Mediaboss Marketing

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in an overnight phone call on joint action against Islamic State in the Syrian towns of Raqqa and al-Bab, both held by the militants, Turkish presidency sources said on Wednesday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during his meeting with mukhtars at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 8, 2017. Yasin Bulbul/Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

U.S.-Turkish differences during former President Barack Obamas administration impeded the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State, and closer coordination could mean faster progress towards freeing swathes of northern Syria from IS.

Erdogan now hopes that relations with Washington, strained by the presence in the United States of a cleric he blames for an attempted military coup last year and by U.S. support for Kurdish militia in Syria, can be reset under Trump.

Turkey has the second largest army in the NATO alliance and is key to any success in rolling back and eventually neutralising IS in Syria and Iraq where IS declared a cross-border caliphate after lightning advances in 2014.

Turkey has presented a detailed plan to oust Islamic State from its Raqqa urban stronghold in northeastern Syria and strategy discussions with the Trump administration are under way, according to Erdogans spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin.

The operational details were not discussed on this call ... Now detailed planning will be conducted in coordination, he told Turkish broadcaster NTV in an interview.

Ankara believes recent IS attacks in Turkey, including a New Years Day shooting in an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, have been steered from al-Bab and Raqqa, and regards a clear-out of the towns as a national security priority.

Turkish government and Syrian rebel sources said on Wednesday insurgents backed by Turkeys military had taken the outskirts of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo. If al-Bab falls, Ankara would strengthen its sway over an area of northern Syria where it has created a de facto buffer zone.

Syrian government forces have also advanced on al-Bab from the south, bringing them into close proximity with their Turkish and rebel enemies in one of the most complex battlefields of Syrias six-year-old civil war. But Turkey said international coordination was under way to prevent clashes with Syrian forces.

The White House said that in the phone call, Trump spoke about the two countries shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and welcomed Turkish contributions to the fight against Islamic State. But it gave few details.

Sources in Erdogans office said the two leaders had touched on issues including a safe zone, as well as the regional migrant crisis and the fight against terrorism. Turkey has long advocated a secure zone for displaced civilians in Syria threatened by Islamist militants or forces fighting for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

They also said Erdogan had urged the United States not to support the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and that new CIA Director Mike Pompeo would be in Turkey on Thursday to discuss that and other issues with Turkish counterparts.

There was no immediate confirmation from Washington of Pompeos visit. But the offices of both leaders said Trump had reiterated U.S. support for Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally during Tuesdays phone call.

Turkey has long urged world powers to help create a safe zone, which it also sees as a way to purge its border of Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters, and stem a wave of migration that has caused tensions with Europe.

Obama and U.S. allies balked at the idea, saying it would entail significant ground forces and planes to patrol a no-fly zone, a dicey commitment in such a crowded and messy conflict.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of U.S.-backed militias, launched a new phase of its campaign against Islamic State in Raqqa on Saturday.

Turkey has repeatedly said it wants to be part of the U.S.-led operation to retake Raqqa from the ultra-hardline Sunni militant Islamic State, but does not want the YPG, which is part of the SDF alliance, to be involved.

Relations between Erdogan and Obama soured over U.S. support for the YPG, which Ankara regards as a terrorist group and an extension of Kurdish insurgents fighting inside Turkey.

The Turkish army and Syrian rebel groups it supports have been fighting IS in a separate campaign around al-Bab, northeast of the city of Aleppo. Ankara has complained in the past about a lack of U.S. support for that campaign.

Kalin said there had been better coordination with the U.S.-led coalition on air strikes in the last 10 days. He added that Ankaras priority remained the creation of a safe zone between the Syrian towns of Azaz and Jarablus, a strip of border territory to the north of al-Bab.

The Turkish sources said Pompeo would discuss both the YPG and steps against the network of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating last Julys coup attempt. Gulen denies any involvement.

Turkey has been frustrated by what it considers to be Washingtons reluctance to hand over Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.

As you know, we have two fundamental issues with the U.S. administration inherited from Obamas period. One is the support given to YPG and the other is the (Gulen) problem, Kalin said.

Our president spoke about these openly and clearly. Trump was informed on these and, without going into too much detail, he said lets ask our teams to work on this and lets give the necessary instructions.

Reporting by Washington newsroom, Tulay Karadeniz and Humeyra Pamuk in Ankara; editing by Nick Tattersall and Mark Heinrich

Originally posted here:
Erdogan, Trump agree joint action against Islamic State in ...

Erdogan reportedly called Maduro on Wednesday to confirm Turkeys support for his dictatorship after the National Assembly, the only democratic institution left in the country, swore in Juan Guaid as the legitimate president of Venezuela. The Venezuelan constitution requires the people to reject the legitimacy of a leader who either violates human rights or disturbs the democratic order, both of which Maduro is guilty of doing.

The United States has recognized Guaid, previously the president of the National Assembly, as the legitimate president and, as such, will disregard any authority Maduro claims to have.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Erdogan said he was shocked that the Trump administration would not support Maduro, even though Trump made opposition to socialism in Venezuela a pillar of his 2016 presidential campaign.

I was shocked by Trumps attitude [to the situation in Venezuela]. It is necessary to respect the person who won the election. We are coming out against any anti-democratic actions, Erdogan said. If Maduro takes a tough stance I believe the Venezuelan people will back their elected president.

Erdogan went on to accuse those who did not respect election results of being totalitarian.

Maduro held a presidential election in May 2018 in which he blocked all non-Marxist opposition candidates. He ran against several Chavista loyalists and the Communist Party of Venezuela. The opposition, which contained some soft-socialist elements, called for ageneral boycott of the election as they could not participate in it. The abstention rate in the election, according to some estimates, was over 80 percent, and observers noted the use of violence and intimidation to ensure voters chose Maduro at the ballot.

Erdogan held his own rigged presidential election in June, blocking most opposition candidates from television and competing against one candidate, Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) candidate Selahattin Demirtas, imprisoned for dissident statements against the regime. While not as clearly fraudulent as Maduros Erdogan did allow for the secularist opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) to run a candidate, if not nearly outright banning him from media appearances the Turkish presidential race still elicited global condemnation for being held in an intimidating and unfair environment.

In addition to public statements Thursday, Erdogan reportedly personally called Maduro on Wednesday to offer his support. According to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan said, Maduro brother, stand tall, Turkey stands with you.

Turkish state media has also begun attacking the United States, blaming Washington, DC, for Guaids inauguration. The administration in Washington had merely accepted his status as president as per the constitution of Venezuela and had not previously made any moves to impose his leadership on Venezuela.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency nonetheless published an infographic Thursday accusing America of a long history of fueling coups, including alleged support for Alberto [sic] Pinochet in Chile and various Middle East strongmen.

The U.S. supported coups not only in nearby countries and regions like Central America but also in the Mideast, Europe, andFarEast, causing sorrow, deaths, and underdevelopment, Anadolu alleged.

Turkey joins Russia, Iran, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, Cuba, Bolivia, the Palestinian Authority, and a small number of other totalitarian regimes in recognizing Maduro over Guaid.

Erdogan has spent years cultivating the relationship with Maduro despite the fact that Erdogans Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) claims to be a right-wing, anti-socialist party. During the early years of his presidency, Erdogan won support by promoting free market, capitalist reforms to the Turkish economy and has continued to face opposition from much of the secularist Turkish left. Yet he has also embraced relationships with some of the worlds most prominent failed socialist governments, with Venezuelas at the top of the list.

Erdoganinvited Maduro to a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last year and his inaugurationlast July. The relationship appeared to culminate this month with Venezuela agreeing to allow Turkey to refinethousands of tons of gold ore from the South American country, which is a lucrative business for Turkey.

Erdogan promised last month that Turkey would cover [Venezuelas] necessities economically in exchange for access to its natural resources, including providing funding to develop a large mosque in Caracas, despite a negligible Muslim population in the majority-Catholic country.

Follow Frances Martel onFacebookandTwitter.

Go here to read the rest:
Turkey's Erdogan: 'Maduro Brother, Stand Tall' in Venezuela

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is telling his embattled Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, to "stand tall" in the face of national and international calls to step down amid a political crisis.

Maduro's opponents accuse him of undermining democracy. He has presided over skyrocketing inflation, a collapsing economy and widespread shortages of basic goods.

Erdogan said Thursday he was shocked at U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president.

In response to the announcement, Maduro said Wednesday he was ending diplomatic relations with the United States and ordered U.S. diplomats to leave within 72 hours. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Maduro no longer has the authority to do so.

Erdogan maintained that Maduro will prevail "If he continues to stand strong in the path he believes in."

"Maduro, brother, stand tall. Turkey stands with you," Erdogan told Maduro by telephone, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted Thursday.

"I thank Russia, China, Turkey, and other governments and people of the world for their strong support of the legitimately established government of Venezuela," Maduro said in a Twitter post. "Venezuela is not alone!" he added.

Despite the religiously conservative Erdogan and the left-wing Maduro coming from opposite ends of the political spectrum, the two leaders have built a strong relationship.

Maduro is a regular visitor to Turkey. He attended the Turkish president's inauguration, while Erdogan visited Venezuela last year. Maduro provoked widespread condemnation after images of him dining at a famous Istanbul steak house went viral. Many Venezuelans are struggling to find enough to eat due to widespread food shortages.

"The support of Erdogan is vital for Maduro," said Esra Akgemci of Turkey's Selcuk University.

"It is clear that Maduro sees Turkey as a strategic alliance and wants to build deeper relations," she added. "The support of Erdogan is more discursive. Erdogan himself had also suffered from a coup attempt [in 2016] and could not find the support he was seeking from the EU and USA, so supporting Maduro against a probable coup would strengthen his position both in internal and international politics."

During the visit to Caracas, Erdogan pledged that Turkish companies would invest over $4.5 billion in Venezuela. Turkey has an agreement to process tons of Venezuelan gold; a move interpreted as a possible way to circumvent future U.S. sanctions. Turkish Airlines continues daily flights to Caracas, while many other international carriers have stopped service.

Turkish media are also strongly backing Maduro, accusing Washington of seeking to bring down a democratically elected president. "U.S.-backed coup attempt, this time in Venezuela," read one headline.

"Massive U.S. pressure on any country could devastate its economy, finances, and politics easily. President Maduro's principled resistance against these international pressures is exemplary," wrote columnist Hakki Ocal in the pro-government Sabah newspaper.

Murat Yetkin, a well-known liberal journalist tweeted, "U.S.'s post-modern coup attempt in Venezuela cannot be accepted. The suffering of the people who live in the country with the richest oil reserves under the Maduro administration doesn't change that. The decision cannot be taken by the U.S. or Trump. Next, there might be an occupation, by the U.S. or its collaborators."

Drawing parallels

Turkish media have drawn parallels between Turkey and Venezuela, after Trump, in a tweet this month, threatened to "devastate" the Turkish economy if Ankara attacked U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish rebels.

In Turkey;'s deeply politically polarized society there is a rare consensus in support of Maduro.

"Most of the people here who can't find Venezuela let alone Caracas on the map, are all fully behind Maduro," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, "because they think the U.S. again is behind a coup or military intervention, as they did previously in Libya as they did in Egypt, as they did in Iraq. From the most hard core Islamist to the most hard core leftist today in Turkey, there is anti-Americanism. It is deep. It is fervent."

The social media hashtag #WeAreMaduro, became one of the leading trending topics in Turkey, with many Turks posting images and comments in support for Maduro. The picture of Maduro holding an ancient Turkic flag is widely circulated.

Turkey and Latin America share similar histories of coups throughout the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Many in Turkey accuse the U.S. of being involved in the military takeovers. Turkish ministers openly accused the U.S. of being involved in the 2016 coup attempt, a charge Washington has denied.

Erdogan's support for Maduro is expected to continue. Analysts point out standing up to what is deemed as "American imperialism" plays well in Turkey, and critical local elections are due to March; however, former diplomat Selcen suggests such support will remain mostly empty words.

"It's mainly rhetoric," said Selcen."There are some rumors that if things go south for Maduro, he can perhaps find refuge in Turkey. But I believe it's just about pleasing the crowd. When it comes to Venezuela, Turkey does not have the capacity to extend support to Venezuela. It's out of area."

Go here to read the rest:
Turkey's Erdogan Stands Firm With Venezuela's Maduro

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkey is ready to take over security in Syrias Manbij, where four U.S. citizens died in an Islamic State-claimed bombing last week, President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call on Sunday, the Turkish presidency said.

FILE PHOTO - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Erdogan told Trump that the suicide bombing in Manbij, a town in northeast Syria controlled by a militia allied to U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, was a provocative act aimed at affecting Trumps decision last month to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Trump confounded his own national security team with a surprise decision on Dec. 19 to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, declaring the Islamic State militant group had been defeated there, a view not shared by many experts.

Manbij, which U.S.-backed forces captured from Islamic State in 2016, has emerged as a focal point of tensions after Trumps decision to withdraw U.S. forces whose presence has effectively deterred Turkey from attacking Kurdish forces.

Manbij is controlled by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia allied to the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG. Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has for decades waged a separatist insurgency in Turkey.

In its description of the call, the White House made no mention of Erdogans offer to take over security in Manbij but said the two men agreed to keep pursuing a negotiated settlement for northeastern Syria that meets both nations security needs.

President Trump underscored the importance of defeating terrorist elements that remain in Syria, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a description of the call.

The two leaders agreed to continue to pursue a negotiated solution for northeast Syria that achieves our respective security concerns. They also discussed their mutual interest in expanding the trade relationship between the United States and Turkey, the spokeswoman added.

Trump has previously warned Turkey not to attack the Kurds in Syria and appeared to threaten Turkeys economy if it did.

In its statement, the Turkish presidency also said that the two leaders had agreed to accelerate discussions between their chiefs of staff about a safe zone in northeastern Syria.

Last week, Trump suggested creating a safe zone, without elaborating. The SDF said on Wednesday it was ready to help create a safe zone, as fears grow that the U.S. withdrawal will give Turkey the opportunity to mount a new assault.

Turkey wants the zone to be cleared of the Kurdish group.

Reporting by Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Peter Cooney

Read more from the original source:
Erdogan: Turkey is ready to take over Syria's Manbij | Reuters

Erdogan conditioned setting up the safe zone on clearing the area of the U.S.-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG/YPJ), who Ankara believes are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) communist terrorist group, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Mr. Trump once again confirmed his decision to withdraw from Syria. He also spoke about a security zone more than 30 kilometers [about 18 miles] deep inside [Syria], which would be set up by us, an issue that I had raised during the Obama administration, Erdogan declared during his weekly address to Turkish lawmakers on Tuesday in Ankara, Hurriyet notes.

We had suggested securing the ground if the U.S. would provide aerial protection. [Former U.S. President Barack] Obama did not take the necessary steps on it although he was in favor of it, he added.

The Turkish president explained that safe zone negotiations between the United States and Turkey were still needed to define what logistics the U.S. and its coalition partners will provide for securing the territory and reconstructing the area after the return of Syrian refugees.

We can be involved in this with our TOK [Turkeys urban development agency]. But if financial support would be provided by our coalition partners, we can establish this secure zone and provide security for all these people. This would also stop migration, Erdogan noted.

For months, the Turkish military has been preparing to launch an operation against fighters from the YPG, the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) that has maintained control over most of northern Syria with the help of U.S. troops fighting the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in the area.

Referring to the safe zone, Erdogan said, Can the YPG take part in such a project? They are terrorists. Can we leave this area to the terrorists? For us, there is no difference between [ISIS] and the YPG/PYD.

Although Ankara has long accused the YPG of being affiliated to PKK terrorists, the United States continues to provide support to the Kurdish fighters, arguing that they are the most effective force against ISIS.

News of the potential safe zone for Kurds came days after Trump, via Twitter, threatened to devastate Turkey economically if Turkish forces attack the Kurds in Syria after the United States planned withdrawal.

This tweet has saddened us. Why? Because we are strategic partners. We may have different positions on some issues, but we should be locked on the same objectives, Erdogan said on Tuesday, referring to the American presidents remarks.

In responding to the tweet, the Erdogan administration also saidit would be a fatal mistake to consider Ankaras operation against the YPG, an attack against all Kurds, separating the militia group from the predominantly Kurdish population in northern Syria.

Trump revisited the notion in his tweet of establishing a security zone inside Syria to address Ankaras Kurdish-linked security concerns.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton recently said Americas withdrawal from Syria would be contingent upon assurances from Turkey that the Kurds will be safe, which Ankara failed to provide. However, it appears Erdogan has changed his mind.

In the wake of Trumps tweet threatening Turkey over the Kurds, the U.S. leader spoke to Erdogan on Monday to discuss the recent developments.

Citing a read out by the Turkish presidency, Hurriyet notes that the leaders discussed the idea of forming a terror-free safe zone in the north of Syria by Syrias territorial integrity.

We have decided to take comprehensive and speedy steps to increase our trade volume to $75 billion. Therefore, we could strengthen our joint perspective in spreading the positive spirit on our ties over Syria to the economic sphere as well, Erdogan reportedly said on Tuesday, referring to the call.

President Trump has announced plans to pull out American troops from Syria, but Bolton indicated a residual force would remain in the country to combat Irans growing influence.

Continue reading here:
Erdogan: Turkey Considering Setting Up 'Safe Zones' for Kurds ...