Turkey’s Erdogan calls for review of Nato over US arming of Kurds fighting Isil in Syria
urkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened the US on Sunday over its arming of Kurdish forces in Syria, calling for a review of the Nato military alliance in response. “At one side we will be together in Nato but on the other side you will act together with terror organisations,” he said in reference to […]
Erdogan rejects Arab demands; Turkish troops stay in Qatar
Turkey’s president says he will not pull Turkish troops from their base in Qatar, rejecting a demand by major Arab states that it do so to end the ongoing crisis with the small Gulf country. Speaking Sunday after Eid prayers in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the demand “disrespectful.” He said Turkey would not […]
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan claims ultimatum issued to Qatar is ‘against international law’
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said an ultimatum issued to Qatar is “against international law” and claimed calls to withdraw his troops from the Gulf emirate are “disrespectful”. Mr Erdogan announced his support for the monarchy in Doha after they accused a group of Arab nations including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, […]
Erdogan dismisses pledges over weapons for Kurds in Syria
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday countries which promised to get back weapons supplied to Kurdish YPG fighters in northern Syria were trying to trick Turkey and would eventually realize their mistake. Ankara was infuriated by a U.S. decision last month to arm the YPG, which Washington sees as a vital ally in the […]
Turkey troops arrive in Qatar for long-planned drills
Turkish troops have arrived in Qatar for long-planned joint military exercises, Al Jazeera reported on Monday, a deployment made possible by legislation fast-tracked by Turkey following a diplomatic rift between Doha and four other Arab states. The channel posted a video on its website of a column of armored personnel carriers moving through streets. It […]
Iran and Turkey Support Embattled Gulf State Accused of Sponsoring Terror
As the pressure from its neighbors starts to bite, Qatar is receiving support from two non-Arab partners, but the help from Iran and Turkey is likely to further antagonize its critics. Iran and Turkey are sending planeloads of food supplies to Qatar, while Turkey has offered to do the same and fast-tracked legislation approving the […]
US ‘deeply concerned’ after Turkey arrests Amnesty International official
The Trump administration criticized the Turkish government Wednesday after police in that country detained a prominent human rights lawyer as part of a crackdown on people suspected of links to a U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding a failed coup. State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said the U.S. was “deeply concerned” by the arrest of Taner Kilic in at […]
U.S.-Turkish relations deeply strained ahead of Erdogan’s visit to White House
Barely two months ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was one of President Trump’s biggest fans. Fed up with what he saw as the Obama administration’s wishy-washy Syria policy, its unwise alliance with Kurdish “terrorists” and its failure to understand the need for some of his authoritarian policies, Erdogan envisioned a new dawn in U.S.-Turkish […]
Mixed Messages as NATO Protects Turkey, Arms Kurds
The roughly half-hour meeting in London appeared to be the highest level talks between the two nations since Washington announced on Tuesday plans to back the YPG militia in an assault to retake the city of Raqqa from Islamic State. Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), […]
Amid Dispute Over U.S. Arming Syrian Kurds, Mattis Says Relationship With Turkey ‘Not Always Tidy’
Defense Secretary James Mattis expressed confidence Wednesday that a dispute with Turkey over a U.S. decision to arm Syrian Kurdish fighters in the campaign to dislodge ISIS terrorists from their Raqqa stronghold will not affect a relationship between the NATO allies which he described as “not always tidy.” “We have very open discussions [with the […]