Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
February 2021 - Turkey Special Weapons News
|
- Iran summons Turkey's ambassador over 'unacceptable' PKK claim Press TV 28 Feb 2021 -- Iran has summoned Turkey's Ambassador Derya Ors to protest the Turkish interior minister's "unacceptable" claim about the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group's members in the Islamic Republic.
- Ankara Reportedly Summons Iranian Envoy After Tehran's Criticism of Turkish Operation in Iraq Sputnik 28 Feb 2021 -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned the Iranian ambassador in Ankara, Mohammad Farazmand, after Tehran condemned Turkey's military operation in northern Iraq, the Anadolu news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources.
- Turkey Summons Iranian Envoy To Protest Iraq Dispute RFE/RL 28 Feb 2021 -- Turkey has summoned Iran's envoy to Ankara to demand support in the fight against "terrorism," escalating a dispute over Turkey's presence in Iraq.
- Turkey slams EU for expression of support for pro-Kurdish party Press TV 24 Feb 2021 -- Turkey has slammed the European Union (EU)'s support for the country's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), saying the bloc should rather be concerned about the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)'s crimes in northern Iraq.
- Turkey reports 8,104 new COVID-19 cases People's Daily 23 Feb 2021 -- Turkey on Monday confirmed 8,104 new COVID-19 cases, including 623 symptomatic patients, taking the total number of positive cases in the country to 2,646,526.
- Turkey accuses Greece of 'harassing' research ship in Aegean Sea Press TV 23 Feb 2021 -- Turkey has accused the Greek military of "harassing" a Turkish vessel in the Aegean Sea, despite efforts by Athens and Ankara to resolve their differences over the disputed waters.
- Turkey Accuses Greek Military of 'Harassing' Research Vessel in the Aegean Sea Sputnik 23 Feb 2021 -- Turkey sent the TCG Cesme in the international waters of the Aegean Sea until 2 March to do hydrographic surveying. Greece objected to the move, saying that it damages a renewed dialogue the two countries have managed to establish recently.
- Turkish authorities investigating pro-Kurdish lawmaker over PKK affiliation Press TV 22 Feb 2021 -- Turkish authorities have launched a probe against a legislator from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on suspicion of affiliation to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.
- Erdogan Says 'Common Interests' With US 'Far Outweigh' Differences in Opinion - Report Sputnik 21 Feb 2021 -- The relationship between Washington and Ankara has been complicated over Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system, as well as their conflicting views on the Kurds and the US' refusal to extradite Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government has accused of involvement in the 2016 attempted coup.
- Telephone conversation with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan President of Russia 18 Feb 2021 -- Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Turkish Arrests Seen Reflecting Strains Between Competitors Ankara, Tehran VOA 18 Feb 2021 -- Recent highly publicized arrests of alleged Iranian agents in Turkey are being seen as an indication of the strains between Turkey and Iran amid regional competition.
- Joint Statement by the Representatives of Iran, Russia and Turkey on the International Meeting on Syria in the Astana format, Sochi, 16-17 February 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 17 Feb 2021 -- The representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey as guarantors of the Astana format:
- Peace guarantors stress respect for Syria sovereignty, cooperation on eradicating terror Press TV 17 Feb 2021 -- Iran, Russia, and Turkey, the states that have been serving as the guarantors of an all-Syria ceasefire, stress the importance of respect for the Arab country's sovereignty and lay emphasis on the need to fight terrorism there until its complete eradication.
- Iran, Russia, Turkey resume Syria peace talks in Sochi Press TV 17 Feb 2021 -- Iran, Russia and Turkey have launched a new round of negotiations in the Astana format between Syrian government delegates and representatives of foreign-sponsored opposition groups, months after the intra-Syrian peace talks were called off amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Claims Turkey Boosting Military Presence in Country Sputnik 17 Feb 2021 -- Syria's Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan on Wednesday at the Astana-format talks in Russia's Sochi accused Ankara of strengthening its military presence in the country.
- Turkey to Expand Anti-PKK Operations in Northern Iraq, Erdogan Says Sputnik 16 Feb 2021 -- Turkey will expand operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq and will keep its troops on the ground as long as it sees fit, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.
- Erdogan Accuses US of Siding with Terrorists After Turks Found Dead in Iraq VOA 15 Feb 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused fellow NATO ally the United States of supporting terrorists in the wake of the deaths of 13 kidnapped Turks in northern Iraq. He also said a U.S. statement about the killings, which Ankara blamed on Kurdish militants, was a joke.
- US Condemns Killings of Turkish Citizens in Northern Iraq VOA 15 Feb 2021 -- The United States has condemned the killing of 13 Turkish citizens by Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.
- President Erdogan says US supporting terrorists who 'kill' Turkish citizens Press TV 15 Feb 2021 -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the United States is supporting "terrorists" who, according to Ankara, have just recently killed more than a dozen Turkish forces in northern Iraq.
- Turkey blasts West's 'double standard' on terrorism Press TV 15 Feb 2021 -- Turkey's foreign minister says the West continues to maintain a "selective" approach towards terrorism after the US and the Europeans issued either a lukewarm reaction or kept mum on recent killings by anti-Turkey terrorists.
- Secretary Blinken's Call with Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu US Dept. of State 15 Feb 2021
- Turkey arrests 718 suspects nationwide over affiliation to PKK militants after Iraq executions Press TV 15 Feb 2021 -- The Turkish Interior Ministry says hundreds of people have been arrested during nationwide counter-terrorism operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group, a day after the militants killed 13 Turkish civilians in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
- Turkish court jails 4 pro-Kurdish newspaper employees over 'terrorism' charges Press TV 15 Feb 2021 -- A court in Turkey has handed down jail sentences to four employees of a now-defunct pro-Kurdish newspaper over links with a 'terrorist' organization.
- Iran Denies Citizen Detained In Turkey Is A Consulate Employee RFE/RL 15 Feb 2021 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry has denied Turkish media reports alleging that an Iranian citizen recently arrested in Turkey is a consulate employee linked to the 2019 murder of an Iranian dissident in Istanbul.
- Iraq's popular groups warn Turkey against new incursion Press TV 14 Feb 2021 -- An Iraqi politician says the Turkish army appears to be preparing for an incursion into Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq near the Syrian border.
- Over 3 mln Turkish people receive China's COVID-19 vaccines Global Times 12 Feb 2021 -- The number of people who have received their first doses of China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines topped 3 million on Friday across Turkey, Turkish Health Ministry announced.
- Turkey Reportedly Arrests Iranian Official Over Dissident's Murder RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- An Iranian official suspected of instigating the killing of an Iranian dissident in 2019 has been arrested in Turkey, Reuters has reported.
- U.S. Renews Call On Turkey To Scrap Russian Missile System RFE/RL 10 Feb 2021 -- The United States has renewed its call on Turkey to renounce an advanced Russian air-defense system, rejecting a proposal by Ankara to resolve the dispute.
- Turkey Refuses to Ditch Russian S-400s After Biden Cabinet Confirms It Will Maintain Sanctions Sputnik 11 Feb 2021 -- Previously, the Democrat's team revealed that he is not planning to overturn the policy of punishing Turkey over the acquisition of Russian air defence systems initiated under Republican Donald Trump. Biden's administration accused Turkey of not acting like a NATO ally by buying weapons from Moscow.
- Three Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq Press TV 11 Feb 2021 -- At least three Turkish soldiers have been killed during a new offensive against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Turkey's Defense Ministry says.
- Turkey-Greece standoff: President Erdogan says two-state solution only option Press TV 10 Feb 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled out discussing a federal system to reunify Cyprus, stressing that the only way to resolve decades of dispute over the ethnically-split island is to establish two states.
- U.S. Navy, Turkish Navy Conduct Joint Exercises in Black Sea US Navy 10 Feb 2021 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Porter (DDG 78), and a U.S. Navy P-8A from Patrol Squadron (VP) 46 participated in joint air and surface exercises with Turkish frigates TCG Orucreis (F 245) and TCG Turgutreis (F 241), and two Turkish F-16 fighters alongside reconnaissance aircraft in the Black Sea, Feb 9, 2021.
- Turkey 'Open to Negotiating' With US on S-400s, Says Doesn't Have to Keep Them Deployed Permanently Sputnik 10 Feb 2021 -- Ankara's 2017 decision to purchase $2.5 billion worth of S-400 air defence systems from Moscow caused serious complications in its relationship with its US allies, with Washington booting Turkey out of the F-35 programme and sanctioning a key defence sector agency.
- Turkey detains 39 more people over suspected affiliation to Gulen movement Press TV 08 Feb 2021 -- Turkish security forces have arrested dozens of people on suspicion of affiliation to a movement led by US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Ankara government accuses of having orchestrated the July 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Turkey Launches New Operation Against Armed Kurdish Separatist in Country's South, Reports Suggest Sputnik 08 Feb 2021 -- Turkey's Interior Ministry said on Monday that a new operation was launched aimed a combating Kurdish separatist movements in the country's southern regions, media reported.
- Turkey's Opposition HDP Faces Ban VOA 08 Feb 2021 -- The future of Turkey's second-largest opposition party is hanging in the balance, with mass arrests and growing calls for its closure. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the pro-Kurdish HDP of militant links, but the party says it's a victim of increasing government authoritarianism.
- Damascus slam Turkey's 'dangerous' plan to open schools in Syria Press TV 08 Feb 2021 -- Damascus has strongly objected to Turkey's decision to open schools in northern Syria, calling the decision a "dangerous act" and a "flagrant violation of international law."
- Biden to keep freeze on F-35 sales to Turkey over Russia's S-400s: US official Press TV 07 Feb 2021 -- A US military official says the Biden administration does not plan to end the freeze on the delivery of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to Turkey unless Ankara ditches the advanced S-400 air defense systems it purchased from Russia.
- U.S. Maintains Firm Stance On Turkey's Purchase Of Russian Missile Defense System RFE/RL 06 Feb 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is maintaining the previous administration's tough line against NATO member Turkey's purchase of a major Russian missile-defense system.
- 'Our Position Has Not Changed': Biden to Keep Freeze on F-35 Sales to Turkey Over S-400 Purchase Sputnik 06 Feb 2021 -- Donald Trump's administration halted supplies of F-35 jets, development of which was funded by Turkey, under the pretext that Ankara's acquisition of Russian S-400s endangers the fighter jets' secrets.
- Pentagon: Decision to Purchase S-400 Is 'Inconsistent With Turkey's Commitments as US, NATO Ally' Sputnik 05 Feb 2021 -- The United States is urging Turkey to dispose of the Russian S-400 air defense system, US Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
- Turkey's immunization drive at full speed with Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines People's Daily 04 Feb 2021 -- The mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 continues uninterrupted across Turkey with the inactivated vaccines produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
- Response to Turkish Statements on the 2016 Attempted Coup in Turkey US Dept. of State 04 Feb 2021 -- The United States had no involvement in the 2016 attempted coup in Turkey and promptly condemned it. Recent assertions to the contrary made by senior Turkish officials are wholly false.
- Turkey's Erdogan Calls Student Protesters Terrorists, Intensifying Anti-LGBT Rhetoric VOA 04 Feb 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused student demonstrators of being terrorists as Turkish police arrested them for protesting Erdogan's appointment of a new rector at one of the country's top universities this week.
- Turkey, Azerbaijan Begin Joint Military Drills Near Armenian Border RFE/RL 02 Feb 2021 -- Turkey and Azerbaijan have begun large-scale joint military exercises in eastern Anatolia near the border with Armenia.
- Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with Ibrahim Kalin, Spokesperson and Chief Advisor to the President of Turkey The White House 02 Feb 2021
- US National Security Advisor Voices Concerns Over Turkey's S-400 Purchases Sputnik 02 Feb 2021 -- US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a phone call with the Chief Advisor to the President of Turkey Ibrahim Kalin said that Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system undermines NATO effectiveness, the White House said.
- Erdogan: 'It Is Perhaps Time to Debate New Constitution' Sputnik 01 Feb 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested on Monday that the time has come for Turkey to have a new constitution.
- Ankara May Be Poised for Pivot From Middle East to Central Asia VOA 01 Feb 2021 -- Turkey and Azerbaijan are continuing to deepen ties by starting a major joint military exercise Monday. The display of force comes as some analysts suggest Ankara could be on the verge of a foreign policy pivot away from the Middle East to Central Asia.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
