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Turkish Geopolitics/ Foreign Affairs

Neptune

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Please feel free to discuss relevant things and share news about Turkey's foreign policy, and It's relations with NATO, UN, EU, SCO and all other nations. As well as the regional issues.
 
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I don't see why this has to be a sticky thread, people make normal threads about political stuff either way, and it's absolutely waste of time.
 
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I don't see why this has to be a sticky thread, people make normal threads about political stuff either way, and it's absolutely waste of time.

Lately political discussion in Turkish section has been banned due to extreme number of threads and flame wars. It would be easy to check and keep control of the relevant topics in one thread.
 
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Al-Shabaab says British, Turkish special forces attack Somali base

British and Turkish special forces staged a nighttime sea and air attack on a key base of Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, the insurgents said Oct. 5, claiming the assault had failed.

Islamist commanders in the southern Somali port of Barawe said commandos rappelled from a helicopter as they tried to storm a house belonging to a senior al-Shabaab commander.

The assault comes two weeks after al-Shabaab gunmen attacked Kenya's Westgate shopping mall, massacring 67 people in a four-day siege.

"The enemy of Allah tried to surprise the mujahedeen commanders with a night attack using a military helicopter, but they were taught a lesson and they have failed," Mohamed Abu Suleiman, the al-Shabaab commander in the small seaside town, told AFP.

"Our mujahedeen fighters inside the house fought back and the cowards ran away," Suleiman added.
Al-Shabaab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab later blamed the raid on "Britons and Turks."

He said commandos had also stormed the beach by boat.

"The bungled operation was carried out by white people, who came with two small boats from a larger ship out at sea... one al-Shabaab guard was killed, but reinforcements soon came and the foreigners fled," he told AFP.

Heavy gunfire

"Where the foreigners had been, afterwards we saw lots of blood, so maybe we wounded some," he added.

Witnesses reported heavy gunfire as the helicopter hovered overhead.

"I woke to the sound of the helicopter above the neighbourhood, then a few minutes later, there was fighting, gunfire broke out for about 10-15 minutes," said a local resident who asked not to be named.

"We don't know what exactly happened, but it was an organised attack targeting the house where some al-Shabaab commanders were." Barawe lies some 180 kilometres south of the capital Mogadishu, and is one of the few ports left in al-Shabaab hands, although they still control large parts of rural southern Somalia.

Photographs released by the al-Shabaab earlier this year showed dozens of their fighters armed with heavy machine guns in Barawe.

Residents of Barawe said al-Shabaab gunmen were heavily deployed on the streets of the port on Oct. 5.

"People are being stopped from getting close to the scene of the attack, heavily armed Shebab soldiers have cordoned off the area," said Mohamed Nune, a resident.

Multiple nations operate special forces in the wider Horn of Africa region, and have carried out similar missions in the past.

In January, elite French forces staged an overnight operation involving some 50 troops and at least five helicopters in southern Somalia in a failed bid to rescue a captured intelligence officer held by al-al-Shabaab forces.

Last year, U.S. Navy SEALs flying at least six military helicopters swooped into northern Somalia to rescue two aid workers held by pirates.

U.S. drones are reported to regularly fly over Somalia, carrying out occasional missile strikes.

Since their attack in Kenya last month, the al-Shabaab have threatened "rivers of blood" will flow if Kenya does not pull its troops out of Somalia.

Al-Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane said the Westgate mall carnage was retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia.

Meanwhile security camera footage of the al-Shabaab gunmen in the Nairobi mall attack has been released, showing four young men wandering apparently nonchalantly around the supermarket and a storeroom, in a break from the killing which included the execution of children.

Alshabaab says british turkish special forces attack somali base

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Do we even have special forces in Somali ?
 
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Yes we have two( @Armstrong and his twin @Neptune )special forces there,sent them two months ago in two state of the art tealth rowing boats.
Muhahhahha. I bet Neptune was the Captain of the boat who was ordering poor Armstrong to row faster.

I dont think we can take this news serious

If there had been Turkish Special Forces, there wouldn't be anyone left to give interviews to this news channel.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Al-Shabaab says British, Turkish special forces attack Somali base

British and Turkish special forces staged a nighttime sea and air attack on a key base of Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab, the insurgents said Oct. 5, claiming the assault had failed.

Islamist commanders in the southern Somali port of Barawe said commandos rappelled from a helicopter as they tried to storm a house belonging to a senior al-Shabaab commander.

The assault comes two weeks after al-Shabaab gunmen attacked Kenya's Westgate shopping mall, massacring 67 people in a four-day siege.

"The enemy of Allah tried to surprise the mujahedeen commanders with a night attack using a military helicopter, but they were taught a lesson and they have failed," Mohamed Abu Suleiman, the al-Shabaab commander in the small seaside town, told AFP.

"Our mujahedeen fighters inside the house fought back and the cowards ran away," Suleiman added.
Al-Shabaab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab later blamed the raid on "Britons and Turks."

He said commandos had also stormed the beach by boat.

"The bungled operation was carried out by white people, who came with two small boats from a larger ship out at sea... one al-Shabaab guard was killed, but reinforcements soon came and the foreigners fled," he told AFP.

Heavy gunfire

"Where the foreigners had been, afterwards we saw lots of blood, so maybe we wounded some," he added.

Witnesses reported heavy gunfire as the helicopter hovered overhead.

"I woke to the sound of the helicopter above the neighbourhood, then a few minutes later, there was fighting, gunfire broke out for about 10-15 minutes," said a local resident who asked not to be named.

"We don't know what exactly happened, but it was an organised attack targeting the house where some al-Shabaab commanders were." Barawe lies some 180 kilometres south of the capital Mogadishu, and is one of the few ports left in al-Shabaab hands, although they still control large parts of rural southern Somalia.

Photographs released by the al-Shabaab earlier this year showed dozens of their fighters armed with heavy machine guns in Barawe.

Residents of Barawe said al-Shabaab gunmen were heavily deployed on the streets of the port on Oct. 5.

"People are being stopped from getting close to the scene of the attack, heavily armed Shebab soldiers have cordoned off the area," said Mohamed Nune, a resident.

Multiple nations operate special forces in the wider Horn of Africa region, and have carried out similar missions in the past.

In January, elite French forces staged an overnight operation involving some 50 troops and at least five helicopters in southern Somalia in a failed bid to rescue a captured intelligence officer held by al-al-Shabaab forces.

Last year, U.S. Navy SEALs flying at least six military helicopters swooped into northern Somalia to rescue two aid workers held by pirates.

U.S. drones are reported to regularly fly over Somalia, carrying out occasional missile strikes.

Since their attack in Kenya last month, the al-Shabaab have threatened "rivers of blood" will flow if Kenya does not pull its troops out of Somalia.

Al-Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane said the Westgate mall carnage was retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia.

Meanwhile security camera footage of the al-Shabaab gunmen in the Nairobi mall attack has been released, showing four young men wandering apparently nonchalantly around the supermarket and a storeroom, in a break from the killing which included the execution of children.

Alshabaab says british turkish special forces attack somali base

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Do we even have special forces in Somali ?

that may be true when thinking the last events (mall attack, embassy attack). But also it may be wrong as we withdrew TCG Gökova from SNMG-2 almost 2 months ago. But i know that especially SAT conducts covert ops with allied nations.

That's definetly worth to open a thread for it in Africa, ;)
 
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That's definetly worth to open a thread for it in Africa, ;)

Mate, i thought of the same thing too. But in those sections things tend to get out of control fast and insults begin to fly everywhere. :undecided:
 
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F-16 jets sent to border as Syrian planes approached Turkish airspace

Turkey sent four F-16 fighter jets to the border as Syrian aircraft approached Turkish airspace on Oct. 5, Turkish armed forced have said.

Two F-16 fighter jets scrambled from Diyarbakır airbase for patrolling, then headed to the region as Syrian planes approached the border, said the statement yesterday.

One Syrian SU-24 plane approached the Öncüpınar/Kilis border region, and then moved away only 5.6 sea miles from the Turkish border, the army said yesterday, adding that the Syrian SU-24 plane approached to Cilvegözü/Hatay border region, and moved back 8.6 sea miles from the Turkish border.

Turkish warplanes headed to the region as a Syrian SU-24 plane approached the southern border of Öncüpınar/Kilis, which then moved away only 10 sea miles from the Turkish border, said the statement.

Two other F-16 warplanes scrambled from İncirlik airbase for routine patrolling duty, headed for the border as Syrian MI-17 helicopter approached the border of southern Karbeyaz/Hatay, but the Syrian air vehicle moved away 4 sea miles from the Turkish border, said the statement.

LOCAL - F-16 jets sent to border as Syrian planes approached Turkish airspace: Army
 
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DAC offers Turkey membership

Turkey has been invited to join the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), known as the “club of rich countries.”
DAC is a group of selected member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) formed to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries.

Erik Solheim, the newly elected chair of the OECD, renewed an invitation for DAC membership while paying a recent visit to Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ, noting that DAC hopes to make use of Turkey's experience.

Expressing his appreciation for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit with several of his Cabinet ministers to Somalia in 2011, Solheim also underlined the importance of the new Turkish Airlines (THY) flights to that country.

Solheim stated that the aid provided to Africa and to Somalia in particular drew their attention and demonstrates the significant progress Turkey has made. “Turkey's steps in Somalia may set an example for other DAC member countries as well, so it would be useful for us to have Turkey on DAC's executive committee.”

During his meeting with Bozdağ, Solheim reportedly explained the reasons for the offer of DAC membership to Turkey. “Turkey has become an effective power around the world. Your country is already a member of the OECD but not DAC, so we are now proposing that you be a part of the committee,” he said.

Bozdağ: Aid will continue

Bozdağ stated in the meeting that Turkey would consider the DAC membership offer.

“Turkey's humanitarian aid will increasingly continue and increase in the future as well. We give importance to providing aid, to Somalia in particular. Thanks to our aid, the Somali people no longer die of starvation,” Bozdağ noted.

Turkey has led efforts to help Somalia as the fragile country attempts to rebuild itself after two decades of civil war and lawlessness. Aid from Turkey in the aftermath of the 2011 famine in Somalia, the opening of the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu in November 2011, and the visit by Erdoğan provided momentum in Turkish-Somali relations.

During his visit to Somalia, Erdoğan, who was the first non-African government leader to do so in nearly 20 years, visited several refugee camps in the country, pledging more aid in cash and assistance with building infrastructure.

Noting that Turkey will provide aid not only to Somalia but also to other countries in need, Bozdağ said such aid leads to greater understanding. Bozdağ also recalled that after his visit to Somalia the prime minister said he should visit Somalia often.

Record increase in official development aid figures

Turkey has attracted attention with a record increase in official development aid figures. The Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) coordinates this assistance.

According to OECD DAC figures, the total amount of Turkey's official development aid in 2012 was $2.5 billion, a 99 percent increase in 10 years. In 2002, Turkey's aid totaled $86 million and $1.3 billion in 2011.

While Turkey has boosted its official development aid, OECD figures show that the assistance provided by other OECD member countries decreased 4 percent in 2012.

Source: DAC offers Turkey membership - Today's Zaman, your gateway to Turkish daily news
 
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Synopsis of the Turkish Foreign Policy

The era in which we live is an age of rapid changes. Accordingly, foreign policy issues have also gained a more complex and complicated character. Today, taking the necessary steps in keeping with the speed of these changes and developments is the most important task laid before decision makers. In such an environment, developments show us that international legitimacy, economic interdependence, respect for human rights, pursuing a sustainable environmental policy and harmony between people belonging to different religious and ethnic origins stand as the most important tools to build lasting peace, stability and prosperity. The realities of our time also compel us to analyze international dynamics with a global perspective of peace.

Located in one of the important intersections of different foreign policy dynamics, this extraordinary process also shapes Turkey's basic foreign policy issues. In light of the many opportunities created by globalization, we were in fact hoping for the emergence of a new environment conducive to lasting peace. However traditional security issues as well as new and evolving risks and threats such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cross-border organized crime and illegal immigration continue to overshadow our optimism. The Afro-Eurasian geography where Turkey is situated at the epicenter is an area where such opportunities and risks interact in the most intensive way. Under these circumstances, to follow a stable and constructive Turkish foreign policy has become all the more important. History has shown us that great civilizations has prospered in peace in our region when the correct steps are taken and the existing potential is appropriately utilized, while the cost of mistakes can be devastating for the entire world.

It is with this understanding that Turkey pursues a dynamic and visionary foreign policy with a view to steering the developments in a positive direction, in a region where the impact of global changes are greatest. In this context, Turkey’s multi-dimensional, constructive, proactive, realistic and responsible foreign policy is one of the most important assets in realizing its national and international goals.

As a result of this principled approach and its continued efforts, as well as thanks to its increasing means and capabilities Turkey has in fact become a leading country that works to expand the sphere of peace and prosperity in its region; generate stability and security; help establish an order that paves the way for prosperity, human development and lasting stability.

Rise of Turkey to such a prominent position is also a consequence of Turkey’s solid stance that vigorously seeks legitimacy and of the belief that its own security and stability can only be achieved through the security and stability of the region. Behind this stance lies intensive efforts and major initiatives intended for the creation of an environment of sustainable peace, security and tranquility in the region and beyond.

Thanks to this foreign policy vision, Turkey is today considered as a country that not only safeguards but also disseminates human rights, democracy, rule of law and social equity.

Turkey's deep-rooted tradition of statehood and democracy, its advantages emanating from geography and history, its young and educated population and dynamic economy plays a key role in the success of this policy.

Turkish foreign policy is pursued by mobilizing many and complementary political, economic, humanitarian and cultural means and its sphere of interest has achieved a global scale.

In this framework, Turkey is determined to become a full member of the European Union as part of its bicentennial effort to reach the highest level of contemporary civilization. Furthermore, believing that an ever enlarging NATO has much more to do in serving global peace, Turkey is striving to keep the spirit of alliance high at all times.

On the other hand, attaching particular importance to its Transatlantic ties Turkey is strengthening its relations both with the US and the European countries; while further developing its relations with the countries in the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa, Southern Caucasus, South Asia and Central Asia by making use of its close ties. In a world where globalization renders distances increasingly insignificant, Turkey is also deepening its policies of reaching out to Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions that is home to many emerging powers.

In other words, Turkey does not only develop its bilateral and regional relations in its close neighborhood, but seeks to create a positive synergy on a much wider scale and thus aims at contributing to global peace, stability and security.

Cognizant of the fact that global problems can only be resolved through cooperation on a global scale, Turkey is also conducting an active diplomacy in the multilateral fora, notably within the United Nations, the unique universal forum in which such cooperation is realized through broadest possible participation and on a robust basis of legitimacy. As regards the UN, for instance, after concluding its non-permanent membership in the Security Council during 2009-2010, Turkey announced yet again its candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the Council this time for the years 2015-2016. The aim is to bring an added value to the work of the Council and shoulder more effectively its global responsibilities. On the other hand, taking account of the direct relationship between security and development, Turkey has started assuming an active role in global development diplomacy efforts, too. In this regard, Turkey hosted the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, between 9th and 13th of May in Istanbul and contributed to the adoption of the Program of Action for the decade 2011-2020.

In sum, Turkey is aware of the necessity to foster the linkages between political stability, economic welfare and cultural harmony in order to attain sustainable global peace. To this end, Turkey is committed to further enhance political dialogue with all countries, search for new economic and commercial areas of cooperation and increase its humanitarian aid and assistance to the developing countries. As an emerging energy hub and a major transit country, Turkey plays an important role with respect to global energy security. Likewise, as an active member of the G-20 which gave a new impulse to the quest for global governance Turkey is pursuing a more representative and democratic global system. Turkey also assumes active role in endeavors to foster mutual respect and common values among different cultures and religions. In this regard the Alliance of Civilizations initiative, cosponsored by Turkey&Spain, represents the strongest response ever to the scenarios of the so-called “clashes of civilizations”.

On the other hand, Turkey has added a relatively new aspect to its foreign policy in recent years which indeed complements its global vision via helping third countries in resolving their domestic as well as bilateral problems through facilitation and reconciliation. Indeed Turkey is now playing a more active role compared to the past in mediation and resolution of conflicts. While doing so Turkey prioritizes opportunities and initiatives improving cooperation and friendships between states based on a win-win principle rather than perceived problems and threats.

Overall, Turkey conducts a foreign policy guided by the principle of “Peace at Home, Peace in the World” as set out by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It has a broad and constructive vision and is committed to make use of all its means and capabilities towards this end. Turkey will resolutely continue its efforts in this direction which will not only guarantee its national interests but will help achieve the common goals of humanity.

Synopsis of the Turkish Foreign Policy / Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 
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Turkish president invited to visit Armenia on centennial of “Armenian genocide”

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan has officially invited the future president of Turkey to visit his country on April 24, 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the "Armenian genocide", Armenia's ARKA agency reported on May 27.

Sargsyan announced this while speaking at the 4th meeting of the State Commission in charge of coordinating the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the "Armenian genocide" in Yerevan.

"Along with all this, we do not feel animosity towards the Turkish people. Moreover, we try to create conditions under which the Armenian and Turkish people will be able to communicate with each other to find the path to reconciliation," Sargsyan said.

Namely to this end, the Armenian side remains committed to the normalization of relations with Turkey and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border without preconditions, although the Turkish side only makes statements on this issue, the president said.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.

Turkish president invited to visit Armenia on centennial of “Armenian genocide” - Trend.Az


:lol:
 
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Turkish president invited to visit Armenia on centennial of “Armenian genocide”

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan has officially invited the future president of Turkey to visit his country on April 24, 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the "Armenian genocide", Armenia's ARKA agency reported on May 27.

Sargsyan announced this while speaking at the 4th meeting of the State Commission in charge of coordinating the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the "Armenian genocide" in Yerevan.

"Along with all this, we do not feel animosity towards the Turkish people. Moreover, we try to create conditions under which the Armenian and Turkish people will be able to communicate with each other to find the path to reconciliation," Sargsyan said.

Namely to this end, the Armenian side remains committed to the normalization of relations with Turkey and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border without preconditions, although the Turkish side only makes statements on this issue, the president said.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor the Ottoman Empire allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.

Turkish president invited to visit Armenia on centennial of “Armenian genocide” - Trend.Az


:lol:

I wonder what else they talk in Armenia besides this so-called genocide..... :lol:
 
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