G20 Summit

G20 Summit got underway today in Antalya, Turkey. The summit agenda normally includes current global economic and trade issues, but in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Paris, the attention today centers on terrorism.

Top photo: G20 leaders pose for family photo; Antalya, 15 November 2015 (Twitter/@G20Turkey2015)
Bottom photo: President Obama and Turkish President Erdogan before their bilateral meeting

Photo above: Obama and Putin hold a meeting on the sidelines of G20 Summit (RT)

Turkish Military Campaign against Kurds Intensifies

As Turkey launched heaviest airstrikes yet on PKK positions in the Kurdish region spanning southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, the militants today attacked Turkish security forces in two separate assaults, killing five. Turkey began its airstrikes last week, shattering a 2.5-year truce with Kurdish militants who seek autonomy for the Kurdish regions of the country.

Today, the leader of pro-Kurdish opposition HDP party, which won a surprisingly large number of seats in Turkish parliamentary elections on 7 June, accused Erdogan’s ruling party of dragging the country into conflict in revenge for losing its majority in the parliament, largely due to impressive HDP showing.

Selahattin Demirtas, the HDP leader, also said that Turkey’s recent airstrikes in northern Syria, under the cover of targeting Islamic State militants, were largely meant to prevent the Syrian Kurds to establish a contiguous Kurdish region in northern Syria. The PYG, the Syrian Kurdish militants, have been leading the fight against ISIL in Syria, since they famously defeated ISIL in Kobane, and have recently retaken territories in northeast Syria occupied by ISIL. Having a contiguous region in Syria is a crucial step in establishing an autonomous Kurdish region on Turkish border, something Turkey violently opposes.

File photo: A missile-loaded Turkish Air Force warplane over Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey; 28 July 2015 (Emrah Gurel/AP)

Erdogan Loses Majority in Turkish Parliament - UPDATE

Leftist HDP Past 10% Threshold

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suffered a serious setback in Turkey’s parliamentary elections today. With 99% of the votes counted, the ruling AKP party has received 40% of the votes, losing its majority in the parliament. It will have 254-257 seats in the 550-seat parliament.

The People’s Democratic Party or HDP, a democratic socialist party, has received 12% of the votes nationwide, past the critical 10% threshold required for its candidates to enter parliament with a meaningful representation with 80-82 seats. HDP is a coalition-type gathering for leftist, progressive, and pro-Kurd politicians and activists, with an anti-capitalist, environmentalist and pro-LGBT community platform.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has received 25% of the votes (132 seats), with Nationalist Movement Party (MPH) at 16% (81-82 seats).

Erdogan’s moderate Islamist party, effectively Turkey’s Muslim Brotherhood, must either choose a partner, like HDP, to form the next government, or form a minority government for now and call for early elections.

Charts credit: Hurriyet Daily News

Note: Originally posted Sunday night 7 June; updated Monday morning 8 June

President Erdogan’s Airbus A332 Prestige aircraft at Tehran

President Erdogan’s Airbus A330-243 Prestige, reg. TC-TUR (cn 1240) on 07APR15 at Tehran - Mehrabad International Airport THR / OIII.

"Turkish Republic 1, Heavy" seen serviced by Iran Air passenger boarding stair truck.

Note in background, right: Mahan Air Boeing 747-3B3M aircraft.

Republic of Turkey President Erdogan disembarking from Airbus A332 Prestige at Mehrabad International Airport

President Erdogan still seated, appearing behind cabin window of Turkey Government Airbus A332 Prestige

Erdogan in Tehran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Tehran today and held talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

Erdogan’s visit comes amid strong criticism from Iranian politicians over his recent remarks on Iran’s role in Yemen. The Turkish president, who leads the country’s Justice and Development Party, a moderate Muslim Brotherhood Islamist grouping, had called on Iran to stop interfering in Yemen and warned Tehran that Turkey will not tolerate Iran’s attempts to dominate the region. Today, Khamenei was quoted by Iranian news agencies as telling Erdogan in their meeting that Iran’s position toward Yemen is the halt of foreign intervention, and accused the U.S. and Israel of fostering differences among Muslim countries. Erdogan’s remarks on the subject during the meeting were not yet reported.

On a related subject, Khamenei assured Erdogan that Iran “has no military presence in Iraq,” Press TV reported. “But the two nations of Iran and Iraq have historic, deep-rooted and very close relations.”  (Press TV, 7 April)

Photo credit: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) meeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamnei (right) and President Hassan Rouhani; Tehran, 7 April 2015 (Press TV)

Turkey: Erdogan Wins Presidential Election - UPDATE

Update: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins the presidential election by 52 percent of the votes.

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Turkish citizens cast votes in the country’s first presidential election, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan leading by 57% of the vote in the exit polls, far ahead of his main rival, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

Until now, Turkish presidents were elected by the parliament and the presidency was seen as mainly ceremonial post in a parliamentary system. Edogan made changes to the office, with the president elected directly by the people, and creating a powerful presidency within a parliamentary system. He will be the first elected president, solidifying his grip on power.

The polls had shown that the Kurds were the deciding factor in Erdogan’s victory. Some 53 million voters were to cast their ballots. The Turks were divided into roughly two equal camps of pro-Erdogan and the opposition; with the Kurds casting the decisive votes in favor of Erdogan.

File Photo: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Yahoo! News)

Rouhani to visit Turkey to strengthen ties

Erdogan and Khamenei

Rouhani is due to visit Turkey on Monday to improve the bilateral ties between the two countries.

His first visit to Turkey as president will also mark the first visit an Iranian president has made to Turkey since President Rafsanjani did back in 1996. (Zee News, June 7)

Rouhani is expected to sign at least six new agreements aimed at improving cultural, economic and political ties.


The visit will last two-days. According to a government press release both Rouhani and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold the first meeting of the Iran-Turkey Cooperation Council. (Fars News, June 7)

In the first two months of this year trade has increased.

When he visited Iran last January Erdogan has said that the two countries are now seeking to work together and try and increase their annual trade to about $30 billion.

According to the Turkish statistics agency trade between Iran and Turkey declined 35% between 2012 and 2013. This is partially due to the fact that relations between the two countries were damaged by their differing policies on Syria.

Erdogan Meets Khamenei

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran, Leadership House, 29 January 2014. (Photo: @Khamenei_irFa/Twitter)

Erdogan Arrives in Tehran

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Tehran Tuesday evening. He will hold talks with Iran’s supreme leader, president and foreign minister during his stay. The expansion of economic ties, especially oil trade, and the Syrian civil war are expected to top the agenda.

File photo:  Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife arriving in Tehran. 28 January 2014. (Fars News Agency)

Zarif in Turkey

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif today arrived in Ankara for a one-day visit to Turkey. Zarif held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the country’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu.

Davutoglu said in a joint press conference with Zarif that Prime Minister Erdogan will visit Tehran before the end of January and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will also visit Turkey in few months.

The two foreign ministers said their countries will increase trade and continue improving their bilateral relations. They also expressed hope to narrow their differences on Syria.

“There are some differences between Iran and Turkey but they will be eliminated by mutual understanding. Our eventual objective is to bring peace and stability to Syria,” Zarif told reporters.

The two sides were expected to discuss the on-going government corruption scandal in Turkey that involves Iran in the so-called “gas-for-gold” scheme, with Iran exporting natural gas to Turkey in return for gold as payment to skip international sanctions. In the process, huge amounts of cash have been paid as bribes to senior Turkish officials and their families, forcing the resignation of three senior ministers. An Iranian national, Reza Zarrab, is also under Turkish custody for leading the “gas-for-gold” operation in the country

Photo credit: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (L) with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara, 4 January 2014. (Fars News Agency)

Barzani and Erdogan Lead Historic Mass Rally in Turkey

Rapidly Growing Kurdish-Turkish Relations

 

Kurdish President Masoud Barzani today joined Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Diyarbakir, one of the largest Kurdish towns in southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey, to address a huge public rally by the Kurdish population in support of Turkish-Kurdish peace process.

“My request from my Kurdish and Turkish brothers is to support the peace project. I want to tell them that we support the peace process with all our force,” Barzani told the historic public gathering. (Hurriyet Daily News, 16 November)

“The time in the Middle East for living together has come. We can carry our people to happier days if we follow the methods of living together. Wars have been tried. The days when the blood of a young Turkish man was spilled by a Kurdish youth or the blood of a young Kurdish man was spilled by a Turkish youth are over,” Barzani added. 

Barzani, with Erdogan standing next to him, finished his speech by saying in Turkish, “Long Live Turkish and Kurdish Brotherhood! Long Live Peace! Long Live Freedom!”

On his part, Erdogan for the first time ever pronounced the word “Kurdistan” as he greeted the people “of the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.”

“We will witness a new Turkey where those in the mountains come down, the prisons empty and the 76 million [citizens of Turkey] become one,” Erdogan said, hinting to a general amnesty. “In Diyarbakir, the city of brotherhood, we are brothers from time immemorial. We are not fellow travelers, we also share the same faith,” he added. (Hurriyet Daily News, 16 November)

The rapidly growing relationship between Barzani’s government in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Turkish government, and the Turkish-Kurdish peace process within Turkey, are the political manifestations of long-term economic and energy agreements between the two governments.

The Turks are building a game-changing pipeline from the oil-rich region of Iraqi Kurdistan directly to Turkish oil terminal and refineries. When completed next year, the Kurds would sell their oil directly to energy-starving Turkey, making them even more independent from Baghdad, with Turkey being guaranteed a stable supply of oil through the pipeline, the least expensive method of importing oil.  

Photo credit: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and the President of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Masoud Barzani (C) greet the crowd during a mass opening ceremony in Diyarbakir; 16 November 2013 (AA/Hurriyet)

Turkey: Israel Apology Not Linked to Iran, Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in televised remarks on Thursday that Israel's apology to Turkey for the 2010 raid on a Turkish aid ship has nothing to do with the conflict in Syria or Iran.

“There is no causal link between the Israeli apology and Turkey's Syria or Iran policies,” Davutoglu said. “Israel has been subjected to serious diplomatic pressure in every field. Israel saw that its room to maneuver had been restricted with regards to its bids for membership in some international organizations.” (Today’s Zaman, 29 March)

Davutoglu was probably referring to Turkish previous objections to Israel's participation in NATO activities as part of a Mediterranean partnership program. Israel is not a NATO member but is a member of Mediterranean Dialogue, a NATO outreach program, along with six other non-NATO countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week to offer an apology in a surprise move that came as a result of President Obama’s personal mediation, who joined the phone conversation that resulted in resumption of full relations between Israel and Turkey.

Netanyahu had said that concern over Syria's chemical weapons ending up in the hands of militant groups bordering Israel and Turkey had prompted the apology. “The fact that the crisis in Syria intensifies from moment to moment was the main consideration in my view,” the Israeli premier wrote on his Facebook page, insisting that Israel and Turkey need to communicate with each other on the Syrian crisis.

File photo: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (WorldBulletin/News Desk)

Israel and Turkey Restore Full Relations

Ambassadors Will Be Reinstated 

Israel and Turkey restored full diplomatic ties today after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized in a personal phone call to Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a deadly commando raid on a Turkish ship in 2010. The sudden reconciliation between the two countries was brokered by President Barack Obama during his visit to Jerusalem. Obama joined the phone conversation between Netanyahu and Erdogan and later welcomed the restoration of ties.

“The United States deeply values our relationships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them, in order to advance regional peace and security.” (The New York Times, 22 March)

In the call, which lasted 10 minutes, Mr. Netanyahu expressed regret for the raid, which took place as Israeli troops were enforcing a naval embargo on Gaza. Premier Erdogan accepted Israel’s apology. Later today, officials in Israel and Turkey announced that full diplomatic relations had been fully restored and that ambassadors would be reinstated. (NYT)

Photo credit: President Obama with Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Friday. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

PKK To Announce Ceasefire in Turkey

A ‘Historic’ Announcement By Ocalan

Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir in anticipation of the announcement of a long-awaited ceasefire between Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and the Turkish state. PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to call for the ceasefire and to propose a road map to peace in a message that will be read out at the traditional Kurdish New Year celebrations in Diyarbakir later today. (Financial Times, 21 March)

Mr. Ocalan, who is in prison in Turkey for the past 14 years, has held extensive talks with senior Turkish officials in the past few months. The negotiations, and the expected ceasefire announcement today have raised hopes for a permanent peace in Turkey’s Kurdish region and among the country’s 15 million Kurds.

Ocalan has said his announcement will be “historic,” and the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his satisfaction with the negotiations.

PKK took arms against the Turkish state in 1984, demanding greater autonomy for the Kurds who make up some 20 percent of Turkey’s population. In the past thirty years, hundred of thousands people have died in the conflict.

A peace with PKK will pave the way for Erdogan to finalize an agreement with Barzani’s Kurdish regional government in Erbil to directly supply Turkey the huge amount of oil and gas it needs to maintain its growing economy. Peace with its Kurdish citizens and solving its energy deficiencies could have huge implication for Turkey and the regional geopolitics for years to come.

Photo credit: Tens of thousands Kurds gathered in Diyarbakir to hear ceasefire announcement by Ocalan. (AFP/BBC/ft.com)