First, the Free World is very concerned for the people of Turkey and Syria that have suffered due to enormous earthquakes that have turned cities to rubble. That should be reassuring to the leaders involved. The USA has been responding to disasters in countries normally considered enemies of the USA, first Cuba and now Syria.
February 6, 2023
The United States has deployed a team of disaster response specialists (click here) after an earthquake killed more than 2,700 people in Turkey and northwest Syria, USAID Administrator Samantha Power said on Monday.
The Disaster Assistance Response Team "will work in close coordination with Turkish authorities on the front lines, as well as with our partners on the ground and agencies across the U.S. government," Power said in a statement....
February 6, 2023
Governments around the world (click here) were quick to respond to requests for international assistance after Monday’s devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, deploying rescue teams and offering aid.
The European Union said it was urgently dispatching search and rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania to Turkey to help. In a statement, the bloc also said it was directing its satellite system to support Turkish efforts in mapping the quake and its aftermath.
Greece said it was sending a C-130 transport aircraft to help neighboring Turkey, along with 21 members of the Greek fire service’s special disaster management unit, rescue dogs, a rescue vehicle, medics and the head of the government’s organization for disaster management, the Greek Civil Protection Agency said....
But, with the dust settling after the earthquakes, Turkey needs to remain loyal to it's NATO allies. Turkey is often viewed as a friendly country to Russia as its geographic location places it at Russian borders, the Black Sea, Crimea, Syria, Iraq and Iran. What a neighborhood. But, Turkey is also near Greece and Europe. So, President Erdogan must improve his loyalty to those most moral and aligned with anti-genocide values. Turkey needs to clearly express it is not involved in any way with the support of such regimes as Putin assembled. Supply lines to Russia is killing people.
Russia has not been attacked. There is no moral reason to provide Russia with parts or supplies to any aspect of the Russian military including the Wagner Group. There is a right and wrong side, Turkey needs to make clear where it stands by ending it's shipments to Russia.
By Paul Iddon
Aside from having the second-largest army in NATO, (click here) Turkey also operates the third-largest fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets in the world. However, unlike many U.S. allies in the wider region, it does not have any French or British jets, making it heavily reliant on the United States, a state of affairs some Turks have begun to question and scrutinize.
Cagri Erhan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security and foreign policy advisor, brought up the iconic fighter jets several times in January. For example, he tweeted on Jan. 20 that Turkey doesn’t need any more F-16s and even dubiously claimed that the aircraft is not even among the top 10 best fighters in the world.
Erhan later expressed similar sentiments in a Jan. 28 television interview. He questioned why Turkey does not operate any non-American fighter jets. He claimed that Ankara did not turn to other NATO countries for any different fighter types over the decades since its pilots had received specific training for the F-16....
February 4, 2023
By Jonathan Spicer
The United States warned Turkey (click here) in recent days about the export to Russia of chemicals, microchips and other products that can be used in Moscow's war effort in Ukraine, and it could move to punish Turkish companies or banks contravening sanctions.
Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury Department's top sanctions official, visited Turkish government and private sector officials on Thursday and Friday to urge more cooperation in disrupting the flow of such goods....
Aside from having the second-largest army in NATO, (click here) Turkey also operates the third-largest fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets in the world. However, unlike many U.S. allies in the wider region, it does not have any French or British jets, making it heavily reliant on the United States, a state of affairs some Turks have begun to question and scrutinize.
Cagri Erhan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security and foreign policy advisor, brought up the iconic fighter jets several times in January. For example, he tweeted on Jan. 20 that Turkey doesn’t need any more F-16s and even dubiously claimed that the aircraft is not even among the top 10 best fighters in the world.
Erhan later expressed similar sentiments in a Jan. 28 television interview. He questioned why Turkey does not operate any non-American fighter jets. He claimed that Ankara did not turn to other NATO countries for any different fighter types over the decades since its pilots had received specific training for the F-16....
By Jonathan Spicer
The United States warned Turkey (click here) in recent days about the export to Russia of chemicals, microchips and other products that can be used in Moscow's war effort in Ukraine, and it could move to punish Turkish companies or banks contravening sanctions.
Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury Department's top sanctions official, visited Turkish government and private sector officials on Thursday and Friday to urge more cooperation in disrupting the flow of such goods....
