Regional geopolitics

[Vrej1915]

Time to 'rethink' Turkey relations, says Merkel

• 1 September 2017
• BBC

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES Image captionThe German foreign ministry says Turkey is holding 12 Germans on political grounds
German chancellor Angela Merkel says it may be time to rethink relations with Turkey, after two more German citizens were detained there.

The German foreign ministry says they were arrested in the southern resort of Antalya on Thursday.

They say Turkey is now holding 12 Germans on what it calls political grounds.

A ministry spokesperson said diplomats had not been able to contact Turkey, who are yet to comment on the arrests.

Chancellor Merkel said that, in most cases, the detentions had "no legal basis" and added that her government would "perhaps have to rethink" its policies towards Turkey.

Germany warns citizens of Turkey risks amid arrests

Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Turkey arrested a Turkish-German journalist in February.

In July, the German foreign ministry warned its citizens that they faced arbitrary arrest in Turkey under the state of emergency imposed there after a failed coup last year.

Turkey reacted angrily, saying Germany had a "one-sided, distorted approach" that was "unacceptable".

Turkish President Recep Erdogan launched a huge purge of state institutions after rogue military officers tried to oust him a year ago.

More than 50,000 people have been arrested since then, including more than 170 journalists and many opposition politicians, academics and activists.

Chancellor Merkel said the detentions called for a decisive reaction, and that it was inappropriate to continue talks about expanding the limited customs agreement that Turkey has shared with the European Union since 1995.

The deal currently excludes services, public procurement contracts and farm produce.

[Vrej1915]

[Vrej1915]

Azerbaijan 'operated secret $3bn secret slush fund'

• 4 hours ago
• BBC
• From the sectionEurope

Image copyrightREUTERS Image captionThere is evidence that the scheme was linked to President Aliyev, the report says
Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated a secret $2.8bn (£2.2bn) slush fund for two years to pay off European politicians and make luxury purchases, an investigation shows.

The money was allegedly channelled through four UK-based opaque companies.

People said to have been paid include European politicians who adopted a favourable attitude to the government.

There is no suggestion that all the recipients were aware of the original source of the money, it added.

The secret fund, nicknamed the Azerbaijan Laundromat, operated for two years until 2014, according to the investigation, carried out by a consortium of European newspapers and published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)..

The origin of the money was unclear, the report said, but there was "ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev".

There has been no immediate reaction from Mr Aliyev or Azerbaijan's government.

At the time the scheme allegedly took place, the oil-rich ex-Soviet state was being accused of systematic corruption, vote-rigging and abuses, including the jailing of opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists.

Much of the money was said to have been paid to lobbyists, journalists, politicians and businessmen.

According to the OCCRP, the scheme seemed to have been successful in, for example, persuading the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe to vote against a report critical of Azerbaijan in 2013.

The 47-member council - not part of the European Union - monitors compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, and judges in Strasbourg enforce it.

The vote is currently under investigation and a report is expected by the end of the year.

The four opaque companies which the scheme used - two based in England and two in Scotland - have now been dissolved.

One of Europe's leading banks, the Danske Bank from Denmark, processed the payments to those companies via its branch office in Estonia. It admitted not doing enough to spot suspicious transactions.

Other cash funded luxuries, including private education for well-connected Azeri families living abroad, the investigation added.

[Azad]

Something is going on with all of the EU countries exposing azerbaijan all at once today. Not only with "azerbaijan laundromat" operation but also everything else they can think of.
Looks like some forces in the EU all had a meeting on toppling the aliyev dynasty.

"French Court To Hear Case Of Journalists Accused Of Calling Azerbaijan 'Dictatorship' "

https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-france-court-journalists-tried-for-saying-dictatorship/28717296.html

"Danish bank shamed in Azerbaijan corruption scheme"

https://euobserver.com/justice/138884

"Azerbaijani Laundromat shows how regime robs its people to feed itself"

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/05/azerbaijani-laundromat-shows-how-regime-robs-its-people-to-feed-itself

[Azad]

Support Elise Lucet and Laurent Richard - Azerbaïdjan lawsuit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuTdEHfHGEk

[Azad]

azeri dictator got emboldened by having the Bulgarian Journalist fired, now they are after the French Journalists ^^^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD5VW_z6pG0

[Azad]

"Azerbaijani government tries to export intimidation to France"

https://rsf.org/en/news/azerbaijani-government-tries-export-intimidation-france

[Azad]

Nice headlines from all around the world.

"The incredible corruption scandal that links Europe with Azerbaijan"

https://stocknewsusa.com/2017/09/05/azerbaijan-occrp/

[Azad]

"AZERBAIJANI LAUNDROMAT: GRAND CORRUPTION AND HOW TO BUY INFLUENCE"

https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/azerbaijani_laundromat_grand_corruption_and_how_to_buy_influence

[Azad]

^^^ I wonder if the Dictator will start a war to cover up all these news scandals. Last time war started cause of Panama papers. Now it is "azerbaijan Laundromat"