Author: Aylin D. Miller

Earthquake in Turkey’s Eastern Elazig Province Kills 14 – Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-24/earthquake-in-turkey-s-eastern-elazig-province-kills-four-people?fbclid=IwAR0B0tB-wXK9OgPFxb1UxBupDXdm0cjeoUeYVIbxodrkjWEBT422gBVnQQs

By

Cagan Koc

and

Robert Tuttle

January 24, 2020, 3:18 PM EST Updated on January 24, 2020, 5:29 PM EST
- Rescue teams sent to region after magnitude 6.8 quake
- Buildings were damaged, with dozens of people injured
Emergency personnel inspect the scene of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Elazig, Turkey on Jan. 24.

Source: DHA/Getty Images

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Turkey’s eastern Elazig province on Friday evening killed 14 people and injured more than 55, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing the country’s emergency response agency.

“Search and rescue teams were sent to the region, and further information is yet to come,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted by Anadolu as saying. He added that some buildings in the city center were damaged.

The earthquake occurred at 8:55 p.m. local time at a depth of 6.75 kilometers, according to Anadolu. Many buildings were damaged or collapsed, and tremors were felt in cities across the region, Turkish TV outlets reported.

The army is ready to help with the relief efforts, Anadolu said, citing Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. Turkey is situated in a seismically active area and is among countries including China and Iran that can experience the most catastrophic earthquakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
January 25, 2020
TURK KURTULUS SAVASI —–The University of Utah hosts TURKISH War and Independence Conference January 24th-25th

The University of Utah hosts War and Independence Conference January 24th-25th

The University of Utah, in conjunction with the Turkish Historical Society, will be hosting the conference – War & Independence: Trauma, Memory, and Modernity in the Young Turkish Republic (1908-1950) on January 24-25, 2020. This two-day event will be filled with distinguished scholars and speakers from the United States, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.

The conference will be led by Dr. Hakan Yavuz and is a part of TCA’s Turkish Studies Project. The Turkish Studies Project has four purposes. (1) Educate a new generation of scholars who are sensitive to the history, culture of Turkey. (2) Build a new bridge between Turkish universities and The University of Utah through faculty and student exchange programs. (3) Continue publishing books on Turkey and Turkish history for the general public. (4) Carry out adult education through an outreach program geared toward teachers and the Turkish diaspora.

The project supports a series of conferences, books, lectures, and articles to decipher Orientalism and the dehumanization of the Turks in the Balkans and Caucasus by focusing on Russia’s role, especially in the intellectual domain. The project also assists interested parties, the general public, and stakeholders in exploring the past and shaping contemporary Turkic-majority states and their relationships with modern Turkey via scholarly work, community participation, social media, and support for new research.

January 24, 2020
Temsilciler meclisine açıklayıcı bir mesaj ….. 296 – Armenian genocide

To the attention of: U.S. Representatives James Baird (IN), Kevin Brady (TX), Susan Brooks (IN), Larry Bucshon (IN), Tom Cole (OK), Virginia Foxx (NC), Andy Harris (MD), Mark Meadows (NC), Greg Pence (IN), Mike Rogers (AL), and Mac Thornberry (TX), through their Chiefs of Staff.

Copy: Adam Schiff (CA), Eliot Engel (NY), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA), for information, through their Chiefs of Staff.

Honorable Representatives:

I, as an individual from near Houston, Texas, would like to take this oppurtunity to thank you for your courage and principled stand by voting “NO” on the highly biassed anti-Turkish H.Res.296 bill (“Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide”) when it came for a vote on the House floor on October 29. The bill passed overwhelmingly with 11 to 405 votes, in an atmosphere that was highly adversarial against Turkey due to the Syrian situation.

The vast majority of the Representatives voted with their emotions rather than prudence and objectivity, and in so doing capitulated to the well-endowed, newly energized Armenian lobby that had tried very hard to have such a resolution passed by the Congress over the past 35 years.

In adopting H.Res.296, there was not even the pretense of a debate or deliberation on a subject that is highly controversial, dealing with century-old events in a far-away land called Ottoman Anatolia. What mattered, for the vast majority of Representatives, was that Turkey had to be punished – and history, law, objectivity, and due process did not matter! Representative Eliot L. Engel, the Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, did not even have the decency to have a few counter arguments aired against the bill before he pushed it hurriedly for passage. My understanding was that, even the traditional House Rules were dispensed with.

I will not delve here into the Syrian situation, which is a totally different subject, but by passing H.Res.296 and “punishing” Turkey, the House did great injustice to people of Turkish heritage like myself by ascribing to them the most hideous crime in human history: the act of genocide. Even if we leave aside the current political reality of Turkey being a critical NATO member, and a partner in the fight against Islamic error in Afghanistan, how many Representatives know that Turks, at the urging of the U.S., fought alongside American soldiers in Korea from 1950 to 1971, with 751 of them dying on the battlefield and more than 21,000 wounded?

Turks do not expect expressions of gratitude for their sacrifices in Korea, but they do expect a measure of justice and fairness.

And going further back into history, how many Representatives know that Turks welcomed Jews that were persecuted during the Spanish inquisition in the 15th century, helped mass-starving Irish people by sending shiploads of food during the 1845-1849 Great Famine, and rescued thousands of Jews from the Nazi terror during WW-II?

Could Turks, who embraced many minorities of different ethnic origin and religious faith for centuries, commit genocide against one particular minority that was considered a “loyal nation”?

Are the U.S. Congresspersons, including the California Representative Adam Schiff, who is Jewish, aware that Dashnak Armenians corroborated with the Nazis during World War II, as revealed in the article, “Der Deutsch-Armenischen Gesellschaft,” published in the German magazine “Mitteilungsblatt” in 1939? The 22,000-men-strong Armenian 812th Battalion (“Armenian Legion”) was created by the Wehrmacht in 1941 and was commanded by General Dro Drastamat Kanayan, a war criminal on his own from the time he was a guerrilla leader in eastern Anatolia and later the army chief in the short-lived First Republic of Armenia in 1918-1920.

Distinguished Representatives:

“Armenian genocide” is a mere allegation that has no historical basis, and likewise no legal basis. Hundreds of historians do not consider the 1915 events in Ottoman Anatolia as genocide. The 1948 UN Convention on Genocide as well various court rulings from Europe starting in 2013 convincingly argue against genocide characterization. In particular, there is no similarity with the Holocaust. The UN itself has not recognized “Armenian genocide.”

H.Res.296 does not contain a single word as to the legal justification or foundation for “Armenian genocide,” because there exists none.

Every accusatory remark contained in the resolution, e.g., the ridiculous claim of 1.5 million Armenians deaths due to Relocation, the alleged Hitler document containing the fake “Armenian commentary” that was not even accepted as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials, the ramblings of the utterly racist, Turk- and Muslim-hater Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, who called Turks “primitive,” possessing “poisonous blood,” can be rebuked one by one.

The resolution does not say a word about Amb. Morgenthau’s successor Admiral Marc L. Bristol, who visited the war-torn region and refuted the Near East Relief reports reaching the United States. He remarked that “reports that Turks had massacred thousands of Armenians are repeated so many times, it makes my blood boil.”

Nor does the resolution say anything about, and express any regret for, the Armenian terror acts between 1973 and 1987 that resulted in the massacre of at least 70 people including 31 Turkish diplomats, some of the attacks taking place on American soil.

But perhaps most importantly, as per the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide (Article VI), the only entity that has the authority to pass judgment on, and determine an act to be a genocide, is a competent tribunal that has such jurisdiction. All genocides officially recognized by the United Nations, e.g., the Srebrenica and Cambodian genocides, have had the determination by such tribunal. Individuals, governments and parliaments do not have the authority to judge genocide. This is what the Convention, to which the U.S. is a signatory, says.

By recognizing “Armenian genocide,” the House, being a legislative body, regretfully usurped the power of a court or tribunal. The legislators yielded to and paid their dues to the Armenian lobby.

I will not burden you with details in this letter. Should you wish to have more information, please let me know, and I will be glad to assist.

And my apologies to some of you for engaging you at a time when you are dealing with an impeachment process.

Thank you, and sincerely,

Ferruh Demirmen, Ph.D, Chairman, Advisory Board Special Issues & Advisor To President.

Turkish Forum/World Turkish Alliance

November 15, 2019
Warlords: Hitler vs Stalin

The personalities and spectres of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin loom large in the events of the twentieth Century. They were similar in some respects and yet very different in others. The first in a series that examines the interaction of the leading protagonists of WW2, this program looks in some depth at the nature of the relationship and interaction of these two ‘warlords’. The use of primary materials and memoirs as sources gives the psycho-historical analysis some substance. Content licensed from Digital Rights Group (DRG). Any queries, please contact us at: [email protected]

November 13, 2019
S-400 Delivery To Turkey May Lead To Secret Technologies Leaking

Trump to confront Turkey about buying Russian defense system /Russian Media Outlet Versia.ru: Experts Fear That The S-400 Delivery To Turkey May Lead To Secret Technologies Leaking

Posted by: “pinar.enis” <[email protected]>

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,..,.,

By Deb Riechmann | AP

November 10, 2019 at 9:14 p.m. EST

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump will confront Turkey’s leader about his decision to buy a Russian air defense system when they meet this week at the White House amid strained relations between the two NATO allies.

Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, said Sunday that the United States is still “very upset” by the move to purchase the Russian S-400 system. The U.S. says the system is not compatible with NATO forces and could compromise the F-35 fighter jet program and aid Russian intelligence. The Trump administration removed Turkey from the F-35 program in July.

O’Brien told CBS’ ”Face the Nation” that if Turkey doesn’t get rid of the Russian system, Turkey will likely face U.S. sanctions backed by a bipartisan majority in Congress.

Trump is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday. Trump and Erdogan plan a joint news conference Wednesday afternoon.

“There’s no place in NATO for the S-400,” O’Brien said. “There’s no place in NATO for significant Russian military purchases. That’s a message that the president will deliver to him very clearly when he’s here in Washington.”

O’Brien said, however, that the U.S. will do everything it can to keep Turkey in NATO.

Turkey has been roundly criticized for its incursion into northern Syria to attack Kurdish forces that were fighting with the U.S. against Islamic State militants. Trump has been denounced for removing U.S. forces from the area before the incursion, but O’Brien said the administration did not pave the way for Erdogan’s offensive into Syria.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press.

The following news was reported last week. Is Turkey trying to pressure Russia for greater technology transfer and joint production as regards the S-400’s (see the last article from MEMRI below); or is Turkey laying the groundwork for an agreement with the U.S. by perhaps cancelling delivery of the second half of the S-400’s on technical grounds?:

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NOVEMBER 4, 2019 / 4:07 AM / 7 DAYS AGO

Turkey says delivery of second Russian S-400 batch may be delayed

ANKARA (Reuters) – Delivery of a second batch of Russian S-400 missile defense systems to Turkey may be delayed beyond a planned 2020 timeline by talks on technology sharing and joint production, the head of Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate said on Monday.

NATO allies Turkey and the United States have been at loggerheads over the purchase of the S-400 system, which Washington says is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to its Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets.

Despite Washington’s warnings and threats of U.S. sanctions, Turkey started taking delivery of the first S-400 batch in July. In response, Washington has removed Turkey from the F-35 program, in which Ankara was a manufacturer and buyer.

Washington still hopes to persuade its ally to “walk away” from the Russian systems.

“We are planning a timeline for next year. As opposed to the first (batch), there is joint production and technology transfer here. It is beyond the ‘let’s buy it quickly and install it’ of the first system,” Ismail Demir told broadcaster NTV.

“The joint production concept may move the timeline. We have some sensitivities regarding some of the production being here. Technical work continues,” he said.

Despite the threat of U.S. sanctions over Ankara’s move to buy the Russian systems, Turkey has indicated it could procure Russian fighter jets if the United States refuses to deliver the F-35 jets it has purchased.

On Monday, Demir said Russia had offered to sell Turkey its Su-35 fighter jets.

“There is an offer and we are evaluating it. There cannot be such a thing as ‘we’re buying tomorrow’ in such matters. The offer’s financial and strategic aspects will be examined, there cannot be an immediate decision,” Demir said.

“It would not be right to say ‘the F-35 era is closed, the Su-35 era is beginning’, but we will evaluate the offer,” he said.

Ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained over issues such as Turkey’s offensive into northeastern Syria. Turkey has also been outraged over a decision by the U.S. House of Representatives to support sanctions on Ankara over its incursion and to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as “genocide”.

Despite this, Demir said Turkey was still open to offers by the United States to buy U.S. Patriot missile defense systems as long as they met Ankara’s conditions.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Can Sezer; Editing by Ece Toksabay and Giles Elgood

July 29, 2019

Special Dispatch

No.

8198

Russian Media Outlet Versia.ru: Experts Fear That The S-400 Delivery To Turkey May Lead To Secret Technologies Leaking; Recent History Shows That Turkey Can Suddenly Turn From Friend To Foe

The Russian media outlet Versia.ru reported that Russian experts fear that the S-400 delivery to Turkey may cause classified Russian military technologies to leak to the West. Versia.ru emphasized that Russian manufacturers were trying to safeguard the technologies by withholding documentation on production data in the transfers to Turkey, and therefore Ankara will be unable to gain access to the S-400 systems. Furthermore, the agreement stipulates that Turkey may not disassemble or modify the complexes.

After noting these assurances, Versia.ru warned that recent history proves that Turkey can suddenly turn from Russia’s friend to Russia’s foe. Anatoly Tsyganok, Head of the Center for Military Forecasting, told Versia.ru that following the S-400 deliveries to Turkey, a NATO country, a risk would arise that the US could explore Russia’s main air defense missile systems, and this could jeopardize Russia’s defense capability.

Below are excerpts from the article:[1]

The Negotiations For The Sale Of The S-400 Took Several Years, Why Are The S-400 Being Now Transferred So Quickly To Turkey By Airplanes?

“Russia started the delivery of the Triumph S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to Turkey. For Moscow, this is a significant event and a symbol of diplomatic victory: it was possible to drive a wedge between Ankara and Washington, the two NATO countries! However, experts are finding numerous puzzling elements in the ‘Triumph’ systems delivery to Turkey.

“The sale negotiations for the S-400 took several years, why are they now being transferred so hurriedly to the Turks by airplanes? There is silence on the systems’ use conditions, although they may directly threaten Russian aircraft in Syria. And most importantly, will Russian military-technical secrets get away?

“Turkey’s sale contract for the Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 was signed at the end of 2017, the price was $ 2.5 billion. First, it was about the delivery of two divisions, which are presumably to be maintained by Turkish personnel. Now it is reported that Ankara will receive four divisional sets. Currently, the Turkish military is choosing the future location of the S -400, the information is kept secret, so it is still completely unclear whether, for example, Russian aircraft in Syria will be in the sights of the Turkish S-400.

“The United States actively opposed this deal, as it counted on supplying Ankara with its Patriot air defense system. The Americans argued that the S-400 did not comply with NATO standards, and also noted the inadmissibility of military-technical cooperation with a country militarily opposed to the alliance. Nevertheless, the Turks, despite all the pressure from Washington, were able to have their way. Experts assumed that in order to achieve this Moscow had to make some very advantageous offers to the wily Erdogan. Apparently, it was feared that Erdogan might change his mind, and that explains the speed with which the S-400 appeared in Turkey. The complexes were delivered to the buyer by airplanes, although it was initially assumed that heavy equipment would be transported by sea, which is much cheaper. However, the most expensive option was chosen: they decided to use the An-124 ‘Ruslan’ aircraft for transportation – the only aircraft in the world capable of carrying such bulky and oversized cargo.

“Was it worth to hurry? In general, there was a reason for this.

“One can still remember the story of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems’ shipment to Cyprus in 1996. They were shipped by large amphibious vessels. However, while they were in the sea, the United States, the United Kingdom and Turkey, which has territorial disputes with Cyprus, opposed the fulfillment of the contract. As a result, the deal fell through.

“Another unpleasant story happened with the recent delivery of Russian S-400 to China. In January 2018, a ship with components of this system, which left the Leningrad region, got caught in a storm in the La Manche region; as a result a part of the equipment was seriously damaged. To fulfill the terms of the contract, the rockets had to be built from scratch again. It seems that Moscow decided to not take risks.

The S-400 May Likely End Up In US Hands

“This way, Moscow was able to achieve what it wanted – a sale of S-400 to Turkey. However, a number of experts show concern, calling this contract a most dubious agreement in terms of preserving secrets. Obviously, Turkey seeks to obtain not only the weapons systems themselves, but also the technologies used in their creation. This is important because the Turkish military-industrial complex independently develops modern weapons and Ankara wants to minimize its dependence on arms purchases at foreign markets.

“Let’s recall that last year, when the Turkish authorities made a deposit for the S-400 delivery, they unexpectedly put forward a number of additional conditions. The Turks began insisting that secret technologies be transferred to them and on the joint production of rocket systems. Officially, it is reported that the Russian side refused to fulfill this request and access to the internal systems of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile complexes was excluded [from the contract]. Well, there is no choice but to believe these statements.

“Now Russian manufacturers say that no documentation on production data is transferred to Turkey, and therefore Ankara, and especially the Americans, will not be able to gain access to the S-400 systems. Upon an attempt to bypass the password and hack the system, the computer will automatically destroy all the data embedded in it. According to the agreement, Turkey does not have the right to disassemble the complexes and modify them. According to the manufacturers, this ensures that the Russian S-400 systems are reliably protected from any copying infringements. Armament maintenance will also be handled exclusively by Russian specialists, who will be able to control the integrity of the manufacturing seals.

“Additionally, each piece of machinery has special sensors that transmit a signal to a satellite military communication channel if someone makes an unauthorized dissection. And if an attempt is made to place the complex in a special hangar that obstructs signal transmission, all S-400 equipment will be instantly blocked. Also, for reliability, air defense missile systems are equipped with ‘friend-foe’ recognition systems.

“All this surely inspires hope. However, even recent history shows that Turkey can suddenly turn from Moscow’s friend to its enemy. And there is no guarantee that after the next conflict the Turkish authorities will not renounce all the agreements. In this case, it is likely that S-400 may end up in the hands of Americans, who are far better equipped to hack computer locks. As a result, NATO can get access to Russian secret technologies and learn how to counter them.

[…]

Anatoly Tsyganok (Source: Antimaidan.ru)

“Anatoly Tsyganok, Head of the Center for Military Forecasting:

“‘The S-400 sale to Turkey is an opportunity to make a profit and a unique advertisement for Russian weapons, a demonstration that even NATO countries are buying it. But there is a downside: it is obvious that leaks of information about these systems are quite possible. After the S-400 is delivered to Turkey, the risk arises that American technical personnel can access these complexes. That is, the US will be able to explore our main air defense missile systems, and this, in theory, could harm Russia’s defense capability. Although systems that have been exported have significantly lower properties, NATO countries will nevertheless receive general information about technologies. They will also have the opportunity to work out tactics against these systems during joint exercises. In addition, you need to understand that the S-400, if stationed on the border with Syria, could theoretically pose a danger to Russian military aviation.’”

November 11, 2019
Pentagon: Revenue from Syria oil fields going to Kurdish-led forces | TheHill

What is obvious that ISRAEL is buying the oil and US is using stolen money to beef up Kurdish forces

so they can carry on murdering turks in south east anadolia to make a homeland for PKK terrorists

THIS THEY CALL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN NATO

First the United States supplied arms to Kurdish terrorists for years, now it is going to give them oil revenue.

Revenue which belongs to all of the Syrian people not just the Kurds, and which legally should be given to the Syrian government.

More unlawful American nation-building of an eventual autonomous “Kurdistan” on Turkey’s southern border and an existential threat to Turkey.

Pentagon: Revenue from Syria oil fields going to Kurdish-led forces

By Ellen Mitchell –

© Getty Images

Revenue from oil fields that U.S. forces are protecting in northeast Syria will go to U.S. partner forces in the region and not the United States, the Pentagon’s top spokesman said Thursday.

“The revenue from this is not going to the U.S., this is going to the SDF,” Jonathan Hoffman told reporters at the Pentagon, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

President Trump last week gave the go-ahead for an expanded military operation to secure expansive oil fields in eastern Syria, and the Pentagon has already sent new troops and armored vehicles to the area.

The new plan backtracks on Trump’s original desire to pull all U.S. forces from Syria, and now has hundreds of U.S. troops protecting a stretch of nearly 90 miles from Deir el-Zour to al-Hassakeh that is currently controlled by Kurdish forces.

Trump on Friday still insisted that “we want to bring our soldiers home,” but left soldiers in the country “because we’re keeping the oil.”

“I like oil. We’re keeping the oil,” he told reporters on the White House lawn.

Later that day at a rally in Tupelo, Miss., Trump told the crowd the United States would distribute the oil to “help out the Kurds and we’ll help out other people. We’ll also help out ourselves if that’s OK.”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper, when asked last week by reporters about Trump’s claims, said he interprets the president’s words “as, deny ISIS access to the oil fields, secure them so that they are denied access to the oil fields.”

But details of that plan still remain unclear — as it raises the legal question of whether American forces would be able to attack Syrian or Russian forces if they threatened the security of the oil.

“We work to ensure that no one approaches and shows hostile intent to our forces and if they do our commanders maintain the right of self defense,” Hoffman said on Thursday when asked repeatedly if U.S. forces were there to keep Syrian or Russian government actors from accessing the area.

Pentagon officials also insisted that the U.S. mission in Syria still remains the defeat of ISIS.

“The mission is the defeat of ISIS. The securing of oil fields is a subordinate task to that mission and the purpose of that task is to deny ISIS the revenues from that oil infrastructure,” said Joint Staff Vice Director Navy Rear Adm. William Byrne, who spoke alongside Hoffman.

Hoffman and Byrne would not say if ISIS actually has the ability to seize the oil fields, given its lack of armor and aircraft, only offering that U.S. forces are focused on preventing that from happening.

The comments add to an already confusing picture of the U.S. role in Syria following Trump’s order last month to pull all U.S. troops from the country ahead of a Turkish offensive into Syria. The move appeared to give Ankara the green light to attack the Kurds, who have been instrumental in the U.S. fight against ISIS.

After condemnation from allies and massive pushback from congressional Democrats and Republicans alike, Trump imposed sanctions on Turkey but quickly lifted them as part of a cease-fire agreement brokered by Vice President Pence.

There have since been reports of Turkish violations of the cease-fire, but Byrne said it is holding and while there have been some skirmishes, “it appears that all parties are adhering to the rules.”

Hoffman added that the SDF are still “our partners and we are still working with them in our fight against ISIS and we’re still going to provide them with the support and ability to be able to continue that fight.”

He also said that Washington expects Turkey to investigate reports of Ankara-backed forces allegedly committing war crimes in Syria and to “hold those people to account.”

November 8, 2019