Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumTurkey is deliberately 'unleashing' Isis terrorists into Europe, says Jordan's King Abdullah
Turkey is exporting Isis-linked terrorists to Europe, according to King Abdullah of Jordan.
The monarch's remarks came in a meeting with members of the US Congress, in which he said that Islamist militants were being "manufactured in Turkey" and "unleashed" into Europe.
He also used the debriefing, held after a cancelled rendezvous with US President Barack Obama, to remind the US politicians of Turkey's alleged complicity in buying Isis oil.
The fact that terrorists are going to Europe is part of Turkish policy," said King Abdullah. "Turkey keeps on getting a slap on the hand, but they are let off the hook.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/king-of-jordan-abdullah-says-turkey-isis-terrorists-and-unleashing-them-europe-erdogan-a6954841.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/28/how-happy-is-the-one-who-says-i-am-a-turk/
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would meet U.S. President Barack Obama at a nuclear summit in Washington this week, amid differences over Syria and Turkey's domestic policy direction.
Erdogan will be among more than 50 world leaders at the Nuclear Security Summit on Thursday and Friday. There has been intense speculation in the Turkish media as to whether he would meet Obama, with some suggesting a failure to do so would be a deliberate U.S. snub.
NATO member Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, but the two allies are sharply divided over a Kurdish militia in northern Syria. It has enjoyed U.S. military support but Turkey sees it as a threat to its national security.
Washington has also grown increasingly critical of Turkey's record on freedom of expression. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said during a visit in January that Turkey was setting a poor example for the region in intimidating media and accusing academics of treason.
http://in.reuters.com/article/turkey-usa-idINKCN0WV10P?rpc=401
KoKo
(84,711 posts)How is this for Turkey's Tourism Business?
bemildred
(90,061 posts)He's meeting Obama, he's not, it's informal, he's meeting Biden one-on-one, he meeting Obama with the other guys ...
Like that.
It's not good for the tourism business. The terrorist attacks especially are not good for the tourism business.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)ISTANBUL: Visitor numbers to Turkey plunged by over 10% in February, the government said, as tourism was hit by a crisis in relations with Russia and security fears after a series of attacks.
The number of foreigners entering Turkey fell 10.32% in February from the same period the year earlier, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in its latest monthly statistics.
Tourism from Russia recorded one of the biggest falls amid the crisis in relations following Turkeys shooting down of a Russian war plane in November, with visitor numbers plunging over 51.5%.
Georgians were the most frequent visitors to Turkey, followed by Germans and Iranians, it said.
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2016/03/30/tourism-in-turkey-dives-amid-security-fears/
KoKo
(84,711 posts)By Matthew Lee and Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press | Posted Mar 29th, 2016 @ 1:31pm
WASHINGTON (AP) The State Department and Pentagon ordered the families of U.S. diplomats and military personnel Tuesday to leave posts in southern Turkey due to "increased threats from terrorist groups" in the country.
The two agencies said dependents of American staffers at the U.S. consulate in Adana, the Incirlik air base and two other locations must leave. The so-called "ordered departure" notice means the relocation costs will be covered by the government.
In a statement, the military's European Command said the step "allows for the deliberate, safe return of family members from these areas due to continued security concerns in the region."
The orders cover the Adana consulate, U.S. military dependents in Incirlik, Ismir and Mugla as well as family of U.S. government civilians at Ismir and Mugla. The State Department also restricted official travel to that which it considers "mission critical."
The move comes amid heightened security concerns throughout Turkey due to the ongoing fight against Islamic State militants in neighboring Syria and Iraq and was accompanied by an updated travel warning advising U.S. citizens of an increased threat of attacks. It also comes as Turkey's president is set to arrive in Washington to attend President Barack Obama's nuclear security summit.
"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 European Command statement said.
Incirlik is a critical base in the fight by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group, and includes strike aircraft, drones and refueling planes.
Turkey's decision last year to allow the coalition to conduct airstrikes with aircraft based at Incirlik shortened the time and distance required to conduct airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, compared with strikes flown from bases in the Persian Gulf area. And it increased the number of U.S. personnel at the base.
NATO's Allied Land Command is based at Ismir and there is a Turkish base at Mugla where some U.S. military personnel go for training and other missions.
It was not immediately clear how many family members would be affected in total. The Pentagon said the order would affect about 680 military family members and roughly 270 pets. The State Department and Pentagon had begun a voluntary drawdown of staff at the two posts last September after Turkey announced it would take a greater role in the fight against Islamic State militants.
At the time, military officials said they had recommended the voluntary departure from Incirlik because of specific calls by militants for lone wolf attacks against the air base.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=157&sid=39094182&title=us-orders-diplomatic-military-families-out-of-south-turkey