Displaying items by tag: Erdogan

Friday, 16 March 2018 09:33

Turkey and the Greek islands

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party and the opposing Republican People's Party both agree that the Greek islands are Turkish territory and must be reconquered. Both parties in the past have openly threatened to invade the Aegean. In 2016 President Erdogan said, ‘Turkey has given away islands, a stone’s throw away, that were ours before’. To fulfill his mission of leaving a legacy surpassing that of all other Turkish leaders, Erdogan has specific goals: to create a nationalist cohesion, modify Turkish borders, and update the Lausanne Treaty by 2023. Also Turkish propagandists have distorted facts to present Greece as the aggressor. Ministry of defence officials say, ‘Greece has converted the islands it has occupied into military arsenals and outposts that Greece will use in future intervention against Turkey.’ Observers believe that since Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, the West should not take its current threats against Greece lightly. Pray for positive discussions over territorial waters, delimitations of airspace, and exclusive economic zones.

Published in Europe
Friday, 08 December 2017 12:25

EU / Turkey relationships

Turkey-EU ties are currently marked by mutual resentments and appear to be going nowhere. In a sign of the times, Brussels is withholding 175 million euros in pre-accession funds for Turkey, which on paper remains a candidate for EU membership. Ankara says it doesn’t need EU money or membership, but it is developing ties with individual EU members, which seems to be a search for another kind of relationship with Europe. French president Emmanuel Macron, who has emerged as Erdogan’s principal European speaker, said Turkey is a partner in many crises Europe faces, notably the immigration challenge and the terrorist threat. Countries such as Germany and France are angry about EU citizens arrested in Turkey on what they say are trumped-up charges linking them to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terror Organisation (FETO). They are accusing Ankara of holding these people hostage.

Published in Europe

President Erdogan labelled mainstream German political parties and their leaders - including Mrs Merkel - ‘enemies of Turkey’, and called on Turks not to vote for them in Germany’s elections on 24 September. This raised hackles on the German side; Mrs Merkel called it ‘meddling’ in German elections, saying that voters had the right to vote freely, regardless of background. SPD leader Martin Schulz said Erdogan ‘had lost any sense of proportion.’ Meanwhile, AfD leader Frauke Petry faces a perjury fight. Ms Petry moved the AfD to the right after it was founded as an anti-euro movement. In 2016, amid the influx of migrants and refugees into Germany, she suggested that police should ‘if necessary’ shoot at migrants seeking to enter illegally. Now there are calls for her to lose her immunity from prosecution over allegations of perjury (she is suspected of making false statements under oath before a parliamentary committee in November 2015). AfD hopes to enter Berlin’s parliament in September’s election. See also http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40961113

Published in Europe
Friday, 21 April 2017 01:41

Turkey: referendum vote divides country

Half of Turkey is celebrating a win in a national referendum, the rest demand a recount. President Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory and sweeping new powers as head of government, head of state and head of the ruling party. He will have power to appoint cabinet ministers, propose budgets, appoint judicial bodies and issue decrees without safe counterweight mechanisms that exist in democratic countries such as the USA. The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) cited voting irregularities, including using unstamped ballot papers. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said the referendum had an ‘unlevel playing field’, as the ‘Yes’ campaign had unlimited media advertising, while the ‘No’ campaign was allowed virtually none. There was misuse of state resources by the ‘Yes’ campaign organisers, and obstruction of ‘No’ campaign events. Big cities did not back Erdogan or his changes. The win has caused both celebrations and protests across the country. See also:

Published in Worldwide
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