Aylık arşivler: Kasım 2017

Syrian Conflict: Time for Actions to Match Words

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November 27, 2017

On November 11, 2017, Presidents Putin and Trump met on the margins of the APEC conference in Vietnam. The joint-statement issued after the meeting said that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that the ultimate political solution must be forged through the Geneva process pursuant to UNSCR 2254. The statement further said that the two leaders also took note of President Assad’s recent commitment to the Geneva process and constitutional reform and elections as called for under UNSCR 2254.

In the absence of any capacity for conflict resolution on the part of regional countries, US-Russia cooperation has always been the key to ending the Syrian conflict.  And, the major challenge on that path has been reconciling the strategic interests of the two, narrowing differences where possible, mindful of the gaps that will inevitably remain.  Okumaya devam et →

United We Stand Against NATO

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November 20, 2017

Last Friday, the news that Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and President Erdogan were depicted as “enemies” in NATO military exercises in Norway hit the headlines.  It was reported that an image of the “enemy” in the mock exercise was actually a photo of Ataturk.  Turkish media also reported that a fake social media account in the name of President Erdogan was used to send anti-NATO messages.

There was an uproar. In an extremely rare display of harmony, the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) leadership, the main opposition and the media were united not only in condemning the incident but also blasting the Alliance. Turkey withdrew its 40 soldiers participating in the drills in protest and criticized the alliance in strong language. Okumaya devam et →

State of Confusion in Riyadh

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November 13, 2017

Candidate Trump called Saudi Arabia “the world’s biggest funders of terrorism.”

President Trump made his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia.

On November 7, in the wake of the purges in the Saudi capital, he tweeted,

“I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing….”

Others tend to wait and see what exactly is being done. Okumaya devam et →

Prime Minister Yıldırım’s Visit to Washington

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November 6, 2017

On October 29, Secretary Tillerson made the following remarks on the occasion of Turkey’s National Day:

 “… Turkey has been a close American ally for more than 60 years. We are strategic partners in addressing the causes of instability throughout the world, including the Syrian civil war and our mutual fight against terrorism and violent extremism. We continue our steadfast efforts to enhance border security, increase trade and investment, and promote peace and prosperity across the globe.

“As Turkey marks this anniversary, we reaffirm the strong and resilient ties that unite us, and are confident the close relationship between the Turkish and American people will continue to grow.” Okumaya devam et →