Contents tagged with turkey

  • Media: Erdogan offered to produce S-500 missile systems together with Russia

    On Thursday, during an interview with 24 TV, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that he offered Russian President Vladimir Putin to jointly produce S-500 surface-to-air missiles.

    Erdoğan did not reveal Putin’s response, nor did he mention when exactly the two presidents conversed.  

    Anadolu news agency released an extract of Erdoğan’s interview for 24 TV. “Russia provided us with a loan for S-400 on acceptable terms,” the agency cites Erdoğan as stating. “In the second and third …

  • Turkish Defense Ministry: NATO concerned about Russian S-400 radars

    Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli has attended talks with US Defense Secretary James Mattis in Brussels, during which he discussed the disagreement surrounding the purchase of S-400 systems  from Russia.

    According to the minister, Turkey’s deal with Russia on the S-400 anti-air missile systems does not constitute a threat to NATO, but the Alliance really does have causes for concern.

    Canikli explained that the S-400s have extremely powerful radars, which could transmit information …

  • Surrender without a fight: Kurds abandon Syrian Manbij

    The military advisors of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have withdrawn from the Syrian city of Manbij. This was reported in a YPG statement distributed by the Kurdish news agency Firat on June 6. The YPG is leaving the city in accordance with a US-Turkey agreement reached on June 4.

    “At the request of the military council of Manbij, a group of military instructors from our forces remained as advisers, this took place in coordination with the international coalition… Now, after two …

  • U.S. and Turkey agree on a stabilization plan in Syrian Manbij

    The U.S. and Turkey approved a road map for stabilizing the situation in the Syrian city of Manbij, as reported in a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

    It was noted that the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed their commitment to continue the joint fight against terrorism in the region, and also reviewed the recommendations of the Turkish-American Working Group on Syria.

    “They approved the road map and stressed their …

  • Turkey threatens Washington with closing Incirlik air base for the US

    Ankara may close for Americans airbase Incirlik because of the unfriendly politics of Washington, stated the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlut Cavusoglu in an interview with the TV channel A Haber.

    He stressed that Ankara expects the United States to "step away from its wrong steps". "We have other trumps in our hands," the minister added.

    In April, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy stated that the country intends to discuss with NATO the use of the Incirlik airbase in …

  • Turkey allows Russia's Gazprom to extend Turkish stream pipeline to the EU

    Turkey has concluded an agreement with the Russian Energy Corporation Gazprom regarding construction of the Turkish stream pipeline’s second-string land section, which involved an arrangement to supply gas to the EU, RIA Novosti reports. This agreement will enable Russia to extend its gas pipeline across the territory of Turkey and into the EU border.  

    At the end of April, Gazprom announced the completion of the Turkish stream’s first-string section. The first-string of this Russian gas …

  • Media: Turkey may purchase Russian Su-57 fighters if the US decides not to supply F-35 aircraft

    If the U.S. Senate bans the sale of fifth generation F-35 fighters to Turkey, Ankara may consider buying Russian Su-35S or Su-57 fighters,reported the newspaper Yeni Safak, citing a source.

    Turkey is still planning on the June delivery of American F-35 airplanes. Twenty-one of the fighters are scheduled to be delivered to Turkey sometime this summer. The newspaper noted that 13 pilots and 100 technical personnel are receiving training in the U.S.

    Nevertheless, Turkey may consider purchasing …

  • Russia provides Turkey with retroactive 10.25% discount on gas

    Anadolu news agency reports that Turkish President Recep Erdogan has announced that an agreement has been reached with Russia, according to which Moscow will retroactively provide a discount on gas delivered to Turkey in 2015 and 2016.

    "After long discussions, an agreement was reached on a 10.25% discount on gas delivered in 2015 and 2016. The difference in payment for these two years, namely $1 billion, will be returned to Turkey," the President said.

    Gazprom had canceled discounts on gas …

  • Washington: US will keep trying to prevent Turkey from purchasing S-400 missile systems from Russia

    The administration of US President Donald Trump continues to make efforts aimed at discouraging Turkey from purchasing S-400 air defense systems from Russia, said US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last Wednesday, May 23.

    "We continue to work to keep Turkey in a place where it doesn’t actually acquire the S-400. I believe that they have not yet [gotten it] and we are hopeful they never take possession," he noted.

    One of the congressmen expressed …

  • Turkey and Israel expel each other’s diplomats because of the violence in the Gaza Strip

    Turkey and Israel each expelled the other country’s high-ranking diplomats on Tuesday because of a dispute over the killing of 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip during protests against the moving of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

    According to Reuters, the Turkish leadership ordered Israeli ambassadors to leave the country.

    “Turkey was one of the loudest critics of both Israel’s reaction to protests in the Gaza Strip and the moving of the U.S. Embassy. It recalled its …