Regional geopolitics

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

US orders families out of southern Turkey over security
BBC

The US says it has ordered families of defence personnel and diplomats out of southern Turkey amid security fears.

Dependants are being moved out of Adana, Izmir and Mugla provinces.
The US European Command said the decision was not permanent but "intended to mitigate the risk to [Department of Defense] elements and personnel, including family members".
Once a beacon of stability, Turkey has entered a period of high tension and violence.
Key cities have been struck by a spate of deadly bombings. Meanwhile Turkey has been fighting Kurdish militants in its restive east and struggling to prevent violence spreading from across its border with Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting the US this week to attend President Barack Obama's nuclear security summit.
But rarely have relations between the US and one of its key Nato allies been so poor as those between Washington and Ankara, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus - with each other's response to the Syrian crisis a particular point of friction.

'Increased threats'

Some 5,000 US service personnel and dependants are based at the Incirlik air base in the southern city of Adana - from which the US launches air strikes on fighters from so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
But security fears last July prompted officials to ban troops and their families from frequenting the "American alley" of markets and kebab restaurants which had flourished outside the base's gates.
Two months later, officials offered military families the chance to evacuate voluntarily - an option only few took up. Now they are being involuntarily evacuated.
"This decision allows for the deliberate, safe return of family members from these areas due to continued security concerns in the region," said the US European Command statement.
The state department, meanwhile, said it had also ordered the departure of family members of employees at the US Consulate in Adana as well as family members of US government civilian employees in Izmir and Mugla provinces.
In a statement, it warned US citizens of "increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey and to avoid travel to south-eastern Turkey".
The decision to evacuate was made in consultation with the Turkish government, said the European Command.
"We understand this is disruptive to our military families, but we must keep them safe and ensure the combat effectiveness of our forces to support our strong ally Turkey in the fight against terrorism."
The battle against militants from so-called Islamic State remained a priority for both Turkey and the US, it said.

[Artsakh]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Israel urged its citizens visiting Turkey to leave "as soon as possible" in an upgraded travel advisory on Monday predicting possible follow-up attacks to the March 19 suicide bombing in Istanbul blamed on Islamic State.

Three Israeli tourists and an Iranian were killed in the Istanbul attack, which prompted the counter-terrorism bureau in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to issue a generalized "level 3" warning against travel to Turkey.

A statement by the bureau raised this to "level 2" on Monday, signifying what it called a "high concrete threat" that Islamic State or similar groups would attack Turkish tourist attractions. It did not elaborate on what prompted the alert.

A senior diplomatic source said the advisory was intended only for Israeli tourists, not for dual-nationals living in Turkey, and that the update was issued in line with the latest information from the Turkish authorities.

President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, when asked at a briefing about the Israeli advisory, said the move had followed Turkey's own warnings to its citizens. But he urged countries against playing into the militants' hands, after a series of security alerts from foreign diplomatic missions in Turkey.

"One should refrain from moves that lead to the suspension of daily lives, in a way which would be welcomed by the terrorists," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said.

The Israeli statement said Israelis should avoid going to Turkey and, if already there, "depart as soon as possible".

If a "level 1" alert were by issued by Israel, that would urge citizens to leave the country "forthwith".


(Additional reporting by Nick Tattersall in Istanbul, Ercan Gurses in Ankara; Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Alison Williams)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-blast-israel-idUSKCN0WU0LE

[Azad]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Some funny stuff is going on between the old couple.

"Turkish politician stirs controversy with anti-Israeli tweet

Ankara – A Turkish official linked to the party founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stirred up controversy after posting on Twitter that she wished for the death of more Israelis caught up in Saturday's suicide bombing on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street that killed five people, including two people with dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship.

Irem Aktas, an official at a local office of the Justice Development Party (AKP), wrote. "I wish the Israeli citizens were not wounded but had all died."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave the news that two Israelis had been killed and that there might be a third fatality, said his government had contacted the Turkish government, which gave assurances that action would be taken against the official. Turkish officials said at least six Israelis were wounded in the attack,

Speaking to reporters after an emergency meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said: "I demanded it be removed and that steps be taken against the woman who published it. The tweet was removed."

Turkish media said Aktas would be expelled from the ruling party.

Hatice Yucel, the chairman of the AKP women's branch in Istanbul's Eyup district, tweeted that the opinion shared on social media certainly does not reflect the party's views and expressed condolences to the victims of the attack, Daily Sabah reported."

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/03/19/turkish-politician-stirs-controversy-with-anti-israeli-tweet.html

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

[Haykakan]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Who is Celebrating the Recapture of Palmyra?


Column: Politics

Region: Middle East

Country: Syria



CekmbpEUMAAxGPAThere’s little doubt that the recapture of Palmyra is the biggest victory in the ongoing struggle of the Syrian government troops against ISIS. This victory opens the way for the Syrian troops to launch an assault on the city of Al-Raqqah, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State. But victory is extremely important because it means that the wisdom of the past has finally vanquished the delusional concepts of today’s so-called “Islamists” that have been spreading across the globe as wildfire.

ISIS militants have captured Palmyra, this invaluable “pearl of world civilizations” back in May 2015. They shocked the entire international community by laying waste to this priceless world heritage site that was supposed to be protected by UNESCO at no matter what cost. According to the documents that were found by the Syrian troops after the recapture of Palmyra, ISIS were selling women slaves in this city on the regular basis. According to The Times, another example of the inhuman behavior of these militants was the beheading of the antiquities expert Khaled al-Assad that consecrated over 50 years to the study of Palmyra. They took his life once he refused to reveal where valuable artifacts that had been moved for safekeeping. His mutilated body was hung on a Roman column in the main square of Palmyra, while the largest theater in the city was transformed in a site of public executions. A countless numbers of ancient statues has been toppled and deformed over the period of occupation.

After three weeks of countless skirmishes Syrian forces supported by Russian warplanes pushed ISIS units away from Palmyra. It’s been reported that the Islamic State has lost over 400 militants while the remnants of their fighting force is now scatted in the area of Deir ez-Zor. The Times is convinced that this was the biggest defeat that the Caliphate suffered since the moment of its proclamation in 2014. The Palmyra Coordination Committee is saying over two weeks Russian pilots have made over 900 sorties to support the advancing troops.

The fall of Palmyra has suddenly changed the dynamics of war in Syria. ISIS is losing both the territories it controls and the manpower at a catastrophic rate, at this point its “soldiers” would rather lay their weapons and run, instead of facing the enemy they are now terrified of. The fact is that what seemed a few months ago a distant goal is now within one’s reach, notes La Stampa. The recapture of Palmyra – is a strategic goal, since this city had the strongest ISIS military contingent stationed after Raqqa. The city is an important hub connecting the western and eastern parts of Syria and Iraq. Moreover, this area is extremely rich in hydrocarbons. Palmyra has also been associated with yet other ISIS stronghold near the border with Lebanon – Al-Qaryatayn . In the coming days a striking blow will be dealt in this area as well.

With a special reference to the Director of the Syrian Antiquities Department Mamun Abdulkarim, the Spanish ABC International media holding notes that almost 80% of the ancient ruins in Palmyra have survived the jihadi occupation. At the same time, the Spanish archaeologist Jesús Gil Fuensanta, who is a prominent expert on Syria’s historic monuments, underlines that we must not forget that there’s at least 20 endangered sites on the Syrian territory like Palmyra, and the total number of sites that can be potentially destroyed by ISIS across the whole region reaches the staggering number of 200. Those are situated in Yemen, Libya, Maghreb, the Sahel, on the Sinai peninsula. And therefore it is necessary to carry the cleansing of the cultural monuments of the “black curse” that got a hold of them. In this respect the expert believes that UNESCO’s role in this story is controversial to say the least, especially since there was a Turkish representative Selami Yildiz involved in it. Jesús Gil Fuensanta underlined that the scientific community will always question the role a person with no scientific background whatsoever will be playing in the protection of historical monuments. He added that the Turkish journalist Pelin Unker has recently published an article, which states that Turkey benefits the most from the illegal trade of rare antiquities and is a major “transit corridor” for smuggling operations.

The Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung underlines that the successful recapture of Palmyra was “an important strategic and propaganda victory for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad”

The British Daily Telegraph quotes the words of the Mayor of London Boris Johnson who stated that the liberation of Palmyra is a story of Russian success. In turn, The Guardian provides a longer quote: The Mayor is convinced “that while the regime itself was “evil”, the victory of Assad is a victory for archaeology, a victory for all those who care about the ancient monuments of one of the most amazing cultural sites on Earth… It is alas very hard to claim that the success of the Assad forces is a result of any particular British, or indeed, western policy.”

The Los Angeles Times is convinced that the recapture of Palmyra shows how effective the partnership between Moscow and Damascus has been established. Yet, it presents Barack Obama with a certain puzzle. This newspaper adds: “For the Obama administration and its allies, the retaking of the storied city by the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, backed by scores of Russian airstrikes, highlights a dilemma: Washington has endeavored to portray the battle against Islamic State as a project of the United States and its allies, while accusing Moscow of attacking “moderate” rebels instead of the extremists. Palmyra seems to embody an alternative narrative.”

A prominent alternative source Global Research is going even further in its assessment of the events in Syria: “It has been an alliance between the leaderships of US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE; but, regardless of whether it’s called “the US alliance” or “the Saudi alliance,” or even “the Turkish alliance”, it’s the jihadist alliance, and it now seems to be near its final defeat, by, quite clearly, the Russian alliance.”

The Norwegian media soruce NRK emphasizes the heroic actions of a Russian officer in the capture of Palmyra, when he, while being surrounded by jihadists and bearing the understanding that he won’t come out alive from the battle, requested air strikes to be launched on the position he occupied. He died as a hero for someone else’s land and for the cultural values of this world, while receiving recognition not as just a Russian or Syrian hero, but as the fighter of the world.

Against this background, the British The Independent is asking a timely question why the Prime Minister David Cameron and the US President Barack Obama have not reacted in any fashion to the recapture of Palmyra. “The biggest military defeat that ISIS has suffered in more than two years The recapture of Palmyra, the Roman city of the Empress Zenobia And we are silent Yes… , folks, the bad guys won, did not they? Otherwise, we would all be celebrating, would not we?”

Even though it’s but a step, no matter how major it is, in the fight against ISIS, it has already been shown in this article who is praising those determined to fight the international terrorism and who is biting one’s on nails with anger for his own reluctance to act, even though the “fidelity to the fight against terrorism” is being pronounced daily in the West. It’s clear not that those are just words and words alone,since no fight ever follows. So let’s let the history be the final judge, deciding who did take a stand for the universal values of mankind and who ran for cover while crying out loud that he’s bravest fighter there is.

Martin Berger is a freelance journalist and geopolitical analyst, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.

http://journal-neo.org/2016/03/30/who-is-celebrating-the-recapture-of-palmyra/

[Artashes]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Above post by Haykakan is clear and precise.
Just a week or two ago the west and cronies were talking split up of Syria (federalization) and Assad would have to settle for west of Syria and give up the east. Now Syrian coalition are close to Iraqi boarder.
The west is talking out of both sides of their mouth. One hears them say how inaccurate Russian boms are in neocon articles one day, and the next, the west at large comments how accurate Russian bom campaign is.
The west et al is blowing jealous, angry smoke out their ars.

[Azad]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Mercury LLC owned by Omnicom Group are at it again. After a month of turkish propaganda that back fired are now ....

"Turkey’s Lobbyists Seek U.S. Help By Calling Tiny Armenia A Big Threat
Armenia is allowing Russia to menace NATO member Turkey, according to the lobbyists.

WASHINGTON — A lobbying firm that’s a registered agent of the Turkish government is trying out a new argument during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the U.S. this week: the Russians are coming, and Armenia is helping them.

Representatives from Mercury LLC have contacted multiple congressional offices to argue that Russia’s presence in Armenia, a small country on Turkey’s border that has tensions with the Turks lingering from the 1915 genocide of Armenian Christians, makes it important for the U.S. to close ranks with fellow NATO member Turkey, according to two Capitol Hill aides.

Mercury, which registered to work on behalf of Turkey last month, hopes to convince lawmakers to attach their names to two separate documents, an aide told The Huffington Post.

One is a letter addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry that focuses on the “growing military alliance between Russia and Armenia” — citing the flow of Russian fighter jets, helicopters gunships and drones to Armenia. It calls the Russia-Armenia relationship “deeply concerning.”

The other is what’s called a “Dear Colleague” letter, intended to be passed from one member of Congress to others to drum up congressional interest. The “Dear Colleague” missive is to be sent April 4, when NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will be in Washington.

The document doesn’t mention Turkey by name, but states, “The time to stand with our allies is now.” It also encourages recipients to read an op-ed by James Foley, a former deputy chief of staff to the NATO secretary-general. The copy of the letter seen by HuffPost does not include a link to that op-ed, but one of the aides said Mercury on Thursday sent his office a Time magazine piece by Foley that highlights Russian aggression against NATO and says Turkey is more important to the security alliance than ever. Foley served as U.S. ambassador to Croatia from 2009 to 2012, and was a Bush administration senior coordinator on the Iraqi refugee issue.

Asked for comment, Mercury shared a statement from an organization called the Turkish Institute for Progress.

“The Turkish Institute for Progress along with U.S. security experts and officials are calling on Armenia to expel the two Russian bases in Armenia and to sever its military ties with [President Vladimir] Putin’s Russia. The close relationship between Russia and Armenia speaks for itself,” said Derya Taskin, the institute’s president.

Mercury’s work “is on behalf of TIP,” which is not government-funded, Mercury’s John Cpin said in an email. “We have consistently been educating congress about the concerns surrounding Putin’s influence in Armenia and the threat to NATO that influence represents,” he added.

It’s too soon to predict the impact of the lobbying effort. Many lawmakers are skeptical of Putin because of his aggressions against Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014. But it’s hardly news for most national experts that Putin is close with Armenia, and Turkey’s military dispute with Russia over an alleged airspace violation late last year prompted little U.S. reaction.

Meanwhile, Erdogan and Turkey are fairly toxic in Washington. Experts on Turkey and human rights groups have blasted the Turkish government’s brutal treatment of civilian members of its Kurdish minority as part of its fight against Kurdish militants. That heavy-handedness is consistent with Erdogan’s general repression of civil society, which includes the targeting of journalists.

At the same time, Kurdish forces in Syria, which see Turkey as an enabler of the so-called Islamic State, have been heroes in the West since their triumphs against ISIS in 2015. Those Syrian Kurds have cooperated with Putin without any significant effect on their popularity in Washington — something Turkey’s messaging machine may want to keep in mind.

Erdogan’s visit this week has done little to improve his image in the U.S. Scores of protesters showed up to his address at the Brookings Institution on Thursday, and Turkish security officers tackled journalists trying to cover it, calling one “a PKK xxxxx.” (The PKK is the primary Kurdish militant group battling the Turkish state and is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the European Union. Turkey distrusts the Syrian Kurdish militia battling ISIS, the YPG, because it sees that group as an extension of the PKK.)

President Barack Obama only agreed to meet with Erdogan Thursday night after initially declining to do so. The two leaders clearly do not see eye to eye: Erdogan doubled down on his criticism of the Obama administration’s outreach to the Syrian Kurds in his Brookings Institution speech. Obama, for his part, considers Erdogan “a failure and an authoritarian,” according to a detailed Atlantic magazine report on the president’s thinking about world politics. "

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/turkey-lobbyists-armenia_us_56fd85a6e4b0a06d58054b16

[Azad]

Re: Regional geopolitics

This Omnicom Group is world opinion controlling as JPMorgan is for world banking. They both have their loyalties lay to that Island west of Europe where an old hag is queen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YuO7lwXU34

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Թեժ բախումներ՝ սահմանին. հակառակորդն օգտագործել է հրետանի, զրահատեխնիկա և օդուժ

2 Ապրիլի 2016,


Թեժ բախումներ՝ սահմանին. հակառակորդն օգտագործել է հրետանի, զրահատեխնիկա և օդուժ


Ապրիլի 1-ի լույս 2-ի գիշերը շփման գծի հարավային, հարավարևելյան և հյուսիսարևելյան ուղղություններով հակառակորդը ձեռնարկել է բացահայտ հարձակողական գործողություններ` այլ զինատեսակների հետ միասին օգտագործելով հրետանի, զրահատեխնիկա և օդուժ:

Բացի առաջնագծում ընթացող մարտերից, հակառակորդը հրետանային հարվածներ է հասցրել խաղաղ բնակավայրերի և մի շարք զորամասերի մշտական տեղակայման վայրերին:

Այս պահի դրությամբ ղարաբաղա-ադրբեջանական հակամարտ զորքերի շփման գծի ողջ երկարությամբ տեղի են ունենում թեժ բախումներ:

ՊԲ առաջապահ ստորաբաժանումները, ընդունելով հակառակորդի մարտահրավերը, վարում են հուսալի պաշտպանական մարտեր: Առաջնագծում ստեղծված իրադրության մասին առավել մանրամասն կանդրադառնանք մեր առաջիկա հաղորդագրություններում:

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2016/04/02/helicopter/1981489

Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army shoots down Azerbaijani helicopter
10:14 • 02.04.16

Azerbaijan continues keeping the tension high along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact, launching aggressive armed raids against the Armenian defense positions.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Defense Ministry reports that the frontline subdivisions of its armed forces successfully carry out defense operations in all the directions of the frontline, inflicting human and material losses on the adversary.

Apart from the damages caused, the anti-air defense forces of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Defense Army shot down an Azerbaijani helicopter in the northern part of the Line of Contact.