when they shot down our jet [last year]. All these pieces form links of a chain, and I think that now our relations will continue to stagnate, because they cannot develop in a positive direction in such a state."
sToRmR1dR said:
Sputnik's Turkish Bureau Chief Prohibited Entry Into Turkey
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160420/1038293362/sputnik-turkey-chief-entry-ban.html
GERMAN REPORTER DETAINED AT ISTANBUL AIRPORT
http://katehon.com/news/german-reporter-detained-istanbul-airport
angelburst29
The Living Force
Turkish writer, who caught Erdogan lying, found dead
http://katehon.com/news/turkish-writer-who-caught-erdogan-lying-found-dead
Turkish writer Ergun Poyraz, who had earlier said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has no actual higher education and as president he recived this education illegally, is found dead.
Poyraz organized an investigation that proved that Erdogan's diploma is a fake and he did not study at the university. Poyraz published the original version of Erdogan's diploma, which he allegedly wrote while studying at Marmara University. It turned out that the diploma is dated when the University of Marmara was not existent.
It should be noted that the 4-year college education is mandatory for the election of the President of Turkey.
Turkish party "Salvation of the people" on the basis of the investigation lead by Poyraz appealed to the court, stating that Erdogan presented a fake diploma to participate in the elections.
Poyraz soon began to face various difficulties in Turkey. Now, he was found dead.
Tsipras Says Athens Refuses to Tolerate Ankara's Violation of Sovereignty
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160422/1038439871/greece-turkey-nato-sovereignity.html
Athens will not tolerate the actions of Ankara violating country's sovereignty in the Aegean Sea, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Friday.
NATO ships have been deployed to the Aegean Sea for months to monitor migrant flows between Turkey and Greece. Athens claim that Ankara refuses NATO ships to enter the maritime zone near some of the Greek islands, as Turkey considers them as its own territory.
"Greece will not tolerate any actions that challenge our sovereignty," Tsipras said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as quoted by the Proto Thema newspaper.
Lavrov: Turkish Statements on Karabakh Crisis Sound Like 'Calls to War'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160422/1038428672/turkey-lavrov-karabakh.html
Statements by Turkey on the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh are not helping the situation and sound like calls to war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday:
"I believe that the statements that were voiced from the mouths of the Turkish leadership are absolutely unacceptable for one simple reason: these were calls not for peace, but for war. These were calls to solving the conflict using military force. This contradicts the positions of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group’s position at the roots and at the roots of the global community."
Violence in Azerbaijan's breakaway region escalated early this month. Baku and Yerevan have accused each other of provoking hostilities. A ceasefire was achieved on April 5, following days of clashes that led to numerous casualties on both sides.
Lavrov to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement ideas in Armenia
http://novorossia.today/lavrov-to-discuss-nagorno-karabakh-settlement-ideas-in-armenia/
Lavrov will have talks with President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. His itinerary also includes the laying of flowers at the Eternal Flames at Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex.
Lavrov and Nalbandian are expected to consider a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues. Special attention will be given to peace settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh in the wake of a recent surge of tensions in the zone of conflict.
Officials in Moscow said this problem was destined to loom large at the negotiations
Outrage In Israel As UNESCO Resolution Describing ” So-called” Jewish Sites In Quotation Marks
http://novorossia.today/114088-2/
The resolution, adopted by the United Nations cultural agency’s 58-nation executive board last week, condemns the Israeli government’s stewardship of Jerusalem and decries the renovation of “so-called Jewish ritual baths” and the alleged creation of “Jewish fake graves”. Sites are either referred to by their Arabic or English names, or, in the case of the Western Wall Plaza, the holiest site where Jews can pray, are put in quotation marks.
The Western Wall is in East Jerusalem’s historic Old City, which was occupied by Israel along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Middle East war, though Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed the Jerusalem Law, which in 1980 declared the city “complete and united”.
However, the vast majority of the international community – including the United States, the European Union and the UN – do not recognise Israel’s claims to sovereignty over East Jerusalem. The Israeli government described the resolution, which was voted for by 33 countries, as “hideous” and penned letters to all countries that signed the resolution, which included France, Russia and China.
“The UNESCO resolution has no practical validity. Nevertheless, we will not permit international entities to blur the Jewish people’s connection to its eternal capital,” Dore Gold, director general of the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The United Kingdom and the US abstained from the vote.
http://katehon.com/news/turkish-writer-who-caught-erdogan-lying-found-dead
Turkish writer Ergun Poyraz, who had earlier said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has no actual higher education and as president he recived this education illegally, is found dead.
Poyraz organized an investigation that proved that Erdogan's diploma is a fake and he did not study at the university. Poyraz published the original version of Erdogan's diploma, which he allegedly wrote while studying at Marmara University. It turned out that the diploma is dated when the University of Marmara was not existent.
It should be noted that the 4-year college education is mandatory for the election of the President of Turkey.
Turkish party "Salvation of the people" on the basis of the investigation lead by Poyraz appealed to the court, stating that Erdogan presented a fake diploma to participate in the elections.
Poyraz soon began to face various difficulties in Turkey. Now, he was found dead.
Tsipras Says Athens Refuses to Tolerate Ankara's Violation of Sovereignty
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160422/1038439871/greece-turkey-nato-sovereignity.html
Athens will not tolerate the actions of Ankara violating country's sovereignty in the Aegean Sea, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Friday.
NATO ships have been deployed to the Aegean Sea for months to monitor migrant flows between Turkey and Greece. Athens claim that Ankara refuses NATO ships to enter the maritime zone near some of the Greek islands, as Turkey considers them as its own territory.
"Greece will not tolerate any actions that challenge our sovereignty," Tsipras said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as quoted by the Proto Thema newspaper.
Lavrov: Turkish Statements on Karabakh Crisis Sound Like 'Calls to War'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160422/1038428672/turkey-lavrov-karabakh.html
Statements by Turkey on the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh are not helping the situation and sound like calls to war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday:
"I believe that the statements that were voiced from the mouths of the Turkish leadership are absolutely unacceptable for one simple reason: these were calls not for peace, but for war. These were calls to solving the conflict using military force. This contradicts the positions of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group’s position at the roots and at the roots of the global community."
Violence in Azerbaijan's breakaway region escalated early this month. Baku and Yerevan have accused each other of provoking hostilities. A ceasefire was achieved on April 5, following days of clashes that led to numerous casualties on both sides.
Lavrov to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement ideas in Armenia
http://novorossia.today/lavrov-to-discuss-nagorno-karabakh-settlement-ideas-in-armenia/
Lavrov will have talks with President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian. His itinerary also includes the laying of flowers at the Eternal Flames at Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex.
Lavrov and Nalbandian are expected to consider a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues. Special attention will be given to peace settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh in the wake of a recent surge of tensions in the zone of conflict.
Officials in Moscow said this problem was destined to loom large at the negotiations
Outrage In Israel As UNESCO Resolution Describing ” So-called” Jewish Sites In Quotation Marks
http://novorossia.today/114088-2/
The resolution, adopted by the United Nations cultural agency’s 58-nation executive board last week, condemns the Israeli government’s stewardship of Jerusalem and decries the renovation of “so-called Jewish ritual baths” and the alleged creation of “Jewish fake graves”. Sites are either referred to by their Arabic or English names, or, in the case of the Western Wall Plaza, the holiest site where Jews can pray, are put in quotation marks.
The Western Wall is in East Jerusalem’s historic Old City, which was occupied by Israel along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Middle East war, though Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed the Jerusalem Law, which in 1980 declared the city “complete and united”.
However, the vast majority of the international community – including the United States, the European Union and the UN – do not recognise Israel’s claims to sovereignty over East Jerusalem. The Israeli government described the resolution, which was voted for by 33 countries, as “hideous” and penned letters to all countries that signed the resolution, which included France, Russia and China.
“The UNESCO resolution has no practical validity. Nevertheless, we will not permit international entities to blur the Jewish people’s connection to its eternal capital,” Dore Gold, director general of the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The United Kingdom and the US abstained from the vote.
Yozilla
The Living Force
Erdogan is expected in Azerbaijan & Croatia in days to follow:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-president-to-visit-baku-zagreb-next-week.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97979&NewsCatID=510
Also Brennan of CIA was in Sarajevo for weekend:
_http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/22/john-brennan-cia-chief-bosnia-unannounced-countert/
Are those chiefs cooking up something in this area?
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-president-to-visit-baku-zagreb-next-week.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97979&NewsCatID=510
Also Brennan of CIA was in Sarajevo for weekend:
_http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/22/john-brennan-cia-chief-bosnia-unannounced-countert/
Are those chiefs cooking up something in this area?
angelburst29
The Living Force
Yozilla said:
Excellent find, Yozilla!
Interesting, it was only two years ago (April 2014) that Brennan showed up unannounced in Kiev, Ukraine.
Wonder if history is going to repeat itself in Sarajevo?
Back dated April 18, 2014
Hidden Agenda behind CIA Director Brennan’s Trip to Kiev: “Initiate the Use Of Force” in Eastern Ukraine
http://www.globalresearch.ca/hidden-agenda-of-cia-director-brennans-trip-to-kiev-initiate-the-use-of-force-in-eastern-ukraine/5378263
The recent visit of CIA Director John Brennan to Ukraine was likely an attempt to initiate the use of force against pro-federalization protests, Brandon Turbeville, an American international affairs expert, told RIA Novosti.
“It’s clear that the CIA director’s presence in Kiev is much more than mere coincidence,” Turbeville said.
“Despite the denials by the White House, it seems that Brennan’s visit was an attempt to, at the very least, express support for a violent crackdown on pro-Russian protesters and militants in Eastern Ukraine. It is more likely, however, that Brennan’s trip was an attempt to formulate, encourage and initiate that use of force,” he added.
CIA Director John Brennan visited Ukraine over the weekend, information that was confirmed by White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Monday, after being reported by media on Sunday.
Over the same weekend, Kiev authorities cracked down on pro-federalization protests in eastern Ukraine. Regime troops advanced toward a number of cities in eastern Ukraine Tuesday to attack the protesters.
“Brennan’s appearance in Kiev just before the announcement of a violent crackdown in eastern Ukraine is just too timely to assume that it is a coincidence,” Turbeville said.
“Brennan, who has been actively involved in arming insurgents in Libya, Syria and Venezuela, has a reputation for using thuggish tactics in pursuit of CIA goals,” Wayne Madsen, an American investigative journalist told RIA Novosti.
“The reported presence of Greystone mercenaries in Ukraine is typical of the CIA using shadowy front companies with murky interconnecting relationships to carry out agency operations,” Madsen said.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Interesting set of circumstances .. Turkey's embassy asked Sweden’s TV4 television network to pull a documentary on the mass killings of Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire. If the history books are correct, it was the Turks who created the genocide against the Armenians in 1915. The Armenian capital just hosted ceremonies - to mark the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide. One day after the ceremonies, a bus explosion killing one person and injuring six occurs in Yerevan, Armenia. (?)
Turkish embassy wants Swedish channel to withdraw film on Assyrian genocide
https://www.rt.com/news/340795-turkey-embassy-sweden-armenian-genocide/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome
Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm asked Sweden’s TV4 television network to pull a documentary on the mass killings of Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire because the film “will fail to serve the principle of objectivity.”
Ahead of Sunday evening’s scheduled broadcast of a documentary titled “Seyfo 1915 – The Assyrian Genocide,” TV4 said it received an email from Turkish embassy press officer Arif Gulen, in which he opposes the film’s use of the term “genocide,” which is often used to describe the tragic death of as many as 275,000 Assyrians at the hands of Ottoman Turks during WWI.
The letter, which was subsequently published on TV4’s official website, asks the station to “reconsider your decision on broadcasting of the… documentary film with a balanced and sensible attitude,” while cautioning that “only a competent international tribunal can determine whether a particular event is genocide.”
His statement provoked a sharp reaction from the broadcaster, which denounced Gulen’s attempt to pressure the channel to cancel its broadcast, and aired the documentary.
“We can never accept this. We will protest against any attempt to exert pressure that threatens freedom of expression,” said TV4’s program director, Viveka Hansson, in a statement on the company’s website.
Fatalities Reported After Bus Blast in Yerevan, Armenia
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160425/1038595114/yerevan-explosion.html
The explosion occurred in downtown Yerevan at the intersection of Halabyan and Arzumanyan streets and could be heard from miles away. According to Armenia's police chief, the blast may have been caused by an explosive device.
"An explosive device could have been triggered in the passenger bus in Yerevan," police chief Vladimir Gasparyan said. "The blast was undulated, not fragmented."
Investigators are still looking into the cause of the explosion. The bus explosion occurred one day after the Armenian capital hosted ceremonies to mark the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
Armenia was back in the news earlier this month when hostilities were renewed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. While the territory officially belongs to Azerbaijan, it broke away after several years of fighting and is controlled by ethnic Armenians who declared the territory an independent state. In the first days of April, heavy clashes between Azeri Army and Nagorno-Karabakh forces left dozens dead on both sides. The situation threatened to lead to a full-blown war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russian leadership organized emergency negotiations with both countries and managed to broker a cessation of hostilities. Since then, the ceasefire has been largely upheld.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that "everyone is making efforts for the fire to cease and not resume again."
And here:
At least 2 dead, 7 injured as blast hits passenger bus in Armenian capital
https://www.rt.com/news/340889-armenia-blast-bus-yerevan/
The emergency services were informed of the blast at approximately 10:00pm local time, the deputy head of the rescue service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Major-General Nikolay Grigoryan, told journalists, TASS reported.
“Though at first it was thought that one person got killed in the blast, fragments of the second body were found later during observation of the bus and the site,” Grigoryan said. Both bodies are unidentified.
'No Secret': Lavrov Warns of Turkey’s Meddling in Syrian Peace Process
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160425/1038597108/lavrov-warns-turkey-meddling-syria.html
"In order to come to terms over six months it is necessary not to slam the door and dig in heels, as several delegates of the so-called Riyadh group have done," Lavrov said on Monday, speaking on the progress made through the Syrian peace talks.
The ceasefire agreed on February 27 has largely held and includes 71 settlements. While there have been occasional instances of fighting, many of these can be attributed to terrorist groups like Daesh, which are outlawed and not part of the deal.
Still, as negotiations continue, Lavrov added that "it’s no secret" that Turkey has a "decisive influence" on the opposition group High Negotiations Committee.
"We are currently collecting information that Jabhat al-Nusra subjugates groups that seemed to have declared truce and readiness to join [the] ceasefire," he said.
Two rocket attacks hit Turkish town on Syria border, one dead, dozens injured
https://www.rt.com/news/340787-kilis-turkey-isis-rockets/
In the morning, two Katyusha rockets hit a residential area not from the town’s center, injuring 16 people, including children.
One projectile penetrated the roof of a house, while the other hit the garden fence, Dogan news agency reported.
Later on Sunday, two more Katyusha rockets were fired from the Syrian territory, hitting the town’s historic Tekke Mosque.
The explosions, which killed one person and injured ten, occurred just 100 meters from the governor of Kilis’ office, where Turkish Deputy PM, Yalcin Akdogan, was holding talks at the time.
The Turkish military responded with an artillery barrage directed back into Syria within the rules of engagement, Akdogan said, according to Hurriyet newspaper.
Turkish embassy wants Swedish channel to withdraw film on Assyrian genocide
https://www.rt.com/news/340795-turkey-embassy-sweden-armenian-genocide/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome
Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm asked Sweden’s TV4 television network to pull a documentary on the mass killings of Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire because the film “will fail to serve the principle of objectivity.”
Ahead of Sunday evening’s scheduled broadcast of a documentary titled “Seyfo 1915 – The Assyrian Genocide,” TV4 said it received an email from Turkish embassy press officer Arif Gulen, in which he opposes the film’s use of the term “genocide,” which is often used to describe the tragic death of as many as 275,000 Assyrians at the hands of Ottoman Turks during WWI.
The letter, which was subsequently published on TV4’s official website, asks the station to “reconsider your decision on broadcasting of the… documentary film with a balanced and sensible attitude,” while cautioning that “only a competent international tribunal can determine whether a particular event is genocide.”
His statement provoked a sharp reaction from the broadcaster, which denounced Gulen’s attempt to pressure the channel to cancel its broadcast, and aired the documentary.
“We can never accept this. We will protest against any attempt to exert pressure that threatens freedom of expression,” said TV4’s program director, Viveka Hansson, in a statement on the company’s website.
Fatalities Reported After Bus Blast in Yerevan, Armenia
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160425/1038595114/yerevan-explosion.html
The explosion occurred in downtown Yerevan at the intersection of Halabyan and Arzumanyan streets and could be heard from miles away. According to Armenia's police chief, the blast may have been caused by an explosive device.
"An explosive device could have been triggered in the passenger bus in Yerevan," police chief Vladimir Gasparyan said. "The blast was undulated, not fragmented."
Investigators are still looking into the cause of the explosion. The bus explosion occurred one day after the Armenian capital hosted ceremonies to mark the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
Armenia was back in the news earlier this month when hostilities were renewed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. While the territory officially belongs to Azerbaijan, it broke away after several years of fighting and is controlled by ethnic Armenians who declared the territory an independent state. In the first days of April, heavy clashes between Azeri Army and Nagorno-Karabakh forces left dozens dead on both sides. The situation threatened to lead to a full-blown war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russian leadership organized emergency negotiations with both countries and managed to broker a cessation of hostilities. Since then, the ceasefire has been largely upheld.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that "everyone is making efforts for the fire to cease and not resume again."
And here:
At least 2 dead, 7 injured as blast hits passenger bus in Armenian capital
https://www.rt.com/news/340889-armenia-blast-bus-yerevan/
The emergency services were informed of the blast at approximately 10:00pm local time, the deputy head of the rescue service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Major-General Nikolay Grigoryan, told journalists, TASS reported.
“Though at first it was thought that one person got killed in the blast, fragments of the second body were found later during observation of the bus and the site,” Grigoryan said. Both bodies are unidentified.
'No Secret': Lavrov Warns of Turkey’s Meddling in Syrian Peace Process
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160425/1038597108/lavrov-warns-turkey-meddling-syria.html
"In order to come to terms over six months it is necessary not to slam the door and dig in heels, as several delegates of the so-called Riyadh group have done," Lavrov said on Monday, speaking on the progress made through the Syrian peace talks.
The ceasefire agreed on February 27 has largely held and includes 71 settlements. While there have been occasional instances of fighting, many of these can be attributed to terrorist groups like Daesh, which are outlawed and not part of the deal.
Still, as negotiations continue, Lavrov added that "it’s no secret" that Turkey has a "decisive influence" on the opposition group High Negotiations Committee.
"We are currently collecting information that Jabhat al-Nusra subjugates groups that seemed to have declared truce and readiness to join [the] ceasefire," he said.
Two rocket attacks hit Turkish town on Syria border, one dead, dozens injured
https://www.rt.com/news/340787-kilis-turkey-isis-rockets/
In the morning, two Katyusha rockets hit a residential area not from the town’s center, injuring 16 people, including children.
One projectile penetrated the roof of a house, while the other hit the garden fence, Dogan news agency reported.
Later on Sunday, two more Katyusha rockets were fired from the Syrian territory, hitting the town’s historic Tekke Mosque.
The explosions, which killed one person and injured ten, occurred just 100 meters from the governor of Kilis’ office, where Turkish Deputy PM, Yalcin Akdogan, was holding talks at the time.
The Turkish military responded with an artillery barrage directed back into Syria within the rules of engagement, Akdogan said, according to Hurriyet newspaper.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Female Suicide Bomber Killing Herself And Wounding At Least 13 In Bursa Turkey
http://novorossia.today/115448-2/
The latest in an ever-growing number of attacks around tourist sites in Turkey, a female suicide bomber today detonated in the northwestern city of Bursa, killing herself and wounding at least 13 people. None of the wounded were critically injured in the blast.
The attack targeted a part of the city popular with tourists, near a marketplace and an Ottoman-era mosque. There has been no public claim of responsibility, and officials say they are still uncertain of the woman’s identity, or any connections she may have to terror groups.
Demirtas: Erdogan has “dirty” relations with ISIS
http://sana.sy/en/?p=75850
Demirtas affirmed to Journalists, before leaving Ankara for Washington, that there are joint points between ISIS thoughts and AKP ideology and leadership particularly that of President of the Turkish regime Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his premier Ahmet Davutoglu, adding that there are close relations between Turkish regime and ISIS.
Earlier this month, Demirtas said Erdogan supports all terrorist organizations in Syria including ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham to realize his Ottoman dreams and did not hesitate to establish all secret and public relations with all terrorist groups in Syria with the aim of destroying it and displacing its people.
Demirtas affirmed that “Erdogan and Davutoglu do not consider ISIS a terrorist organization and feel shameful of that description because they do not want to eliminate it, uncovering that ISIS terrorists shells Kilis city, but the Turkish army instead of retaliation to that sends war planes to destroy positions of Kurdistan Workers Party in northern Iraq.
http://novorossia.today/115448-2/
The latest in an ever-growing number of attacks around tourist sites in Turkey, a female suicide bomber today detonated in the northwestern city of Bursa, killing herself and wounding at least 13 people. None of the wounded were critically injured in the blast.
The attack targeted a part of the city popular with tourists, near a marketplace and an Ottoman-era mosque. There has been no public claim of responsibility, and officials say they are still uncertain of the woman’s identity, or any connections she may have to terror groups.
Demirtas: Erdogan has “dirty” relations with ISIS
http://sana.sy/en/?p=75850
Demirtas affirmed to Journalists, before leaving Ankara for Washington, that there are joint points between ISIS thoughts and AKP ideology and leadership particularly that of President of the Turkish regime Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his premier Ahmet Davutoglu, adding that there are close relations between Turkish regime and ISIS.
Earlier this month, Demirtas said Erdogan supports all terrorist organizations in Syria including ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham to realize his Ottoman dreams and did not hesitate to establish all secret and public relations with all terrorist groups in Syria with the aim of destroying it and displacing its people.
Demirtas affirmed that “Erdogan and Davutoglu do not consider ISIS a terrorist organization and feel shameful of that description because they do not want to eliminate it, uncovering that ISIS terrorists shells Kilis city, but the Turkish army instead of retaliation to that sends war planes to destroy positions of Kurdistan Workers Party in northern Iraq.
angelburst29
The Living Force
[/quote]Yozilla said:
On surprise Iraq visit, Biden urging end to political crisis
http://www.mail.com/news/world/4307528-surprise-iraq-visit-biden-urging-to-political-cris.html#.7518-stage-hero1-8
Vice President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Thursday to implore the country’s leaders to resolve a crippling political crisis that has hindered efforts to defeat the Islamic State group.
Biden landed in Baghdad mid-afternoon after a secret, overnight flight from Washington on a military plane. Stepping onto the tarmac in blistering heat, he greeted the U.S. ambassador and Lt. Gen. Sean McFarland, the U.S. commander heading the fight against IS, as swirling dust masked the skyline behind them.
His first stop was a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi at the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s grandiose Republican Palace, which served as U.S. headquarters in Baghdad after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion. The two exchanged greetings and spoke in English as reporters were allowed in briefly for the start of the meeting.
The White House didn’t disclose the rest of Biden’s itinerary, but said he would meet with other Iraqi leaders to stress national unity and discuss the campaign against IS extremists. Biden also planned to meet with U.S. personnel in the country.
His visit comes amid a wave of tense protests and demands for sweeping political reforms that have paralyzed Iraq’s government, already struggling to tackle a dire economic crisis and battle IS. The Obama administration has stepped up its military role with more troops and equipment in hopes of putting Iraq on a better path as President Barack Obama prepares to leave office in January.
Due to concern about Biden’s security, his trip to the war zone was not announced in advance. Journalists making the 17-hour journey with Biden had to agree to keep it secret until he was inside Iraq.
The turmoil engulfing Iraq’s government grew out of weeks of rallies by followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr demanding an end to pervasive corruption and mismanagement. Thousands have protested just outside Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone, calling for politicians to be replaced by independent technocrats and for Iraq’s powerful Shiite militias to be brought into key ministries.
At the center of the crisis is the prime minister, a Shiite whom the U.S. considers a welcome improvement over his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki. Yet al-Abadi’s failures to deliver on long-promised reforms and manage Iraq’s growing sectarian tensions have threatened his ability to lead the country.
Al-Abadi is caught between ordinary Iraqis pleading for government accountability and entrenched political blocks that are reluctant to give up a powerful patronage system widely blamed for squandering Iraq’s oil fortunes. On Tuesday, Iraq’s parliament approved a half-dozen new Cabinet ministers al-Abadi nominated in a gesture to protesters, but the rest of the Cabinet lineup remains in contention.
The turbulence has roiled the Iraqi capital, with lawmakers throwing water bottles and punching each other as some call for al-Abadi to resign along with the Sunni parliament speaker and Kurdish president. Last month, al-Abadi pulled troops fighting IS on the front lines to protect Baghdad amid the protests. Meanwhile, an economic crisis spurred by collapsing oil prices has further compounded Iraq’s troubles.
Obama, in Saudi Arabia last week, said al-Abadi had been a “good partner” but added he was concerned about his hold on power.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Military Strategist: Turkey's Adventurism to Result in Erdogan's Overthrow
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950213001468
"Any adventurism by Turkey in Northern Syria will pave the way for Erdogan's overthrow," Retired Syrian Army Colonel Elias Ebrahim told FNA on Monday.
Ebrahim reiterated that Turkey's efforts to usher in large-scale military operations in Northern Syria will not bear any result.
He warned Ankara that the US is not serious about supporting Turkey, something, he said, is quite evident when it comes to Washington's support for the Kurds who are the age-old enemies of Turkey.
In a relevant development last month, German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau wrote that Washington has urged Ankara to stop launching airstrikes against the Kurds, but Erdogan is not going to give in, because he views Kurdish fighters as the main threat to Turkey's security.
Turkey is becoming increasingly fixated on the Kurdish threat, and now even the US is starting to question the adequacy of its ally, the newspaper wrote.
During the recent airstrikes, Ankara destroyed several strongholds held by Kurdish fighters near the Syrian town of Azaz, just eight kilometers from the Turkish border. The US has repeatedly called on Turkey to stop attacking its allies, but the success of the Syrian army as well as the active role of the Russian President in the country have caused Erdogan's fears to grow and urged him to continue the bombings.
After Syrian government troops reached a breakthrough in Aleppo, Kurdish troops received the chance to move towards the city of Azaz and recapture Minnigh Airbase, which was under the control of al-Nusra insurgents, the newspaper reported.
The Turkish government, however, viewed the success of the Kurds as another step towards the creation of a "Kurdish quasi-state" near its borders. Since Kurds constitute a large minority group within Turkey itself, the current situation is viewed by Erdogan as a serious threat to his government, the article said.
Fearing for the existence of his regime, Erdogan is even ready to support extremist groups in Syria. His obsession with the fight against the Kurds shows that in the current conflict Turkey recognizes only its own goals and interests, and therefore, the White House can no longer consider Ankara as a reliable partner, the newspaper wrote.
Political Infighting: Erdogan Party Strips Power From Davutoglu
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160502/1038973023/ak-party-infighting.html
In recent weeks, the Turkish parliament has taken aggressive steps toward abandoning the country’s secular constitution. If achieved, this would cement broader powers for an increasingly authoritarian Erdogan government.
"…The main speaker of parliament, from AKP, declared that in the new constitution, we don’t need the principle of secularism and there should be, somehow, Islam inside the constitution,"Turkish journalist Kemal Okuyan told Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear last week.
"He declared their intention is to change Turkey into an Islamic state."
But as the ruling AKP works to establish its authority over Turkey, there are also signs of increasing tensions among the party’s rank and file. Most notably, Erdogan appears to be removing power from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
During a high-profile meeting of AKP’s executive committee (MKYK) on Friday, the committee agreed to remove the prime minister’s authority to appoint provincial party officials.
Under Turkey’s current constitution, the president can have no say in party politics, as the position is theoretically meant as a check on the ambitions of the prime minister’s party. But, given that Erdogan founded the AKP, he retains an outsized influence, even if he cannot participate officially.
Erdogan also maintains control through his personal relationships with current party members. Hayati Yazici, a key member of the MKYK, is the president’s former lawyer. Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, another prominent member, is Erdogan’s son-in-law.
“Davutoglu wants to carve out a political space for himself, but Erdogan is not intent on allowing the head of the executive – whether Davutoglu or anybody else – to have any significant degree of political independence,” said former Turkish diplomat Sinan Ulgen.
"Erdogan is intent on fully controlling both the executive but also the political agenda of the country and he can only do that if he has this degree of control."
While critics have dubbed this a troubling move, the AKP has taken pains to downplay its significance.
"This authority has been taken back by the MKYK so that issues concerning the party can be discussed intensively and in more detail," party spokesman Omer Celik told reporters on Friday.
"It is not right to consider this change as a very radical move."
Israeli Forces Bulldoze Land in Gaza Strip, Open Fire on Fishermen
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950213001287
Witnesses told Ma'an news agency that four armored military bulldozers and three digging machines escorted by Israeli military vehicles stormed the Gaza Strip buffer zone East of Rafah.
The convoy entered through a gate in the security fence near the Sufa military base, and pulled back outside of Gaza territory shortly after the bulldozers carried out earthworks, witnesses said.
In a separate incident, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Gaza fishermen off the coast of Beit Lahia in the Northern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
An Israeli army spokesperson said they were looking into reports.
Israeli military incursions inside the besieged Gaza Strip and near the "buffer zone", both on land and sea sides of the strip, have long been a routine to the Israeli forces.
Palestinians who work near the "buffer zone" between the Palestinian enclave and Israel often come under fire from military forces, as the Israeli military has not made clear the precise area of the designated zone.
The Israeli army regularly open fire on Palestinian fisherman and farmers along the border areas, despite a ceasefire agreement that ended the 2014 war.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950213001468
"Any adventurism by Turkey in Northern Syria will pave the way for Erdogan's overthrow," Retired Syrian Army Colonel Elias Ebrahim told FNA on Monday.
Ebrahim reiterated that Turkey's efforts to usher in large-scale military operations in Northern Syria will not bear any result.
He warned Ankara that the US is not serious about supporting Turkey, something, he said, is quite evident when it comes to Washington's support for the Kurds who are the age-old enemies of Turkey.
In a relevant development last month, German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau wrote that Washington has urged Ankara to stop launching airstrikes against the Kurds, but Erdogan is not going to give in, because he views Kurdish fighters as the main threat to Turkey's security.
Turkey is becoming increasingly fixated on the Kurdish threat, and now even the US is starting to question the adequacy of its ally, the newspaper wrote.
During the recent airstrikes, Ankara destroyed several strongholds held by Kurdish fighters near the Syrian town of Azaz, just eight kilometers from the Turkish border. The US has repeatedly called on Turkey to stop attacking its allies, but the success of the Syrian army as well as the active role of the Russian President in the country have caused Erdogan's fears to grow and urged him to continue the bombings.
After Syrian government troops reached a breakthrough in Aleppo, Kurdish troops received the chance to move towards the city of Azaz and recapture Minnigh Airbase, which was under the control of al-Nusra insurgents, the newspaper reported.
The Turkish government, however, viewed the success of the Kurds as another step towards the creation of a "Kurdish quasi-state" near its borders. Since Kurds constitute a large minority group within Turkey itself, the current situation is viewed by Erdogan as a serious threat to his government, the article said.
Fearing for the existence of his regime, Erdogan is even ready to support extremist groups in Syria. His obsession with the fight against the Kurds shows that in the current conflict Turkey recognizes only its own goals and interests, and therefore, the White House can no longer consider Ankara as a reliable partner, the newspaper wrote.
Political Infighting: Erdogan Party Strips Power From Davutoglu
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160502/1038973023/ak-party-infighting.html
In recent weeks, the Turkish parliament has taken aggressive steps toward abandoning the country’s secular constitution. If achieved, this would cement broader powers for an increasingly authoritarian Erdogan government.
"…The main speaker of parliament, from AKP, declared that in the new constitution, we don’t need the principle of secularism and there should be, somehow, Islam inside the constitution,"Turkish journalist Kemal Okuyan told Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear last week.
"He declared their intention is to change Turkey into an Islamic state."
But as the ruling AKP works to establish its authority over Turkey, there are also signs of increasing tensions among the party’s rank and file. Most notably, Erdogan appears to be removing power from Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
During a high-profile meeting of AKP’s executive committee (MKYK) on Friday, the committee agreed to remove the prime minister’s authority to appoint provincial party officials.
Under Turkey’s current constitution, the president can have no say in party politics, as the position is theoretically meant as a check on the ambitions of the prime minister’s party. But, given that Erdogan founded the AKP, he retains an outsized influence, even if he cannot participate officially.
Erdogan also maintains control through his personal relationships with current party members. Hayati Yazici, a key member of the MKYK, is the president’s former lawyer. Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, another prominent member, is Erdogan’s son-in-law.
“Davutoglu wants to carve out a political space for himself, but Erdogan is not intent on allowing the head of the executive – whether Davutoglu or anybody else – to have any significant degree of political independence,” said former Turkish diplomat Sinan Ulgen.
"Erdogan is intent on fully controlling both the executive but also the political agenda of the country and he can only do that if he has this degree of control."
While critics have dubbed this a troubling move, the AKP has taken pains to downplay its significance.
"This authority has been taken back by the MKYK so that issues concerning the party can be discussed intensively and in more detail," party spokesman Omer Celik told reporters on Friday.
"It is not right to consider this change as a very radical move."
Israeli Forces Bulldoze Land in Gaza Strip, Open Fire on Fishermen
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950213001287
Witnesses told Ma'an news agency that four armored military bulldozers and three digging machines escorted by Israeli military vehicles stormed the Gaza Strip buffer zone East of Rafah.
The convoy entered through a gate in the security fence near the Sufa military base, and pulled back outside of Gaza territory shortly after the bulldozers carried out earthworks, witnesses said.
In a separate incident, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Gaza fishermen off the coast of Beit Lahia in the Northern Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported.
An Israeli army spokesperson said they were looking into reports.
Israeli military incursions inside the besieged Gaza Strip and near the "buffer zone", both on land and sea sides of the strip, have long been a routine to the Israeli forces.
Palestinians who work near the "buffer zone" between the Palestinian enclave and Israel often come under fire from military forces, as the Israeli military has not made clear the precise area of the designated zone.
The Israeli army regularly open fire on Palestinian fisherman and farmers along the border areas, despite a ceasefire agreement that ended the 2014 war.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Despite efforts to present a unified front, tensions between Turkey’s President Erdogan and Prime Minister Davutoglu could soon reach a boiling point, and result in the latter’s resignation.
Tensions Mount? Turkish Power Struggle Could Force Davutoglu to Resign
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039097700/turkish-power-struggle.html
Fourteen years ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Legally, Erdogan can not serve as party head while serving as president, and he personally chose Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to replace him as the party’s chief.
But mounting evidence suggests that Davutoglu is tired of being second-in-command, and Erdogan is none too thrilled about an underling challenging his authority.
The Erdogan administration is currently pushing to abandon the country’s secular constitution, in favor of one that would cement broader powers for the president. Given Erdogan’s imprisonment of academics and journalists, his new sovereignty would likely be used to further Ankara’s clampdown on free speech.
This is one of the issues with which Davutoglu has tried to assert himself. But in his thirst for influence, the prime minister has pursued his own troubling interests. According to Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute, Davutoglu is the mastermind behind Turkey’s confused Syria policy.
"This was a foreign policy that was meant to make Turkey a regional star, not only shape the outcome of the Syrian war," Cagaptay said.
Last week, Erdogan launched his own power grab, when the AKP’s executive committee – a body in which the president still maintains influence – voted to remove the prime minister’s authority to appoint local leaders.
"This decision will weaken Davutoglu’s power over the party," said one official familiar with the decision, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Davutoglu’s job will not be easy after this."
On Wednesday evening, both men held an unscheduled meeting behind closed doors. While some experts considered the possibility that Davutoglu would deliver his resignation, no public announcement was made. Other reports suggest that the prime minister may step down at the end of the month.
"While Erdogan and Davutoglu may appear keen to dispel any notions that divisions are emerging between them, the writing on the wall shows that a rift is in fact developing on a number of levels, and it is just a matter of time before this erupts in earnest," Semih Idiz wrote for Hurriyet Daily News.
Despite these clear signs of trouble, the AKP has done its best to downplay the recent decision to remove Davutoglu’s appointing power.
"This authority has been taken back by the MKYK [AKP’s executive committee] so that issues concerning the party can be discussed intensively and in more detail," party spokesman Omer Celik told reporters last Friday.
"It is not right to consider this change as a very radical move."
Turkey Ready to Send Ground Troops to Syria If Necessary - Prime Minister
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160504/1039045879/troops-pm-syria.html
He pointed out that such a move by Turkey would be legal as the UN had made a number of decisions on the fight against Daesh in terms of self-defense and countering terrorism.
"If necessary, we will send troops to Syria. We will take all steps to protect our own country internally and externally, " Davutoglu told the broadcaster Al Jazeera Turk.
Earlier this week, Russia expressed concern over any potential ground operation in Syria, advising against such actions.
Attack in Turkey - one dead, six injured
http://katehon.com/news/attack-turkey-one-dead-six-injured
On Wednesday Kurdis detonated an explosives-packed vehicle outside a gendarmerie station in Mardin province, states the Turkish press.
The attack was blamed on "terrorists" linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Ankara and its Western allies designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
Turkey's southeast plunged into conflict last summer when a fragile peace process between the state and autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels.
Since then, the army has carried out military operations in pre-dominantly Kurdish districts, displacing tens of thousands of people.
The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in a conflict that has claimed over 40 000 people.
EU-Turkey Visa-Free Regime Unsafe Due to Ankara’s Links to Al-Nusra – MP
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160504/1039082801/ankara-nusra-visa-free.html
Earlier in the day, the European Commission put forward a proposal that opens the way for Turkish passport holders to be granted visa-free travel to the EU Schengen Area once certain criteria have been met by Ankara. Turkey has so far met 72 out of the 77 conditions outlined in the visa liberalization roadmap. A decision by the Commission on the matter may come as early as June.
“I think to facilitate visas is OK, but we must stay in control. When we see a relation between al-Nusra [Front] and Turkey, we need to keep in mind that having a Turkish passport does not mean being safe for Europe,” Thierry Mariani told Sputnik.
He stressed that Europe finds itself “in Turkish hands for blackmail.”
5 reasons why a visa-free regime with Turkey is a bad idea
http://katehon.com/article/5-reasons-why-visa-free-regime-turkey-bad-idea
Formally, the introduction of a visa-free regime has nothing to do with the exchange of migrants between the EU and Turkey but, of course, in reality it does. It is indeed the migrant factor which has played a major role in Europe’s granting of concessions to its once main opponent. Earlier, British media reported that today, May 4th, the EU would decide on the visa-free regime with Turkey only with some reservations primarily relating to Turkey’s political system. The most natural reaction of the European Union to this, however, is troubled, because if the EU refuses to grant concessions to Turkey, then Turkey can refuse the deal on migrants. In this case, the economically weak EU country of Greece would once again witness an invasion of refugees flocking across it to other EU countries. But Europeans need to save face. Thus, under the pretext of inconsistency, Turkey’s political system has been chosen over European standards.
The European bureaucrats probably realize that it is unlikely that this move will bring Turkey closer to European standards. After all, the whole history of post-Kemalist Turkey is that of a rotation between semi-right governments, Islamist attempts at seizing power, and military dictatorships. Now an authoritarian Islamist regime is in power. The EU is most likely introducing the visa-free regime even without Turkey’s democratization because it understands that this will never happen. But what will Europeans face following the introduction of this visa-free regime with Turkey?
1. Islamists will be welcomed. Indeed, the main problem with this deal is security. Turkey is engulfed by a civil war, has transferred ISIS, Al-Nusra, and other extremist militants through its territory to Syria, and the Turkish leadership is closely linked to Islamists. In Turkey, the number of those supporting radical Islam is in fact growing. Now, however, the EU is opening its borders to nearly 80 million Muslims, and the visa-free regime will make it much easier for terrorists to enter Europe.
Even if the Turks’ flirtation with Islamism finishes as a result of a regime-change or the re-orientation of Erdogan’s foreign policy, Islamists will still flock not to the Middle East, but to Europe, where they will be welcomed by liberal legislation and European liberals who consider them to be political refugees.
2. The next problem has to do with the Kurds. Kurdish terrorism is the main threat to Turkey. And it is only natural that Kurdish radicals will now be squeezed into Europe. As a result, tensions between the large Kurdish and Turkish communities will increase. Over the past year, the Turks and Kurds repeatedly lapsed into collisions with each other even within the EU. Now such violence can intensify and even claim indigenous Europeans as victims.
3. The weakness of the EU’s liberal system will be totally exposed. For the first time, an authoritarian country has achieved significant concessions from European liberals, thereby encouraging anti-liberal trends within the EU. European right-wingers are generally opposed to rapprochement with Turkey, and the visa-free regime and problems associated with it will significantly strengthen their position. In turn, the chances of the shaky European bureaucratic structure in Brussels collapsing will increase.
4. The rapprochement with Turkey contradicts the very essence of European identity. For many centuries, Turkey has played the role of the “significant Other.” The effect of the visa-free regime on the common European psychological space will inevitably be a backlash on the part of nationalists and the de-politicized masses. Turkey’s trotting down the path to the EU is undermining any foundations of the possibility of a new European identity.
5. In the background, behind EU statements on the visa-free regime with Turkey, can be heard Turkey’s statements about a possible invasion of Syria. The EU has been led on by Turkey, one of the most irresponsible and radical participants in the Syrian conflict, and the new rapprochement with Turkey will be perceived by Ankara as something legitimizing and supporting its actions. Turkey will thus be enabled to act even more irresponsibly. Thus, by inaugurating the visa-free regime, the EU is adding fuel to the fire of the conflict in Syria.
Tensions Mount? Turkish Power Struggle Could Force Davutoglu to Resign
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039097700/turkish-power-struggle.html
Fourteen years ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan founded the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Legally, Erdogan can not serve as party head while serving as president, and he personally chose Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to replace him as the party’s chief.
But mounting evidence suggests that Davutoglu is tired of being second-in-command, and Erdogan is none too thrilled about an underling challenging his authority.
The Erdogan administration is currently pushing to abandon the country’s secular constitution, in favor of one that would cement broader powers for the president. Given Erdogan’s imprisonment of academics and journalists, his new sovereignty would likely be used to further Ankara’s clampdown on free speech.
This is one of the issues with which Davutoglu has tried to assert himself. But in his thirst for influence, the prime minister has pursued his own troubling interests. According to Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute, Davutoglu is the mastermind behind Turkey’s confused Syria policy.
"This was a foreign policy that was meant to make Turkey a regional star, not only shape the outcome of the Syrian war," Cagaptay said.
Last week, Erdogan launched his own power grab, when the AKP’s executive committee – a body in which the president still maintains influence – voted to remove the prime minister’s authority to appoint local leaders.
"This decision will weaken Davutoglu’s power over the party," said one official familiar with the decision, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Davutoglu’s job will not be easy after this."
On Wednesday evening, both men held an unscheduled meeting behind closed doors. While some experts considered the possibility that Davutoglu would deliver his resignation, no public announcement was made. Other reports suggest that the prime minister may step down at the end of the month.
"While Erdogan and Davutoglu may appear keen to dispel any notions that divisions are emerging between them, the writing on the wall shows that a rift is in fact developing on a number of levels, and it is just a matter of time before this erupts in earnest," Semih Idiz wrote for Hurriyet Daily News.
Despite these clear signs of trouble, the AKP has done its best to downplay the recent decision to remove Davutoglu’s appointing power.
"This authority has been taken back by the MKYK [AKP’s executive committee] so that issues concerning the party can be discussed intensively and in more detail," party spokesman Omer Celik told reporters last Friday.
"It is not right to consider this change as a very radical move."
Turkey Ready to Send Ground Troops to Syria If Necessary - Prime Minister
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160504/1039045879/troops-pm-syria.html
He pointed out that such a move by Turkey would be legal as the UN had made a number of decisions on the fight against Daesh in terms of self-defense and countering terrorism.
"If necessary, we will send troops to Syria. We will take all steps to protect our own country internally and externally, " Davutoglu told the broadcaster Al Jazeera Turk.
Earlier this week, Russia expressed concern over any potential ground operation in Syria, advising against such actions.
Attack in Turkey - one dead, six injured
http://katehon.com/news/attack-turkey-one-dead-six-injured
On Wednesday Kurdis detonated an explosives-packed vehicle outside a gendarmerie station in Mardin province, states the Turkish press.
The attack was blamed on "terrorists" linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Ankara and its Western allies designate the group as a terrorist organisation.
Turkey's southeast plunged into conflict last summer when a fragile peace process between the state and autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels.
Since then, the army has carried out military operations in pre-dominantly Kurdish districts, displacing tens of thousands of people.
The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in a conflict that has claimed over 40 000 people.
EU-Turkey Visa-Free Regime Unsafe Due to Ankara’s Links to Al-Nusra – MP
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160504/1039082801/ankara-nusra-visa-free.html
Earlier in the day, the European Commission put forward a proposal that opens the way for Turkish passport holders to be granted visa-free travel to the EU Schengen Area once certain criteria have been met by Ankara. Turkey has so far met 72 out of the 77 conditions outlined in the visa liberalization roadmap. A decision by the Commission on the matter may come as early as June.
“I think to facilitate visas is OK, but we must stay in control. When we see a relation between al-Nusra [Front] and Turkey, we need to keep in mind that having a Turkish passport does not mean being safe for Europe,” Thierry Mariani told Sputnik.
He stressed that Europe finds itself “in Turkish hands for blackmail.”
5 reasons why a visa-free regime with Turkey is a bad idea
http://katehon.com/article/5-reasons-why-visa-free-regime-turkey-bad-idea
Formally, the introduction of a visa-free regime has nothing to do with the exchange of migrants between the EU and Turkey but, of course, in reality it does. It is indeed the migrant factor which has played a major role in Europe’s granting of concessions to its once main opponent. Earlier, British media reported that today, May 4th, the EU would decide on the visa-free regime with Turkey only with some reservations primarily relating to Turkey’s political system. The most natural reaction of the European Union to this, however, is troubled, because if the EU refuses to grant concessions to Turkey, then Turkey can refuse the deal on migrants. In this case, the economically weak EU country of Greece would once again witness an invasion of refugees flocking across it to other EU countries. But Europeans need to save face. Thus, under the pretext of inconsistency, Turkey’s political system has been chosen over European standards.
The European bureaucrats probably realize that it is unlikely that this move will bring Turkey closer to European standards. After all, the whole history of post-Kemalist Turkey is that of a rotation between semi-right governments, Islamist attempts at seizing power, and military dictatorships. Now an authoritarian Islamist regime is in power. The EU is most likely introducing the visa-free regime even without Turkey’s democratization because it understands that this will never happen. But what will Europeans face following the introduction of this visa-free regime with Turkey?
1. Islamists will be welcomed. Indeed, the main problem with this deal is security. Turkey is engulfed by a civil war, has transferred ISIS, Al-Nusra, and other extremist militants through its territory to Syria, and the Turkish leadership is closely linked to Islamists. In Turkey, the number of those supporting radical Islam is in fact growing. Now, however, the EU is opening its borders to nearly 80 million Muslims, and the visa-free regime will make it much easier for terrorists to enter Europe.
Even if the Turks’ flirtation with Islamism finishes as a result of a regime-change or the re-orientation of Erdogan’s foreign policy, Islamists will still flock not to the Middle East, but to Europe, where they will be welcomed by liberal legislation and European liberals who consider them to be political refugees.
2. The next problem has to do with the Kurds. Kurdish terrorism is the main threat to Turkey. And it is only natural that Kurdish radicals will now be squeezed into Europe. As a result, tensions between the large Kurdish and Turkish communities will increase. Over the past year, the Turks and Kurds repeatedly lapsed into collisions with each other even within the EU. Now such violence can intensify and even claim indigenous Europeans as victims.
3. The weakness of the EU’s liberal system will be totally exposed. For the first time, an authoritarian country has achieved significant concessions from European liberals, thereby encouraging anti-liberal trends within the EU. European right-wingers are generally opposed to rapprochement with Turkey, and the visa-free regime and problems associated with it will significantly strengthen their position. In turn, the chances of the shaky European bureaucratic structure in Brussels collapsing will increase.
4. The rapprochement with Turkey contradicts the very essence of European identity. For many centuries, Turkey has played the role of the “significant Other.” The effect of the visa-free regime on the common European psychological space will inevitably be a backlash on the part of nationalists and the de-politicized masses. Turkey’s trotting down the path to the EU is undermining any foundations of the possibility of a new European identity.
5. In the background, behind EU statements on the visa-free regime with Turkey, can be heard Turkey’s statements about a possible invasion of Syria. The EU has been led on by Turkey, one of the most irresponsible and radical participants in the Syrian conflict, and the new rapprochement with Turkey will be perceived by Ankara as something legitimizing and supporting its actions. Turkey will thus be enabled to act even more irresponsibly. Thus, by inaugurating the visa-free regime, the EU is adding fuel to the fire of the conflict in Syria.
angelburst29
The Living Force
The European Parliament (EP) has said that Turkey must fulfill all its commitments on human rights before visa-free travel is allowed. However, some believe visa liberalization is simply a blackmail deal from Turkey.
Must Change If It Wants In - European Parliament
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160505/1039125611/european-parliament-turkey-visa-free-travel.html
The EP have stated that unless Turkey adheres to its commitments on human rights and changes its anti-terrorism laws, which are being used to silence journalists, they will not be allowed visa-free travel.
The package presented in a proposal by the European Commission, was debated by the EP and political group leaders. The proposal outlined several other migration policies and the EP believes that it is a balanced and comprehensive one.
In an announcement made by the EC on Wednesday, vice-president Frans Timmermans said: "Turkey has made impressive progress, particularly in recent weeks, on meeting the benchmarks of its visa liberalization roadmap."
However, Timmermans stressed that there was still room for improvement. "There is still work to be done as a matter of urgency but if Turkey sustains the progress made, they can meet the remaining benchmarks. This is why we are putting a proposal on the table which opens the way for the European Parliament and the Member States to decide to lift visa requirements, once the benchmarks have been met," he added.
These comments were echoed by EU's migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos: "The Turkish authorities have made remarkable progress since the 18 March EU-Turkey Summit and we trust Turkey is committed to delivering on all fronts as soon as possible. On the understanding that all benchmarks will be met as a matter of urgency, the Commission has decided to put forward a proposal to transfer Turkey to the list of visa-free countries. Of course, the Commission will continue to monitor the continuous fulfilling of these criteria."
Brewing Trouble: Turkish PM Cancels Trip Amid Political Rift At Home
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039120132/turkey-pm-political-rift-visit.html
Davutoglu was expected to go to the southeastern European nation for a two-day visit on Friday and Saturday, but it has been canceled ahead of a crucial party congress, the Daily Sabah newspaper said.
The prime minister appears to be at odds with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Turkish leader’s plans to reclaim more power from Parliament by switching to a presidential system.
According to the outlet, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will soon convene a meeting where Davutoglu is expected to resign. The date for the meeting may be announced later on Thursday.
Turkey in Turmoil as Erdogan, Davutoglu Split Over Syria, Europe
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160505/1039117141/turkey-erdogan-davutoglu-divisions.html
Erdogan has come in for severe criticism over his increasingly hardline approach to human rights, free press and his treatment of refugees — many of whom have fled Syria. He is pushing his agenda for accession into the European Union while at the same time fighting the Kurds in south east Turkey and coming under fire from Daesh, also known as ISIL, over the Turkish border in Syria.
Prime Minister Davutoglu said Turkey is ready to send ground forces into Syria to tackle Islamic State militants if need be, as two more rockets fired by the group struck a border town.
However, despite unanimity over the possibility of sending in ground forces into Syria, Erdogan and Davutoglu are at odds over relations with Europe and the country's economy. On Europe, Davutoglu championed the cause for via-free access to EU states as part of the EU-Tukey migrant agreement. This requires a major series of compromises on human rights, refugee humanitarian aid and press freedom.
Decision to Vacate Chairmanship of Ruling Party 'Necessity' - Turkish PM
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039130750/pm-party-chairmanship-turkey.html
Earlier in the day, Davutoglu confirmed media reports that he would step down from the post of AKP chairman and consequently the post of the country's prime minister. The move was made soon after the AKP's leadership decided to strip the chairman of the power to appoint local heads of the party.
"The decision itself is not very important for me, but I can not accept the way it has been made. All the consequences of the decision should have been analyzed. There is no unity in the party's leadership and I am falling under the impression that it is necessary to change the chairman to continue the party's successful efforts. It is not my choice, but it is a necessity. I will continue my activities as a AKP lawmaker," Davutoglu said during a briefing in Ankara.
He added that he would be loyal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and would not criticize his fellow party members.
Davutoglu was appointed as the country's prime minister in 2014. Relations between the president and the prime minister deteriorated over a number of issues, including Erdogan's plans to claw back more power from the parliament by switching to a presidential system and the two leaders divergent stance on freedom of speech in the country.
Must Change If It Wants In - European Parliament
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160505/1039125611/european-parliament-turkey-visa-free-travel.html
The EP have stated that unless Turkey adheres to its commitments on human rights and changes its anti-terrorism laws, which are being used to silence journalists, they will not be allowed visa-free travel.
The package presented in a proposal by the European Commission, was debated by the EP and political group leaders. The proposal outlined several other migration policies and the EP believes that it is a balanced and comprehensive one.
In an announcement made by the EC on Wednesday, vice-president Frans Timmermans said: "Turkey has made impressive progress, particularly in recent weeks, on meeting the benchmarks of its visa liberalization roadmap."
However, Timmermans stressed that there was still room for improvement. "There is still work to be done as a matter of urgency but if Turkey sustains the progress made, they can meet the remaining benchmarks. This is why we are putting a proposal on the table which opens the way for the European Parliament and the Member States to decide to lift visa requirements, once the benchmarks have been met," he added.
These comments were echoed by EU's migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos: "The Turkish authorities have made remarkable progress since the 18 March EU-Turkey Summit and we trust Turkey is committed to delivering on all fronts as soon as possible. On the understanding that all benchmarks will be met as a matter of urgency, the Commission has decided to put forward a proposal to transfer Turkey to the list of visa-free countries. Of course, the Commission will continue to monitor the continuous fulfilling of these criteria."
Brewing Trouble: Turkish PM Cancels Trip Amid Political Rift At Home
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039120132/turkey-pm-political-rift-visit.html
Davutoglu was expected to go to the southeastern European nation for a two-day visit on Friday and Saturday, but it has been canceled ahead of a crucial party congress, the Daily Sabah newspaper said.
The prime minister appears to be at odds with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the Turkish leader’s plans to reclaim more power from Parliament by switching to a presidential system.
According to the outlet, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will soon convene a meeting where Davutoglu is expected to resign. The date for the meeting may be announced later on Thursday.
Turkey in Turmoil as Erdogan, Davutoglu Split Over Syria, Europe
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160505/1039117141/turkey-erdogan-davutoglu-divisions.html
Erdogan has come in for severe criticism over his increasingly hardline approach to human rights, free press and his treatment of refugees — many of whom have fled Syria. He is pushing his agenda for accession into the European Union while at the same time fighting the Kurds in south east Turkey and coming under fire from Daesh, also known as ISIL, over the Turkish border in Syria.
Prime Minister Davutoglu said Turkey is ready to send ground forces into Syria to tackle Islamic State militants if need be, as two more rockets fired by the group struck a border town.
However, despite unanimity over the possibility of sending in ground forces into Syria, Erdogan and Davutoglu are at odds over relations with Europe and the country's economy. On Europe, Davutoglu championed the cause for via-free access to EU states as part of the EU-Tukey migrant agreement. This requires a major series of compromises on human rights, refugee humanitarian aid and press freedom.
Decision to Vacate Chairmanship of Ruling Party 'Necessity' - Turkish PM
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039130750/pm-party-chairmanship-turkey.html
Earlier in the day, Davutoglu confirmed media reports that he would step down from the post of AKP chairman and consequently the post of the country's prime minister. The move was made soon after the AKP's leadership decided to strip the chairman of the power to appoint local heads of the party.
"The decision itself is not very important for me, but I can not accept the way it has been made. All the consequences of the decision should have been analyzed. There is no unity in the party's leadership and I am falling under the impression that it is necessary to change the chairman to continue the party's successful efforts. It is not my choice, but it is a necessity. I will continue my activities as a AKP lawmaker," Davutoglu said during a briefing in Ankara.
He added that he would be loyal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and would not criticize his fellow party members.
Davutoglu was appointed as the country's prime minister in 2014. Relations between the president and the prime minister deteriorated over a number of issues, including Erdogan's plans to claw back more power from the parliament by switching to a presidential system and the two leaders divergent stance on freedom of speech in the country.
Davutoglu Paid the Price for Disagreements with Erdogan
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/davutoglu-paid-price-for-disagreements.html
AS IT HAPPENED: Davutoğlu-AKP board tensions rose step-by-step
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/as-it-happened-davutoglu-akp-board-tensions-rose-step-by-step-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98797&NewsCatID=338
Resignation of Turkish PM Davutoglu 'Palace Coup' – Opposition Leader
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039148117/davutoglu-resignation-coup.html
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/davutoglu-paid-price-for-disagreements.html
AS IT HAPPENED: Davutoğlu-AKP board tensions rose step-by-step
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/as-it-happened-davutoglu-akp-board-tensions-rose-step-by-step-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98797&NewsCatID=338
Resignation of Turkish PM Davutoglu 'Palace Coup' – Opposition Leader
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160505/1039148117/davutoglu-resignation-coup.html
angelburst29
The Living Force
Gun attack on Turkish editor outside court during his trial for exposing Turkey-Syria weapons convoy
https://www.rt.com/news/342092-shooter-attack-journalist-turkey/
An assailant has tried to shoot the editor-in-chief of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper Can Dündar , before the court was to announce the verdict on his case, Reuters reported, citing witnesses. The paper had published reports implicating the Turkish government in having links with extremists.
The gunman shouted “traitor” before firing at least three shots at the journalist, an eyewitness told Reuters, adding that Dündar, who was unarmed, was not injured in the incident.
Reportedly at least one journalist who was covering Dündar’s trial was injured, however.
Dündar, 54, and his colleague, chief of Ankara bureau of Cumhuriyet, Erdem Gul, 49, stand accused of trying to topple the government, something they allegedly attempted to do in May 2015 by publishing a video purporting to reveal truckloads of arms shipments to Syria overseen by Turkish intelligence.
[...] Both Dündar and Erdem spent 92 days in jail, almost half of that time in solitary confinement, before the Constitutional Court ruled in February that their pre-trial detention was a violation of their rights.
You can go your way’: Erdogan rejects demands to change anti-terror law for EU visa deal
https://www.rt.com/news/342086-erdogan-rejects-eu-deal/
The EU says: ‘You will change the anti-terror law for visas,’" Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul, as reported by AFP. "Pardon me, but we are going our way and you can go yours."
The EU had a list of 72 requirements that Ankara needs to abide by in order to get visa-free travel for its citizens. The changing of anti-terror legislation is one of the five remaining steps that Turkey needs to take, as well as the protection of personal data.
"Why aren't you changing your mindset when you allowed terrorists who put up tents close to the EU Parliament?" Erdogan said, in an apparent reference to tents that had been erected by Kurdish activists near the European Union Council building in Brussels in March, AFP reported.
Turkish Minister of European Union Affairs Volkan Bozkir was quoted by the Daily Sabah on Thursday as saying: "It's not possible to make any revision to the legislation and practices on terrorism while our country continues its intense fight against various terrorist organizations."
Turkey's visa-free regime, VS Ukraine's: truly unlimited possibilities for Erdogan
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/turkeys-visa-free-regime-vs-ukraines.html
Turkey seems like a sprinter in terms of getting what she wants in view of the time perspective (Turkey formalized its request for accession to the EEC, the EU's predecessor already on 14 April 1987. This could give Ukraine the concept of the order of magnitude how eager Europe is to see problem countries integrate into its ranks). But as soon as he had in his possession the "migration crisis" for leverage, Recep Erdogan demanded visa-free EU travel in exchange for an agreement on migrants. And now the European Commission agrees to grant his citizens Schengen Zone access without a visa hardly a few months after this requirement was expressed.
The agreement provides for the following: in exchange for the return of each illegal migrant in Turkey, the EU agrees to host refugees already in EU territory.
Turkey is gaining a lot more than the EU from this agreement. Out of 6 billion euros that Ankara will receive for the reception of refugees, truly unlimited possibilities lie open before her. Refugee status will soon become commonplace and the extent of corruption that this will bring on is hard to imagine.
n addition, this scheme does not guarantee that the flow of immigrants will be contained in any way. Instead, it is in Erdogan's interest that there be maximal clandestine immigrants: A clandestine shows up in the EU, is caught and, under the agreements, will be returned to Turkey. In return Turkey sends to the EU a "legal" immigrant who had previously bribed an official to obtain refugee status. The officer is satisfied, Erdogan is too. As for the EU, a refugee will be there anyway. The Turks have no concern whether it is a real refugee, or a terrorist on a mission.
Authorities Charge Turkish Journalists 'With Four Crimes Over One Article'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160504/1039083972/turkish-journalists-four-crimes.html
The two journalists were arrested in November after they published an article bringing to light Turkey's secret arms deliveries to Syrian jihadists.
Earlier, journalists were accused of "military and political espionage," but the prosecutor's office has changed the wording of the charges to "disclosure of classified information, which had to be kept confidential in the interests of state security, as well as its domestic and foreign policy."
The prosecutor's office has demanded prison terms of 10 to 25 years for the journalists. The next hearing of the case will be held on Friday, May 6.
According to Atalay, the main role in such trials is being played by politics. No one is actually interested in proving the guilt of journalists and is just willing to sentence them to a maximum possible penalty.
Over 400 Turkish Opposition Journalists Fired - Former Reporter
http://sputniknews.com/society/20160429/1038861228/journalists-opposition-job.html
In early March, both outlets have been placed under receivership by the ruling of the Istanbul court. Turkish journalists union condemned the authorities’ actions against opposition media, describing the rulings as the new method of censorship.
“Zaman office in Ankara has been shutdown, everyone is fired. Altogether, more than 400 people including foreign correspondents were fired from Zaman and Cihan," the reporter told RIA Novosti.
Private TV channels Kanaltürk and Bugün TV, newspapers Bugün Gazetesi and Millet Gazetesi, radio station Kanaltürk Radyo, all part of the Koza-Ipek holding, were shut down earlier this year over alleged unprofitableness.
The holding alongside the Zaman newspaper and Cihan news agency are considered by Turkish authorities to be connected with opposition Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Turkey to Fight Kurds Regardless of Who Occupies PM Office - Official
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039205368/kurds-office-pm-fight.html
On Thursday, Davutoglu confirmed media reports that he would step down from the post of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) leader and consequently the post of the country's prime minister after an extraordinary meeting of party leaders scheduled on May 22.
"I think the situation is worse enough. In general, the policy of the Turkish state is not to accept the Kurds anymore, their political, fundamental and cultural organization rights… I think that it doesn’t matter if Davutoglu is prime minister or somebody else is. Erdogan will still maintain his war against the Kurds," Uzun said.
According to Davutoglu, the resignation was a necessity because of the lack of unity in the AKP leadership. He added that he would be loyal to Erdogan and would not criticize his fellow party members.
The Kurds are Turkey's largest ethnic minority, comprising some 25 percent of the country's population.
Severe clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been arising sporadically in Turkey since July 2015, when Ankara declared a military campaign against the Kurdish organization that Turkish authorities consider to be terrorist
Turkey’s ‘Authoritarian Descent’ Puts Pressure on NATO
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039194569/nato-turkey-pressure-relations.html
"A NATO member, Turkey’s recent moves toward one-man rule and away from constitutional secularism are putting pressure on the alliance," the report stated.
The firm argued that the strong-man rule has become more appealing because of economic and demographic changes in the country.
Davutoglu said the resignation was not his choice but a “necessity” because of lacking unity in the AKP leadership. Media speculated that Erdogan could replace Davutoglu with his son-in-law Berat Albayrak.
The report continued that both the European Union and NATO find recent developments in Ankara troubling.
https://www.rt.com/news/342092-shooter-attack-journalist-turkey/
An assailant has tried to shoot the editor-in-chief of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper Can Dündar , before the court was to announce the verdict on his case, Reuters reported, citing witnesses. The paper had published reports implicating the Turkish government in having links with extremists.
The gunman shouted “traitor” before firing at least three shots at the journalist, an eyewitness told Reuters, adding that Dündar, who was unarmed, was not injured in the incident.
Reportedly at least one journalist who was covering Dündar’s trial was injured, however.
Dündar, 54, and his colleague, chief of Ankara bureau of Cumhuriyet, Erdem Gul, 49, stand accused of trying to topple the government, something they allegedly attempted to do in May 2015 by publishing a video purporting to reveal truckloads of arms shipments to Syria overseen by Turkish intelligence.
[...] Both Dündar and Erdem spent 92 days in jail, almost half of that time in solitary confinement, before the Constitutional Court ruled in February that their pre-trial detention was a violation of their rights.
You can go your way’: Erdogan rejects demands to change anti-terror law for EU visa deal
https://www.rt.com/news/342086-erdogan-rejects-eu-deal/
The EU says: ‘You will change the anti-terror law for visas,’" Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul, as reported by AFP. "Pardon me, but we are going our way and you can go yours."
The EU had a list of 72 requirements that Ankara needs to abide by in order to get visa-free travel for its citizens. The changing of anti-terror legislation is one of the five remaining steps that Turkey needs to take, as well as the protection of personal data.
"Why aren't you changing your mindset when you allowed terrorists who put up tents close to the EU Parliament?" Erdogan said, in an apparent reference to tents that had been erected by Kurdish activists near the European Union Council building in Brussels in March, AFP reported.
Turkish Minister of European Union Affairs Volkan Bozkir was quoted by the Daily Sabah on Thursday as saying: "It's not possible to make any revision to the legislation and practices on terrorism while our country continues its intense fight against various terrorist organizations."
Turkey's visa-free regime, VS Ukraine's: truly unlimited possibilities for Erdogan
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/05/turkeys-visa-free-regime-vs-ukraines.html
Turkey seems like a sprinter in terms of getting what she wants in view of the time perspective (Turkey formalized its request for accession to the EEC, the EU's predecessor already on 14 April 1987. This could give Ukraine the concept of the order of magnitude how eager Europe is to see problem countries integrate into its ranks). But as soon as he had in his possession the "migration crisis" for leverage, Recep Erdogan demanded visa-free EU travel in exchange for an agreement on migrants. And now the European Commission agrees to grant his citizens Schengen Zone access without a visa hardly a few months after this requirement was expressed.
The agreement provides for the following: in exchange for the return of each illegal migrant in Turkey, the EU agrees to host refugees already in EU territory.
Turkey is gaining a lot more than the EU from this agreement. Out of 6 billion euros that Ankara will receive for the reception of refugees, truly unlimited possibilities lie open before her. Refugee status will soon become commonplace and the extent of corruption that this will bring on is hard to imagine.
n addition, this scheme does not guarantee that the flow of immigrants will be contained in any way. Instead, it is in Erdogan's interest that there be maximal clandestine immigrants: A clandestine shows up in the EU, is caught and, under the agreements, will be returned to Turkey. In return Turkey sends to the EU a "legal" immigrant who had previously bribed an official to obtain refugee status. The officer is satisfied, Erdogan is too. As for the EU, a refugee will be there anyway. The Turks have no concern whether it is a real refugee, or a terrorist on a mission.
Authorities Charge Turkish Journalists 'With Four Crimes Over One Article'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160504/1039083972/turkish-journalists-four-crimes.html
The two journalists were arrested in November after they published an article bringing to light Turkey's secret arms deliveries to Syrian jihadists.
Earlier, journalists were accused of "military and political espionage," but the prosecutor's office has changed the wording of the charges to "disclosure of classified information, which had to be kept confidential in the interests of state security, as well as its domestic and foreign policy."
The prosecutor's office has demanded prison terms of 10 to 25 years for the journalists. The next hearing of the case will be held on Friday, May 6.
According to Atalay, the main role in such trials is being played by politics. No one is actually interested in proving the guilt of journalists and is just willing to sentence them to a maximum possible penalty.
Over 400 Turkish Opposition Journalists Fired - Former Reporter
http://sputniknews.com/society/20160429/1038861228/journalists-opposition-job.html
In early March, both outlets have been placed under receivership by the ruling of the Istanbul court. Turkish journalists union condemned the authorities’ actions against opposition media, describing the rulings as the new method of censorship.
“Zaman office in Ankara has been shutdown, everyone is fired. Altogether, more than 400 people including foreign correspondents were fired from Zaman and Cihan," the reporter told RIA Novosti.
Private TV channels Kanaltürk and Bugün TV, newspapers Bugün Gazetesi and Millet Gazetesi, radio station Kanaltürk Radyo, all part of the Koza-Ipek holding, were shut down earlier this year over alleged unprofitableness.
The holding alongside the Zaman newspaper and Cihan news agency are considered by Turkish authorities to be connected with opposition Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.
Turkey to Fight Kurds Regardless of Who Occupies PM Office - Official
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039205368/kurds-office-pm-fight.html
On Thursday, Davutoglu confirmed media reports that he would step down from the post of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) leader and consequently the post of the country's prime minister after an extraordinary meeting of party leaders scheduled on May 22.
"I think the situation is worse enough. In general, the policy of the Turkish state is not to accept the Kurds anymore, their political, fundamental and cultural organization rights… I think that it doesn’t matter if Davutoglu is prime minister or somebody else is. Erdogan will still maintain his war against the Kurds," Uzun said.
According to Davutoglu, the resignation was a necessity because of the lack of unity in the AKP leadership. He added that he would be loyal to Erdogan and would not criticize his fellow party members.
The Kurds are Turkey's largest ethnic minority, comprising some 25 percent of the country's population.
Severe clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been arising sporadically in Turkey since July 2015, when Ankara declared a military campaign against the Kurdish organization that Turkish authorities consider to be terrorist
Turkey’s ‘Authoritarian Descent’ Puts Pressure on NATO
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160506/1039194569/nato-turkey-pressure-relations.html
"A NATO member, Turkey’s recent moves toward one-man rule and away from constitutional secularism are putting pressure on the alliance," the report stated.
The firm argued that the strong-man rule has become more appealing because of economic and demographic changes in the country.
Davutoglu said the resignation was not his choice but a “necessity” because of lacking unity in the AKP leadership. Media speculated that Erdogan could replace Davutoglu with his son-in-law Berat Albayrak.
The report continued that both the European Union and NATO find recent developments in Ankara troubling.
angelburst29
The Living Force
The announcement that Ahmet Davutoglu will resign from his post of the Turkish Prime Minister shows that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to centralize as much power as possible. The current perturbations in Turkey is another sign that "Erdogan needs the Western welfare, but does not need Western values," Die Welt wrote.
EU on the Ropes? 'Those Who Deal With Erdogan Need Strong Nerves'
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160507/1039234139/eu-ropes-erdogan.html
Erdogan wants to maintain his relevance to the European Union for economic reasons, rather than a commitment to democracy, the German newspaper wrote.
"Those who will deal with Erdogan in the future, need strong nerves and an even greater degree of generosity, given the fact that in Turkey there is no rule of law or freedom of speech, or the so called Western values," the article said.
In March 2016, Turkey and the EU reached a deal, according to which Turkey pledged to take back all migrants who had illegally arrived to EU for actual Syrian refugees on a one for one basis.
Additionally, Turkey's accession bid to the EU was accelerated and the visa-free regime was also fast tracked.
One issue which needs to be hammered out is how predictable the Ankara government will be in the future and whether stabilization can finally take place in the country.
As such, Turkey remains an important partner for Merkel with regard to the current refugee crisis and its resolution. However, many believe that the German Chancellor is dependent on the Turkish leader and will further keep her eyes shut to the negative developments that take place in his country.
US Concerned Over Detention of Opposition Journalists in Turkey
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039225972/usa-concerned-turkish-detention.html
The United States has expressed concern over the sentencing of two prominent Turkish journalists to over five years in prison, for publishing an article on Turkey supplying weaponry to Syrian rebels.
"The United States is concerned by the guilty verdicts issued today in the trial of Cumhuriyet Editor Can Dundar and Ankara Bureau Chief Erdem Gul, who were convicted of leaking state secrets stemming from their journalistic work. We reiterate that the United States supports freedom of expression, and we call on the Turkish authorities to support an independent and unfettered media, which is an essential element of any democratic, open society," the US State Department said in a Friday statement.
Can Dundar and Erdem Gul from the Cumhuriyet opposition newspaper were arrested and placed in pre-trial detention in November 2015 for publishing an incriminating article and footage in the daily on May 29. Their investigation concluded that Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) trucks had carried containers with artillery shells, machine gun rounds and mortar shells to Syrian rebels.
Following the fourth hearing on the case on Friday, Dundar was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and Gul for five years and six months over releasing secret documents.
Earlier in the day, a gunman attempted to assassinate Dundar during a break at the hearing, but the journalist escaped unharmed, while the perpetrator was detained by Turkish police.
Turkey's crackdown on journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech has been condemned by the international community, including the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organization.
Turkey ranks 151th out of 180 countries in the RSF 2016 press freedom index.
Egypt Court Sentences to Death 6 Co-Defendants of Ex-President Morsi
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039234006/morsi-court-sentence.html
The defendants' documents will be handed over to Egypt's mufti for the sentence approval. Morsi will be adjudicated on June 18, the Arab country's television channels broadcast.
The sentence that may be announced next month would become the third for the former Egyptian leader after last year he was given a life sentence on charges of spying for foreign intelligence and sentenced to death over a mass jailbreak incident in 2011 during political demonstrations that contributed to the resignation of then-President Hosni Mubarak.
Morsi, now 64, won the presidential election in Egypt in 2012 to become the first democratically elected president of the country. The following year, he was ousted by the Egyptian military after large-scale anti-government protests.
No Elections In Turkey As Fascist Leader Erdogan Of Turkey Takes Full Control
http://novorossia.today/no-elections-turkey-fascist-leader-erdogan-turkey-takes-full-control/
Davutoglu has been reported to be clashing increasingly with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over the latter’s plans to reform the constitution in such a way as to dramatically increase the power of the presidency at the expense of the prime minister’s office.
Historically in Turkey, prime minister has been the more powerful position, with the presidency largely ceremonial. Recent reforms have already increased Erdogan’s power far beyond that of his predecessor, Abdullah Gul, and after the proposed reforms would have nearly unchecked power. AKP officials downplayed the significance of Davutoglu’s leaving office, saying they don’t intend to have snap elections, and will hold power through 2019. A closer ally of Erdogan is expected to take the premiership from Davutoglu, and so far it is unclear who will be party leader.
EU on the Ropes? 'Those Who Deal With Erdogan Need Strong Nerves'
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160507/1039234139/eu-ropes-erdogan.html
Erdogan wants to maintain his relevance to the European Union for economic reasons, rather than a commitment to democracy, the German newspaper wrote.
"Those who will deal with Erdogan in the future, need strong nerves and an even greater degree of generosity, given the fact that in Turkey there is no rule of law or freedom of speech, or the so called Western values," the article said.
In March 2016, Turkey and the EU reached a deal, according to which Turkey pledged to take back all migrants who had illegally arrived to EU for actual Syrian refugees on a one for one basis.
Additionally, Turkey's accession bid to the EU was accelerated and the visa-free regime was also fast tracked.
One issue which needs to be hammered out is how predictable the Ankara government will be in the future and whether stabilization can finally take place in the country.
As such, Turkey remains an important partner for Merkel with regard to the current refugee crisis and its resolution. However, many believe that the German Chancellor is dependent on the Turkish leader and will further keep her eyes shut to the negative developments that take place in his country.
US Concerned Over Detention of Opposition Journalists in Turkey
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039225972/usa-concerned-turkish-detention.html
The United States has expressed concern over the sentencing of two prominent Turkish journalists to over five years in prison, for publishing an article on Turkey supplying weaponry to Syrian rebels.
"The United States is concerned by the guilty verdicts issued today in the trial of Cumhuriyet Editor Can Dundar and Ankara Bureau Chief Erdem Gul, who were convicted of leaking state secrets stemming from their journalistic work. We reiterate that the United States supports freedom of expression, and we call on the Turkish authorities to support an independent and unfettered media, which is an essential element of any democratic, open society," the US State Department said in a Friday statement.
Can Dundar and Erdem Gul from the Cumhuriyet opposition newspaper were arrested and placed in pre-trial detention in November 2015 for publishing an incriminating article and footage in the daily on May 29. Their investigation concluded that Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) trucks had carried containers with artillery shells, machine gun rounds and mortar shells to Syrian rebels.
Following the fourth hearing on the case on Friday, Dundar was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and Gul for five years and six months over releasing secret documents.
Earlier in the day, a gunman attempted to assassinate Dundar during a break at the hearing, but the journalist escaped unharmed, while the perpetrator was detained by Turkish police.
Turkey's crackdown on journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech has been condemned by the international community, including the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organization.
Turkey ranks 151th out of 180 countries in the RSF 2016 press freedom index.
Egypt Court Sentences to Death 6 Co-Defendants of Ex-President Morsi
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160507/1039234006/morsi-court-sentence.html
The defendants' documents will be handed over to Egypt's mufti for the sentence approval. Morsi will be adjudicated on June 18, the Arab country's television channels broadcast.
The sentence that may be announced next month would become the third for the former Egyptian leader after last year he was given a life sentence on charges of spying for foreign intelligence and sentenced to death over a mass jailbreak incident in 2011 during political demonstrations that contributed to the resignation of then-President Hosni Mubarak.
Morsi, now 64, won the presidential election in Egypt in 2012 to become the first democratically elected president of the country. The following year, he was ousted by the Egyptian military after large-scale anti-government protests.
No Elections In Turkey As Fascist Leader Erdogan Of Turkey Takes Full Control
http://novorossia.today/no-elections-turkey-fascist-leader-erdogan-turkey-takes-full-control/
Davutoglu has been reported to be clashing increasingly with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over the latter’s plans to reform the constitution in such a way as to dramatically increase the power of the presidency at the expense of the prime minister’s office.
Historically in Turkey, prime minister has been the more powerful position, with the presidency largely ceremonial. Recent reforms have already increased Erdogan’s power far beyond that of his predecessor, Abdullah Gul, and after the proposed reforms would have nearly unchecked power. AKP officials downplayed the significance of Davutoglu’s leaving office, saying they don’t intend to have snap elections, and will hold power through 2019. A closer ally of Erdogan is expected to take the premiership from Davutoglu, and so far it is unclear who will be party leader.
