Reports: Putin, Erdogan To Meet In August

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Turkish state media says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in August, their first face-to-face meeting since a rapprochement in late June following the downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015.

Quoting presidential sources, the Anadolu Agency said the meeting will take place in the first week of August.

Ankara and Moscow said on July 17 that Putin had called Erdogan earlier to express his support in the wake of the July 15 deadly coup attempt in Turkey.

A statement from Erdogan's office said Putin said Moscow stood by "Turkey's elected government."

http://www.rferl.org/content/putin-erdogan-meeting/27863368.html

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1. The Latest: Syrian state paper says coup attempt fabricated

A Syrian government newspaper says the failed coup in Turkey was fabricated and aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the military.

The daily Al-Thawra said Sunday that the attempted coup was a plot by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to "avenge the military and strip it of its remaining popular support."

It said police loyal to Erdogan "deliberately humiliated" the army in front of the people.

Erdogan is a strong backer of the insurgents trying to remove President Bashar Assad from power in neighboring Syria. The Syrian government views the rebels as terrorists.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_TURKEY_MILITARY_COUP_THE_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-17-08-49-15

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2. Advisor to FM: Erdogan, Assad Both Enjoy Legitimacy

TEHRAN (FNA)- The same rules that make Recep Tayyip Erdogan the legitimate president of Turkey apply to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad as well since both have been elected to office through public voting, Former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said.

"Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bashar al-Assad are the legal presidents of the two important countries of Turkey and Syria who have ascended to power through public vote and democracy," Amir Abdollahian, now a senior advisor to the Iranian foreign minister, said in an interview with the Iran-based Arabic-language al-Alam news channel on Sunday.

Stressing Iran's condemnation of the recent coup against the Turkish government, he said, "Our support for the Turkish president, government and people against the coup plotters means support for an important neighbor, a strategic ally and democracy."

Amir Abdollahian also referred to the situation in Syria in which the Takfiri terrorists and the Zionists have launched a war to topple the legal government with the help of extensive foreign supports, and said, "Tehran considers this move a violation of democracy and trampling over the Syrian people's vote, and it strenuously supports Syria's legal president, people and army against the terrorists' attacks and sees this support as a major contribution to collective security in the region."

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950427001138

[geek tragedy]

17. Turkey's a strategic ally of Iran now?

Iran and Syria aren't exactly on the same page in their reactions to this.

[bemildred]

18. Who is an ally with whom seems very up in the air at the moment.

1.) Governments, one and all, agree that coups are a bad thing.

2.) How the Putin-Erdogan marriage plays out seems uncertain, but how pretty much everybody rationalizes their policies now seems "unclear", so no need to single those two out. Does one prefer that such a player as Erdogan has become be an enemy or a friend? Which will do the least harm? Alliances that have been dogma for decades are being called into question, and not in a good way.

3.) All these little untrustworthy tin-pot dictators trying to find amongst themselves somebody they can trust.

4.) The point for US policy is that we have lost control and should limit ourselves to diplomatic good works, lest we be soiled further too. We still have dipshits running around with the idea that we can just intervene militarily and fix it.

5.) How does this affect Ukraine and E. Europe if Erdogan becomes Putin's sidekick? The Sauds? Egypt? Everybody in the Middle East really.

[geek tragedy]

19. The US should realize that its list of friends outside the Western Hempisphere and

Europe is mighty thin--a handful of Asian countries (Philippines, S. Korea and Japan) and that's about it.

With everyone else it's speed dating.

"Diplomatic good works" is still too ambitious IMO, see Israel/Palestine.

[bemildred]

20. We should be a lot less gullible. nt

[geek tragedy]

21. and less arrogant nt

[bemildred]

29. Things are very Alice-in-Wonderlandy right now.

Wildly conflicting versions of events which themselves conflict with past "events". Things being re-interpreted into their opposites.

Erdogan hates Iran but wants to make up with Syria, and Israel, but not too much. Etc. Anybody you can name was behind the Turkish coup attempt. The name "Gladio" came up, the GCC, Israel (of course), etc. This happening now is the "Turkish Spring". A lot of stuff I don't want to repeat.

I tend, on balance, at the moment, to think Putin is still giving Erdogan more rope, and not planning to use him to re-make the geopolitical map, at least not the way we think of it, for a number of reasons, but we'll have to wait and see, reason will only take you so far.

Should be very telling, what happens in the next few weeks & months. Big change a-coming.

[Duckhunter935]

3. Two elected dictators

Sad the people don't see it

[bemildred]

4. They see it, they don't care, they just root for their side, whatever they think that is.

Erdogan already has a war next door, and a nascent civil war, he is almost certainly going to make it all worse.

[bemildred]

5. Attempted coup in Turkey 'will lead to a witch hunt'

DW: How are you? How did you spend the night of the attempted coup?

Tolga Yayalar: I almost didn't sleep, and my family didn't either. We could hear the roar of combat jets, explosions and gunshots all night. No one knew who was leading the army, and it could have totally spun out of control, so we were really afraid.

Were you expecting this to happen?

No, not at all. This was a total surprise. Back in 2013, after the events around Gezi Park on Taksim Square, everyone was expecting the military to intervene - but not now.

At first I thought - and many still think this - that the whole thing was staged by Erdogan. But after finding out that so many had died, I stopped believing this.

Erdogan controls the media, as we know. The military tried to occupy TV stations, but that didn't work. Erdogan was able to mobilize his supporters to take to the streets. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

http://www.dw.com/en/attempted-coup-in-turkey-will-lead-to-a-witch-hunt/a-19405852

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6. Turkish leader supported by Russia's Vladimir Putin

Turkey's president has spoken with Russian president Vladimir Putin following the failed military coup attempt in which at least 265 people died.

A statement from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office reported that Mr Putin said Moscow stood by "Turkey's elected government" and expressed his good wishes to the Turkish people.

It said the two leaders - who recently patched up relations following Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane - also agreed to meet face to face next month.

Meanwhile, Turkey's justice minister Bekir Bozdag said some 6,000 people have been detained in a government crackdown on alleged coup plotters and government opponents.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/turkish-leader-supported-by-russias-vladimir-putin-745194.html

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7. Erdoğan urges citizens not to leave Turkey’s squares after failed coup attempt

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged people not to leave squares on July 17, following the failed military coup attempt that started on the night of July 15.

“This is not a situation to let rest. We will not leave the squares. This is not just a 12-hour operation. We will continue determinedly,” Erdoğan said, addressing the crowd during a funeral ceremony at Istanbul’s Fatih Mosque.

The president said the coup attempt failed thanks to people who heeded his call to take to the streets across the country to thwart the plot. Some 161 people were killed during incidents throughout the night.

Thousands of people subsequently took to the streets on July 16 across Turkey to condemn the coup attempt.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-urges-citizens-not-to-leave-turkeys-squares-after-failed-coup-attempt.aspx?pageID=238&nID=101712&NewsCatID=338

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8. Incirlik commander among those detained over Turkish coup plot - govt official

The commander of the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey that is used by the U.S. and other coalition partners has been detained for complicity in the attempted coup, a government official said on Sunday.

General Bekir Ercan Van was detained, the official said. Incirlik is used by the United States and other coalition partners in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria.

http://in.reuters.com/article/turkey-security-arrests-incirlik-idINKCN0ZX0IJ?rpc=401

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9. Oil Flows Through Turkey Energy Corridor Unhindered as Coup Ends

Oil is flowing unhindered through Turkey’s pipelines and waterways, one of the world’s largest energy trading corridors, after a coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed.

The Turkish straits are open to shipping traffic, an official at the Istanbul-based shipping center said by phone ON Saturday. Crude oil shipments from Azerbaijan and Iraq into Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan are operating normally, a port agent said as BP Plc, operator of the Baku-Tifilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, confirmed the oil flow was uninterrupted.

“Our facilities in Turkey are open and operating normally,” BP spokesman David Nicholas said in an e-mail in response to questions. “There are no disruptions to the flow of oil through the BTC pipeline.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-16/oil-flows-through-turkey-energy-corridor-unhindered-as-coup-ends

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10. Commentary: Will Turkey's failed coup break up Erdogan's echo chamber?

---

Why did he first fly to Istanbul rather than his country’s capital? Because it contains the largest group of his supporters--perhaps 60 per cent of the city’s 14 million people. And they came through for him. It is also the base of Turkey’s powerful First Army. Note that its commanding officer was appointed acting chief of staff when the present incumbent was temporarily captured by the coup supporters. Erdogan clearly thinks this army is loyal.

What provoked this attempted insurrection? Turkey is becoming an unhealthily fractured society. Many people are deeply unhappy with the county’s direction; my guess is that the actual spark of the uprising was Erdogan’s suggestion of citizenship for the 2.5 million Syrian refugees crowding into the country. This will have caused resentment in many quarters. Turkish nationalism is ethnically based – hence the ongoing conflict with its Kurdish population. The idea of a large group of Arabs becoming “Turks” would stick in many a nationalist craw.

It has been suggested that followers of Fetullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric living in self-imposed exile in the United States, were behind the coup effort. Despite Erdogan’s attacks on him and his followers, I do not think this plausible. Gulen has never had a large base of support in the military and has long opposed military intervention in politics. His supporters were in the police, who appear to have remained loyal to Erdogan.

What happens now? In the immediate future, there will be a purge of the army. Trials and recriminations. Erdogan is secure. The governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) will rally round its leader and all of the opposition parties – including the Kurds – have strongly repudiated the coup attempt.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-erdogan-byford-idUSKCN0ZW13Q?il=0

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11. US jets resume strike missions against ISIS from key Turkey air base after power cut

Turkey reopened the airspace around Incirlik Air Base on Sunday, allowing the U.S. to restart strike missions targeting the Islamic State terror group, as the alliance between the two nations showed signs of serious strain.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed that power had been cut to the air base in southern Turkey, near the Syria border.

"U.S. facilities at Incirlik are still operating on internal power sources, but we hope to restore commercial power soon. Base operations have not been affected," Cook said in a statement.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavosoglu, for the second time in as many days following the failed coup, which left at least 265 people dead and 1,400 wounded.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/07/17/tensions-rise-between-us-turkey-after-failed-coup-as-flights-from-key-airbase-are-grounded.html

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12. Washington bans all flights between US and Turkey

The US government has prohibited all American airlines from flying between the US and Turkey after a failed coup attempt rocked the country and sparked violence there.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates all aspects of American civil aviation, issued the notice on Saturday for all US commercial and private aircraft.

"The FAA is monitoring the situation in Turkey in coordination with our partners in the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security and will update the restrictions as the situation evolves," it said in a statement.

The US State Department has also cautioned American citizens against travel to Turkey in the wake of the coup attempt that left at least 265 dead.

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/07/17/475625/US-flights-Turkey-FAA

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13. Erdogan is using this failed coup to get rid of the last vestiges of secular Turkey

Patrick Cockburn Istanbul
@indyworld
Sunday 17 July 2016 13:30 BST

The sweeping purge of soldiers and officials in the wake of the failed coup in Turkey is likely to be conducted with extra vigour because a number of close associates of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among the 265 dead. The number of people detained so far is at 6,000 including soldiers, and around 3,000 judges and legal officials who are unlikely to have been connected to the attempted military takeover.

On Sunday, Erdogan attended the funeral of the elder brother of his chief adviser, Mustafa Varank. Varank’s older brother, Dr Ilhan Varank, studied at Ohio State University, and was the chairman of Computer and Technology Education Department at Istanbul’s Yildiz Technical University, according to Anadolu Agency (AA). It says that the 45-year-old was shot at and killed as he demonstrated in front of the Istanbul Municipality building on the night of the coup, 15 July.

Another name close to Erdogan, Erol Olcak, was shot and killed along with his 16-year-old son at the Bosphorus Bridge, local media reported. Having met the president many years ago when they both belonged to the same Islamic party known as Prosperity Party, Olcak became a prominent name in AKP’s media and publicity campaigns since the party was founded in 2001. Olcak and his son were at the Bosphorus Bridge to protest the coup attempt when they were shot by soldiers.

The coup plotters clearly saw the importance of detaining or eliminating Erdogan but were unable to find him at the holiday resort of Marmaris, in south west Turkey, where he was staying, as is shown by the film of shootings there. They also tried to target his most important aides by taking them into custody. His secretary Fahri Kasirga was taken prisoner by rebel soldiers, according to his son, who tweeted on the night of the coup that “they wanted [pro-coup forces] to force my father to stay in his house, but when he resisted, the bloody traitors took him into an ambulance and drove off.” The story is confirmed by Erdogan himself who said as he headed to the airport at Marmaris that “they took my secretary. What are you going to do with my secretary?”

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/turkey-coup-erdogan-purge-military-judges-criminals-getting-rid-of-secular-a7141556.html

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14. Failed Turkey coup ‘not blank cheque’ for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, France warns

Paris: France’s foreign minister warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday against using his country’s failed coup as a “blank cheque” to silence his opponents.

“We want the rule of law to work properly in Turkey,” Jean-Marc Ayrault told France 3 television, warning Turkey’s government against “purges”.

His remarks came as Turkish authorities continued a crackdown over the coup, arresting over 6,000 people accused of involvement in the putsch or of supporting the coup plotters.

Ayrault said the events of the past two days had raised questions about Turkey’s “reliability” in the fight against Islamic State.

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/ZzU2hP2GKqxmCNqIgs21oN/Failed-Turkey-coup-not-blank-cheque-for-Recep-Tayyip-Erdog.html

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15. Turkey seeks arrest of Erdogan's military aide

5:05 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says authorities have issued a warrant for the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top military aide.

The Anadolu Agency says Sunday the warrant was issued against Col. Ali Yazici following Friday's failed coup attempt. It wasn't immediately clear what role, if any, Yazici played in the attempted coup that started late Friday.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says the coup plotters have been defeated, the coup has failed and life has returned to normal.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_TURKEY_MILITARY_COUP_THE_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-17-10-08-13

[geek tragedy]

16. they're natural allies, really a separated at birth situation in terms of philosophy nt

[bemildred]

22. "There can be only one."

The question is what does Putin want? Erdogan needs him a lot more than Putin needs Erdogan.

It's hard to see it as a lasting marriage.

If I had to guess, I think Putin wants Erdogan's ass, and he will find a way to get it soon.

But it is a hard call, what to do? Turkey descending into civil war too will not do anybody good, but how to prevent that I do not see at the moment. I think even Putin may stay his hand on that account. You let Erdogan stay, quite likely you get a civil war. You try to remove him, quite likely you get a civil war.

I think the current "we fully support the existing Turkish government institutions" is about right for the moment.

[geek tragedy]

25. and yet, one remembers that Turkey recently shot down a Russian plane then bragged about it.

Excellent fodder for isolationists here.

[bemildred]

26. Yeah, exactly. nt

[bemildred]

23. The Countercoup in Turkey

It was ironic that, as members of the military launched a coup against him on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey resorted to guerrilla media tactics — broadcasting via the FaceTime app on his cellphone — to urge Turks to oppose the plotters. Mr. Erdogan has been no friend to free expression, ruthlessly asserting control over the news media and restricting human rights and free speech. Yet thousands responded to his appeal, turning back the rebels and demonstrating that they still value democracy, even if Mr. Erdogan has eroded its meaning.

That erosion is now accelerating, exacting a terrible price from Turkey’s citizens and posing new challenges to international efforts to confront the Islamic State and halt the killing in Turkey’s neighbor, Syria. After the chaotic and bloody events of the weekend, Mr. Erdogan is becoming more vengeful and obsessed with control than ever, exploiting the crisis not just to punish mutinous soldiers but to further quash whatever dissent is left in Turkey.

“They will pay a heavy price for this,” he said, chillingly. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army.”

Since coming to power as prime minister in 2003, Mr. Erdogan has become an increasingly authoritarian leader who has steered his country far from the vision of a model Muslim democracy that many had longed for. The volatile Middle East cannot afford to have another state unravel, especially one that is also a bulwark of NATO’s eastern flank. Over the weekend, the United States emphasized its “absolute support for Turkey’s democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions” but also urged restraint and a commitment to due process.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/18/opinion/the-countercoup-in-turkey.html?_r=0

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24. Turkey, US Deadlocked Over Extradition of Alleged Coup-plotter Cleric

The United States and Turkey are deadlocked over Ankara's demand that Washington extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric it is blaming for the attempted military coup in Turkey, even though he has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for 17 years.

So far, the U.S. is balking at the request.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkey on Monday the U.S. needs "genuine evidence that withstands the standard of scrutiny that exists in many countries" before it would consider extraditing the 75-year-old Gulen, who lives in semi-seclusion in the Poconos Mountains in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania.

The top U.S. diplomat said in Brussels that he told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu "to make certain that in whatever portfolio and request they send us, they send us evidence, not allegations."

http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-us-deadlocked-extradition-alleged-coup-plotter-gulen-cleric/3423393.html

[PufPuf23]

27. Thank you for assembling this thread Bemildred. kr

[bemildred]

28. It's my hobby.

[yourpaljoey]

30. The question is: How does Russia relate to the Kurds?

I would assume Erdogan is pissed because the US, at very least,
tolerates Kurdish fighters in the Syrian/ Iraqi anti-ISIS arena.
The Kurds, of course, are eyeing up the real estate.
What is Putin's relationship with the Kurds?
(This is getting confusing, but I like it

[bemildred]

31. That is a good question.

I have reading some crazy shit this week, and not just that one.

[yourpaljoey]

32. I should think

I should think the Kurds in Iraq align more with the US,
the Kurds in deep Syria align more with Russia, and Turkey hates them all.
Likewise, I should think Russia is somewhat partial to Syrian Kurds fighting
with or for Assad.
In the end, I expect the Kurds to get nothing for their trouble.

Is Ergodan shifting from a Turk/US alliance to a Turk/Russian alliance.
He's a busy guy, at any rate.

[bemildred]

33. About right.

My intuitive feeling is that Erdogan's highest purpose is to save his own ass.

There are 4-5 narratives about what happened and is happening in Turkey, some have good points, all have flaws, they directly oppose each other in places, and I don't see any way to disambiguate them yet; however it is safe to say Turkey has soime serious issues.

The modern media environment is seriously demented. Mindless and incoherent. Many sources lie with abandon and all dissemble like mad.

It will be very telling what Putin does, who he chooses to buddy up with and how, and frankly I don't have a clue about what that will be. He has a pretty free hand, and is the only guy that looks "comfortable" politically.

[yourpaljoey]

34. Wheels within wheels. I like it. Let's watch :)

[bemildred]

35. Rift between Turkey and US widens after the coup attempt

Turkey is warming up to Russia hoping Moscow will prevent the creation of Kurdistan if it facilitates Russian flow of gas. It has also shown willingness to work with Iran to stabilize the region. Turkey’s focus has dramatically shifted from the region to its own economic well-being. This new approach will certainly smooth its way into the wider regional block being led by Russia on the strategic front and China on the economic front. If that happens, it will be a major loss for the U.S. mid-east policy that needs Turkey for its strategy, especially in controlling oil flows of the Middle East and, now, its natural gas

President Recep Erdogan’s declaration of a state of emergency in Turkey on Wednesday amid a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup speaks volumes about where Ankara’s politics is heading toward.

While Erdogan dismisses fears that he is becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy is under threat, the events unfolding there will have a significant impact on its geopolitics and foreign policy which were showing signs of shift even before the coup attempt.

Turkey’s friction with the West and its rapprochement toward Russia was a clear sign of this shift and the rift between them has widened after the coup attempt.

http://atimes.com/2016/07/rift-between-turkey-and-us-widens-after-the-coup-attempt/

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36. 'We feared the worst': Turkey's failed coup a relief for Syrian refugees

When tanks rolled across Istanbul and Ankara on Friday night, at the start of Turkey’s botched coup, many in the country were frightened. But few in Turkey had more reason to be afraid than its 2.7 million Syrians, the largest Syrian diaspora community in the world.

“When we first heard about the coup attempt, we felt an unprecedented fear,” remembers Hussein Qassoum, a 30-year-old logistics manager living in Istanbul. “Most of my friends started asking: ‘Which other country should we go to now?’”

Like many Turks, Syrians feared the violence that broke out in the early hours of Saturday might spiral into something more sustained. But Syrians also had more specific concerns about what might happen to them if the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was toppled.

Life is hard for Syrians in Erdoğan’s Turkey, where they do not have full rights. Despite recent legislative changes, the vast majority are not allowed to work. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian children are not in school, with many working in sweatshops instead. Syrians are denied official refugee status, since Turkey does not recognise key parts of the UN refugee convention.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/21/we-feared-the-worst-turkeys-failed-coup-relief-for-syrian-refugees

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37. Syrian opposition calls for suspension of U.S.-led air strikes

The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition called for a suspension of the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State in Syria while reports of dozens of civilian deaths from air strikes around the northern city of Manbij are investigated.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians were killed in air strikes north of Manbij on Tuesday, a day after it said 21 civilians were killed in a northern district of the besieged Islamic State-held city.

SNC president Anas al-Abdah said the strikes should be halted while the incidents were investigated, according to a statement issued late on Wednesday, and warned that the killing of civilians by the U.S.-led air campaign would "prove to be a recruitment tool for terrorist organizations".

"It is essential that such investigation not only result in revised rules of procedure for future operations, but also inform accountability for those responsible for such major violations," Abdah wrote in a letter to foreign ministers of countries in the anti-Islamic State alliance.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-airstrikes-idUSKCN1010PH