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Thu Jun 22, 2017 | 11:31 AM EDT

By Daren Butler and Tulay Karadeniz | ISTANBUL/ANKARA

ISTANBUL/ANKARA Turkey sent its first ship carrying food aid to Qatar and dispatched a small contingent of soldiers and armored vehicles there on Thursday, while President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabia's leaders on calming tension in the region.

Turkey has backed Qatar after Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab states cut all economic and diplomatic ties this month, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, a charge it denies.

But Ankara, which has long tried to play the role of regional mediator, is also wary of upsetting its other allies, including Saudi Arabia. Turkey fast-tracked legislation on June 7 to allow more troops to be deployed to a military base in Qatar that houses Turkish soldiers under an agreement signed in 2014.

Five armored vehicles and 23 military personnel arrived in Doha on Thursday as part of the new deployment plans, Turkey's armed forces said in a statement, adding that the move was in the framework of legal measures regarding military training and cooperation between the two countries.

Some 88 Turkish soldiers were already in Qatar, according to the Hurriyet newspaper.

After the deployment, a joint exercise by Turkish and Qatari forces was expected following the Islamic Eid al-Fitr holiday, Hurriyet said. The number of Turkish soldiers sent to the Gulf state could eventually reach 1,000, it said, adding that an air force contingent was also envisaged.

The first Turkish ship carrying some 4,000 tonnes of dry food supplies, fruit and vegetables set off from a port in western Turkey's Izmir province at dawn on Thursday, state-run Anadolu news agency said. It cited the head of the logistics company delivering the supplies as saying it was expected to arrive in Doha in around 10 days.

Though Turkey has sent 105 cargo planes of supplies, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Wednesday that it was not sustainable to maintain aid supplies through an air lift.

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In supporting Qatar, Turkey was not trying to threaten anyone, Erdogan's spokesman said.

"We don't want any sort of tension with any Gulf state. We would also not want any of them to be in a row with each other. This has been our approach to this crisis since the beginning," Ibrahim Kalin told reporters on Thursday.

"In other words, if two of your friends, two neighbors are disagreeing with each other and if there is something you can do about this, it is perfectly natural to go into action."

Sources from Erdogan's office said the president spoke by phone overnight with Saudi Arabia's King Salman and new crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, congratulating the latter on his promotion.

"Agreement was reached on increasing efforts toward ending tension in the region related to Qatar," the sources said in a statement regarding the phone calls on Thursday. Erdogan and King Salman agreed to hold face-to-face talks at the G20 meeting in Hamburg next month, the sources said.

King Salman made his son next in line to the throne on Wednesday, handing the 31-year-old sweeping powers as the kingdom seeks a radical overhaul of its oil-dependent economy and faces mounting tensions with regional rival Iran.

(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan and Richard Balmforth)

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Turkey's Erdogan, Saudi leaders discuss efforts to end Qatar tension: sources - Reuters

The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is reportedly finding it difficult to secure booking for a suitable venue to address thousands of his supporters on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg, according to local media.

So far, a number of arenas located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, which could potentially cater to the Turkish leaders needs, have for various reasons, reportedly politely refused to host Erdogan on July 9.

The Dortmund Westfalenhallen is not available, said a spokesman for the event center on Wednesday, as the hall has already been booked on that day, apparently for construction work for another event, Ruhr Nachrichten reports.

The Konig-Pilsner-Arena in Oberhausen also denied a request for Erdogans speaking engagement, according to Bild. The spokesman for the venue reportedly said the arena will undergo renovation and reconstruction work during the summer break.

The Dusseldorf ISS Dome also used a similar excuse to deny Erdogan a public space, Focus online reports.

The arena is not available because of the renovation work that takes place annually in the summer weeks, said spokeswoman Julia Kaballo.

Erdogan made his last appearance before his supporters in Germany in May 2015. Whether or not he will have another chance to extend the courtesy to some of the roughly 4 million Turkish citizens residing in Germany remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Germanys Federal Foreign Office said the Turkish Embassy in Berlin was unable to confirm plans for Erdogans attendance at the G20 summit which will take place on July 7-8 in Hamburg.

So far, we have received no formal request from the Turkish side, the spokesman pointed out. We have no information about this.

The public speaking venues alleged hesitation to host Erdogan seems to fall in line with the rapidly worsening German-Turkish relations.

While German citizens and journalists like Deniz Yucel are still in prison in Turkey, the federal government cannot roll the red carpet for Turkish despotic Erdogan in Germany, Sevim Dagdelen from the Left Party was quoted as saying by Die Welt.

In early March, authorities in two German states withdrew permission for a number of rallies in support of a Turkish referendum which sought to expand Erdogans presidential powers. The decision was taken amid growing public outrage over Turkeys arrest of a Turkish-German Die Welt reporter, and Ankaras crackdown on political opponents following a failed coup attempt in July last year.

In retaliation, Erdogan lashed out at Germany, comparing its policy to Nazi measures. Erdogans Nazi reference sparked outrage in Germany, where the issue of the countrys notorious Nazi past and the crimes of Hitlers regime remain highly sensitive.

Continue reading here:
Erdogan struggles to find rally venue for G20 visit to Germany - euronews

ANCA-OC representative flank Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. The Armenian National Committee of America Orange County Chapter (ANCA-OC) commended Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) for his principled leadership in calling national attention and securing broad bi-partisan condemnation of the May 16th brutal beating of peaceful protesters by Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogans security forces in Washington.

During a June 16 meeting, Rep. Rohrabacher, who serves as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats, told ANCA-OC members that, The government of Turkey is proving itself to be not just a threat to Armenians, but a threat to freedom loving people everywhere. President Erdogan is a tyrant and radical Islamist. Its time for the United States to give serious consideration to adjusting our priorities and alliances in that part of the world.

Immediately after the attack on protesters, ordered by Turkish President Erdogan and carried out just feet in front of him, Rep. Rohrabacher held public hearings, inviting representatives of the Kurdish, Yezidi and Armenian communities to share their eye-witness accounts of the assault. ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, whose video footage of the attacks was shown by major media outlets throughout the world, offered powerful testimony during the hearing.

During the House Foreign Affairs Committee consideration of H.Res.354, condemning the Turkish attacks and calling for perpetrators to be brought to justice, Congressman Rohrabacher was adamant. He [Erdogan] is not welcome in this country if he is going to think that he can attack Americans for expressing their opposition to his policies.

Following unanimous committee passage, the resolution was adopted by the House of Representatives by a vote of 397 to 0. US law enforcement has since arrested two Turkish Americans in connection with the attacks and issued arrest warrants for 12 members of Erdogans security detail, as well as two Turkish Canadian citizens.

The ANCA-OCs open and frank conversation with Congressman Rohrabacher also focused on H.Res.220, the Armenian Genocide Prevention Resolution, Armenia and Artsakhs difficult geo-political challenges, Turkeys destabilizing role in Syria and the region, the key contributions of the Kurdish community, as well as other issues important to the Armenian-American community in the U.S. and specifically in Orange County.

ANCA OC leaders also urged the Congressman to oppose a pending sale of U.S. semi-automatic guns to Turkey, targeted for use by Erdogans security detail.

The productive meeting concluded with ANCA OC and Congressman Rohrabacher agreeing to continue working together in Washington and locally in Orange County.

Continue reading here:
Rep. Rohrabacher Calls Erdogan a 'Tyrant and Radical Islamist' - Asbarez Armenian News

Erdogan spokesman says Turkey and Russia to deploy in Syria's Idlib The Jerusalem Post ANKARA, June 22 - Turkish and Russian personnel will be deployed in Syria's northern Idlib region as part of a de-escalation agreement brokered by Russia last month, Turkish broadcasters quoted the Turkish presidential spokesman as saying on Thursday. and more »

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Erdogan spokesman says Turkey and Russia to deploy in Syria's Idlib - The Jerusalem Post

WASHINGTON Rising American criticism of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spurred hopes that the U.S. will take a tougher line against his repression, according to a top opposition Turkish lawmaker.

They can do more, Hiyar zsoy, a parliamentarian associated with Turkeys pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party, known as HDP, told HuffPost recently during a stateside visit to meet with members of Congress and Trump administration officials.

Powerful Republicans and Democrats criticized an attack by Erdogans security personnel on protesters during his visit to the U.S. in May. U.S. authorities have since taken the unusual step of announcing criminal charges against the foreign officials. This month, the House passed a unanimous resolution condemning the guards behavior.

Every single one of them voted for it, zsoy said of the House resolution. (More than 30 members of the House did not vote; no lawmakers voted against the resolution.)

For quite some time, the U.S. administration as well as politicians have been trying to somehow manage Erdogan, to ease his anxiety, zsoy continued. But it seems that they are fed up, I think, and this was, theyre angry not simply because of this attack, but this was kind of a tipping point, and it seems that they are saying enough is enough, we are not going to tolerate you and manage your anxieties anymore, and you need to behave.

Some Turkish officials believe the U.S., their ally in the NATO alliance, has underestimated their concerns about an attempted coup against Erdogan last year, and the growing power of a Kurdish militant group called the YPG, which is working with the U.S. against the Islamic State in Syria.

Erdogan sees the YPG as an extension of a movement called the PKK a Kurdish organization responsible for hundreds of deaths within Turkey and still engaged in conflict with the government. Both Turkey and the U.S. list the PKK as a terror group.

But U.S. officials say theyre confident the YPG will not threaten Turkey with its new American weaponry. And compassion regarding the coup has waned because of Erdogans response fresh attacks on the press (Turkey is the worlds most prodigious jailer of journalists) the firing of tens of thousands of ordinary people, and assaults on opposition politicians.

Erdogans post-coup state of emergency seems to target criticism, not terrorism, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said in March. Humanitarian groups say the government overreach exacerbates problems caused by a brutal years-long crackdown in Turkeys mostly Kurdish southeastern regions.

Erdogan has responded to international criticism with anger. What kind of a rule, what kind of a law is this? he said in reaction to the charges against his bodyguards. The Turkish leader has also grown closer to Russia, a move analysts say is meant to signal that he does not necessarily need Washingtons support.

American decision-makers should see that there is now no value in compromising to soothe Erdogan, zsoy said. He wants U.S. officials to step up criticism of heavy-handed Turkish government actions, like the imprisonment of his partys leaders, and challenge talking points from Turkeys lobbyists, like the claim that Erdogan is open to peace with the PKK after having consolidated his power as president in a controversial recent referendum.

At best, they can be forced to have some kind of negotiations, the lawmaker said, referring to Erdogan and the ultra-nationalist, anti-Kurdish factions in Turkeys military and politics, with whom the president has aligned in recent years.

The harsh rhetoric about Erdogan and broad support for the Kurds on both sides of the aisle suggests that more Capitol Hill pressure may well be possible.

Asked whether he believes President Donald Trumps stated admiration for Erdogan will make it hard for the U.S. to challenge Turkey, zsoy said he believes the presidents domestic troubles over Russia will make it hard for him to truly shape U.S. foreign policy.

Even in the U.S. where the president is so powerful, foreign policy decisions are not based on whether the presidents like each other personally or not, he added. If Erdogan is investing in the Trump administration, I can say that he will be disappointed.

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US Distaste For Turkish Leader Erdogan May Have Reached 'Tipping Point' - HuffPost