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Monday, February 29, 2016

Turkey's culture of snitching - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey's culture of snitching

They say politics can be a dangerous topic of conversation. Even some marriages don't survive a difference of political opinion. But one husband in Turkey took things even further.

More:Turkey's culture of snitching - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

How Syria's earliest refugees are about to become Turkish citizens - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

How Syria's earliest refugees are about to become Turkish citizens

Author Mehmet Cetingulec Posted February 29, 2016

Five years ago, the first 252 refugees arrived. Turkey initially agreed to accept a maximum of 100,000, and many people at that time thought there would never be that many refugees. But the flow gained momentum and by the end of 2012, 150,000 Syrians had crossed into Turkey.

More:How Syria's earliest refugees are about to become Turkish citizens - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Researchers set to discover Istanbul's lost island

Researchers set to discover Istanbul’s lost island
By Enver Faruk GÜNEY -
Feb 29, 2016

Vordonosi, dating from Byzantine times, reportedly sank 1,000 years ago due to a massive earthquake

By Burcu Arik

ISTANBUL – A team of Turkish archeologists are to dig deep to unearth a lost underwater island off the coast of Istanbul.

More:Researchers set to discover Istanbul's lost island

EU confirms Anastasiades Turkish language request - Cyprus

EU confirms Anastasiades Turkish language request

The EU Dutch presidency have confirmed that they have received an official request in the form of a written letter sent by President Nicos Anastasiades to include Turkish in the official EU languages.

More:EU confirms Anastasiades Turkish language request - Cyprus

Lira Pares Monthly Drop as Fitch Maintains Turkey's Credit Grade - Bloomberg Business

Lira Pares Monthly Drop as Fitch Maintains Turkey's Credit Grade
Constantine Courcoulas
February 29, 2016 — 3:37 AM EST

Turkey’s lira strengthened the most in more than three months as some traders bet its 2.3 percent slide on Friday was overdone, given the decision by Fitch Ratings to maintain the nation’s investment-grade status.

More:Lira Pares Monthly Drop as Fitch Maintains Turkey's Credit Grade - Bloomberg Business

Reconciliation with Turkey seemingly imminent - Israel News, Ynetnews

Reconciliation with Turkey seemingly imminent

Reports in Turkey indicate that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated in a Cabinet meeting that talks between the two nations are nearing a successful end.

More:Reconciliation with Turkey seemingly imminent - Israel News, Ynetnews

Don’t sacrifice Turkey to save Syria | Jean-Marie Guéhenno | Opinion | The Guardian

Don’t sacrifice Turkey to save Syria
Jean-Marie Guéhenno

Murderous suicide bombings. A deadly upsurge of ethno-sectarian violence spilling over from Syria. A country whose friendship with the US and EU is increasingly fragile, and is now at daggers drawn with a historic enemy, Russia.

More:Don’t sacrifice Turkey to save Syria | Jean-Marie Guéhenno | Opinion | The Guardian

A victory for the rule of law in Turkey - SEMİH İDİZ

A victory for the rule of law in Turkey

The Constitutional Court’s ruling on daily Cumhuriyet’s Editor in Chief Can Dündar and Ankara Bureau Chief Erdem Gül will help restore confidence in Turkey’s legal system, which increasingly has appeared to have been co-opted by the Presidency and the party in power.

More:A victory for the rule of law in Turkey - SEMİH İDİZ

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Turkey’s data protection draft law open to abuse: Expert - LOCAL

Turkey’s data protection draft law open to abuse: Expert

Barçın Yinanç - barcinyinanc@hdn.com.tr

The government’s new draft personal data protection law is highly problematic and open to abuse, according to Akın Ünver, an assistant professor at Kadir Has University and an executive and supervisory board member of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM).

More:Turkey’s data protection draft law open to abuse: Expert - LOCAL

The narrowing scope for democratic politics in Turkey - NURAY MERT

The narrowing scope for democratic politics in Turkey

The scope for democratic politics has always been limited in Turkey, but apart from during military coup eras it has never been as narrow as it is today.

More:The narrowing scope for democratic politics in Turkey - NURAY MERT

LETTER FROM ISTANBUL: The Trump Card | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County

LETTER FROM ISTANBUL: The Trump Card

James Tressler / Today @ 8:25 a.m. / Letter From Istanbul

Trump Tower-Istanbul is an impressive, 40-story building located in Sisli, on the city’s European side. Its residents include Iranian-born businessman Reza Zarrab, who was implicated in a corruption scandal that also involved the sons of three Turkish Parliament members.

More:LETTER FROM ISTANBUL: The Trump Card | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County

Turkey on Lookout for Anti-Terror Systems

Turkey on Lookout for Anti-Terror Systems
By Burak Ege Bekdil, Defense News 11 a.m. EST February 28, 2016

ANKARA, Turkey — Hit by three major terror attacks since last October, Turkey’s top security officials are moving to build a better homeland security system designed to preemptively strike potential terrorists.

More:Turkey on Lookout for Anti-Terror Systems

Turkey: Reaching limits but will keep taking in refugees | WFTV

Turkey: Reaching limits but will keep taking in refugees

by: MEHMET GUZEL and SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Updated: Feb 7, 2016 - 4:34 PM

KILIS, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has reached the end of its "capacity to absorb" refugees but will continue to take them in, the deputy premier said Sunday, as his country faced mounting pressure to open its border to tens of thousands of Syrians who have fled a government onslaught.

More:Turkey: Reaching limits but will keep taking in refugees | WFTV

Turkey's Erdogan says does not respect court ruling on journalists | Reuters

Turkey's Erdogan says does not respect court ruling on journalists
ISTANBUL

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he did not respect or accept a constitutional court ruling that the detention of two journalists from a leading opposition newspaper had violated their rights.

More:Turkey's Erdogan says does not respect court ruling on journalists | Reuters

Turkey Raises Anti-Smuggling Steps but Faces Uphill Struggle - The New York Times

Turkey Raises Anti-Smuggling Steps but Faces Uphill Struggle

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey all but turned a blind eye last year as more than 850,000 people, most of them Syrians, slipped into Greece from Turkey on smugglers' boats. Now it's promised the European Union that will change.

More:Turkey Raises Anti-Smuggling Steps but Faces Uphill Struggle - The New York Times

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Turkish politics topic of presentation | News | muskogeephoenix.com

Turkish politics topic of presentation

Northeastern State University’s Department of Geography, Political Science and Sociology invites the public to attend a presentation by Dr. Birol Yesilada, professor of political science and international studies, as part of its Cultural Exchange Series.

More:Turkish politics topic of presentation | News | muskogeephoenix.com

Saudi Warplanes Arrive at Turkish Airbase

Saudi Warplanes Arrive at Turkish Airbase
By Burak Ege Bekdil, Defense News 4:24 p.m. EST February 27, 2016

ANKARA — A batch of four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets of the Royal Saudi Air Force arrived Feb. 26 at the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey, officials said.

More:Saudi Warplanes Arrive at Turkish Airbase

Istanbul's Riva Castle to be restored - ARCHAEOLOGY

Istanbul's Riva Castle to be restored

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has pushed the button on the restoration of Riva Castle, situated on Istanbul’s Black Sea coast. A tender will be initiated on March 17 for the restoration and environmental organization of the castle.

More:Istanbul's Riva Castle to be restored - ARCHAEOLOGY

Finally, Some Good News for Freedom of Speech in Turkey | VICE News

Finally, Some Good News for Freedom of Speech in Turkey

By VICE News and Reuters
February 26, 2016 | 7:04 am

In what has been hailed as a historic ruling, two prominent Turkish journalists from a leading opposition newspaper were freed from jail in the early hours of Friday after Turkey's top court said their detention had violated their fundamental rights.

More:Finally, Some Good News for Freedom of Speech in Turkey | VICE News

EU Commission warns of ′disaster′ if migrant talks fail | News | DW.COM | 26.02.2016

EU Commission warns of 'disaster' if migrant talks fail

EU Migration Commissioner Avramopoulos has strongly criticized border controls and daily caps to stem the flow of migrants. His remarks came as Slovenia introduced limits on refugee numbers.

More:EU Commission warns of ′disaster′ if migrant talks fail | News | DW.COM | 26.02.2016

Friday, February 26, 2016

US ‘very sensitive’ to Turkey’s YPG concerns - AMERICAS

US ‘very sensitive’ to Turkey’s YPG concerns

WASHINGTON – Anadolu Agency

The United States is “very sensitive” to Turkey’s concerns regarding the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the military arm of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), America’s top diplomat said Feb. 25.

More:US ‘very sensitive’ to Turkey’s YPG concerns - AMERICAS

A step not only for press freedom in Turkey - MURAT YETKİN

A step not only for press freedom in Turkey

Two Turkish journalists - daily editor-in-chief Cumhuriyet Can Dündar and its Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül - were released from prison in the early hours of Feb. 26 after being in pre-trial detention for 92 days. The release came after a decision by the Constitutional Court on the evening of Feb. 25.

More:A step not only for press freedom in Turkey - MURAT YETKİN

IMF revises Turkey’s growth forecast for 2016, warns of ‘highly vulnerable’ world economy - ECONOMICS

IMF revises Turkey’s growth forecast for 2016, warns of ‘highly vulnerable’ world economy

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its 2016 growth forecast for Turkey by 0.3 points in a report released on late Feb. 24, while the organization has pointed out a weakening global recovery, with the world economy “highly vulnerable” to adverse shocks.

More:IMF revises Turkey’s growth forecast for 2016, warns of ‘highly vulnerable’ world economy - ECONOMICS

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Defying the odds, Syrian refugees return to Aleppo | Middle East | DW.COM | 25.02.2016

Defying the odds, Syrian refugees return to Aleppo

Fearing a possible siege in Aleppo, many Syrian refugees currently awaiting their fate on the border with Turkey are going back to be with their families. Anna Lekas Miller reports from Kilis.

More:Defying the odds, Syrian refugees return to Aleppo | Middle East | DW.COM | 25.02.2016

Will Putin’s economic attacks bring Erdogan down? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Will Putin’s economic attacks bring Erdogan down?

The Russian plane shot down by the Turkish air force Nov. 24 has brought President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin into serious confrontation. The economic warfare that began shortly afterward has been inflicting heavy damage on Turkey ever since.

More:Will Putin’s economic attacks bring Erdogan down? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Nestle launches Turkish chocolate Damak in US  | Food Industry News | just-food

Nestle launches Turkish chocolate Damak in US

By Katy Askew | 25 February 2016

Nestle is launching Damak, its premium Turkish chocolate brand, in the US.

The brand combines pistachios and chocolate and is available in a "fine" chocolate bar and a "rich dark" chocolate bar, the company said. The bar is free from artificial flavours and colours, Nestle added.

More:Nestle launches Turkish chocolate Damak in US  | Food Industry News | just-food

The ministry of stand-up comedy - BURAK BEKDİL

The ministry of stand-up comedy

Had the news text not been dispatched by the always serious, always meticulous, semi-official state news agency, Anatolia Agency, I would have suspected it of being a set of misquotations at best and a hoax at worst. But Anatolia’s reporters are experienced enough to not misquote a cabinet minister so erroneously (and if they did misquote the minister, they should run a correction).

More:The ministry of stand-up comedy - BURAK BEKDİL

Activist becomes symbol of Turkey’s Green Artvin Association - AYŞE ARMAN

Activist becomes symbol of Turkey’s Green Artvin Association

For days we have been holding our breath waiting for the resistance at Cerattepe, Artvin to yield results. The positive news we got the other day halting the mine construction work certainly relieved us all.

More:Activist becomes symbol of Turkey’s Green Artvin Association - AYŞE ARMAN

The astonishing new numbers behind Europe’s refugee crisis - The Washington Post

The astonishing new numbers behind Europe’s refugee crisis

By Ishaan Tharoor February 25 at 3:00 AM

According to new data, the number of migrant and refugee arrivals in Italy and Greece has already passed more than 100,000 this year, which points to an influx that could dwarf numbers from 2015.

More:The astonishing new numbers behind Europe’s refugee crisis - The Washington Post

Turkey gives up on Obama, bristles over Syria deal – POLITICO

Turkey gives up on Obama, bristles over Syria deal

Roy Gutman

2/25/16, 5:30 AM CET

ISTANBUL — The Russian-American agreement on a partial cease fire in Syria, hailed by President Vladimir Putin as a “real chance” to stop the war, got a wary welcome this week in Turkey, whose government fears that Moscow will exploit the deal and continue with its bombing campaign to redraw the battlefield of Syria in favor of Bashar Assad’s regime.

More:Turkey gives up on Obama, bristles over Syria deal – POLITICO

How ISIS extremist media have hijacked religion and language | Asia Pacific Report

How ISIS extremist media have hijacked religion and language
By PMC Editor -
February 25, 2016

By Dr Alan Knight in Sydney

Moderate Muslims were losing the media war with ISIS, according to leading Turkish journalist, Kerim Balci.

”Authentic” Muslims were losing to “radical so called Muslims” because of the obvious symbiosis between journalists and terrorists.

More:How ISIS extremist media have hijacked religion and language | Asia Pacific Report

Saudi jets to arrive in Turkey’s İncirlik airbase tomorrow in fight against Daesh - Daily Sabah

Saudi jets to arrive in Turkey’s İncirlik airbase tomorrow in fight against Daesh
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL
Published 7 hours ago

Saudi jets to arrive in Turkey’s İncirlik airbase tomorrow in fight against Daesh

Four Saudi F-15 fighter jets are expected to arrive at Turkey's İncirlik airbase on Friday in the fight against Daesh, according to various reports.

More:Saudi jets to arrive in Turkey’s İncirlik airbase tomorrow in fight against Daesh - Daily Sabah

Turkey: detained journalists expected to be freed, still face trial | euronews, world news

Turkey: detained journalists expected to be freed, still face trial

25/02 21:41 CET

Turkey’s supreme court ruled on Thursday that the detention of two prominent opposition journalists had “violated their rights.”

Can Dundar, the editor-in-chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, and Erdem Gul, the paper’s Ankara bureau chief, are facing trial, but are expected to be released from custody.

More:Turkey: detained journalists expected to be freed, still face trial | euronews, world news

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Turkey’s Erdogan is a Dangerous Tyrant

Turkey’s Erdogan is a Dangerous Tyrant

by Brian Cloughley

Turkish prosecutors Monday launched an investigation into the head of Turkey’s main opposition party after he called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a ‘tinpot dictator.’ The chief prosecutor’s office in Ankara launched the probe on charges of ‘openly insulting the president,’ the official Anatolia new agency reported [on January 18].

More:Turkey’s Erdogan is a Dangerous Tyrant

Turkey- Philippines' oldest mosque to receive 1 mln funding | MENAFN.COM

Turkey- Philippines' oldest mosque to receive 1 mln funding Join our daily free Newsletter

(MENAFN - The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) >The Philippines' oldest mosque will receive more than 1 million in tourism support funding a statement announced Tuesday amid efforts to expand the industry’s potential in the underdeveloped Muslim south.

More:Turkey- Philippines' oldest mosque to receive 1 mln funding | MENAFN.COM

Turkey: Financial support for tourism industry

Financial support for tourism industry

Turkey plans to provide €80 million worth of subsidies to support struggling hoteliers and tourism companies after already providing subsidies for airlines.

More:Turkey: Financial support for tourism industry

Hundreds are being arrested as Turkey's Erdogan cracks down on journalists, academics and activists - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Hundreds are being arrested as Turkey's Erdogan cracks down on journalists, academics and activists
Lateline
By Middle East correspondent Matt Brown

Hundreds of Turkish human rights activists, academics and journalists have been prosecuted in recent months in what critics say is a wide-ranging crackdown on free speech.

More:Hundreds are being arrested as Turkey's Erdogan cracks down on journalists, academics and activists - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

EU foreign policy chief warns of war between Russia and Turkey — JNS.org

EU foreign policy chief warns of war between Russia and Turkey

(JNS.org) The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, on Tuesday warned of the risk of a “hot war” between Russia and Turkey.

More:EU foreign policy chief warns of war between Russia and Turkey — JNS.org

Analysts: Turkey Unlikely to Follow Through on Threat to Close Coalition Airbase

Analysts: Turkey Unlikely to Follow Through on Threat to Close Coalition Airbase

Kasim Cindemir

February 23, 2016 3:05 PM

A top Turkish official said last week that Ankara may consider closing the Incirlik Air Base, which the U.S. uses as the major hub for U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

More:Analysts: Turkey Unlikely to Follow Through on Threat to Close Coalition Airbase

U.S. tension with Turkey escalates over aid

U.S. tension with Turkey escalates over aid

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is declining demands from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop helping the Syrian Kurds, who are fighting the Islamic State, because he views them as terrorists, according to a new report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

More:U.S. tension with Turkey escalates over aid

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Security official: DNA report suggest Ankara bomber was Turkish - Breaking News - Jerusalem Post

Security official: DNA report suggest Ankara bomber was Turkish

ANKARA - A DNA report from a suicide bombing that killed 29 people in the Turkish capital Ankara last week suggests the main perpetrator was Turkish-born, not Syrian as initially stated by the government, a senior Turkish security official said on Tuesday.

More:Security official: DNA report suggest Ankara bomber was Turkish - Breaking News - Jerusalem Post

Death toll in Ankara bombing increased to 29 | Fox News

Death toll in Ankara bombing increased to 29
Published February 23, 2016 Associated Press
Facebook0 Twitter0

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's Health Ministry says a man injured in last week's suicide car bomb attack in Ankara has died of his wounds, raising the death toll to 29.

More:Death toll in Ankara bombing increased to 29 | Fox News

Turkey's cenbank says to keep policy tight in face of inflation | Reuters

Turkey's cenbank says to keep policy tight in face of inflation
ISTANBUL

Feb 23 Turkey's central bank said on Tuesday it would stick to a tight monetary policy, taking into account expectations of inflation and pricing behaviour.

More:Turkey's cenbank says to keep policy tight in face of inflation | Reuters

The refugee crisis: A mirror into Turkey’s growing instability | Global Risk Insights

The refugee crisis: A mirror into Turkey’s growing instability
3 0 1 0
by Iain MacGillivray , February 22, 2016

The Syrian crisis has shaken the foundations of the ‘European’ Project and polarized the European community. However, the continent is dealing with a small number of refugees in comparison to states in the Middle East. Lebanon and Turkey have taken significant amounts of Syrian refugees since the crisis began in 2011. Turkey has adopted an open-door policy to the flow of refugees; however, there are many questioning within Ankara whether Turkey has maybe reached its limit.

Currently, around 2.5 million refugees who have fled the civil war in Syria are living in Turkey. On top of this, there are tens of thousands waiting at the Turkish border for entry to escape the escalation of violence that has occurred between Russian-backed Syrian forces, the Islamic State (IS), opposition ‘moderate’ and jihadist forces. With the potential fall of Aleppo, the refugee crisis is set to worsen.

More:The refugee crisis: A mirror into Turkey’s growing instability | Global Risk Insights

PKK planned, YPG gave assailants for Ankara bomb attack | Fulton News

PKK planned, YPG gave assailants for Ankara bomb attack

By Kristoff Saunders on February 22, 2016No Comment

- Turkish officials say Ankara blast carried out jointly by terrorist PKK and YPG groups

More:PKK planned, YPG gave assailants for Ankara bomb attack | Fulton News

Turkey steps into dangerous territory - Pulse Headlines

Turkey steps into dangerous territory
By Daleska Pedriquez / Monday, 22 Feb 2016 08:44AM

Istanbul – Turkey vowed to retaliate against Syrian Kurds, to which they blamed for the suicide bombing that killed 28 people last Wednesday in Ankara, the Turkish capital. The retaliations include Turkey sending troops to Syria to stop the advance of the Kurds to their border.

More:Turkey steps into dangerous territory - Pulse Headlines

Journalism taken to court in Turkey, again - FARUK BİLDİRİCİ

Journalism taken to court in Turkey, again

Should a prosecutor watch a television show into which a case has been opened, including as “evidence” a recording of the show?

More:Journalism taken to court in Turkey, again - FARUK BİLDİRİCİ

NATO may not support Turkey in a war with Russia

NATO may not support Turkey in a war with Russia
SEDAT SUNA

Important NATO Members are not willing to support Turkey in a possible big war with Russia, according to a report by the German magazine Der Spiegel.

More:NATO may not support Turkey in a war with Russia

Turkey's Situation Becoming More Desperate | PJ Media

Turkey's Situation Becoming More Desperate
By Rick Moran February 21, 2016

Beset by enemies from without and within, Turkey's strategic situation is becoming more desperate.

More:Turkey's Situation Becoming More Desperate | PJ Media

US Envoy’s Trip to Kobani Sparks Tension Between US and Turkey

US Envoy’s Trip to Kobani Sparks Tension Between US and Turkey

Jamie Dettmer

February 22, 2016 12:16 AM
GAZIANTEP, TURKEY—

A February 1 visit by a top U.S diplomat to Syria's border town of Kobani for meetings with Syrian Kurdish leaders is at the center of a widening rift between Ankara and Washington.

More:US Envoy’s Trip to Kobani Sparks Tension Between US and Turkey

Letter From Istanbul: Young Turks choose technology not teargas

Letter From Istanbul: Young Turks choose technology not teargas

By
Brooke Anderson

22 February 2016

Istanbul youth is turning to entrepreneurship

Then I noticed everyone in the street was coughing, but I couldn’t work out why until I saw police in riot gear. I had just got a whiff of Turkish domestic politics.

More:Letter From Istanbul: Young Turks choose technology not teargas

Monday, February 22, 2016

IS and Russia Could Exploit Turkey's Political Divisions - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

IS and Russia Could Exploit Turkey's Political Divisions

Soner Cagaptay

February 22, 2016

Unfortunate civil unrest could emerge if the jihadist group continues targeting anti-government Turks and Moscow keeps its sights set on Erdogan and his party.

In January 2016, The Washington Institute sponsored a daylong workshop on the challenges to U.S. policy in the Middle East posed by new trends in political ideology. This PolicyWatch is part of a series of written contributions by participants.

Following its November 1, 2015, victory in parliamentary elections with 49.5 percent of the vote, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has established itself as the leader in a dominant-party system echoing African National Congress (ANC) rule in South Africa since 1994. Yet unlike the ANC, which continues to garner more than 60 percent popular support, the AKP has just half the Turkish population lined up behind it, with the other half vehemently opposing its agenda and that of its leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More:IS and Russia Could Exploit Turkey's Political Divisions - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

To stop tourism slump, Erdogan asks Turks to holiday at home - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

To stop tourism slump, Erdogan asks Turks to holiday at home

Turkey's tourism industry is under serious threat following the crisis with Russia, continuing clashes in southeast Turkey and bomb explosions in Ankara and Istanbul. It is now clear that the roughly 4 million Russian tourists who have been Turkey’s loyal visitors are not coming this year.

More:To stop tourism slump, Erdogan asks Turks to holiday at home - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Will Obama or Erdoğan blink first? - MURAT YETKİN

Will Obama or Erdoğan blink first?

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan gave one of his strongest messages during an Istanbul evening organized at the historic Çırağan Palace on Feb. 20 for the occasion of UNESCO’s naming of Gaziantep as the “city of gastronomy.”

More:Will Obama or Erdoğan blink first? - MURAT YETKİN

Is Turkey crushing Kurdish self-rule in Syria? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Is Turkey crushing Kurdish self-rule in Syria?

Looking back at Turkey’s failed peace process with the Kurds now that it has devolved into a bloody conflict also affecting Syria, the position of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan is perhaps best summarized through something he conveyed to lawmakers from the Kurdish-dominated Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) during a March 2014 meeting on the prison island of Imrali, where he is serving a life sentence. According to minutes of his meetings with the HDP team that began in 2013 and ended April 5, 2015, Ocalan said, “I have a family. My family — 5 or 10 million people — we rebelled. Now we want to make peace. How is this to be achieved? I want to give up the war. Do you agree?”

More:Is Turkey crushing Kurdish self-rule in Syria? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

CHP's rising Christian star subjected to hate speech - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

CHP's rising Christian star subjected to hate speech

The Feb. 9 headline in the pro-government daily Bugun proclaimed, “CHP spokesperson Boke has been baptized.” The newspaper claimed that the Republican People’s Party, the main opposition, was facing a crisis over the religious identity of its public voice, Selin Sayek Boke. The report detailed Boke’s family's roots, revealing that her father was from Hatay province and an Orthodox Christian.

More:CHP's rising Christian star subjected to hate speech - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Was last week's Ankara attack just the beginning? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Was last week's Ankara attack just the beginning?

The car bomb attack that rocked Ankara Feb. 17 killed 28 people, most of them military personnel. About 100 others were wounded. The assailant was also killed.

More:Was last week's Ankara attack just the beginning? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

'A multifaceted catastrophe': Turkey has 'so alienated everyone it cannot convince anyone to do anything' - Business Insider

'A multifaceted catastrophe': Turkey has 'so alienated everyone it cannot convince anyone to do anything'
The Washington Post

Liz Sly, The Washington Post

14h 34,399 33

ISTANBUL — Turkey is confronting what amounts to a strategic nightmare as bombs explode in its cities, its enemies encroach on its borders and its allies seemingly snub its demands.

More:'A multifaceted catastrophe': Turkey has 'so alienated everyone it cannot convince anyone to do anything' - Business Insider

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Contested waters in NATO s new Aegean migrant mission - Yahoo7

Contested waters in NATO's new Aegean migrant mission

AFP

Athens (AFP) - In its new mission in the Aegean to help Europe tackle its worst migration crisis in 60 years, NATO is wading into one of the world's most contested seas.

More:Contested waters in NATO s new Aegean migrant mission - Yahoo7

The birth of federal Cyprus - Cyprus Mail Cyprus Mail

The birth of federal Cyprus

February 21st, 2016 Alper Ali Riza Comment 13 Comments

By Alper Ali Riza

I am not sure if the Turkish side is insisting on a virgin birth – the creation of an entirely new state in Cyprus borne of the union of two constituent states – in the talks to solve the Cyprus problem that are beginning to drag on interminably with no end in sight.

More:The birth of federal Cyprus - Cyprus Mail Cyprus Mail

Turkey’s increasingly desperate predicament poses real dangers - The Washington Post

Turkey’s increasingly desperate predicament poses real dangers

By Liz Sly February 20 at 7:09 PM

ISTANBUL — Turkey is confronting what amounts to a strategic nightmare as bombs explode in its cities, its enemies encroach on its borders and its allies seemingly snub its demands.

More:Turkey’s increasingly desperate predicament poses real dangers - The Washington Post

Saturday, February 20, 2016

The So-called German-Turkish Secret Pact could be about 1.5 Million Migrants | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

The So-called German-Turkish Secret Pact could be about 1.5 Million Migrants
By Stratediplo

A few days ago some European alternative press got excited about the “disclosing” to Hungarian parliament members on February 10, by prime minister Viktor Orbán, of a so-called secret pact between Germany and Turkey planning to transfer from Turkey, for distribution within the European Union, of 400,000 to 500,000 more Syrian refugees.

More:The So-called German-Turkish Secret Pact could be about 1.5 Million Migrants | Global Research - Centre for Research on Globalization

Turkish gamers and designers eyeing lucrative market | Fulton News

Turkish gamers and designers eyeing lucrative market

By Kristoff Saunders on February 20, 2016No Comment

-Digital games are eclipsing Hollywood and the music industry in profitability; can Turkey be part of the gaming revolution?

More:Turkish gamers and designers eyeing lucrative market | Fulton News

Turkey says US supplied weapons now in hands of extremists | Al Bawaba

Turkey says US supplied weapons now in hands of extremists

Published February 20th, 2016 - 06:00 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Turkey's president says weapons supplied by the United States have ended up in the hands of Daesh militants as well as the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) based in Syria.

More:Turkey says US supplied weapons now in hands of extremists | Al Bawaba

Turkey says Obama shares Syria concerns with Erdogan, affirms support - Channel NewsAsia

Turkey says Obama shares Syria concerns with Erdogan, affirms support

Turkey's presidency said U.S. President Barack Obama had shared his concerns over the Syrian conflict and promised his support on Friday, hours after a tense exchange between the two NATO allies over the role of Kurdish militants.

More:Turkey says Obama shares Syria concerns with Erdogan, affirms support - Channel NewsAsia

Merkel says EU-Turkey plan is our priority on migration | Reuters

Merkel says EU-Turkey plan is our priority on migration
BRUSSELS

European Union member states threw their weight behind a joint EU-Turkey plan to limit the flow of refugees to Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said early on Friday after several hours of talks with EU leaders.

More:Merkel says EU-Turkey plan is our priority on migration | Reuters

Friday, February 19, 2016

Istanbul among Europe's 'Big Four' megacities: report

Istanbul among Europe’s ‘Big Four’ megacities: report
By Harun Varlı -
Feb 20, 2016

Istanbul is among Europe’s ‘Big Four’ megacities alongside London, Moscow and Paris, according to JLL’s international report

More:Istanbul among Europe's 'Big Four' megacities: report

NATO Worried about Possible Turkey-Russia Hostilities - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Putin vs. Erdogan: NATO Concerned over Possible Russia-Turkey Hostilities

In Syria, the danger of a war between Turkey and Russia is on the rise. Officials in Berlin are worried that the situation could become an uncomfortable test case for NATO while Moscow seems intent on sowing divisions within the alliance.

It was a year deep in the Cold War, a time when the world was closer to nuclear war than ever. There were myriad provocations, red lines were violated, airspace was infringed upon and a plane was shot down.

More:NATO Worried about Possible Turkey-Russia Hostilities - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Turkey raps US flip-flop on Kurdish insurgents, World News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

Turkey raps US flip-flop on Kurdish insurgents

ISTANBUL • Turkey's foreign minister accused the United States yesterday of making conflicting statements about the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, in a sign of deepening divisions between the Nato allies over policy in Syria.

More:Turkey raps US flip-flop on Kurdish insurgents, World News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

Ankara bombing: Kurdish militants claim responsibility - CNN.com

Kurdish militants claim deadly Ankara blast, vow to 'destroy' Turkish tourism

By Greg Botelho and Zeynep Bilginsoy, CNN

Updated 2:15 PM ET, Fri February 19, 2016

(CNN)The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks -- known as the TAK -- claimed responsibility for this week's deadly bombing in Turkey's capital, calling it "revenge" for Turkish military actions and warning tourists their lives could be next.

More:Ankara bombing: Kurdish militants claim responsibility - CNN.com

Turkey says Obama shares Syria concerns with Erdogan, affirms support | Reuters

Turkey says Obama shares Syria concerns with Erdogan, affirms support
ISTANBUL | By Ece Toksabay

Turkey's presidency said U.S. President Barack Obama had shared his concerns over the Syrian conflict and promised his support on Friday, hours after a tense exchange between the two NATO allies over the role of Kurdish militants.

More:Turkey says Obama shares Syria concerns with Erdogan, affirms support | Reuters

INTERVIEW: Niyazi Berkes’ life a window onto Turkey’s national story - BOOKS

INTERVIEW: Niyazi Berkes’ life a window onto Turkey’s national story

William Armstrong - william.armstrong@hdn.com.tr

The life of Turkish intellectual Niyazi Berkes bridged the Ottoman and Republican eras and provides a useful window through which to explore his turbulent times. The left-leaning Berkes was invested in the Kemalist project of the early Turkish Republic, but circumstances later forced him into voluntary exile at the beginning of the Cold War.

More:INTERVIEW: Niyazi Berkes’ life a window onto Turkey’s national story - BOOKS

Difficult questions on the Ankara attack - MURAT YETKİN

Difficult questions on the Ankara attack

A bomb blast rocked central Ankara at rush hour on the evening of Feb. 17, killing 28 and wounding 61. Government sources stated that a suicide bomber pulled the trigger on 30 kilos of explosives next to two buses stopped at a red traffic light carrying military and civilian personnel back home from military offices.

More:Difficult questions on the Ankara attack - MURAT YETKİN

Turkey bombing: Kurdish TAK group says it attacked Ankara - BBC News

Turkey bombing: Kurdish TAK group says it attacked Ankara

A Turkey-based Kurdish militant group has said it carried out Wednesday's bomb attack in Ankara that killed 28 people.

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) group said on its website that the attack was retaliation against the policies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More:Turkey bombing: Kurdish TAK group says it attacked Ankara - BBC News

The Political Aftermath of Ankara’s Terrorist Attack - The Atlantic

The Political Aftermath of Ankara’s Terrorist Attack

Turkey has blamed a U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish group for a deadly explosion in the capital.

More:The Political Aftermath of Ankara’s Terrorist Attack - The Atlantic

Turkey's Erdogan says saddened by U.S. arming of Syrian Kurdish militia | Reuters

Turkey's Erdogan says saddened by U.S. arming of Syrian Kurdish militia
ISTANBUL

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he was saddened by the West's refusal to call the Syrian Kurdish PYD a terrorist group and would speak with U.S. President Barack Obama later on Friday by phone about how U.S. weapons had aided them.

More:Turkey's Erdogan says saddened by U.S. arming of Syrian Kurdish militia | Reuters

Istanbul New Airport will have six runways and the world's biggest duty free shop | Daily Mail Online

The airport of the future: Istanbul's gigantic new hub will have six runways, the world's biggest duty free shop and a capacity of 200 MILLION passengers

Istanbul New Airport, the name given to the project so far, will have four phases and be fully operational by 2028
Phase 1a is scheduled to wrap up by the end of 2018 and includes the world's largest airport terminal under one roof
Nervous tourists are skipping Turkey this year after terror attacks, but that hasn't slowed plans for the airport

By Chris Kitching for MailOnline

Nervous holidaymakers are avoiding Turkey following a spree of deadly terror attacks, but that hasn’t slowed plans for a gigantic state-of-the-art airport in Istanbul.

It will be one of the biggest international airports in the world once the fourth and final phase is finished by 2028 – and potentially the busiest – with six runways, flights to 350 destinations and an eventual annual capacity of 200 million passengers.

More:Istanbul New Airport will have six runways and the world's biggest duty free shop | Daily Mail Online

The EU's plan to stop the next wave of Syrian refugees

Turkey and the EU plan to stop the next wave of Syrian refugees

Critics assert that the EU is trying to buy its way out of the refugee crisis

Adnan R. Khan

February 19, 2016

Muhammad al Ahmed can recount the exact moment he felt freed from the grip of the Syrian civil war. It was the early morning of Jan. 30, and he had taken his tentative first steps out of his family home in a middle-class suburb of Damascus. Ahead lay the dangerous journey on the refugee trail to Europe, behind the ruin of unyielding conflict. “I had no idea where my life would lead me,” says the 25-year-old electrician, slumped over a steaming cup of black tea in an Istanbul café. “I knew I would have to start from zero, in a strange place where I don’t speak the language. But nothing could be as bad as Syria.”

More:The EU's plan to stop the next wave of Syrian refugees

Turkey's Erdogan says Syrian Kurdish militia used U.S. weapons on civilians - Yahoo News

Turkey's Erdogan says Syrian Kurdish militia used U.S. weapons on civilians
Reuters By Ece Toksabay
29 minutes ago

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said U.S.-supplied weapons had been used against civilians by a Syrian Kurdish militia group that Ankara blames for a deadly suicide bombing, and said he would talk to President Barack Obama about it later on Friday.

More:Turkey's Erdogan says Syrian Kurdish militia used U.S. weapons on civilians - Yahoo News

The Syrian Refugees Trapped Between an Angry Turkey and a Vengeful Assad | TIME

The Syrian Refugees Trapped Between an Angry Turkey and a Vengeful Assad

Jared Malsin/Gazientap, Turkey @jmalsin

Feb. 18, 2016

Thousands of desperate refugees are fleeing northern Syria, under attack by Russia and the Syrian government. But they have nowhere to go

More:The Syrian Refugees Trapped Between an Angry Turkey and a Vengeful Assad | TIME

US says cannot ‘confirm or deny’ YPG responsibility in Ankara blast - DIPLOMACY

US says cannot ‘confirm or deny’ YPG responsibility in Ankara blast

ISTANBUL

U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby has said Washington cannot “confirm or deny” whether the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) were responsible for the Feb. 17 attack on Ankara that claimed 28 lives.

More:US says cannot ‘confirm or deny’ YPG responsibility in Ankara blast - DIPLOMACY

Fridges and flour: Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy

Fridges and flour: Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy

* Refugees fuelling growth through consumer spending

* Ankara has told EU it will stem migrant flow to Europe

* Refugee influx has also raised prices and job competition

By Nevzat Devranoglu

ISTANBUL, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Turkey's 2.6 million Syrian refugees may be straining the housing and jobs systems, but they're also fuelling economic growth.

More:Fridges and flour: Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy

EU, Turkey to Hold Migration Summit - The Daily Beast

EU, Turkey to Hold Migration Summit
Stephane De Sakutin/Reuters

The European Union said it is organizing a summit with Turkey in early March to discuss curbing the tide of migrants crossing into Europe, EU Council President Donald Tusk said Friday. Tusk announced plans for the meeting during a two-day European Union summit in Brussels and said it will likely take place in the first week of March. A previous meeting between the 11 EU leaders and Turkey had been planned but was canceled following a bomb attack in Turkish capital Ankara. The EU has agreed to contribute billions of euros, ease visa restrictions, and fast-track membership for Turkey in an effort to tighten border controls. “We agreed that our joint action plan with Turkey remains a priority and we must do all we can to succeed,” Tusk said.

More:EU, Turkey to Hold Migration Summit - The Daily Beast

Here’s why you should worry about Turkey

Here’s why you should worry about Turkey

Turkey is facing renewed security concerns following a bombing in Ankara earlier this week that's highlighted the severe challenges the country faces at home and abroad.

More:Here’s why you should worry about Turkey

Container houses for Syrian refugees under construction in Turkey

Container houses for Syrian refugees under construction in Turkey
19 February 2016, 09:42 (GMT+04:00)

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Container houses are under construction for Syrian refugees in Turkey’s Kilis province, Anadolu agency reported Feb. 19.

The houses will accommodate a total of 9,000 Syrian refugees.

More:Container houses for Syrian refugees under construction in Turkey

Thursday, February 18, 2016

It pays to be cautious, but don't cross Istanbul, Turkey off your travel itinerary just yet - The Orange County Register

It pays to be cautious, but don’t cross Istanbul, Turkey off your travel itinerary just yet

Feb. 18, 2016

As headlines last summer told of Syrians pouring over the border into Turkey, I cannot tell a lie, it sort of scared me.

Intellectually, I know that every border crosser isn’t a terrorist, that most of them are just trying to escape the raging civil war, but which is which?

More:It pays to be cautious, but don't cross Istanbul, Turkey off your travel itinerary just yet - The Orange County Register

Terror in Turkey: The Q&A with Seda Serdar | All media content | DW.COM | 18.02.2016

Terror in Turkey: The Q&A with Seda Serdar

The Turkish capital was hit by another terror attack after the blast in Ankara in October. It comes at a time when Turkey feels trapped and is not seeing eye-to-eye with its long-standing allies in the Syrian conflict. Is the situation in the region getting out of control? Here's what Seda Serdar, Head of DW Turkish program thinks.

More:Terror in Turkey: The Q&A with Seda Serdar | All media content | DW.COM | 18.02.2016

A look at Turkey's friends and foes in the Syria conflict - News-Talk 1110 WBT

A look at Turkey's friends and foes in the Syria conflict

By The Associated Press

Turkey accuses several of its enemies of carrying out a deadly suicide bombing in Ankara. The prime minister blames the attack on the Kurdish militia in Syria, Turkey's own outlawed Kurdish rebel group and the Syrian government. A look at Turkey's friends and foes in the Syria conflict:

More:A look at Turkey's friends and foes in the Syria conflict - News-Talk 1110 WBT

Can Bieber fever rescue Turkey's tourism trade? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Can Bieber fever rescue Turkey's tourism trade?

Turkey's tourism industry is now feeling the dire consequences of downing a Russian jet in November, along with the repercussions of terrorist attacks.

More:Can Bieber fever rescue Turkey's tourism trade? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

The Political Aftermath of Ankara’s Terrorist Attack - The Atlantic

The Political Aftermath of Ankara’s Terrorist Attack

The Turkish government has blamed two Kurdish groups for a bomb attack in the country’s capital that killed 28 people, including one the United States considers an ally in the fight against the Islamic State.

More:The Political Aftermath of Ankara’s Terrorist Attack - The Atlantic

Migrant swap deal with Turkey should go on, says Dutch initiator

Migrant swap deal with Turkey should go on, says Dutch initiator

By Peter Teffer
Brussels, Today, 21:00

The cancellation of a mini-summit Thursday (18 February) on refugees is a “setback”, but only in terms of process, said Dutch centre-left MP Diederik Samsom.

More:Migrant swap deal with Turkey should go on, says Dutch initiator

Did EU meddle with Turkish elections? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Did EU meddle with Turkish elections?

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish president’s patience was running out. His EU interlocutors were offering him 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) for stemming the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe.

More:Did EU meddle with Turkish elections? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Erdogan continues effort to hold on to power in Turkey | The Sofia Globe

Erdogan continues effort to hold on to power in Turkey
Written by Dorian Jones of VOANews on February 17, 2016 in Europe - Comments Off on

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s aspiration to change Turkey’s parliamentary system of government to an executive presidency is being blamed for the collapse of talks to create a new constitution.

Erdogan is already touring the country promoting an executive presidency; but, lack of parliamentary support could make a general election more likely.

More:Erdogan continues effort to hold on to power in Turkey | The Sofia Globe

Ankara terror attack: New era of Turkish politics? - CNN.com

Terror attack in Ankara: A new era of Kurdish politics for Turkey?

By Soner Cagaptay

(CNN)The modus operandi of Wednesday's deadly bomb attack in Ankara, which targeted off-duty military officers, is reminiscent of similar past attacks carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

More:Ankara terror attack: New era of Turkish politics? - CNN.com

Opinion: Ankara attack isolates Turkey | Opinion | DW.COM | 18.02.2016

Opinion: Ankara attack isolates Turkey

The terrorist attack in Ankara and its stated connection to the Kurdish YPG is a dangerous turn of events. Turkey needs to avoid boots on the ground in the Syrian conflict, says DW's Seda Serdar.

More:Opinion: Ankara attack isolates Turkey | Opinion | DW.COM | 18.02.2016

Turkey becomes EU’s fifth-largest trade partner: Data - BUSINESS

Turkey becomes EU’s fifth-largest trade partner: Data

FRANKFURT - Anadolu Agency

Turkey became the European Union’s fifth largest trade partner in 2015, according to data released by Eurostat.

According to a new report, the EU exported goods worth 2.04 trillion euros ($2.27 trillion) in 2015, while total imports stood at 1.79 trillion euros.

More:Turkey becomes EU’s fifth-largest trade partner: Data - BUSINESS

Ankara Attack May Complicate U.S.-Turkish Relations, Fight Against ISIS and Assad - The Takeaway

Ankara Attack May Complicate U.S.-Turkish Relations, Fight Against ISIS and Assad
Thursday, February 18, 2016

In the Turkish capital of Ankara, a car bomb exploded as a military convoy drove by late last night. At least 28 people were killed, and the Turkish government is blaming a Syrian-Kurdish militant group for the attack.

More:Ankara Attack May Complicate U.S.-Turkish Relations, Fight Against ISIS and Assad - The Takeaway

The Latest: Kurd leader: Rogue elements may be behind attack - KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News

The Latest: Kurd leader: Rogue elements may be behind attack

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Latest on Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and aftermath of Ankara bombing (all times local):

The leader of a Kurdish umbrella organization - which includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK - has said he does not know who is behind the suicide car bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people.

More:The Latest: Kurd leader: Rogue elements may be behind attack - KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News

Love Letter to a Troubled Turkey - The Globalist

Love Letter to a Troubled Turkey

Reflections on the occasion of the car bomb in Ankara.
By Behzad Yaghmaian, February 18, 2016

Turkey was a safe haven for the refugees from troubled areas of the world.
Is this the end of the Turkey I have been keeping so close to my heart?
May peace and safety return to the streets of Turkey!

My romance with Turkey began 14 years ago, in September 2002. I had traveled to Istanbul to chronicle the life stories of migrants and refugees on their journey to Europe.

More:Love Letter to a Troubled Turkey - The Globalist

EU parliamentarians to visit southeastern Turkey - RIGHTS

EU parliamentarians to visit southeastern Turkey

LONDON – Doğan News Agency

A delegation from the European Parliament’s (EP) Socialist Group, including EU Turkey rapporteur Kati Piri, is set to pay a visit Feb. 19 to the Sur district of southeastern Diyarbakır province, where the clashes between the security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants have been ongoing for months.

More:EU parliamentarians to visit southeastern Turkey - RIGHTS

Ankara Bombing: Scenes from the Deadly Attack | Foreign Policy

Ankara Bombing: Scenes from the Deadly Attack

By Siobhán O'Grady

A car bomb exploded in downtown Ankara as a convoy of military buses traveled through a neighborhood close to parliament and the country’s military headquarters, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens more.

More:Ankara Bombing: Scenes from the Deadly Attack | Foreign Policy

Turkey Blames Syrian Kurdish Militant for Deadly Car Bombing - The New York Times

Turkey Blames Syrian Kurdish Militant for Deadly Car Bombing

ISTANBUL- The Turkish government said on Thursday that a car bombing that killed 28 people in the capital, Ankara, a day earlier had been carried out by a member of a Syrian Kurdish militia in cooperation with Kurdish militants in Turkey.

More:Turkey Blames Syrian Kurdish Militant for Deadly Car Bombing - The New York Times

Erdoğan: 14 detained for Ankara attack, int’l community must understand PKK-PYD ties - POLITICS

Erdoğan: 14 detained for Ankara attack, int’l community must understand PKK-PYD ties

ANKARA

Fourteen suspects in seven provinces were detained for links to a car bomb attack in Ankara on Feb. 18 that claimed at least 28 lives, including 20 high ranking soldiers and eight citizens, and wounded 61 people, Turkish President Rececp Tayyip Erdoğan has said.

More:Erdoğan: 14 detained for Ankara attack, int’l community must understand PKK-PYD ties - POLITICS

Turkey wants Syria ground operation, but says no consensus among allies - MIDEAST

Turkey wants Syria ground operation, but says no consensus among allies

ANKARA - Reuters

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some European allies want ground troops deployed in Syria but there is no consensus in the coalition and a strategy for such an operation has not been seriously debated, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.

More:Turkey wants Syria ground operation, but says no consensus among allies - MIDEAST

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

NEW INFORMATION: Merkel says Germans share Turkey's pain

NEW INFORMATION: Merkel says Germans share Turkey's pain
Updated: Wed 2:29 PM, Feb 17, 2016

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sharply condemned the attack in the Turkish capital that killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 others.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sharply condemned the attack in the Turkish capital that killed at least 28 people and wounded 61 others.
More:NEW INFORMATION: Merkel says Germans share Turkey's pain

World reacts with outrage to Ankara bombing

World reacts with outrage to Ankara bombing

Leaders in Europe, the Gulf and Asia condemn bomb attack and offer solidarity to Turkey

More:World reacts with outrage to Ankara bombing

Mother tells of deaths of children in escape to Turkey

Mother tells of deaths of children in escape to Turkey

Necva's son, daughter killed by airstrike as she fled Syria, two sons survived

By Izzet Mazi

KILIS, Turkey

Necva Abid fled her home in Syria’s Aleppo province ten days ago with four of her children amid Kurdish attacks backed by Russian airstrikes.

More:Mother tells of deaths of children in escape to Turkey

The more Turkey tries, the more it seems to fail - SEMİH İDİZ

The more Turkey tries, the more it seems to fail

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu finally put to rest speculation about a possible invasion of Syria by Turkey. It was his remarks which fueled this debate in the first place.

More:The more Turkey tries, the more it seems to fail - SEMİH İDİZ

Dozens of leather shops close down in Istanbul as sector loses Russian market - BUSINESS

Dozens of leather shops close down in Istanbul as sector loses Russian market

Ceyhun Kuburlu-ISTANBUL

Some 40 percent of the shops in Istanbul’s leather exporting district, Zeytinburnu, have been closed down, leaving 3,000 people jobless, as the sector faces the risk to lose its largest market, Russia. The owners of the remaining shops have said their products were seized in Russia.

More:Dozens of leather shops close down in Istanbul as sector loses Russian market - BUSINESS

Erdogan claims Turkey’s “right to retaliate” after Ankara bombing | euronews, world news

Erdogan claims Turkey’s “right to retaliate” after Ankara bombing

17/02 23:13 CET

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted immediately to the bombing, issuing an “official statement condemning the attack“http://www.tccb.gov.tr/en/.

More:Erdogan claims Turkey’s “right to retaliate” after Ankara bombing | euronews, world news

Car bomb targeting military buses kills 28 in Turkish capital Ankara | euronews, world news

Car bomb targeting military buses kills 28 in Turkish capital Ankara

At least 28 dead as car bomb targets military in Turkish capital Ankara

A large explosion in the Turkish capital Ankara has killed 28 people and injured more than 60 according to a government spokesman.

More:Car bomb targeting military buses kills 28 in Turkish capital Ankara | euronews, world news

Syrians in Turkey caught between EU deals | Europe | DW.COM | 17.02.2016

Syrians in Turkey caught between EU deals

As thousands of Syrians fleeing the war amass on the border to Turkey, those already there are struggling with homegrown bureaucracy and European ineptitude. Anna Lekas Miller reports from Istanbul.

More:Syrians in Turkey caught between EU deals | Europe | DW.COM | 17.02.2016

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again called for a referendum on changing Turkey's political system to one where the president has executive powers

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again called for a referendum on changing Turkey's political system to one where the president has executive powers

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 2/17/16 11:03 am EST - Updated: 2/17/16 11:03 am EST

ANKARA, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again called for a referendum on changing Turkey's political system to one where the president has executive powers, a day after an opposition party withdrew from a parliamentary committee tasked with drafting a new constitution.

More:President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again called for a referendum on changing Turkey's political system to one where the president has executive powers

Terror strikes Turkey again

Terror strikes Turkey again

Wednesday, 17 February 2016 21:21

An explosion hit military vehicles at an intersection in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Wednesday evening. According to the initial reports at least 18 killed and 45 others were injured in the blast.

More:Terror strikes Turkey again

Terrorists "leaders" identified by US: Wanted Dead or Alive.

ISIS mass murder
Last week, the U.S. Treasury announced that it was imposing sanctions on three key figures in the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), Faysal al-Zahrani, Husayn Juaythini and Turki al-Binali,  as it continues to cripple the group’s financing infrastructure.

Such measures ensure that anyone involved in financial dealings with the sanctioned individuals will face financial penalties, effectively severing the individuals from the global financial system.

“The Treasury and our partners worldwide are aggressively targeting ISIL’s ability to earn and make use of its money, and we are making progress on many fronts,” said Adam J. Szubin, the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, in a statement, using another acronym for ISIS.

Faysal al-Zahrani: The U.S. Treasury last week released a number of details about Zahrani’s role in the organization. He joined ISIS’s natural resources ministry in July 2014, a department that directs the radical Islamist group’s lucrative oil and gas trade operations. He rose to become a senior oil and gas official for the group in Hasakah province in eastern Syria. In August 2015 he was placed  “in charge of all” ISIS oil and gas activities in the region.

The Saudi national, whose age is unknown, worked for ISIS’s oil chief Abu Sayyaf, one of the most prominent ISIS officials to be killed by the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, and “regularly transferred funds to him,” according to the report. U.S. special forces killed Sayyaf in a raid in May last year.

Zahrani was in charge of at least five oil fields and directed a team of seven officials, the department said, and through these activities garnered “ten of millions of dollars” in oil and gas money for ISIS’s coffers in the space of six months between September 2014 and March 2015. He is believed to now oversee the production of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) at an oil production site, known as Rukaybah. As of December 2015, Zahrani “remained responsible” for the oil and gas operations around the town of Shaddadi in Hasakah.

Husayn Juaythini:  Juaythini was born in a refugee camp in the coastal enclave of the Gaza Strip. He eventually travelled to Syria in September 2014 where he pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The U.S. Treasury says that he then became a key figure in the attempts of ISIS “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to establish an affiliate in Gaza, linking Baghdadi with armed factions in the region and using ISIS funds to develop their presence. He also assisted in facilitating the movement of Libyan extremists to Syria to join ISIS.

Before he joined ISIS and moved to Syria in September 2014, Juaythini was the second-in-command of the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem. This is a Salafi jihadi group with a presence in the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the department said.

The U.S. lists the group as an extremist organization and it has dedicated several of its attacks to Al-Qaeda, according to the Long War Journal. He is known to have plotted attacks against Israel and coordinated with a Libyan financier for weapons and funding.

Turki al-Binali: The Treasury sanctioned Bahraini ISIS ideologue Binali for assisting the recruitment of foreign fighters for the radical Islamist group. He acts as a shari, or spiritual leader, for the group, decrying their rivals and circulating ISIS’s ideology among its supporters. As of November 2014, Binali has served as the “chief religious adviser” to ISIS.

He originates from a well-known Bahraini family and studied at Dubai’s Islamic and Arabic Studies College before being deported and continuing his studies in Bahrain and Lebanon, according to the Associated Press. He proceeded to travel to Syria to join ISIS and he has been pictured preaching in a Mosul mosque as early as July 2014, just a month after the group’s takeover of the city.

In July 2013, the 31-year-old wrote a biography of Baghdadi under the pen name Abu Humam Bakr bin Abd al-Aziz al-Athari while ISIS was still in its earlier incarnation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI), according to the U.S.-based think tank the Washington Institute.

In his account of the ISIS leader, Binali claimed that Baghdadi is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and detailed his links to the Iraqi al-Bu Badri tribe, known for historic links to Muhammad, and detailed Baghdadi’s education at the Islamic University of Baghdad, where he obtained a PhD, and his preaching at the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal Mosque in the Iraqi city of Samarra.

As ISIS started to form and Baghdadi announced the group’s expansion into Syria in 2013, Binali called on Muslims to pledge allegiance to the new group in a publication named “Extend Your Hands to Give Bay‘a [loyalty] to Baghdadi,” according to Cole Bunzel, an ISIS expert and doctoral candidate at Princeton University. Bunzel indicates that Binali was imprisoned in Bahrain around seven years ago, without elaborating on the charge for his incarceration.

He proceeded to circulate ISIS propaganda under the Twitter username @turky_albinali but his account is now suspended. The U.S. Treasury notes that he now plays a pivotal propaganda role within the organization.

Binali “provides literature and fatwas” for the group’s jihadi training camps and pamphlets for their recruitment efforts, as well as running a recruitment cell since March 2014 to bring Gulf nationals to join the extremist group. Bahrain subsequently revoked his citizenship in January last year.

He has also provided the group with religious justification for enslaving women of ethnic minorities, as the group has done with thousands of Yazidi women and children in Iraq. ISIS views members of the minority sect as devil worshippers. He wrote on an online jihadi forum: “There is no doubt that enslaving women of infidel warriors” is allowed, adding that “it is not permitted to kill women and children but they become slaves to Muslims.”

Read more: Who Are the ISIS Leaders Subject to New U.S. Sanctions?

One Turkish town has done so much for Syrian refugees it’s up for the Nobel Peace Prize | GlobalPost

One Turkish town has done so much for Syrian refugees it’s up for the Nobel Peace Prize

KILIS, Turkey — The town of Kilis, a busy little place just a few miles from the Syrian border, is where many refugees fleeing the horror of war are first able to breathe a sigh of relief.

More:One Turkish town has done so much for Syrian refugees it’s up for the Nobel Peace Prize | GlobalPost

'Russia fuels refugee crisis to harm EU, Turkey'

Russia fuels refugee crisis to harm EU, Turkey: experts

Several analysts and diplomats believe that Russia hits civilian targets in Syria to exacerbate refugee crisis

More:'Russia fuels refugee crisis to harm EU, Turkey'

Capitalizing on the Kurds | Stratfor

Capitalizing on the Kurds
Analysis
February 17, 2016 | 09:16 GMT Print

Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan are preparing to hold two important referendums that could each impact the fate of the region's Kurds, albeit in very different ways. In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to gather more power under the presidency in the name of addressing the threat posed by Turkey's unruly Kurdish minority. In Arbil, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani is hoping to renew his electoral mandate by reviving the issue of Kurdish independence.

More:Capitalizing on the Kurds | Stratfor

Turkey builds ‘first two-story container refugee camp’ | Fulton News

Turkey builds ‘first two-story container refugee camp’

By Drew Parker on February 17, 2016No Comment

- 'We have 1,000 two-story container houses ready right now and 248 more such houses will be prepared within two weeks,' Kilis province deputy governor says

More:Turkey builds ‘first two-story container refugee camp’ | Fulton News

Erdogan's Syria policy takes a dangerous turn | The Japan Times

Erdogan’s Syria policy takes a dangerous turn
by Gwynne Dyer

Feb 16, 2016

LONDON – “We will defend Aleppo: all of Turkey stands behind its defenders” — Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Feb. 10.

“Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation (into Syria) by land” — Turkish Foreign Minister Mehmed Cavusoglu, Feb. 13.

mORE:Erdogan's Syria policy takes a dangerous turn | The Japan Times

EU referendum in Britain: Pro-European Union group says Brexit would cost London £13.9bn | City A.M.

Staying in the European Union will deliver a “permanent boost” to the capital's economy, according to new figures released by pro-Europe business group London First.

Analysis conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) for the lobby outfit says that EU membership could add £13.9bn a year and 75,000 jobs to London's economy by 2030.

EU referendum: Pro-European Union group says Brexit would cost London £13.9bn | City A.M.

Turkish Airlines wants task force to enliven tourism sector - TOURISM

Turkish Airlines wants task force to enliven tourism sector

Güneş Kömürcüler - ISTANBUL

Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil has called for tourism representatives to create a task force and to focus on Asia and Africa as the sector players have voiced their concerns amid escalating risks affecting the country’s tourist numbers.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Erdogan's son investigated in Italy - English - ANSA.it

Erdogan's son investigated in Italy
Follows petition from Erdogan political opposer

(ANSA) - Bologna, February 16 - Prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Bologna are investigating the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of a money laundering probe, ANSA sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

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SHEHAB AL MAKAHLEH: Could Turkey implode? - Washington Times

Could Turkey implode?

By Shehab Al Makahleh - - Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Turkey, an erstwhile U.S. ally long hailed as a bastion of secular democracy in the Muslim world, could be spiraling toward all-out civil war and potential dissolution as conflicts between Turkish security forces and Kurds and other ethnic minorities continue to escalate. These conflicts have been exacerbated by the catastrophic war in neighboring Syria, which has created a refugee crisis in Turkey, expanded Turkey’s bloody campaign against Kurds into Iraq and Syria, and pushed Turkish officials into a convenient collusion with the Islamic State, or ISIS.

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Syrians with work permits to earn as much as Turks - Daily Sabah

Syrians with work permits to earn as much as Turks
DAILY SABAH
ISTANBUL
Published 34 min ago

Khalid Bilal, a Syrian shoemaker, in his workshop in the western city of İzmir with his son. He is among the few Syrians with a steady income as he earns as much as TL 100 a day and complains of being forced to work illegally. Khalid Bilal, a Syrian shoemaker, in his workshop in the western city of İzmir with his son. He is among the few Syrians with a steady income as he earns as much as TL 100 a day and complains of being forced to work illegally.
A Cabinet minister said Tuesday that Syrian refugees, recently granted work permits in Turkey, will be paid the same wages as their Turkish counterparts in a bid to prevent discrimination

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‘A solution to an over 40-year division is at hand’ - Cyprus Mail Cyprus Mail

‘A solution to an over 40-year division is at hand’

February 16th, 2016 Angelos Anastasiou Cyprus 22 Comments

A Cyprus solution will dramatically change the stability outlook of the region, Dutch MEP and rapporteur on Turkey’s accession progress Kati Piri said on Tuesday.

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Turkey's first driverless metro line debuts

Turkey's first driverless metro line debuts

Tuesday, 16 February 2016 21:13
Published by Ozgur Tore

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced that Turkey's first driverless metro line will be put into service in Istanbul by end of 2016.

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EU condemns PKK violence in Turkey's southeast

EU condemns PKK violence in Turkey's southeast

Draft progress report says Turkey has right to fight terrorism but must respect human rights

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EU falling 'silent' on Turkish abuses for help on migrants: rapporteur - Yahoo News

EU falling 'silent' on Turkish abuses for help on migrants: rapporteur
Reuters By Ayla Jean Yackley

By Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Anxiety about refugees streaming to its shores has led the European Union to turn an apparent blind eye to rights abuses in Turkey, whose help the EU needs to reduce the migrant influx, the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey said on Tuesday.

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The Kurds – Between Putin and Erdogan - The Media Line

The Kurds – Between Putin and Erdogan
By The Media Line Staff | The Media Line

February 16, 2016

What is the relationship between the Kurdish regions of southeastern Turkey, and the Caucasus region in southwestern Russia? Both have Kurdish populations terrorized by their respective governments.

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Kurdish forces capture key Syrian town near Turkey | Business Standard News

Kurdish forces capture key Syrian town near Turkey

IANS | Damascus February 16, 2016 Last Updated at 05:06 IST

Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday captured over 70 percent of a key town in northern Syria near Turkish borders, a monitor group reported.

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Gearing up for the mother of all wars - YUSUF KANLI

Gearing up for the mother of all wars

Tensions are building up. It is as if several key actors are collaborating viciously to send the world into a catastrophe. Will it be a third world war, as some pundits have started talking about, or will it be the “mother of all wars” – as the propaganda minister of the devastated dictator Saddam Hussein of yesterday’s Iraq talked about while the Americans almost occupied all of Baghdad?

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Flash - Hezbollah says Turks, Saudis dragging whole region into war - France 24

Hezbollah says Turks, Saudis dragging whole region into war

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday accused Ankara and Riyadh of dragging the entire region into war and said "victory" was imminent for his Shiite Lebanese group and its Syrian regime allies.

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Free Syrian Army abandons Aleppo, leader flees to Turkey - MURAT YETKİN

Free Syrian Army abandons Aleppo, leader flees to Turkey

Murat Yetkin
Some 14,000 militants of the Syrian rebel group have abandoned Aleppo, while its commander has fled to Turkey, according to Turkish security sources

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Anonymous: Hacker unleashes 17.8GB trove of data from a Turkish national police server

Anonymous: Hacker unleashes 17.8GB trove of data from a Turkish national police server

By Jason Murdock
February 16, 2016 12:03 GMT

A hacker aligned with the Anonymous hacking collective has unleashed a trove of data reportedly containing sensitive contents of a Turkish national police database in order to "take action against corruption" in the nation's government. Now, the massive dataset, stolen from the Turkish General Directorate of Security (EGM), has been posted on peer-to-peer file sharing sites for the public to download freely and view.

More:Anonymous: Hacker unleashes 17.8GB trove of data from a Turkish national police server

Turkey about to conclude a deal with Israel on 'all issues': Turkish official | Reuters

Turkey about to conclude a deal with Israel on 'all issues': Turkish official
ISTANBUL

Turkey is about to conclude a deal with Israel on "all issues", a Turkish official said on Tuesday, a sign the two former allies may be moving toward a compensation agreement for the killing of 10 Turkish activists by Israeli commandos in 2010.

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Turkey wants Syria ground operation with allies | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR

Turkey wants Syria ground operation with allies

ISTANBUL: Turkey is asking its coalition partners, including the United States, to take part in a joint ground operation in Syria to try to end the five-year-old civil war, a Turkish official said Tuesday.

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NATO warships in Aegean Sea target refugees, not smugglers – Workers World

NATO warships in Aegean Sea target refugees, not smugglers

By G. Dunkel posted on February 15, 2016

Syrian refugee camp in Turkey, 2013.Feb. 14 — In 2015, over 1 million refugees entered Europe, the greatest human flow of desperate people since World War II. So far in the first six weeks of 2016, 80,000 people fleeing their homelands have entered Europe, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

More:NATO warships in Aegean Sea target refugees, not smugglers – Workers World

Merkel calls for ‘no-fly zone’ in Syria — RT News

Merkel calls for ‘no-fly zone’ in Syria
Published time: 16 Feb, 2016 04:53
Edited time: 16 Feb, 2016 10:34

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed the controversial idea of imposing a no-fly zone over northern Syria to alleviate the refugee crisis as the country plays along with Ankara’s demands for the creation of a “buffer area” along its border.

More:Merkel calls for ‘no-fly zone’ in Syria — RT News

Monday, February 15, 2016

Obama’s Most Momentous Decision | Consortiumnews

Obama’s Most Momentous Decision
February 15, 2016

Exclusive: President Obama must decide if he will let the Syrian civil war come to an end with Russian-backed President Assad still in power or if he will escalate by supporting a Turkish-Saudi invasion, which could push the world to the brink of nuclear war, writes Joe Lauria.

More:Obama’s Most Momentous Decision | Consortiumnews

EU's East wants plan to seal Greek border if Turkey deal fails - Chicago Tribune

EU's East wants plan to seal Greek border if Turkey deal fails
Ladka Bauerova, (c) 2016, Bloomberg(c) 2016, Bloomberg

The European Union's eastern members agreed that should a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees into Europe fail, the bloc should have a "plan B" that would seal Greece's northern borders.

More:EU's East wants plan to seal Greek border if Turkey deal fails - Chicago Tribune

Obama admin gamble on Syria backfires - Business Insider

One of the Obama administration's biggest gambles in Syria is completely backfiring

Natasha Bertrand

Turkey's prime minister said on Monday that Ankara will not allow the strategic city of Azaz in northern Syria to fall to Kurdish YPG forces, promising the "harshest reaction" if the Kurds did not retreat.

More:Obama admin gamble on Syria backfires - Business Insider

Syrian refugees in Turkey are pawns in a geopolitical game | Cihan Tugal | Opinion | The Guardian

Syrian refugees in Turkey are pawns in a geopolitical game

Turkey’s government is trying to negotiate with the EU, using refugees as bargaining chips. This hardly brings the crisis closer to a resolution

More:Syrian refugees in Turkey are pawns in a geopolitical game | Cihan Tugal | Opinion | The Guardian

For veteran Turkish smuggler, only an army could stop migrant flow | Reuters

For veteran Turkish smuggler, only an army could stop migrant flow
IZMIR, Turkey | By Dasha Afanasieva

Demand has never been higher for the services of Turkish smuggler Dursun, who has taken migrants to Europe for more than decade, and he says nothing short of an army could stamp out his illicit trade.

More:For veteran Turkish smuggler, only an army could stop migrant flow | Reuters

Turkey’s other ‘Gezi’ moment | openDemocracy

Turkey’s other ‘Gezi’ moment
Ali Bilgiç 15 February 2016

There were two Gezi moments: one, a resistance to neoliberal authoritarianism; the other, a defence of representative democracy and ‘the national will’, for whom Gezi spelt the end of democracy.

More:Turkey’s other ‘Gezi’ moment | openDemocracy

All Change in the Russian-Western Strategic Climate - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

All Change in the Russian-Western Strategic Climate

...In November 2015, when the Turks shot down a Russian bomber over the Syrian border, NATO had shivers running down its spine. Dying for Warsaw and Riga was one thing; dying as a result of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s failed brinkmanship was another. Luckily, that time Putin decided to give Ankara a nonmilitary answer. Next time, however, luck might run out. Erdoğan seems to believe that after having served NATO well for forty years against the Soviets, Turkey now has the right to count on the alliance’s support where it matters for Ankara—and Syria matters to Erdoğan as much as Ukraine does to Putin.

The United States does not share Erdoğan’s apparent logic, but U.S. influence in Turkey does not amount to full control over Ankara’s actions and policies. Should Turkey and Russia indeed clash in Syria, then not only NATO’s credibility but also peace in the Euro-Atlantic region and the whole world would be at risk...

More:All Change in the Russian-Western Strategic Climate - Carnegie Europe - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

How fighters are filtering across the Syrian-Turkish border - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

How fighters are filtering across the Syrian-Turkish border

Some 60,000 people trying to escape Syrian and Russian attacks in the province of Aleppo are amassed at Turkey's border, and concerns are rising that there are militants among them.

More:How fighters are filtering across the Syrian-Turkish border - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Sunday, February 14, 2016

VIDEO shows how 3 Turkey-bound UK/Kurdish smugglers managed to fit 240K rounds of ammo into 2 vans — RT News

VIDEO shows how 3 Turkey-bound UK/Kurdish smugglers managed to fit 240K rounds of ammo into 2 vans

Unlimited ammunition is no longer the domain of video games or movies: these three arrested British smugglers, reportedly of Iraqi Kurdish origin, managed to fit almost 240,000 cartridges into their vans while attempting to cross into Turkey from Greece.

More:VIDEO shows how 3 Turkey-bound UK/Kurdish smugglers managed to fit 240K rounds of ammo into 2 vans — RT News

A dangerous escalation on the Turkey-Syria border - MURAT YETKİN

A dangerous escalation on the Turkey-Syria border

As Turkish artillery started pounding Syrian-Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) military positions in Syria on Feb. 13, it became clear what Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu meant last week when he said: “Just wait, you’ll see.”

More:A dangerous escalation on the Turkey-Syria border - MURAT YETKİN

Truth underrated in Turkish politics, says ‘Share of Truth’ head - POLITICS

Truth underrated in Turkish politics, says ‘Share of Truth’ head

Barçın Yinanç - barcinyinanc@hdn.com.tr

Truth is underrated in Turkey and is not the first thing that voters expect from politicians, according to the co-founder of online fact-checking website “Doğruluk Payı” (Share of Truth).

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Cizre businesses ask for help after clashes, curfews hit Turkey’s east - BUSINESS

Cizre businesses ask for help after clashes, curfews hit Turkey’s east

Dozens of businesses are facing bankruptcy following two months of clashes and curfews in Cizre in Turkey’s southeastern province of Şırnak.

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Vladimir Putin wants to destroy Nato: the Syria war may offer him the chance - Telegraph

Vladimir Putin wants to destroy Nato: the Syria war may offer him the chance

The tragedy now unfolding in Aleppo poses a direct threat to European security, including the risk of conflict between Nato and Russia

More:Vladimir Putin wants to destroy Nato: the Syria war may offer him the chance - Telegraph

Turkey threatens fragile Syria peace accord - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey threatens fragile Syria peace accord

Turkish military attacks on US-aligned Syrian Kurdish groups and the possibility of Turkish and Saudi ground troops entering Syria could upend the fragile peace accord worked out by the International Syria Support Group last week. The introduction of Turkish and Saudi ground forces would further risk a major escalation in the war and a whole new round of misery for the Syrian people.

More:Turkey threatens fragile Syria peace accord - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Turkey presents own project for use of EU refugee fund to Brussels | MENAFN.COM

Turkey presents own project for use of EU refugee fund to Brussels Join our daily free Newsletter
MENAFN - The Journal Of Turkish Weekly - 12/02/2016

(MENAFN - The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Voicing unease with calls on Turkey to open its border to take in tens of thousands more Syrian refugees fleeing regime advances around Aleppo Deputy Prime Minister Yalçn Akdoan has said Turkey has sent the EU a package of project plans for the 3 billion-euro refugee fund.

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Turkish media say Saudi Arabia, Turkey may strike in Syria - The Washington Post

Turkish media say Saudi Arabia, Turkey may strike in Syria

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s foreign minister says his country and Saudi Arabia may launch ground operations against the Islamic State group in Syria, Turkish media reported Saturday.

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Submarine Tourism in Turkey's Waters

Submarine Tourism in Turkey's Waters
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Saturday, February 13, 2016

The first tourist submarine in Turkey is waiting to be sent on a voyage that will reveal the wonders of the undersea world of the Mediterranea.

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Turkish forces shell areas controlled by YPG in Menagh and countryside of Azaz in Aleppo | Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Turkish forces shell areas controlled by YPG in Menagh and countryside of Azaz in Aleppo

February 13, 2016 Comments Off on Turkish forces shell areas controlled by YPG in Menagh and countryside of Azaz in Aleppo

Aleppo Province:
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed that Turkish forces shelled places controlled by YPG in the countryside of Azaz and in the northern countryside Aleppo province, where the shelling targeted the villages of Mar’anaz and Malkiyyeh and the area of Menagh in the northern countryside of Aleppo which were controlled by YPG two days ago, also several Russian warplanes carried out again dozens of airstrikes on areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and confirmed information about casualties caused by the bombing, while a citizen woman was killed in the bombing by the Islamic factions on areas in the towns of Nubl and al-Zahraa which are inhabited by Shiite citizens in the northern countryside of Aleppo, also two children were killed and a number of other people were injured when several rockets landed at areas in al-Sfirah area which is under the control of the regime forces.

More:Turkish forces shell areas controlled by YPG in Menagh and countryside of Azaz in Aleppo | Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Why did Erdogan's bodyguards beat up these Ecuadorian women? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Why did Erdogan's bodyguards beat up these Ecuadorian women?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan embarked on a Latin America trip between Jan. 31 and Feb. 4. The main goal of his trip was to expand trade relations with Chile, Peru and Ecuador. On Feb. 4, Erdogan gave a speech at the Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales (National Higher Studies Institute) in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. During his speech, a group of female protesters were heard screaming “Fuera Ecuador Erdogan” ("Get out of Ecuador, Erdogan") and "Asesino" ("Murderer"). Some of the protesters had "asesino" written on their hands as well. Their protest lasted less than a minute before they were brutally attacked by Erdogan's Turkish bodyguards. The women were forcefully removed from the room and claimed to have been assaulted; the bodyguards punched their heads, vaginas and breasts. As the female protesters were being dragged out of the auditorium, Erdogan said, “As we see now, there are sometimes disrespectful characters as well. Appropriate responses will always be taken to handle these disrespectful people.”

More:Why did Erdogan's bodyguards beat up these Ecuadorian women? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

Russia’s Syrian Intervention Gives West A Chance To Re-Engage Turkey – Analysis – Eurasia Review

Russia’s Syrian Intervention Gives West A Chance To Re-Engage Turkey – Analysis

By YaleGlobal Online February 13, 2016

As Russia intervenes in Syria, the West could improve ties with defense, energy and refugee assistance for Turkey.

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Tourism: Turkey looks for chance at BIT, 'safe country' - Tourism - ANSAMed.it

Tourism: Turkey looks for chance at BIT, 'safe country'
Deputy minister Yayman, tension with Moscow to be solved

12 February, 17:03

(by Cristiana Missori) (ANSAmed) - MILAN, FEBRUARY 12 - ''Tension with Russia will get solved with time. Our relations date back to centuries ago.

Those who talk about Asia cannot abstain from talking about Turkey and Russia, who have always been the great protagonists of the area''. These were the words pronounced at the Milan international travel fair BIT by the Turkish deputy minister of culture and tourism, Huseyin Yayman.

More:Tourism: Turkey looks for chance at BIT, 'safe country' - Tourism - ANSAMed.it