Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
February 2019 - Turkey Special Weapons News
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- Turkey Flexes Naval Muscle Amid Regional Tensions VOA 28 Feb 2019 -- Turkey is carrying out its largest naval exercises in a display of its rapidly growing navy. The show of force comes amid rising regional tensions over territorial and energy exploration rights disputes.
- Erdogan, Kushner Discuss Middle East Peace Efforts VOA 27 Feb 2019 -- White House adviser Jared Kushner and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Trump administration's Israeli-Palestinian peace plan at a meeting Wednesday in Ankara.
- Turkey's Largest Naval Drills Start in All Seas Surrounding Country Sputnik 27 Feb 2019 -- The largest naval drills in Turkey's history, involving 103 vessels, started on Wednesday, in all the three seas surrounding the country – the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Anadolu news agency reported.
- Erdogan: Only Turkey Could Control Future Buffer Zone in Northern Syria Sputnik 27 Feb 2019 -- Turkey cannot trust anybody to control the planned buffer zone in northern Syria because the region may pose a threat to the country's national security, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
- Turkey says purchase of Russian S-400 missile system 'a done deal' Press TV 26 Feb 2019 -- Turkey says the purchase of the advanced Russian-built S-400 air defense missile system is a "done deal," despite strong opposition from the United States, a NATO ally, and its efforts to persuade Ankara to buy the US Patriot missile systems instead.
- Erdogan Insists on Syria Intervention, in Face of Growing Opposition VOA 26 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his demand for a safe zone in Syria exclusively under Turkish armed forces control; however, the Turkish plans, which already face growing regional opposition, threaten to be complicated by Washington's partial reversal of a decision to militarily pull out of Syria.
- 'US Doesn't Have Any Strategy' on Its Troop Pullout From Syria, Turkish FM Says Sputnik 26 Feb 2019 -- In December 2018, President Donald Trump announced the pullout of about 2,000 US troops from Syria, referring to what he described as the defeat of the Daesh* terrorist group in the Arab Republic. Last week, however, Trump reportedly agreed to keep roughly 400 US servicemen in Syria.
- USS Donald Cook Participates in Maritime Training with Turkey NNS 25 Feb 2019 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) participated in maritime interoperability training Feb. 22 with Turkish maritime counterparts in the Black Sea.
- Cavusoglu: Turkey Coordinates With Russia, US Details of Future Syrian Safe Zone Sputnik 25 Feb 2019 -- Turkey continues to coordinate with Russia, the United States and Iran the details of the prospective safe zone on the border with Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Sputnik.
- Turkish Man Wanted by US Set Free in Turkey VOA 24 Feb 2019 -- A Turkish citizen, wanted by the U.S. for his involvement in a terror attack that killed two U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, has been set free by Turkish authorities following his deportation from Germany where the suspect completed an 11-year prison sentence last year.
- Erdogan warns US-planned Syria safe zone must be under Turkey's control Press TV 24 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the United States and allies operating along the Syria border that any safe zone planned for the area should be under Ankara's control.
- Statement on Move To Indict Turkish Civil Society Leaders US Dept. of State 23 Feb 2019
- Turkish Defence Minister Warns Pentagon Against Vacuum of Power in Syria –Report Sputnik 23 Feb 2019 -- Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed the same stance on the issue saying that "it is critical not to allow a vacuum [of power] to replace the American troops in Syria once they withdraw".
- Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan's Meeting with Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar DoD 22 Feb 2019
- Acting Secretary Shanahan and Minister Akar Remarks at the Opening of the Bilateral Meeting DoD 22 Feb 2019 -- Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan and Turkey Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar
- U.S., Turkish Defense Officials Discuss Syria, Other Issues at Pentagon Meeting DoD News 22 Feb 2019 -- U.S. and Turkish defense officials met today at the Pentagon to discuss the future of operations in Syria and the other areas where the two countries fight together.
- Turkey Orders Almost 300 Military Personnel Arrested Over Alleged Links With Coup RFE/RL 22 Feb 2019 -- Turkey's prosecutor's office has ordered the arrest of 295 serving military personnel accused of ties with an alleged network led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a 2016 attempted coup.
- Turkish Rights Crackdown, Global Outcry Both Intensify VOA 22 Feb 2019 -- Turkish authorities have issued hundreds of arrest warrants for military personnel accused of involvement in a 2016 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. All are accused of links to the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for masterminding the botched takeover.
- Turkey censures draft European report on Ankara's accession to EU Press TV 21 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has denounced as "unacceptable" a draft report by a key European Parliament committee that calls for the suspension of negotiations with Ankara for accession to the European Union (EU).
- Ankara Refutes Reports on al-Nusra Leader Finding Shelter in Turkey - Source Sputnik 21 Feb 2019 -- Ankara rejects reports claiming that Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) was currently on Turkish soil, a diplomatic source told Sputnik on Thursday.
- Ankara Commits to S-400, Turkish Official Says US Patriot Offer Not Good Enough Sputnik 20 Feb 2019 -- Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed dissatisfaction over Washington's unwillingness to implement Ankara's two basic conditions for acquiring Patriot interceptors related to providing a loan and joint production.
- Erdogan: NATO gives arms to Syria Kurds but not to Turkey Press TV 19 Feb 2019 -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at Turkey's NATO allies for supplying huge loads of weapons to US-backed Kurdish militants in northern Syria, while ignoring Ankara's request to buy their arms.
- 'What Kind of Alliance Is This?' Erdogan Blasts NATO Over Arms for Syria's Kurds Sputnik 19 Feb 2019 -- Earlier, Turkish media reported on deliveries of US arms, generators and construction equipment to Kurdish militias in northern Syria via Iraq amid Washington's imminent plans to withdraw from the war-torn country.
- Erdogan Recommits to Buying Russian Missiles Despite US Warnings VOA 19 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reaffirmed his commitment to buy a Russian missile system in the face of renewed warnings from NATO ally the United States. The prospect of a clash between Ankara and Washington has grown, with Moscow moving the delivery date for the missiles to this year.
- US 'won't stand idly by' as Turkey buys S-400: Pence Press TV 17 Feb 2019 -- US Vice President Mike Pence has repeated warnings to Turkey against purchasing of Russia's S-400 missile defense systems, arguing that doing so puts other members of the NATO military alliance in danger.
- No going back on S-400 deal with Russia despite US: Erdogan Press TV 16 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his country's resolve to proceed with a purchase of advanced S-400 air defense missile system from Russia, a day after an informal deadline Washington set for Ankara to respond to a rival US offer passed.
- Erdogan Says Turkey To Proceed With Russian Air-Defense Purchase RFE/RL 16 Feb 2019 -- Turkey's president has said his country will proceed with plans to purchase the advanced S-400 air-defense system from Russia despite pressure from the United States to scrap the deal.
- Erdogan Dissatisfied With US Reluctance to Jointly Produce Patriot Systems Sputnik 16 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has noted that the United States cannot fulfil Ankara's two basic conditions for acquiring Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, of providing credit and joint production.
- Erdogan vows to carry Khashoggi case to intl. court Press TV 16 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country is working to carry the case of the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul to an international court.
- Turkish police believe Khashoggi remains may have been burnt IRNA 15 Feb 2019 -- Turkish police believe the remains of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been burnt, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu said on Thursday, citing a police report.
- Khashoggi's body possibly burnt in oven at Saudi consul-general's residency: Turkey Press TV 15 Feb 2019 -- Turkish police have discovered a tandoori oven at the Saudi consul-general's residency in Istanbul, suggesting that the body of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been burnt.
- Tensions Surfacing at Trilateral Summit on Syria VOA 14 Feb 2019 -- Tensions appear to be surfacing between Russia and Turkey just hours into a three-way summit on the Syrian conflict being hosted in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
- Russia, Turkey, Iran Poised to Map Syria's Future VOA 14 Feb 2019 -- The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey are meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi Thursday to discuss the conflict in Syria for the first time since the United States announced its troop withdrawal.
- You can't have Syria safe zone without Assad's consent, Russia tells Turkey Press TV 14 Feb 2019 -- Russia has reminded Turkey that it must obtain the consent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for its plan to create a safe zone in the northeastern part of the conflict-plagued Arab country.
- Russia, Turkey, Iran See U.S. Pullout From Syria As 'Positive Step,' Putin Says RFE/RL 14 Feb 2019 -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran see the planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria as a positive step, President Vladimir Putin said after a summit with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts on February 14 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
- Turkey Wants Russia, Iran to Prevent Terrorist Corridor on Syrian Border Sputnik 14 Feb 2019 -- Turkey expects assistance from its partners on Astana format talks - Russia and Iran - to prevent the emergence of a terrorist corridor on the Syrian-Turkish border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday at a press conference following three-party talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani.
- Turkey Making All Efforts to Prevent Attacks on Hmeymim Military Base - Erdogan Sputnik 14 Feb 2019 -- Turkey is doing everything possible to prevent militant attacks on the Russian military base in Syria's Hmeymim, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.
- Turkey arrests 729 over ties to US-based cleric Gulen Press TV 13 Feb 2019 -- Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday ordered the arrest of 1,112 people, and arrested over 700 of them, over their suspected links to the network of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of orchestrating an attempted coup in 2016.
- Turkish-Chinese Tensions Escalate Over Uighurs VOA 13 Feb 2019 -- China has issued a travel warning to its residents visiting Turkey, in a move seen as targeting Turkey's large tourism industry. The advisory is the latest escalation in bilateral tensions after Hami Aksoy, a spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry, condemned China's treatment of its Uighur minority.
- US Again Urges Turkey Not to Buy Russian S-400s, Warns It May Scrap Patriot Deal Sputnik 12 Feb 2019 -- The statement comes after Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said last month that deliveries of Russian S-400 systems to Turkey are not intertwined with the possible purchase of US-manufactured Patriot anti-aircraft batteries.
- Turkey, Russia at Odds Over Syria Ahead of Key Summit VOA 12 Feb 2019 -- Russia is hosting a three-way summit this week on Syria even as growing diplomatic differences between two participants threaten to undermine the event.
- Military helicopter crash kills four in Istanbul Press TV 11 Feb 2019 -- Four soldiers died after a military helicopter crashed in a suburb of Istanbul on Monday, according to Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya.
- European Court Deals Blow to Human Rights Efforts in Turkey VOA 11 Feb 2019 -- The European Court of Human Rights has dealt Turkish human rights activists a significant blow in its refusal to hear a pivotal case stemming from a Turkish military operation that left more than 100 civilians dead. The military campaign took place in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast between December 2015 and February 2016 as the security forces sought to oust PKK separatist fighters from towns and cities across the region.
- Russia, Turkey 'agree on need for decisive measures' in Syria's Idlib Press TV 11 Feb 2019 -- Russia and Turkey say they agree on the need to take "decisive measures" to stabilize the situation in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, ahead of a summit between the presidents of the three guarantor states of a negotiated Syrian ceasefire, namely Iran, Russia, and Turkey.
- China Protests Over Turkey's Criticism of 'Re-Education Camps' for Uyghurs Sputnik 11 Feb 2019 -- China has expressed its protest over the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy's claims that Chinese Uyghur "re-education camps" were "internment camps," the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said on Monday.
- China dismisses Turkey's 'unacceptable' criticism on Uighur Muslims Press TV 11 Feb 2019 -- China has dismissed as "unacceptable" Turkey's allegations over Beijing's treatment of its Muslim ethnic Uighur community, urging Ankara to retract the "vile" remarks.
- China slams Turkish FM's Xinjiang centers claim Global Times 11 Feb 2019 -- China refuted claims made by Turkey's foreign ministry on the alleged death of a Uyghur musician, claiming the man is still alive and in good health.
- Turkey slams 'concentration camps' for Muslims in China Press TV 10 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has condemned China's alleged mistreatment of more than one million Uighur Muslims in "internment camps," urging Beijing to respect the fundamental rights of the Turkic-speaking minority.
- Turkey Calls China's Treatment Of Uyghur Minority 'Shame For Humanity' RFE/RL 10 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has condemned China's treatment of its Turkic Muslim Uyghur minority population as "a great cause of shame for humanity."
- US May Dump Patriot Sales to Turkey in Event of Russian S-400 Purchase – Report Sputnik 08 Feb 2019 -- Last month, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin reaffirmed that Ankara would purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems regardless of a potential deal with the United States on the acquisition of Patriot surface-to-air missile systems.
- Treasury Sanctions Turkish National as Foreign Sanctions Evader Due To Repeated Violations of U.S. Sanctions Against Iran US Treasury 07 Feb 2019 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took unprecedented action to concurrently designate a foreign sanctions evader and announce a directly related settlement with a U.S. company. OFAC sanctioned a Turkey-based individual, Evren Kayakiran, who directed a foreign subsidiary of a U.S. company to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran and then attempted to conceal those violations.
- Turkey raps French plan to mark Armenian 'genocide' day Press TV 06 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has condemned a decision by French President Emmanuel Macron to declare a national day for the commemoration of the "genocide" of Armenians by Turkish troops in World War I.
- Turkey Slams France Over Armenian-Genocide-Commemoration Day RFE/RL 06 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has denounced French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to set April 24 as a day to commemorate the "Armenian genocide" as political manipulation.
- Erdogan Slams Washington Over Venezuela VOA 06 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing Washington of "imperialism" in its efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
- Turkey's Erdogan Steps Up Pressure on US as Key Syria Talks Begin VOA 05 Feb 2019 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has not yet seen an acceptable plan for the creation in Syria of a safe zone aimed at protecting Turkey's border from attack.
- Greek Premier to Visit Ankara Amid Simmering Tensions VOA 04 Feb 2019 -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras heads to Ankara Tuesday in the latest effort to improve relations with regional rival Turkey.
- Turkey maintains 'low-level' contact with Syria: Erdogan Press TV 04 Feb 2019 -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed for the first time that Turkey has maintained direct low-level contact with the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
- Erdogan Urges Trump to Fulfill Promise on US Withdrawal From Syria - Reports Sputnik 04 Feb 2019 -- Turkey expects US President Donald Trump to deliver on his promise to pull US military out of Syria in the near future, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
- Senior PKK militant captured in anti-terror operation in Turkey's Adana Press TV 03 Feb 2019 -- Turkish security forces have arrested a high-ranking member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) during a counterterrorism operation in the country's southern province of Adana.
- Erdogan: Turkey Has Maintained Contacts With Damascus VOA 03 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has maintained low-level contact with the Syrian government, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, even though Ankara has supported rebels who fought for years to topple President Bashar Assad.
- Turkey captures four Daesh suspects near border with Syria Press TV 02 Feb 2019 -- Soldiers have detained at least four suspected members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in a Turkish town on the Syrian border while they were trying to cross the frontier illegally.
- Turkey accused of stealing Syrian olives to finance FSA militants Press TV 02 Feb 2019 -- Turkey has been accused of stealing olive crops in northern Syria and sending them as "Turkish olive oil" to the European Union to finance Ankara-backed militia.
- UN Investigators Blame Saudi Prince for Khashoggi Murder - Erdogan's Adviser Sputnik 01 Feb 2019 -- A UN investigative team comprised of experts and led by Agnes Callamard, rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, believes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the main person responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Yasin Aktay, an adviser of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.
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