Regional geopolitics

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Angry Erdogan slams Trump administration for arming Kurds in northern Syria
By News Desk - 11/05/20170

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:00 A.M.) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at the US decision to further arm Kurdish forces in Syria, speaking in Ankara on Wednesday, saying “the fight against the Daesh terrorist organization should not be led with another terror organization.”

“We want to believe that our allies would choose to stand beside us and not on the side of terrorist organizations,” said Erdogan. “I will personally explain our stance on the subject and our concerns over this decision to Mr. (US President Donald) Trump in our meeting on May 16,” he added.

The US plans to equip Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, (SDF) to combat so-called Islamic State (IS; formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Raqqa, the move is strongly opposed by Turkey who says the fighters are linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which it classes as a terrorist group.

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

In pictures: Syrian Army tank takes direct hit from ISIS drone in rural Aleppo
By Chris Tomson - 11/05/2017

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pictures-syrian-army-tank-takes-direct-hit-isis-drone-rural-aleppo/

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (11:15 A.M.) – The Islamic State is increasingly using armed drones to its dirty work, deploying a number of them to fend off renewed attacks conducted by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in rural Aleppo.

Targeting a Tiger Forces position near the newly liberated town of Al-Mahdoum, a remotely operated ISIS drone dropped an artillery shell on a SAA T-72 tank, heavily damaging its rear armor and prompting nearby infantry units to disperse:

With over a month to set up a defensive line on the Jirah Airbase axis, ISIS used both anti-tank missiles, suicide bombers, drones and various types of weaponry to have the SAA pay a big price for the capture of two villages on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, Tiger Forces contingents – backed by allied Al-Baqir tribesmen – are now gearing up for the looming assault on Jirah Airbase which is surrounded on three flanks.

[Vrej1915]

Re: Regional geopolitics

ՌԴ-ն շատ է ուզում Ս-400-ը վաճառել Թուրքիային, բայց դրա դիմաց Թուրքիան պահանջում է արտադրական տեխնոլոգիաներ. ռազմական փորձագետ
• 11.05.17

http://www.tert.am/am/news/2017/05/11/Taron-H/2368646

Ռուսաստանն, իհարկե, շահագրգռված է իր ՀՕՊ համակարգերը ՆԱՏՕ-ի անդամ Թուրքիային վաճառելու հարցում, բայց ողջ խնդիրն այն է, որ Թուրքիան դրա դիմաց պահանջում է տրամադրել արտադրական տեխնոլոգիաներ, ինչն էլ ռուս-թուրքական հնարավոր գործարքը հարցականի տակ է դնում:

Tert.am-ի հետ զրույցում այս մասին հայտնեց «Razminfo» կայքի փորձագետ Տարոն Հովհաննիսյանը՝ մանրամասնելով. «Այս խնդիրը կար իրականում վաղուց, և այն, որ նույն Թուրքիան չէր կարողանում գնել ամերիկյան արտադրության տեխնիկա, այն պատճառով էր, որ ԱՄՆ-ը հրաժարվում էր տրամադրել տեխնոլոգիաները և համատեղ արտադրության ծրագրերից»:

Սա, ըստ Տարոն Հովհաննիսյանի, հիմնական խնդիրներից մեկն է, որ Ս-300-400-ների գործարքը չի կայանում:

Հիշեցնենք, որ ՏԱՍՍ լրատվական գործակալությունը՝ փոխանցելով ՌԴ ռազմատեխնիկական համագործակցության գծով դաշնային գործակալության գծով ղեկավար Ալեքսանդր Ֆոմինի խոսքերը, գրել էր, որ Ռուսաստանը պատրաստ է Թուրքիային Ս-400 վաճառել՝ դիվիզիոնը 500 մլն դոլարով

Այս մասին ավելի վաղ՝ 2016-ի նոյեմբերի 18-ին, խոսել էր նաև Թուրքիայի պաշտպանության նախարար Ֆիքրի Ըշըքը:

Իսկ ՌԴ նախագահի մամուլի քարտուղար Դմիտրի Պեսկովն օրերս պաշտոնապես հայտարարեց, որ Ռուսաստանի և Թուրքիայի նախագահների՝ մայիսին կայանալիք հանդիպման ժամանակ հնարավոր է քննարկեն նաև Թուրքիային Ս-400 զենիթահրթիռային համալիրների մատակարարման հարցը:

Ինչ վերաբերում է հարցին, թե եթե կան նման խոչընդոտներ, ուրեմն ինչու են նման բարձր մակարդակով հայտարարություններ արվում, որոնք հետո չեն իրականացվելու, փորձագետը նշեց, որ դրանցով կողմերն ուղղակի սակարկում են:

«Այսինքն՝ Ռուսաստանը, ըստ իս, համաձայն կլինի ՀՕՊ համակարգերը վաճառել, բայց ոչ արտադրության տեխնոլոգիաները տրամադրել Թուրքիային»,-ասաց Տարոն Հովհաննիսյանը:

Փորձագետը հավելեց, որ Թուրքիան հեռահար զենիթահրթիռային համակարգերի գնման շուրջ հետաքրքրություն ցուցաբերում է դեռևս 2009-ից. «Ժամանակին քննարկվում էր С-300-ի համակարգեր վաճառելու խնդիրը, 2016 թվականից՝ С-400»:

Տարոն Հովհաննիսյանը ներկայացրեց այս գործընթացին առնչվող որոշակի նախապատմություն: Բանն այն է, որ դեռ 2013 թվականին Թուրքիան հայտարարել էր մրցույթ՝ միջին և մեծ հեռահարության ՀՕՊ համակարգեր գնելու համար: Մրցույթին մասնակցում էին նաև ամերիկյան ու Չինաստանի արտադրության ՀՕՊ համակարգեր, և մրցույթում հաղթող էր ճանաչվել Չինաստանը, որը պատրաստ էր մատակարարել ռուսական Ս-300-ների չինական մոդելները: Բայց հետագայում մրցույթը չեղյալ հաղթահարվեց, և ըստ ներկայացվածի՝ հիմնական խնդիրն այն էր, որ այդ համակարգերը չէին կարող ինտեգրվել ՆԱՏՕ-ի՝ Թուրքիայի ռադարային համակարգին:

«Այդ խնդիրն էր, և այն պահպանվում է, թեև թուրքական կողմը հայտարարում է, թե իրենք կարող են այն առանձին օգտագործել, այնուհանդերձ դա հավելյալ խնդիրներ կստեղծի հենց նույն Թուրքիայի համար՝ տեխնիկական առումով: Եվ հավելյալ քաղաքական խնդիրներ կստեղծի ՆԱՏՕ-ի հետ: Եվ սա կարող է շատ բացասական անդրադառնալ ՆԱՏՕ-Թուրքիա հարաբերություններում»,- նշեց Տարոն Հովհաննիսյանը:

Փորձագետը համաձայն է դիտարկման հետ, որ չնայած վերը նշված հայտարարություններին՝ գործոնները, որոնց պատճառով գործարքը տարիներ շարունակ չի իրականացվում, պահպանվում են, և որևէ բան չի փոխվել:

Բացի վերը նշվածից, մյուս կարևոր խնդիրը, որը խոչընդոտում է գործարքին, ՆԱՏՕ-Թուրքիա հարաբերությունների վատթարացումն է և նաև այն, որ իրականում Թուրքիան փորձում է ձեռք բերել ամերիկյան «պատրիոտ» համակարգեր, իսկ ՌԴ-ի ու Չինաստանի հետ նույն թեմայով բանակցում է «կողքից խաղեր» տալու նպատակով, ավելի կոնկրետ՝ ԱՄՆ-ի հետ սակարկելու նպատակով:

Իհարկե, Տարոն Հովհաննիսյանը համոզված է, որ այս գործարքը Ռուսաստանի համար խիստ շահավետ կարող է դիտվել: Ավելին՝ «Բացի այն, որ իրենք ՀՕՊ համակարգերի շահույթից կստանան ահռելի գումարներ, զենք արտադրող ընկերությունները, մասնավորապես, իրենք, ՆԱՏՕ-ի անդամ երկրին ռուսաստանյան արտադրության համակարգեր կտրամադրեն և կունենան վերահսկողություն: Իրենք այդպես են մտածում»:

Հիշեցնենք, որ Հակաօդային պաշտպանության Ս-400 ԶՀՀ-ն նախատեսված է ինքնաթիռների, ինչպես նաև բալիստիկ հրթիռների խոցման համար։ Համակարգը օդային թիրախները կարող է նկատել մինչև 600 կմ հեռավորության վրա։ Աերոդինամիկ թիրախները կարող է խոցել մինչև 400 կմ, իսկ բալիստիկ թիրախները՝ 60 կմ հեռավորության վրա»

Փորձագետն, իհարկե, չի բացառում, որ Թուրքիան, ի վերջո, այդ համակարգերը ձեռք կբերի, բայց այն այդ երկրի համար լուրջ ռիսկեր է պարունակելու: Մասնավորապես, այն, որ Ռուսաստանը վերահսկողության լուրջ լծակներ կունենա Թուրքիայի ՀՕՊ համակարգերի վրա, մանավանդ, որ երբեք չի կարելի բացառել, որ ինչ-որ պահի այս երկու երկրների հարաբերությունները հերթական անգամ չեն վատանա:


Անուշ Դաշտենց

[Haykakan]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Washington Times
May 11 2017


Azerbaijan, America’s reliable partner

Unlike its neighbors, Azerbaijan does not use energy as a geopolitical weapon

By S. Rob Sobhani - - Wednesday, May 10, 2017

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

The view from President Ilham Aliyev’s fifth-floor office is
spectacular, yet at the same time highlights the dangers facing
America’s most trusted ally in the broader Middle East. To the north
lies Russia, a country governed by a man who has no hesitation in
using energy exports as a political weapon. To the south lies the
Islamic Republic of Iran, another state actor whose regime threatens
closure of the straits of Hormuz, the chokepoint for 20 percent of the
world’s oil.

The United States is lucky to have Mr. Aliyev in charge of this Muslim
nation of 9 million because, unlike Vladimir Putin and Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, the president of Azerbaijan does not play politics with
energy exports. This 56-year-old leader understands that if families
in Ukraine do not get gas deliveries to their homes in the winter they
may perish, or if Europe’s gas is cut off for a few days in the summer
perishable goods across the continent will be destroyed. In short,
within the broader Middle East, Azerbaijan has proven to be the most
reliable partner for and anchor of Western energy security.

Beyond the offshore oil platforms one sees from President Aliyev’s
office is the project that needs Washington’s immediate and full
support: TANAP, or the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline. Starting from the
giant Shah Daniz gas field operated by British Petroleum, this project
means the delivery of 355 billion cubic feet of natural gas to Europe
by 2020. The geopolitical implications of TANAP are clear: Azerbaijan
becomes a reliable long-term energy exporter to Europe, thus lessening
the continent’s reliance on Russia and its unreliable leaders who have
shown no hesitation in using gas exports as a political weapon to
extract concessions from the West.

Even though one does not see Israel or the Vatican from the
president’s fifth-floor office, one can spot a synagogue and a church
in the center of the city. Religious tolerance is a fundamental aspect
of Azeri life and runs very deep in the DNA of this secular Shiite
nation. While it is true that Azerbaijan needs to do more when it
comes to protecting the rights of individual bloggers and journalists,
the fundamental human right of practicing one’s faith freely is well
established in Azerbaijan. For example, while members of the Bahai
community are free to practice their faith in Azerbaijan, they are
harassed, persecuted and killed in neighboring Iran. As such, the
United States can point to Azerbaijan as a model for other Muslim
counties to emulate when it comes to protecting the fundamental human
right of religious liberty.

A byproduct of Azerbaijan’s religiously tolerant society is cultural
tourism. On the plane ride from Qatar to Azerbaijan, I asked my fellow
passengers from the Persian Gulf States why they were choosing to
visit Azerbaijan and not Lebanon, Istanbul or Dubai. The unanimous
answer was that Azerbaijan in general, and the capital city Baku in
particular, is safe (Istanbul has become dangerous), clean (garbage
collection in Beirut is intermittent), tolerant (men and woman are
free to intermingle) and cheap (Dubai is now far too expensive). It
would not be a surprise to see an American entertainment brand like a
Warner Brothers or Universal Studios setting up a theme park in
Azerbaijan in the next few years because 200 million people live
within a two-hour radius of Azerbaijan.

Immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11 on American soil, the former
President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, invited American Ambassador
Ross Wilson to his office and offered the full support of his country.
That legacy of U.S.-Azerbaijan cooperation to combat global terrorism
is carried on by his son, Ilham Aliyev. Today, the American Air Force
has unhindered flyover rights over Azerbaijan’s airspace, thus
allowing the Pentagon’s Transportation Command to supply goods and
services to American troops in a timely manner. A critical but
lesser-known fact about this aspect of military cooperation between
Washington and Baku is that when injured American servicemen in need
of urgent lifesaving care need to be flown to an American military
hospital, they are flown over Azerbaijan’s territory.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.washingtontimes.com_news_2017_may_10_azerbaijan-2Dis-2Damericas-2Dreliable-2Dpartner_&d=DwIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=BK1u3PCh8nvNSNJ4atsZXRzUqsAutXgk9cDfbNTJD5E&s=XQ2RRYuHXkdXLJfMQf5s09xtvpGSBkSKNRY1XcYdKK8&e=

[londontsi]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Washington Times
May 11 2017


Azerbaijan, America’s reliable partner

Unlike its neighbors, Azerbaijan does not use energy as a geopolitical weapon

By S. Rob Sobhani - - Wednesday, May 10, 2017

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

The view from President Ilham Aliyev’s fifth-floor office is
spectacular, yet at the same time highlights the dangers facing
America’s most trusted ally in the broader Middle East. To the north
lies Russia, a country governed by a man who has no hesitation in
using energy exports as a political weapon. To the south lies the
Islamic Republic of Iran, another state actor whose regime threatens
closure of the straits of Hormuz, the chokepoint for 20 percent of the
world’s oil.

The United States is lucky to have Mr. Aliyev in charge of this Muslim
nation of 9 million because, unlike Vladimir Putin and Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, the president of Azerbaijan does not play politics with
energy exports. This 56-year-old leader understands that if families
in Ukraine do not get gas deliveries to their homes in the winter they
may perish, or if Europe’s gas is cut off for a few days in the summer
perishable goods across the continent will be destroyed. In short,
within the broader Middle East, Azerbaijan has proven to be the most
reliable partner for and anchor of Western energy security.

Beyond the offshore oil platforms one sees from President Aliyev’s
office is the project that needs Washington’s immediate and full
support: TANAP, or the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline. Starting from the
giant Shah Daniz gas field operated by British Petroleum, this project
means the delivery of 355 billion cubic feet of natural gas to Europe
by 2020. The geopolitical implications of TANAP are clear: Azerbaijan
becomes a reliable long-term energy exporter to Europe, thus lessening
the continent’s reliance on Russia and its unreliable leaders who have
shown no hesitation in using gas exports as a political weapon to
extract concessions from the West.

Even though one does not see Israel or the Vatican from the
president’s fifth-floor office, one can spot a synagogue and a church
in the center of the city. Religious tolerance is a fundamental aspect
of Azeri life and runs very deep in the DNA of this secular Shiite
nation. While it is true that Azerbaijan needs to do more when it
comes to protecting the rights of individual bloggers and journalists,
the fundamental human right of practicing one’s faith freely is well
established in Azerbaijan. For example, while members of the Bahai
community are free to practice their faith in Azerbaijan, they are
harassed, persecuted and killed in neighboring Iran. As such, the
United States can point to Azerbaijan as a model for other Muslim
counties to emulate when it comes to protecting the fundamental human
right of religious liberty.

A byproduct of Azerbaijan’s religiously tolerant society is cultural
tourism. On the plane ride from Qatar to Azerbaijan, I asked my fellow
passengers from the Persian Gulf States why they were choosing to
visit Azerbaijan and not Lebanon, Istanbul or Dubai. The unanimous
answer was that Azerbaijan in general, and the capital city Baku in
particular, is safe (Istanbul has become dangerous), clean (garbage
collection in Beirut is intermittent), tolerant (men and woman are
free to intermingle) and cheap (Dubai is now far too expensive). It
would not be a surprise to see an American entertainment brand like a
Warner Brothers or Universal Studios setting up a theme park in
Azerbaijan in the next few years because 200 million people live
within a two-hour radius of Azerbaijan.

Immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11 on American soil, the former
President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, invited American Ambassador
Ross Wilson to his office and offered the full support of his country.
That legacy of U.S.-Azerbaijan cooperation to combat global terrorism
is carried on by his son, Ilham Aliyev. Today, the American Air Force
has unhindered flyover rights over Azerbaijan’s airspace, thus
allowing the Pentagon’s Transportation Command to supply goods and
services to American troops in a timely manner. A critical but
lesser-known fact about this aspect of military cooperation between
Washington and Baku is that when injured American servicemen in need
of urgent lifesaving care need to be flown to an American military
hospital, they are flown over Azerbaijan’s territory.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2...NRY1XcYdKK8&e=

When I read this I could not stop laughting.
Then I thought who wrote this sh.it

S. Rob Sobhani -- http://www.robsobhani.com/about/
Then every thing became clear ....

.

[londontsi]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Oil, Gold, and Bribes: A Ticking Turkish Time Bomb

http://armenianweekly.com/2017/05/05/oil-gold-and-bribes/

In a small courtroom in Manhattan, New York, there is a legal drama playing out, which may have serious consequences for the U.S., Turkey and Iran, but more critically for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This court case is a ticking time bomb, which may explode in President Erdogan’s face, despite all his clandestine efforts to diffuse it.

Reza Zarrab, a 33-year-old Turkish citizen of Iranian descent, was arrested in Miami on March 17, 2016, as soon as he got off a plane. He stated that he had come to the U.S. with his wife and daughter to see Disney World. But the three charges against him were serious—conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, money laundering and bank fraud. He was promptly transferred to a New York jail, where he currently sits.

And the connection to President Erdogan? Read on, as this is an international thriller in the making.

For several years, the U.S. had slapped sanctions on Iran to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The U.S. had imposed strict controls on all international banks and corporations, banning them from doing any business with Iran. Therefore, Iran faced great difficulty getting paid for its oil exports. A couple of Iranian businessmen, Babek Zenjani in Tehran and Reza Zarrab in Istanbul, stepped up to circumvent the sanctions. Oil payments would be made to companies and banks in Turkey, huge amounts of gold would be bought with those funds, and then the gold would be exported from Turkey to Iran, directly or perhaps with a few stops in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and other places in between. This scheme, although very simple, required huge amounts of money and gold transferred on a daily basis, which would undoubtedly attract the unwanted attention of government officials. That problem would be addressed by generous bribes, commissions, and police protection. When you are moving billions of dollars daily, a few hundred million dollars to government officials is just the cost of doing business.

So, with the system set up in Iran and Turkey, Reza Zarrab quickly became a “gold trading” tycoon in Turkey, making headlines with large donations to religious charities linked to Erdogan as a philanthropist, marrying a popular pop star singer, and buying several mansions along the Bosphorus. Erdogan’s government also bestowed Turkish citizenship on him with a special decree. There were a few mishaps in the scheme, such as 1.5 metric tons of gold seized in the cargo of an airplane in Istanbul by a “misguided” or “uninformed” customs official, who was promptly suspended and sent to “exile” to the interior part of Turkey.

But the scheme blew up and came out in the open on Dec. 17, 2013, when Turkish police, or rather, a certain section of Turkish police not loyal to Erdogan, arrested Reza Zarrab and the sons of three cabinet ministers, along with a few bank leaders. They had indisputable evidence including wiretaps, videos, telephone conversations, and documents proving the large amounts of bribes passed on from Zarrab to the ministers and bank officials. The evidence also included money counting machines in living rooms, several million dollars in shoeboxes, expensive gifts, and money being delivered to the ministers’ homes in suit bags. All the dirty laundry came out.

One of the most interesting telephone conversations released by the investigators and reported by several media outlets was between Erdogan and his son, when Erdogan instructs his son to get rid of all cash in the house, after he hears about the raids to his ministers’ houses. His son’s response after several hours of frantic work reveals that despite all his attempts to distribute the cash at home to colleagues, relatives, or associates, there is still some 30 million euros left at home. Despite the evidence, Erdogan did manage to escape the investigation unscathed, fired the three ministers, and also fired all the police officials and prosecutors involved in this operation, claiming that this was a conspiracy and coup attempt by the followers of Fethullah Gulen, the Muslem fundamentalist preacher living in exile in Pennsylvania. Most of the police officials and prosecutors are now in jail, and a few lucky ones have fled the country.

Reza Zarrab was released from prison in two months, in Feb. 2014. His defense was very simple: “If you don’t release me immediately, I start talking.”

It is not known why Zarrab chose to come to the U.S. Perhaps he decided to seek protection there, albeit in jail, instead of facing attempts to silence him in Turkey. Meanwhile, his partner in Iran, Babek Zenjani, was arrested and sentenced to death for defrauding the Iranian Oil Ministry for four billion dollars.

The Zarrab affair gets even more interesting in the U.S. The man who brought the charges against Zarrab was Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York—a star attorney who made his name as a fearless prosecutor of Wall Street wrongdoers. Erdogan’s concern about the Zarrab case was evident when he asked former Vice President Joe Biden to intervene. But luckily for him, just as the case against Zarrab started moving, the new president Trump fired Bharara, along with hundreds of other Obama appointees.

Zarrab has hired nearly 20 elite white-collar criminal lawyers to defend him. The last two hired lawyers are especially noteworthy, Rudi Giuliani, former New York Mayor and U.S. Attorney, and Michael B. Mukasey, the former U.S. Attorney General, who have promptly met top Turkish government officials. The presiding U.S. District Judge Richard Berman has asked defense lawyers to explain Giuliani and Mukasey’s role in the case, and to disclose if the government of Turkey is paying their fees. Prosecutors claimed that the hiring of Giuliani and Mukasey might present a conflict of interest because their firms also represent some of the banks alleged to be victims in Zarrab’s case. Prosecutors also said that Giuliani and Mukasey were hired to try to reach a political settlement in the case.

In another twist, Mukasey’s son, Marc, has been widely speculated as a candidate to become the New York U.S. Attorney under Trump, to replace Preet Bharara. The Zarrab case will be one of the agenda items when Erdogan meets Trump in the next few weeks.

This thriller involving power, bribery, corruption, oil, and gold will come to an end soon, but it is highly doubtful that justice will be served…

[Azad]

Re: Regional geopolitics

First batch of arms to the kurds. They are getting EIMOS Mortar System

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/10164/us-gives-syrian-kurds-combat-vehicles-mortars-anti-tank-weapons-and-more

[Azad]

Re: Regional geopolitics

^^^ I think the EIMOS Mortar System are mounted on Chinese copy of the Hummer with square headlights.

[Haykakan]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Am I the only one who thinks it is more than a coincidence that Trump is being accused of handing top secret stuff to Russia shortly after he told yahoo USA was not going to move its base to Jerusalem...

[Zeytun]

Re: Regional geopolitics

Am I the only one who thinks it is more than a coincidence that Trump is being accused of handing top secret stuff to Russia shortly after he told yahoo USA was not going to move its base to Jerusalem...

He would be dead by now if he is really giving top secret stuff to Russia.