&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s top military body has replaced the land, air and naval commanders of the military, Turkish media reported.

The Supreme Military Council (YAS) decided to replace land forces commander General Salih Zeki Colak, naval chief Admiral Bulent Bostanoglu and air force commander General Abidin Unal, CNN Turk broadcaster said.

The Supreme Military Council of Turkey has decided to replace the country's military commanders

Turkey's top military body has replaced the land, air and naval commanders of the military, Turkish media reported. The Supreme Military Council (YAS) decided to replace land forces commander General Salih Zeki Colak, naval chief Admiral Bulent Bostanoglu and air force commander General Abidin Unal, CNN Turk broadcaster said.

Turkey replaces military commanders: Report

On July 4, Eren Aksoyoglu, a member of the Turkish Joint June Movement opposition bloc, was taken into custody for a tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=eren_aksoyoglu%20demetevler&amp;src=typd">criticising the government&rsquo;s handling of a racially-motivated brawl in Ankara</a>. Less than two weeks later, Turkish police issued a warrant for film director Mustafa Altioklar for tweeting dismissively about the commemorations of the July 15, 2016, failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Detention order for director Mustafa Altioklar due to social media postings on anniversary of July 15 coup attempt <a href="https://t.co/nAd0wmQlL0">https://t.co/nAd0wmQlL0</a> <a href="https://t.co/CPwEizG6R2">pic.twitter.com/CPwEizG6R2</a>
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Previously, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38508315" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">fashion designer Barbaros Sansal was briefly jailed</a> for &ldquo;inciting hatred&rdquo; after tweeting a video. Social media screenshots are routinely used as &ldquo;evidence&rdquo; in lawsuits against Kurdish journalists, such as Ali Baris Kurt, who was <a href="http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turkiye/684644/Gazeteci_Ali_Baris_Kurt_un_hapis_cezasi_kesinlesti.html" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">sentenced recently to 28 months in prison</a>.

Twitter has become a scary place for Turkish users, landing many who disagree with the current government straight in jail. Although frequent bans by the Erdogan government have failed to keep residents off the platform, the intimidation is getting more serious.

Since the coup attempt one year ago, which was blamed on one-time Erdogan ally, cleric Fetullah G&uuml;len, <a href="http://aa.com.tr/tr/15-temmuz-darbe-girisimi/provokatif-sosyal-medya-hesaplarina-karsi-ihbar-uyarisi/610539">Turkish police have started encouraging internet users to inform on others</a>. In December 2016, Aksam, a newspaper owned by Ethem Sancak, a functionary in Erdogan&rsquo;s Justice and Development Party (AKP), announced hotline apps and accounts launched by the police.

The app urged users to &ldquo;<a href="http://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/emniyet-genel-mudurlugunden-bir-uyari-daha/haber-575591">Click the link to report a Twitter user to the police now&rdquo;</a>&ldquo;. Since then, thousands of Twitter users critical of the government have been reported to the police&rsquo;s @EmniyetGM Twitter account.

According to the independent news website Diken, as of July 2017 seven people, a day is taken into custody <a href="http://www.diken.com.tr/gunde-ortalama-yedi-kisi-sosyal-medya-paylasimlarindan-gozaltina-aliniyor/">because of the content they share on social media</a>. Small-scale data collection that I carried out for this article using the <a href="https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=6&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjD1Ynwo5jVAhVD7BQKHZ68BfwQFgg6MAU&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2FJefferson-Henrique%2FGetOldTweets-java&amp;usg=AFQjCNHkLzVmW0kJHUz1cov58LJM-zRd0A">GetOldTweets</a> software returned more than 3,500 tweets reporting a user to the police.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/179010/width754/file-20170720-12306-q42hkf.png" />
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Screenshot of the police call

Turkey leads Twitter comfortably in all categories of removal requests, according to Twitter&rsquo;s <a href="https://transparency.twitter.com/en/removal-requests.html" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Transparency Report</a>. Most alarming are court-ordered requests, in which Turkey outnumbers its closest competitor, Brazil, by 811 instances &ndash; at 844 to 33.
</figcaption>
</figure>

While the Turkish government has previously tried to <a href="https://yadi.sk/i/OwWbL9zA3LEoe4">censor tweets through court orders</a>, calling for denunciation by citizens is new and chilling.

Censorship of traditional media

It&rsquo;s difficult to imagine these days that Twitter was once a thriving place for free expression in Turkey. For many Turkish speakers, Twitter is a &quot;grey market&rdquo; news source, able to fill in the blanks left by mainstream media.

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&lsquo;General directorate of security warns citizens &#39;You may report social media profiles and pages supporting terrorist activities along with their links and screenshots to the e-mail addresses below.&rsquo; Directorate General of Press and Information Turkish Government, Author provided
</figure>

<a href="http://www.digitalnewsreport.org/essays/2015/how-turkey-uses-social-media/">Around 6.5 million Turks</a> are estimated to use Twitter, according to 2015 data. Though this number pales in comparison to 46 million Turkish Facebook users, Twitter has proved its worth repeatedly as a news source and political communication tool.

Twitter&rsquo;s rise started after the 2010 constitutional referendum when Erdogan&rsquo;s AKP, together with then-allies G&uuml;lenists, eliminated its secular rivals in the civil-military bureaucracy. By the following year, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeei45egh/recep-Erdo%C4%9Fan/#33bc3f82931c">Erdogan was instructing mainstream media bosses on how to cover &ldquo;news on terror&rdquo;</a>, his term for clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdish guerrillas.

In December 2011, the Turkish air force <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-16352388">killed 34 Kurdish civilians near the Iraqi border</a>. But the news was not covered by mainstream media until the next day when the Turkish general staff claimed responsibility for the airstrike.

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Meanwhile, tweeting under the hashtag <a href="http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/26032014">#twitterkurds</a>, Kurdish sources released the details of the killings and managed to push the incident into public view. The incident became one of the first examples of &ldquo;not covering the news until the government says so&rdquo;.

A voice for the silenced ones

Soon, other silenced groups, such as leftists, environmentalists, and even <a href="http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e0440">Kemalists</a> started to use Twitter. In June 2013, Turkish Twitter made a giant leap with the Gezi Protests, which began as an environmentalist action in Istanbul and turned into a millions-strong movement.

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The June 2013 Taksim Gezi Park protests were boosted by the use of Twitter and other social networks.

As it became apparent that mainstream media would not cover the protests and the associated police violence, the number of users and tweets sent from Turkey quadrupled, <a href="https://zete.com/20-gunde-224-milyon-tweet-atildi/">reaching 25 million and 2.5 million users by June 1</a>. For his part, Erdogan, <a href="http://t24.com.tr/haber/Erdo%C4%9Fan-twitterda-hakara-makara-yapiyorlar,191133">who had previously dismissed Twitter as &ldquo;chit chat&rdquo;</a>, announced that <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/788yjy/turkish-prime-minister-characterizes-twitter-as-menace-to-society">it was the &ldquo;worst menace to society&rdquo;</a>.
</figcaption>
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To counter anti-government tweets, he <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/turkeys-government-forms-6000member-social-media-team-1379351399?tesla=y%22%22">hired thousands of pro-AKP Twitter users</a>, but to no avail. Erdogan&rsquo;s base was still most present on Facebook, while Twitter attracted young, urban, secular users (in part because its platform was not available in the Turkish language until 2011).

Twitter as Erdogan&rsquo;s enemy

By the 2014 local elections, Erdogan, himself under investigation for alleged corruption after accusations by G&uuml;lenists and others, vowed to &ldquo;<a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/03/20/292095106/turkeys-recep-Erdo%C4%9Fan-well-eradicate-twitter">eradicate Twitter</a>&rdquo;. <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-blocks-twitter-after-Erdo%C4%9Fan-vowed-eradication.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=63884&amp;NewsCatID=338">The first block to Twitter came almost simultaneously</a>.

Since then, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3Aturkeyblocks%20twitter%20confirmed&amp;src=typd">Twitter has been so frequently blocked</a> by the regime&rsquo;s telecom authority that Turks have come to expect a blackout after almost every event that could generate anti-government feeling: bombings, disasters, scandals.

<figure class="align-left "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/179239/width237/file-20170721-28515-1fq5buu.png" />
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Turkey tries to turn off Twitter, after Fran&ccedil;ois-L&eacute;on Benouville, 2014.

Pressure increased again following the 2016 coup attempt. Since Erdogan became president in 2014 after 11 years as prime minister, Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code has often been used to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/02/turkeys-justice-minister-defends-allowing-1845-insult-cases-to-go-ahead" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">stifle dissent</a>. After the attempted coup, this statute, which forbids insulting the president, has been coupled with terror charges. The result is often a serious prison sentence.
</figcaption>
</figure>

<a href="https://www.dailydot.com/news/turkey-twitter-gezi-akp-propaganda">Since the Gezi Park protests</a>, the AKP has cultivated a band of so-called &ldquo;AK Trolls,&rdquo; who have caused <a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/tr/contents/articles/originals/2015/09/turkey-elections-akp-mulls-dumping-social-media-trolls.html">discomfort even within the party</a>. And many are still around.

They continue to amplify hashtag campaigns in support of the government and contribute to the complaints against individual Twitter users. Their presence, combined with the AKP&rsquo;s zealous chase of online opponents for &ldquo;terrorism&rdquo; punishment, has made Turkish Twitter a truly dangerous place.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/81222/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />On the Internet, <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/on-the-internet-nobody-knows-youre-a-dog">the saying goes</a>, nobody knows you are a dog. But in today&rsquo;s Turkey, where journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and academics can be declared terrorists arbitrarily, you may still find yourself chained.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/turkeys-twitter-crackdown-ratchets-up-as-state-says-click-now-to-report-a-user-to-the-police-81222">original article</a>.

?Click now to report a user to the police!? Turkish police introduce new app to encourage people to inform on those criticising Erdogan.

On July 4, Eren Aksoyoglu, a member of the Turkish Joint June Movement opposition bloc, was taken into custody for a tweet criticising the government’s handling of a racially-motivated brawl in Ankara. Less than two weeks later, Turkish police issued a warrant for film director Mustafa Altioklar for tweeting dismissively about the commemorations of the July 15, 2016, failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Detention order for director Mustafa Altioklar due to social media postings on anniversary of July 15 coup attempt https://t.co/nAd0wmQlL0 pic.twitter.com/CPwEizG6R2 — bianet English (@bianet_eng) 18 July 2017 × Previously, fashion designer Barbaros Sansal was briefly jailed for “inciting hatred” after tweeting a video. Social media screenshots are routinely used as “evidence” in lawsuits against Kurdish journalists, such as Ali Baris Kurt, who was sentenced recently to 28 months in prison. Twitter has become a scary place for Turkish users, landing many who disagree with the current government straight in jail. Although frequent bans by the Erdogan government have failed to keep residents off the platform, the intimidation is getting more serious. Since the coup attempt one year ago, which was blamed on one-time Erdogan ally, cleric Fetullah Gülen, Turkish police have started encouraging internet users to inform on others. In December 2016, Aksam, a newspaper owned by Ethem Sancak, a functionary in Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), announced hotline apps and accounts launched by the police. The app urged users to “Click the link to report a Twitter user to the police now”“. Since then, thousands of Twitter users critical of the government have been reported to the police’s @EmniyetGM Twitter account. According to the independent news website Diken, as of July 2017 seven people, a day is taken into custody because of the content they share on social media. Small-scale data collection that I carried out for this article using the GetOldTweets software returned more than 3,500 tweets reporting a user to the police. Screenshot of the police call Turkey leads Twitter comfortably in all categories of removal requests, according to Twitter’s Transparency Report. Most alarming are court-ordered requests, in which Turkey outnumbers its closest competitor, Brazil, by 811 instances – at 844 to 33. While the Turkish government has previously tried to censor tweets through court orders, calling for denunciation by citizens is new and chilling. Censorship of traditional media It’s difficult to imagine these days that Twitter was once a thriving place for free expression in Turkey. For many Turkish speakers, Twitter is a "grey market” news source, able to fill in the blanks left by mainstream media. ‘General directorate of security warns citizens 'You may report social media profiles and pages supporting terrorist activities along with their links and screenshots to the e-mail addresses below.’ Directorate General of Press and Information Turkish Government, Author provided Around 6.5 million Turks are estimated to use Twitter, according to 2015 data. Though this number pales in comparison to 46 million Turkish Facebook users, Twitter has proved its worth repeatedly as a news source and political communication tool. Twitter’s rise started after the 2010 constitutional referendum when Erdogan’s AKP, together with then-allies Gülenists, eliminated its secular rivals in the civil-military bureaucracy. By the following year, Erdogan was instructing mainstream media bosses on how to cover “news on terror”, his term for clashes between the Turkish army and Kurdish guerrillas. In December 2011, the Turkish air force killed 34 Kurdish civilians near the Iraqi border. But the news was not covered by mainstream media until the next day when the Turkish general staff claimed responsibility for the airstrike. Meanwhile, tweeting under the hashtag #twitterkurds, Kurdish sources released the details of the killings and managed to push the incident into public view. The incident became one of the first examples of “not covering the news until the government says so”. A voice for the silenced ones Soon, other silenced groups, such as leftists, environmentalists, and even Kemalists started to use Twitter. In June 2013, Turkish Twitter made a giant leap with the Gezi Protests, which began as an environmentalist action in Istanbul and turned into a millions-strong movement. The June 2013 Taksim Gezi Park protests were boosted by the use of Twitter and other social networks. As it became apparent that mainstream media would not cover the protests and the associated police violence, the number of users and tweets sent from Turkey quadrupled, reaching 25 million and 2.5 million users by June 1. For his part, Erdogan, who had previously dismissed Twitter as “chit chat”, announced that it was the “worst menace to society”. To counter anti-government tweets, he hired thousands of pro-AKP Twitter users, but to no avail. Erdogan’s base was still most present on Facebook, while Twitter attracted young, urban, secular users (in part because its platform was not available in the Turkish language until 2011). Twitter as Erdogan’s enemy By the 2014 local elections, Erdogan, himself under investigation for alleged corruption after accusations by Gülenists and others, vowed to “eradicate Twitter”. The first block to Twitter came almost simultaneously. Since then, Twitter has been so frequently blocked by the regime’s telecom authority that Turks have come to expect a blackout after almost every event that could generate anti-government feeling: bombings, disasters, scandals. Turkey tries to turn off Twitter, after François-Léon Benouville, 2014. Pressure increased again following the 2016 coup attempt. Since Erdogan became president in 2014 after 11 years as prime minister, Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code has often been used to stifle dissent. After the attempted coup, this statute, which forbids insulting the president, has been coupled with terror charges. The result is often a serious prison sentence. Since the Gezi Park protests, the AKP has cultivated a band of so-called “AK Trolls,” who have caused discomfort even within the party. And many are still around. They continue to amplify hashtag campaigns in support of the government and contribute to the complaints against individual Twitter users. Their presence, combined with the AKP’s zealous chase of online opponents for “terrorism” punishment, has made Turkish Twitter a truly dangerous place. On the Internet, the saying goes, nobody knows you are a dog. But in today’s Turkey, where journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and academics can be declared terrorists arbitrarily, you may still find yourself chained. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Twitter has become a scary place for Turks who critique Erdogan

&nbsp;

Flowers of solidarity are in the habit of blossoming in the most unlikely terrains and climes. More grey the day, brighter they bloom. In Turkey, 5Harfliler.com is that flower of resistance and solidarity.&nbsp;

Run by five Turkish women inhabiting different parts of the world, the website is a textbook exemplification of feminism. Women reaching out to women. In this comprehensive interview Duygu, Nigar, Suna, Hazal and Kiraz&nbsp;bare their soul for the world.&nbsp;

Duygu. 32. One of the founding editors. Studied law. Loves photographs and movies.&nbsp;

Nigar. 30. Journalist. Strong affinity towards Eurasia and Soviet history.&nbsp;

Suna. 32. Studying history, with a special interest in the holy lettuce, as an agricultural produce as well as a symbol in millennia-old myths and legends. Loves the whites in her hair.

Hazal. 33. Juggler of social science disciplines. Gemini. Struggling with her PhD dissertation in Turkish literature now.

Kiraz. 42. Historian. Experienced in publishing in the Turkish language. (Hurrah!)

And, thus, they talk.

&nbsp;

Meeting and Collaborating

Nigar: In 2012, I was approached by one of the three founding editors, who knew me from tumblr.&nbsp;

Suna: The team started out as 9 women, and then over the years, the core editors changed, depending on where life took us. Some left and then came back. Currently, we are 5.&nbsp;

Kiraz: I was approached by one of the founders in 2011. It sounded important and fun and I wanted to be a part of it.&nbsp;

Hazal: Suna and I had met a few years ago. When she approached me for 5Harfliler in 2013, I was thrilled and relieved at the same time because I had had enough of the greyish tune of the printed journals.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The idea of running a website&nbsp;

Suna: When the founding editors approached us, they brought out a shared sentiment, which was that very little in Turkish publications spoke to our wits, worries and wonders.

&nbsp;

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A responsibility towards society or labour of love?

Duygu: Creating 5Harfliler came from a place of urgent personal need. There was no other platform where we could write the way we wrote and be ourselves. Five years later, do I feel like I&rsquo;m fulfilling a responsibility towards Turkish society? (Laughs) Maybe in my most self-important moments! I do think a lot about my teenage self, though, and the way I devoured the written Internet for some sort of a relief or a clue on how to navigate life. So the thought that 5Harfliler is now there for others to gorge on is exciting.&nbsp;

Kiraz: Both are correct for me. I love producing original content every day and discussing new ideas, projects for our near future. This gives me a sense of freedom. It makes me very happy to see how we touch some people&#39;s lives.

Suna: They go hand in hand for me. There was no publication in Turkish that spoke to me; the wide range of interests I have, my anxieties, how I see my womanhood and relate to society, my sense of humor, etc. In trying to amend that, I think, 5Harfliler became a space where I could meet others who, like me, were in need of some fresh air. So for me, this is where responsibility, love and commitment come together.

&nbsp;

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Difficulty of being a feminist in today&#39;s socio-political milieu in Turkey

Duygu: I think it mostly depends on the family you come from since most of those early fights you have to pick with your own folks. Class, religious background, region, financial independence all come into play. I can&rsquo;t really say that women in the Turkish political arena are in any rush to call themselves feminists, except for a few. As far as actions and experiences in real life go, you&rsquo;re usually pretty aware that your sensibilities are not shared by most. That&rsquo;s why having a space in Turkish that prioritises gender equality (and that people also can join in) is so cool. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nigar: It&rsquo;s pretty easy, in the sense that the need for feminist thinking and action is obvious and urgent. We talk a lot amongst ourselves (and on the site) about the fact that feminism is globally &ldquo;trending,&rdquo; namely in pop culture, and is commodified in capitalist economies. While I am uneasy about that, the enthusiasm with which the younger generation takes up the word (if not always the movement) is remarkable.&nbsp;

Hazal: In Turkey, nowadays, it&rsquo;s difficult to simply be. The never-ending political turmoil and violence we are living in, accelerating and intensifying day by day since 2015, leaves no space to breathe. Being a feminist is not maybe harder than usual in terms of everyday life but organising, meeting, demonstrating, policy-making are definitely getting harder every day, for feminists and for everyone who doesn&rsquo;t support the government. No freedom, no political space, no self-expression, no opposition but a constant pressure to withdraw.

&nbsp;

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Road to feminism, crossroads, and turning points

Duygu: I remember being about 9 or 10 and telling my dad that I would never get married. It had upset him. My parents were going through a rough patch in their marriage at the time, which might have prompted my sudden announcement. But what I perceived to be an obvious power imbalance between mom and dad was something that bugged me even at that age.&nbsp;

Suna: One of my earlier memories of elementary school is boys pranking girls, pulling their hair, taking away/breaking their possessions etc. (almost never vice versa, unless provoked) and that made me really angry. Despite my timidity, I couldn&rsquo;t help but intervene. So, I beat a lot of boys. I was always in a silent competition with them anyways, whether it was running, singing or classes. Same with the middle-school but now there was love and sex. I thought love was overrated, and got pissed at girls who only talked about boys. I was a pain in the ass!&nbsp;

Then, at the age of 13-14, my very good friend was sexually harassed by some other close friends in class. She felt that she had to go back to being friends with them. That&rsquo;s when I learned that men can not only get away with anything but also get credit and praise on top of all the filth they spread into the world. We start to figure out how the world functions, and the injustices that fuel its operations and position ourselves accordingly from a very young age.&nbsp;

There is a lot of self-righteousness in this story, which I am happily off-loading in the recent years. I came to understand that people come from distinct walks of life. The ability to remain flexible while defending a particular political stance is crucial to creating anything that&rsquo;s constructive and inclusive.

Kiraz: I was born and grew up in a female dominant house. I always thought that the world was led and shaped by women, and the main responsibility of men was helping women. You know, they are physically stronger, they are able to lift heavy things, in general, they are taller, so they can easily hang the curtains. When I was 9, Duygu Asena&rsquo;s book &quot;The Woman Has No Name,&quot; was published and this was a turning point in my life. I realised the women in my family, my beloved girlfriends, and their mothers---none of us shaped the world at large. We were just a part of a world built by men. It was a big frustration for me to see this, and I think I made a decision at that point. I never identified myself with feminism until I reached my 30s, by the way. Feminism is one of the essential, inner parts of my existence. I guess I did not even think about it. &nbsp;

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Hazal: When I was growing up, there were lots of socialist men around, due to my parents&rsquo; involvement in the leftist movement. Our house was crowded with men, smoking endlessly, drinking tons of tea and getting into passionate discussions about the &ldquo;big picture,&rdquo; while my mother and some other women were only entering the picture in between their daily chores, serving tea and food.&nbsp;

I developed an admiration and grudge one after the other. First, I wanted to be as much knowledgeable as those men, so that I could be in the picture, shortly after, I wanted to be more knowledgeable so that I could kick them out from the picture. This resentment, mostly on behalf of my mother, made me read a lot, search a lot, pushed me to learn a lot as a child and teenager.&nbsp;

When I met feminists and started to go to meetings, demonstrations and take part in organisations in my early 20s, the greatest joy was being able to claim my resentments. Then, another phase started involving a constant search for a true self, true womanhood, true feminism. That&rsquo;s why I love the 30s. Nothing has to be so true, so perfect about your identity anymore. It took some time for me to get here. Now, the most important, and enjoyable, thing for me is collaborating with different women for different projects. One collaboration here, another small group there, a beautiful circle on the corner.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Challenges personal and political

Nigar: The biggest challenge for me is definitely finding the time. Time can be a luxury that some (people) possess and others lack. It is often political. Running the website while working other jobs and finishing degrees can be hard. Additionally, I&rsquo;m a journalist trained in the classic newsroom setting, where dry objectivity is aspired to. Our website is a blend of opinion, commentary, personal testimony and satire. We take sides. I have been warned so many times to be careful about what words I &ldquo;put out there,&rdquo; I definitely have to think several times before publishing something under my real name.&nbsp;

Suna: For me, it is the overwhelming amount of events and injustices that connect to some issues we touch upon in 5Harfliler. To find the connections between various issues and finding the language to express them is quite difficult. How catcalling on the street (rape culture at large) is related to the fact that between 1901 - 2015, across many disciplines, there have been 825 male winners of the Nobel Prize, but just 47 female winners. Or, the connection between health and sexual minority rights. From war to water sports, everything is gendered: to squeeze women and LGBTQ rights into their &lsquo;respective&rsquo; boxes and treat them independent of other areas is sheer manipulation. Hence, to find the language to take our rights out of these boxes is quite challenging.

&nbsp;

Self-censorship and its extent

Hazal: No, I don&rsquo;t.

Suna: Not that I know of. Some issues require more time and reflection to write on. I have a few texts half-written, slowly cooking. I don&rsquo;t think this is due to self-censorship though.

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

The first marker of identity

Duygu: I&rsquo;m a Libra.

Nigar: I am in New York now, the fifth city I&rsquo;ve lived in for an extended period. When you change settings pretty often, and this doesn&rsquo;t necessarily have to be spatial change, the markers of your identity can shift as well. Identity certainly shifts depending on whether I&rsquo;m in the majority or minority, such as being Muslim in Turkey versus the US. My self-identification as a woman is perhaps the most constant. But you can be a different kind of woman in different contexts.&nbsp;

Suna: My identity keeps changing, and I intend to keep it that way.

&nbsp;

The road ahead &nbsp;&nbsp;

Nigar: We always want more writers, more diversity in the point of origin for our content as well as the medium. And we have been forever dreaming about having access to physical spaces where we can get together with our community.&nbsp;

Hazal: We want to make our website bilingual. We want to simultaneously produce our pieces into English so that we can connect with a much wider audience all around the world. It&rsquo;s a long shot but we are working on it.

&nbsp;

Five women, one website, countless shared concerns and joys

Flowers of solidarity are in the habit of blossoming in the most unlikely terrains and climes. More grey the day, brighter they bloom. In Turkey, 5Harfliler.com is that flower of resistance and solidarity. Run by five Turkish women inhabiting different parts of the world, the website is a textbook exemplification of feminism. Women reaching out to women. In this comprehensive interview Duygu, Nigar, Suna, Hazal and Kiraz bare their soul for the world. Duygu. 32. One of the founding editors. Studied law. Loves photographs and movies. Nigar. 30. Journalist. Strong affinity towards Eurasia and Soviet history. Suna. 32. Studying history, with a special interest in the holy lettuce, as an agricultural produce as well as a symbol in millennia-old myths and legends. Loves the whites in her hair. Hazal. 33. Juggler of social science disciplines. Gemini. Struggling with her PhD dissertation in Turkish literature now. Kiraz. 42. Historian. Experienced in publishing in the Turkish language. (Hurrah!) And, thus, they talk. Meeting and Collaborating Nigar: In 2012, I was approached by one of the three founding editors, who knew me from tumblr. Suna: The team started out as 9 women, and then over the years, the core editors changed, depending on where life took us. Some left and then came back. Currently, we are 5. Kiraz: I was approached by one of the founders in 2011. It sounded important and fun and I wanted to be a part of it. Hazal: Suna and I had met a few years ago. When she approached me for 5Harfliler in 2013, I was thrilled and relieved at the same time because I had had enough of the greyish tune of the printed journals. The idea of running a website Suna: When the founding editors approached us, they brought out a shared sentiment, which was that very little in Turkish publications spoke to our wits, worries and wonders. There was no publication in Turkish that spoke to me; the wide range of interests I have, my anxieties, how I see my womanhood and relate to society × A responsibility towards society or labour of love? Duygu: Creating 5Harfliler came from a place of urgent personal need. There was no other platform where we could write the way we wrote and be ourselves. Five years later, do I feel like I’m fulfilling a responsibility towards Turkish society? (Laughs) Maybe in my most self-important moments! I do think a lot about my teenage self, though, and the way I devoured the written Internet for some sort of a relief or a clue on how to navigate life. So the thought that 5Harfliler is now there for others to gorge on is exciting. Kiraz: Both are correct for me. I love producing original content every day and discussing new ideas, projects for our near future. This gives me a sense of freedom. It makes me very happy to see how we touch some people's lives. Suna: They go hand in hand for me. There was no publication in Turkish that spoke to me; the wide range of interests I have, my anxieties, how I see my womanhood and relate to society, my sense of humor, etc. In trying to amend that, I think, 5Harfliler became a space where I could meet others who, like me, were in need of some fresh air. So for me, this is where responsibility, love and commitment come together. No freedom, no political space, no self-expression, no opposition but a constant pressure to withdraw × Difficulty of being a feminist in today's socio-political milieu in Turkey Duygu: I think it mostly depends on the family you come from since most of those early fights you have to pick with your own folks. Class, religious background, region, financial independence all come into play. I can’t really say that women in the Turkish political arena are in any rush to call themselves feminists, except for a few. As far as actions and experiences in real life go, you’re usually pretty aware that your sensibilities are not shared by most. That’s why having a space in Turkish that prioritises gender equality (and that people also can join in) is so cool. Nigar: It’s pretty easy, in the sense that the need for feminist thinking and action is obvious and urgent. We talk a lot amongst ourselves (and on the site) about the fact that feminism is globally “trending,” namely in pop culture, and is commodified in capitalist economies. While I am uneasy about that, the enthusiasm with which the younger generation takes up the word (if not always the movement) is remarkable. Hazal: In Turkey, nowadays, it’s difficult to simply be. The never-ending political turmoil and violence we are living in, accelerating and intensifying day by day since 2015, leaves no space to breathe. Being a feminist is not maybe harder than usual in terms of everyday life but organising, meeting, demonstrating, policy-making are definitely getting harder every day, for feminists and for everyone who doesn’t support the government. No freedom, no political space, no self-expression, no opposition but a constant pressure to withdraw. I wanted to be as much knowledgeable as those men, so that I could be in the picture, shortly after, I wanted to be more knowledgeable so that I could kick them out from the picture (Others) × Road to feminism, crossroads, and turning points Duygu: I remember being about 9 or 10 and telling my dad that I would never get married. It had upset him. My parents were going through a rough patch in their marriage at the time, which might have prompted my sudden announcement. But what I perceived to be an obvious power imbalance between mom and dad was something that bugged me even at that age. Suna: One of my earlier memories of elementary school is boys pranking girls, pulling their hair, taking away/breaking their possessions etc. (almost never vice versa, unless provoked) and that made me really angry. Despite my timidity, I couldn’t help but intervene. So, I beat a lot of boys. I was always in a silent competition with them anyways, whether it was running, singing or classes. Same with the middle-school but now there was love and sex. I thought love was overrated, and got pissed at girls who only talked about boys. I was a pain in the ass! Then, at the age of 13-14, my very good friend was sexually harassed by some other close friends in class. She felt that she had to go back to being friends with them. That’s when I learned that men can not only get away with anything but also get credit and praise on top of all the filth they spread into the world. We start to figure out how the world functions, and the injustices that fuel its operations and position ourselves accordingly from a very young age. There is a lot of self-righteousness in this story, which I am happily off-loading in the recent years. I came to understand that people come from distinct walks of life. The ability to remain flexible while defending a particular political stance is crucial to creating anything that’s constructive and inclusive. Kiraz: I was born and grew up in a female dominant house. I always thought that the world was led and shaped by women, and the main responsibility of men was helping women. You know, they are physically stronger, they are able to lift heavy things, in general, they are taller, so they can easily hang the curtains. When I was 9, Duygu Asena’s book "The Woman Has No Name," was published and this was a turning point in my life. I realised the women in my family, my beloved girlfriends, and their mothers---none of us shaped the world at large. We were just a part of a world built by men. It was a big frustration for me to see this, and I think I made a decision at that point. I never identified myself with feminism until I reached my 30s, by the way. Feminism is one of the essential, inner parts of my existence. I guess I did not even think about it. Our house was crowded with men, smoking endlessly, drinking tons of tea and getting into passionate discussions about the “big picture,” while my mother and some other women were only entering the picture in between their daily chores, serving tea and food × Hazal: When I was growing up, there were lots of socialist men around, due to my parents’ involvement in the leftist movement. Our house was crowded with men, smoking endlessly, drinking tons of tea and getting into passionate discussions about the “big picture,” while my mother and some other women were only entering the picture in between their daily chores, serving tea and food. I developed an admiration and grudge one after the other. First, I wanted to be as much knowledgeable as those men, so that I could be in the picture, shortly after, I wanted to be more knowledgeable so that I could kick them out from the picture. This resentment, mostly on behalf of my mother, made me read a lot, search a lot, pushed me to learn a lot as a child and teenager. When I met feminists and started to go to meetings, demonstrations and take part in organisations in my early 20s, the greatest joy was being able to claim my resentments. Then, another phase started involving a constant search for a true self, true womanhood, true feminism. That’s why I love the 30s. Nothing has to be so true, so perfect about your identity anymore. It took some time for me to get here. Now, the most important, and enjoyable, thing for me is collaborating with different women for different projects. One collaboration here, another small group there, a beautiful circle on the corner. Challenges personal and political Nigar: The biggest challenge for me is definitely finding the time. Time can be a luxury that some (people) possess and others lack. It is often political. Running the website while working other jobs and finishing degrees can be hard. Additionally, I’m a journalist trained in the classic newsroom setting, where dry objectivity is aspired to. Our website is a blend of opinion, commentary, personal testimony and satire. We take sides. I have been warned so many times to be careful about what words I “put out there,” I definitely have to think several times before publishing something under my real name. Suna: For me, it is the overwhelming amount of events and injustices that connect to some issues we touch upon in 5Harfliler. To find the connections between various issues and finding the language to express them is quite difficult. How catcalling on the street (rape culture at large) is related to the fact that between 1901 - 2015, across many disciplines, there have been 825 male winners of the Nobel Prize, but just 47 female winners. Or, the connection between health and sexual minority rights. From war to water sports, everything is gendered: to squeeze women and LGBTQ rights into their ‘respective’ boxes and treat them independent of other areas is sheer manipulation. Hence, to find the language to take our rights out of these boxes is quite challenging. Self-censorship and its extent Hazal: No, I don’t. Suna: Not that I know of. Some issues require more time and reflection to write on. I have a few texts half-written, slowly cooking. I don’t think this is due to self-censorship though. Identity certainly shifts depending on whether I’m in the majority or minority × The first marker of identity Duygu: I’m a Libra. Nigar: I am in New York now, the fifth city I’ve lived in for an extended period. When you change settings pretty often, and this doesn’t necessarily have to be spatial change, the markers of your identity can shift as well. Identity certainly shifts depending on whether I’m in the majority or minority, such as being Muslim in Turkey versus the US. My self-identification as a woman is perhaps the most constant. But you can be a different kind of woman in different contexts. Suna: My identity keeps changing, and I intend to keep it that way. The road ahead Nigar: We always want more writers, more diversity in the point of origin for our content as well as the medium. And we have been forever dreaming about having access to physical spaces where we can get together with our community. Hazal: We want to make our website bilingual. We want to simultaneously produce our pieces into English so that we can connect with a much wider audience all around the world. It’s a long shot but we are working on it.

In conversation with 5harfliler: Digital feminism in turbulent Turkey

The G-20 (Group of 20)&nbsp;is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial&nbsp;issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance.

G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than&nbsp;80 per cent of the global economic&nbsp;output.&nbsp;

Around two-third&nbsp;of the global population lives in G-20 member countries.&nbsp;

The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community.

In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders&rsquo; Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions.&nbsp;Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global&nbsp;economic recovery.&nbsp;

How it works 
Each year in December&nbsp;a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a &ldquo;troika&rdquo; (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat.&nbsp;

The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes &ndash; often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year &ndash; are coordinated by the respective host country.

Members of G20 
The twenty members of the forum are :

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				<li>Argentina</li>
				<li>Australia</li>
				<li>Brazil</li>
				<li>Canada</li>
				<li>China</li>
				<li>France</li>
				<li>Germany</li>
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				<li>India</li>
				<li>Indonesia</li>
				<li>Italy</li>
				<li>Japan</li>
				<li>Republic of Korea</li>
				<li>Mexico</li>
				<li>Russia</li>
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				<li>Saudi Arabia</li>
				<li>South Africa</li>
				<li>Turkey</li>
				<li>The United Kingdom</li>
				<li>The united States</li>
				<li>The European Union</li>
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&nbsp;

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The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others)
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At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017.

Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit.&nbsp;

India and G20

India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. &nbsp;

For instance, India enacted the&nbsp;National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people.&nbsp;

India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India.

G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

G20 is an international informal forum where India has made the mark of an emerging economy which aspires to take the world along with it towards development

The G-20 (Group of 20) is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance. G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than 80 per cent of the global economic output. Around two-third of the global population lives in G-20 member countries. The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community. In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders’ Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions. Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global economic recovery. How it works Each year in December a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a “troika” (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat. The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes – often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year – are coordinated by the respective host country. Members of G20 The twenty members of the forum are : Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Republic of Korea Mexico Russia Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey The United Kingdom The united States The European Union The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others) × At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017. Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit. India and G20 India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. For instance, India enacted the National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people. India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India. G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.

All you need to know about G-20

Turkish military preparations in northwest Syria are legitimate measures against a threat from Kurdish forces in the Afrin region, and Turkey will retaliate against any hostile move, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told Reuters on Wednesday.

Kurtulmus was responding to the head of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, who told Reuters that Turkish military deployments near Kurdish-held areas of northwestern Syria were a declaration of war which could trigger clashes within days.

The YPG forms a major part of the US-backed campaign to capture Islamic State&#39;s stronghold of Raqqa. It also controls a pocket of territory in Afrin, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Raqqa. Tensions between Turkish forces and the YPG have been mounting in the Afrin region in recent weeks.

&quot;This is not a declaration of war. We are making preparations against potential threats,&quot; Kurtulmus said in an interview. &quot;It&#39;s...a legitimate measure so that we can protect our independence. We cannot remain silent against those sending missiles from Afrin.&quot;

Turkey&#39;s military, which launched an incursion last August into part of northern Syria which lies between Afrin and a larger Kurdish-controlled area further east, has said that it has returned fire against members of YPG militia near Afrin several times in the last few weeks.

&quot;Their (YPG) primary goal is a threat to Turkey, and if Turkey sees a YPG movement in northern Syria that is a threat to it, it will retaliate in kind,&quot; Kurtulmus said. &quot;This isn&#39;t a fantasy for us...it is an indispensible approach to protect Turkey&#39;s border security.&quot;

Ankara considers the YPG an extension of the outlawed Kurdish PKK group which has waged an insurgency in southeast Turkey since the 1980s. Turkey was angered by a US&nbsp;decision to arm the YPG as it marched with its allies on Raqqa.

The Turkish defence ministry said last month the Pentagon had sought to give assurances that Washington would retrieve weapons provided to the YPG after Islamic State fighters were defeated. Turkey says that is not credible.

&quot;There has never been an incident where a group in the Middle East has been armed, and they returned the weapons,&quot; Kurtulmus said. The United States &quot;have formed more than a terrorist organisation there, they formed a small-scale army.&quot;

He also warned the YPG not to try to drive out Arab or Turkmen residents from the town of Tel Rifaat, which is close to Afrin and controlled by YPG and Arab allies in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

&quot;The majority of Tel Rifaat is Arab and Turkmen, and if the PYD says it will capitalise on (its control), then this means ethnic cleansing, and this will not benefit Syria,&quot; he said.

Turkish military deployments near Kurdish-held areas of northwestern Syria were a declaration of war, said the head of Syrian Kurdish YPG militia

Turkish military preparations in northwest Syria are legitimate measures against a threat from Kurdish forces in the Afrin region, and Turkey will retaliate against any hostile move, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told Reuters on Wednesday. Kurtulmus was responding to the head of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, who told Reuters that Turkish military deployments near Kurdish-held areas of northwestern Syria were a declaration of war which could trigger clashes within days. The YPG forms a major part of the US-backed campaign to capture Islamic State's stronghold of Raqqa. It also controls a pocket of territory in Afrin, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Raqqa. Tensions between Turkish forces and the YPG have been mounting in the Afrin region in recent weeks. "This is not a declaration of war. We are making preparations against potential threats," Kurtulmus said in an interview. "It's...a legitimate measure so that we can protect our independence. We cannot remain silent against those sending missiles from Afrin." Turkey's military, which launched an incursion last August into part of northern Syria which lies between Afrin and a larger Kurdish-controlled area further east, has said that it has returned fire against members of YPG militia near Afrin several times in the last few weeks. "Their (YPG) primary goal is a threat to Turkey, and if Turkey sees a YPG movement in northern Syria that is a threat to it, it will retaliate in kind," Kurtulmus said. "This isn't a fantasy for us...it is an indispensible approach to protect Turkey's border security." Ankara considers the YPG an extension of the outlawed Kurdish PKK group which has waged an insurgency in southeast Turkey since the 1980s. Turkey was angered by a US decision to arm the YPG as it marched with its allies on Raqqa. The Turkish defence ministry said last month the Pentagon had sought to give assurances that Washington would retrieve weapons provided to the YPG after Islamic State fighters were defeated. Turkey says that is not credible. "There has never been an incident where a group in the Middle East has been armed, and they returned the weapons," Kurtulmus said. The United States "have formed more than a terrorist organisation there, they formed a small-scale army." He also warned the YPG not to try to drive out Arab or Turkmen residents from the town of Tel Rifaat, which is close to Afrin and controlled by YPG and Arab allies in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. "The majority of Tel Rifaat is Arab and Turkmen, and if the PYD says it will capitalise on (its control), then this means ethnic cleansing, and this will not benefit Syria," he said.

Turkey says it's not 'declaring war' in Syria, but ready to respond

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed developments in Syria and in the row between Qatar and its fellow Arab states on a phone call late on Saturday, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.

The call, held at Tillerson&#39;s request, came after Tillerson on Friday urged Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to ease their blockade of Qatar, saying it was causing unintended humanitarian consequences and affecting the US-led fight against Islamic State.

No further details of the call were immediately available.

Referring to Tillerson&#39;s comments on the blockade, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in Istanbul on Friday: &quot;I say it should be lifted completely&quot;.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their adversary Iran - allegations Qatar says are baseless. Several countries followed suit.

Erdogan vowed to keep supporting Qatar after his rapid approval of legislation on deploying Turkish troops there. On Saturday, he told Bahrain&#39;s foreign minister that the dispute should be resolved by the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Erdogan on Thursday also approved an accord between Turkey and Qatar on military training cooperation. Both bills were drawn up before the dispute between Qatar and others erupted. Turkey has also pledged to provide food and water supplies to Qatar.

Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbours. Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey and fellow NATO member the United States have also been at loggerheads regarding US&nbsp;support the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-long insurgency on its soil.

The United States said last week it had started supplying arms to the YPG for an assault on the Syrian town of Raqqa, deepening Turkey&#39;s anger. The YPG&#39;s role in the Raqqa campaign has strained ties between the United States and Turkey, which fears growing Kurdish ascendancy along its border.

(Reuters)

The call, held at Tillerson's request, came after he on Friday urged Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to ease their blockade of Qatar

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed developments in Syria and in the row between Qatar and its fellow Arab states on a phone call late on Saturday, Turkish foreign ministry sources said. The call, held at Tillerson's request, came after Tillerson on Friday urged Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to ease their blockade of Qatar, saying it was causing unintended humanitarian consequences and affecting the US-led fight against Islamic State. No further details of the call were immediately available. Referring to Tillerson's comments on the blockade, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner in Istanbul on Friday: "I say it should be lifted completely". Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their adversary Iran - allegations Qatar says are baseless. Several countries followed suit. Erdogan vowed to keep supporting Qatar after his rapid approval of legislation on deploying Turkish troops there. On Saturday, he told Bahrain's foreign minister that the dispute should be resolved by the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Erdogan on Thursday also approved an accord between Turkey and Qatar on military training cooperation. Both bills were drawn up before the dispute between Qatar and others erupted. Turkey has also pledged to provide food and water supplies to Qatar. Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbours. Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and fellow NATO member the United States have also been at loggerheads regarding US support the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in the fight against Islamic State in Syria. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-long insurgency on its soil. The United States said last week it had started supplying arms to the YPG for an assault on the Syrian town of Raqqa, deepening Turkey's anger. The YPG's role in the Raqqa campaign has strained ties between the United States and Turkey, which fears growing Kurdish ascendancy along its border. (Reuters)

US, Turkey discuss Qatar row, Syria on phone call: Sources

Germany&#39;s foreign minister said on Tuesday he would try to avoid damaging already strained relations with NATO partner Turkey during a withdrawal of German troops, as he didn&#39;t want a mounting dispute to push Ankara into closer ties with Moscow.

Sigmar Gabriel said his officials would do their best not to escalate the situation as German troops left the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey - in reaction to Ankara&#39;s decision to restrict German lawmakers&#39; access to the soldiers.

&quot;Above all we should organise the withdrawal so that there is no megaphone diplomacy where we trade insults,&quot; Gabriel told Deutschlandfunk radio.

He said he had agreed with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen that the German cabinet would deal with the issue on Wednesday. He also said the defence ministry had already been working on a withdrawal plan.

Turkey&#39;s ties with Germany and other European Union states deteriorated sharply in the run-up to Turkey&#39;s April 16 referendum that handed President Tayyip Erdogan stronger presidential powers.

Germany, citing security concerns, banned some Turkish politicians from addressing rallies of expatriate Turks before the referendum. Ankara responded by accusing Berlin of &quot;Nazi-like&quot; tactics, drawing rebukes from Berlin.

Turkey has reignited a row over access to German forces on its territory by imposing new restrictions on German lawmakers visiting Incirlik.

The German deployment at Incirlik is part of a mission providing reconnaissance aircraft to support U.S.-led coalition operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Gabriel said the defence ministry had concluded it now made more sense logistically to send Germany&#39;s Tornado jets to Jordan.

&quot;We have no interest in pushing Turkey into a corner ... we don&#39;t want to push it towards Russia,&quot; Gabriel said. &quot;This is no small thing but it is about more than Incirlik, it&#39;s about our relationship with Turkey,&quot; he said.

Turkey has been seeking to improve relations with Russia. Last month it agreed plans with Moscow and Tehran to reduce the fighting in Syria, and has been working to end economic barriers imposed after Turkey shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian border in 2015.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting Gabriel in Ankara on Monday that relations with Germany had suffered recently, but that trade and investment between the two countries were still strong.

&quot;We spoke about how we can focus on this more, what steps could be taken to increase contact between the two nations and disperse this negative atmosphere,&quot; he said.

Berlin is also worried about a security crackdown in Turkey after last year&#39;s failed coup. Some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and 50,000 people jailed pending trial.

&quot;Turkey wants an expansion of the customs union. We say we are ready for that ... but you have to move, too,&quot; said Gabriel, who stressed that adhering to the rule of law was necessary.

Germany has also pushed for the release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who was arrested in Turkey in February on a charge of spreading terrorist propaganda.

(Reuters)

There is fear that distancing themselves from Turkey will push Ankara closer to Russia

Germany's foreign minister said on Tuesday he would try to avoid damaging already strained relations with NATO partner Turkey during a withdrawal of German troops, as he didn't want a mounting dispute to push Ankara into closer ties with Moscow. Sigmar Gabriel said his officials would do their best not to escalate the situation as German troops left the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey - in reaction to Ankara's decision to restrict German lawmakers' access to the soldiers. "Above all we should organise the withdrawal so that there is no megaphone diplomacy where we trade insults," Gabriel told Deutschlandfunk radio. He said he had agreed with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen that the German cabinet would deal with the issue on Wednesday. He also said the defence ministry had already been working on a withdrawal plan. Turkey's ties with Germany and other European Union states deteriorated sharply in the run-up to Turkey's April 16 referendum that handed President Tayyip Erdogan stronger presidential powers. Germany, citing security concerns, banned some Turkish politicians from addressing rallies of expatriate Turks before the referendum. Ankara responded by accusing Berlin of "Nazi-like" tactics, drawing rebukes from Berlin. Turkey has reignited a row over access to German forces on its territory by imposing new restrictions on German lawmakers visiting Incirlik. The German deployment at Incirlik is part of a mission providing reconnaissance aircraft to support U.S.-led coalition operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Gabriel said the defence ministry had concluded it now made more sense logistically to send Germany's Tornado jets to Jordan. "We have no interest in pushing Turkey into a corner ... we don't want to push it towards Russia," Gabriel said. "This is no small thing but it is about more than Incirlik, it's about our relationship with Turkey," he said. Turkey has been seeking to improve relations with Russia. Last month it agreed plans with Moscow and Tehran to reduce the fighting in Syria, and has been working to end economic barriers imposed after Turkey shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian border in 2015. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting Gabriel in Ankara on Monday that relations with Germany had suffered recently, but that trade and investment between the two countries were still strong. "We spoke about how we can focus on this more, what steps could be taken to increase contact between the two nations and disperse this negative atmosphere," he said. Berlin is also worried about a security crackdown in Turkey after last year's failed coup. Some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and 50,000 people jailed pending trial. "Turkey wants an expansion of the customs union. We say we are ready for that ... but you have to move, too," said Gabriel, who stressed that adhering to the rule of law was necessary. Germany has also pushed for the release of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who was arrested in Turkey in February on a charge of spreading terrorist propaganda. (Reuters)

Germany says will avoid escalation of Turkey row during troop pullout

Amnesty International today accused Turkey of implementing &quot;arbitrary dismissals&quot; of public sector workers in a series of purges since last year&#39;s failed coup.

Over 100,000 people from the public sector including members of the judiciary and armed forces have been dismissed since the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July, the rights group said.

They have all been dismissed by decree under the state of emergency put into force a few days after the failed putsch bid.

The emergency has been renewed three times and is due to expire on July 19. But Erdogan yesterday said it would continue until there was peace, without giving a time limit.

In a report entitled &quot;No end in sight&quot;, Amnesty criticised the dismissals which it said were &quot;carried out arbitrarily on the basis of vague and generalised grounds of &#39;connection to terrorist organisations&#39;&quot;.

The organisation urged the government to put in place a &quot;prompt and effective appeal mechanism for those already dismissed&quot;.

The dismissed public sector officials Amnesty spoke to described a lack of evidence presented to them after finding their names on a list published in the Official Gazette.

&quot;None... Have been provided with any explanation of the reason for their dismissal beyond the generalised allegation contained in the decrees,&quot; Amnesty wrote.

The organisation conducted 61 interviews including with 33 dismissed individuals and met Turkish authorities, trade union representatives, NGOs and lawyers.

The government insists that those dismissed have access to an appeals commission -- whose members were confirmed last week -- which will hear their cases.

But Amnesty said the commission was not an &quot;effective domestic remedy&quot;, and urged the Turkish government to establish a &quot;genuinely independent, impartial, transparent and effective appeal mechanism&quot;.

It criticised the position many found themselves in with limited -- if any -- ability to find work and their passports cancelled. &quot;Some of the measures, including the barring of individuals from all forms of public service and the routine cancellation of passports would violate rights even in the cases where dismissal was justified,&quot; the report said.

According to Amnesty, of those dismissed more than 33,000 are teachers and other employees of the education ministry while over 24,000 are police officers and others from the interior ministry.

Over 8,000 are members of the armed forces, more than 5,000 are academics and include those working in the higher education sector as well as over 4,000 judges, prosecutors and justice ministry officials, it added.

As well as sackings, more than 47,000 have been arrested over alleged links to the movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of ordering the failed coup.

Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, strongly denies the charges but Turkey alleges his group is a terror group which it dubs the &quot;Fethullah Terror Organisation&quot; (FETO).

Although Western governments and human rights activists have hit out at the crackdown, Ankara defends the purges as necessary to clear individuals with alleged malicious intent inside the public sector.

&nbsp;

Trouble in the USA

Amnesty International&#39;s report comes days after video surfaced of Edrogan&#39;s bodyguards assaulting peaceful Kurdish protesters in Washington, DC, outside the Turkish embassy.

In one video, Erdogan is sitting in the back seat of this black Mercedes, and watches as his guards beat up the protesters. Some have claimed that the order to assault the protesters came from Erdogan himself.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Footage captured from another angle reveals Erdogan orders the attack on peaceful DC protesters directly (at 0:13). <a href="https://t.co/xegB7vEmM8">pic.twitter.com/xegB7vEmM8</a>
&mdash; Turkey Untold (@TurkeyUntold) <a href="https://twitter.com/TurkeyUntold/status/865304412499173376">May 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION with inputs from AFP)

&nbsp;

Over 100,000 people from Turkey's public sector, including members of the judiciary and armed forces, have been dismissed since the failed coup in 2016

Amnesty International today accused Turkey of implementing "arbitrary dismissals" of public sector workers in a series of purges since last year's failed coup. Over 100,000 people from the public sector including members of the judiciary and armed forces have been dismissed since the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July, the rights group said. They have all been dismissed by decree under the state of emergency put into force a few days after the failed putsch bid. The emergency has been renewed three times and is due to expire on July 19. But Erdogan yesterday said it would continue until there was peace, without giving a time limit. In a report entitled "No end in sight", Amnesty criticised the dismissals which it said were "carried out arbitrarily on the basis of vague and generalised grounds of 'connection to terrorist organisations'". The organisation urged the government to put in place a "prompt and effective appeal mechanism for those already dismissed". The dismissed public sector officials Amnesty spoke to described a lack of evidence presented to them after finding their names on a list published in the Official Gazette. "None... Have been provided with any explanation of the reason for their dismissal beyond the generalised allegation contained in the decrees," Amnesty wrote. The organisation conducted 61 interviews including with 33 dismissed individuals and met Turkish authorities, trade union representatives, NGOs and lawyers. The government insists that those dismissed have access to an appeals commission -- whose members were confirmed last week -- which will hear their cases. But Amnesty said the commission was not an "effective domestic remedy", and urged the Turkish government to establish a "genuinely independent, impartial, transparent and effective appeal mechanism". It criticised the position many found themselves in with limited -- if any -- ability to find work and their passports cancelled. "Some of the measures, including the barring of individuals from all forms of public service and the routine cancellation of passports would violate rights even in the cases where dismissal was justified," the report said. According to Amnesty, of those dismissed more than 33,000 are teachers and other employees of the education ministry while over 24,000 are police officers and others from the interior ministry. Over 8,000 are members of the armed forces, more than 5,000 are academics and include those working in the higher education sector as well as over 4,000 judges, prosecutors and justice ministry officials, it added. As well as sackings, more than 47,000 have been arrested over alleged links to the movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of ordering the failed coup. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, strongly denies the charges but Turkey alleges his group is a terror group which it dubs the "Fethullah Terror Organisation" (FETO). Although Western governments and human rights activists have hit out at the crackdown, Ankara defends the purges as necessary to clear individuals with alleged malicious intent inside the public sector. Trouble in the USA Amnesty International's report comes days after video surfaced of Edrogan's bodyguards assaulting peaceful Kurdish protesters in Washington, DC, outside the Turkish embassy. In one video, Erdogan is sitting in the back seat of this black Mercedes, and watches as his guards beat up the protesters. Some have claimed that the order to assault the protesters came from Erdogan himself. Footage captured from another angle reveals Erdogan orders the attack on peaceful DC protesters directly (at 0:13). pic.twitter.com/xegB7vEmM8 — Turkey Untold (@TurkeyUntold) May 18, 2017 × (WION with inputs from AFP)

Amnesty lambastes 'arbitrary dismissals' in Turkey purges

Turkey warned the United States on Wednesday that a decision to arm Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Syria could end up hurting Washington, and accused its NATO ally of siding with terrorists.&nbsp;

The rebuke came a week before President Tayyip Erdogan is due in Washington for his first meeting with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, who approved the arms supply to support a campaign to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.

Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought an insurgency in southeast Turkey since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Turkey and Europe.

&quot;We want to believe that our allies will prefer to side with us, not with a terrorist organisation,&quot; Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara, saying he would convey Turkey&#39;s stance to Trump next week and at a NATO summit later this month.

He said he hoped that recently taken decisions would be changed by the time he visits the United States.&nbsp;

Earlier, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters the US&nbsp;failure to consider Turkey&#39;s sensitivities &quot;will surely have consequences and will yield a negative result for the US&nbsp;as well&quot;.

The United States regards the YPG as a valuable partner in the fight against Islamic State militants in northern Syria. Washington says that arming the Kurdish forces is necessary to recapturing Raqqa, Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital in Syria and a hub for planning attacks against the West.

That argument holds little sway with Ankara, which worries that advances by the YPG in northern Syria could inflame the PKK insurgency on Turkish soil.&nbsp;

Weapons supplied to the YPG have in the past fallen into PKK hands, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

&quot;Both the PKK and YPG are terrorist organisations and they are no different apart from their names,&quot; he told a televised news conference. &quot;Every weapon seized by them is a threat to Turkey.&quot;

The YPG said Washington&#39;s decision would bring swift results and help the militia &quot;play a stronger, more influential and more decisive role in combating terrorism&quot;.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was aware of concerns in Turkey, which has given vital support to a US-led campaign against Islamic State insurgents in Syria and Iraq. Jets carrying out air strikes against the jihadist group have flown from Turkey&#39;s Incirlik air base.

Erdogan has repeatedly castigated Washington for its support of the YPG.

&#39;Same sack&#39;

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said the United States should review its move. &quot;We hope the US&nbsp;administration will put a stop to this wrong and turn back from it,&quot; he said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster A Haber.&nbsp;

&quot;Such a policy will not be beneficial; you can&#39;t be in the same sack as terrorist organisations.&quot;

But US&nbsp;Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he was confident the United States would be able to resolve the tensions.

&quot;We&#39;ll work out any of the concerns. We will work very closely with Turkey in support of their security on their southern border. It&#39;s Europe&#39;s southern border, and we&#39;ll stay closely connected,&quot; Mattis told reporters during a visit to the Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania.

Ankara has argued that Washington should switch support for the Raqqa assault from the YPG to Syrian rebels Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year - despite US&nbsp;scepticism about their military capability.

&quot;There is no reality in the comments that a ground operation against Daesh (Islamic State) can only be successful with the YPG. I hope they turn back from this mistake,&quot; Canikli said.

Despite the angry language, Erdogan&#39;s government has little prospect of reversing Washington&#39;s decision, and any retaliatory move would come at a cost.&nbsp;

Cavusoglu said Trump would address the issue with Trump during his planned May 16-17 visit to Washington, suggesting there were no plans to call off the talks in protest.

&quot;Turkey doesn&#39;t have much room to move here,&quot; said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and analyst at Carnegie Europe. &quot;I think Washington made such an evaluation when taking this decision.&quot;

While Turkey could impose limits on the use of the Incirlik base, that would hamper operations against Islamic State, which also menaces Turkey itself and has claimed responsibility for attacks including the bombing of Istanbul airport.

Turkey could also step up air strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq. Turkish warplanes attacked Kurdish YPG fighters in northeastern Syria and Iraq&#39;s Sinjar region late last month.

But Cavusoglu and Canikli both pointed to a diplomatic, rather than military, response to Trump&#39;s decision.

&quot;We are carrying out, and will carry out, all necessary diplomatic communications,&quot; Canikli said. &quot;Our wish is that the US&nbsp;stops this wrong and does what is mandated by our friendship.&quot;

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

"We want to believe that our allies will prefer to side with us, not with a terrorist organisation," Turkish President Erdogan said.

Turkey warned the United States on Wednesday that a decision to arm Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Syria could end up hurting Washington, and accused its NATO ally of siding with terrorists. The rebuke came a week before President Tayyip Erdogan is due in Washington for his first meeting with US President Donald Trump, who approved the arms supply to support a campaign to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State. Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought an insurgency in southeast Turkey since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Turkey and Europe. "We want to believe that our allies will prefer to side with us, not with a terrorist organisation," Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara, saying he would convey Turkey's stance to Trump next week and at a NATO summit later this month. He said he hoped that recently taken decisions would be changed by the time he visits the United States. Earlier, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters the US failure to consider Turkey's sensitivities "will surely have consequences and will yield a negative result for the US as well". The United States regards the YPG as a valuable partner in the fight against Islamic State militants in northern Syria. Washington says that arming the Kurdish forces is necessary to recapturing Raqqa, Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria and a hub for planning attacks against the West. That argument holds little sway with Ankara, which worries that advances by the YPG in northern Syria could inflame the PKK insurgency on Turkish soil. Weapons supplied to the YPG have in the past fallen into PKK hands, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "Both the PKK and YPG are terrorist organisations and they are no different apart from their names," he told a televised news conference. "Every weapon seized by them is a threat to Turkey." The YPG said Washington's decision would bring swift results and help the militia "play a stronger, more influential and more decisive role in combating terrorism". The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was aware of concerns in Turkey, which has given vital support to a US-led campaign against Islamic State insurgents in Syria and Iraq. Jets carrying out air strikes against the jihadist group have flown from Turkey's Incirlik air base. Erdogan has repeatedly castigated Washington for its support of the YPG. 'Same sack' Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said the United States should review its move. "We hope the US administration will put a stop to this wrong and turn back from it," he said in an interview with Turkish broadcaster A Haber. "Such a policy will not be beneficial; you can't be in the same sack as terrorist organisations." But US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he was confident the United States would be able to resolve the tensions. "We'll work out any of the concerns. We will work very closely with Turkey in support of their security on their southern border. It's Europe's southern border, and we'll stay closely connected," Mattis told reporters during a visit to the Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania. Ankara has argued that Washington should switch support for the Raqqa assault from the YPG to Syrian rebels Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year - despite US scepticism about their military capability. "There is no reality in the comments that a ground operation against Daesh (Islamic State) can only be successful with the YPG. I hope they turn back from this mistake," Canikli said. Despite the angry language, Erdogan's government has little prospect of reversing Washington's decision, and any retaliatory move would come at a cost. Cavusoglu said Trump would address the issue with Trump during his planned May 16-17 visit to Washington, suggesting there were no plans to call off the talks in protest. "Turkey doesn't have much room to move here," said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and analyst at Carnegie Europe. "I think Washington made such an evaluation when taking this decision." While Turkey could impose limits on the use of the Incirlik base, that would hamper operations against Islamic State, which also menaces Turkey itself and has claimed responsibility for attacks including the bombing of Istanbul airport. Turkey could also step up air strikes on PKK targets in northern Iraq. Turkish warplanes attacked Kurdish YPG fighters in northeastern Syria and Iraq's Sinjar region late last month. But Cavusoglu and Canikli both pointed to a diplomatic, rather than military, response to Trump's decision. "We are carrying out, and will carry out, all necessary diplomatic communications," Canikli said. "Our wish is that the US stops this wrong and does what is mandated by our friendship." (Reuters)

Turkey warns US of blowback from decision to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria

Despite fierce opposition from NATO ally Turkey, US President Donald Trump has approved supplying arms to Kurdish YPG fighters to support an operation to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State, US officials said on Tuesday.

Ankara views the Kurdish YPG militia fighting within a larger US-backed coalition as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey&#39;s southeast since 1984.

There was no immediate reaction from Turkey, whose president, Tayyip Erdogan, is expected to meet Trump later this month.

The Pentagon immediately sought to stress that it saw arming the Kurdish forces &quot;as necessary to ensure a clear victory&quot; in Raqqa, Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital in Syria and a hub for planning the group&#39;s attacks against the West.

&quot;We are keenly aware of the security concerns of our coalition partner Turkey,&quot; Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement as she travelled in Lithuania with Trump&#39;s defence secretary, Jim Mattis.

&quot;We want to reassure the people and government of Turkey that the US is committed to preventing additional security risks and protecting our NATO ally.&quot;

The United States has long supplied arms to the Arab components of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, which include YPG fighters. White said Washington would still prioritize supplying those Arab fighters within the SDF.

One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the equipment could include small arms, ammunition, machine guns, armoured vehicles and engineering equipment.

The US alliance with Turkey has proven decisive in the battle against Islamic State in Syria, providing the coalition with access to Turkey&#39;s Incirlik air base to wage strikes against the militants, officials say.

Mattis, speaking before the announcement, sounded upbeat about working through tensions with Ankara when he spoke to reporters in Denmark after talks with coalition officials, including from Turkey.

&quot;Our intent is to work with the Turks, alongside one another, to take Raqqa down, and we&#39;re going to sort it out and we&#39;ll figure out how we&#39;re going to do it,&quot; Mattis told a news conference in Copenhagen.

Ankara had long argued that Washington should switch support for the planned assault on Raqqa from the Kurdish YPG militia to Syrian rebels Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year.

But the US administration was sceptical that the Turkish-backed force was large enough or sufficiently trained.

White appeared to allude to that conclusion when she said: &quot;The SDF, partnered with enabling support from US&nbsp;and coalition forces, are the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future.&quot;

Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, the YPG&#39;s political affiliate, said the US decision was expected.

&quot;The Raqqa campaign is running in parallel with the international coalition against terrorism. It&#39;s natural that they would provide weapons&quot; to the SDF and the armed groups fighting as part of it, Muslim said.

In a sign of recent tensions, Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes against Kurdish YPG fighters in northeastern Syria and Iraq&#39;s Sinjar region late last month, killing less than 30 fighters, according to one estimate.

The United States has played down Turkish accusations of links between the YPG and PKK. Ankara believes the YPG&#39;s advances will fuel anti-Kurdish sentiment in predominantly Arab parts of Syria such as Raqqa, and threaten Syria&#39;s territorial integrity.

Mattis acknowledged the war in Syria had not left the United States with easy choices but he voiced confidence that Washington and Ankara would get past the impasse.

&quot;But we will work it out ... War sometimes doesn&#39;t give you all good options. That&#39;s the nature of war. It&#39;s not a good situation,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

The Pentagon sees arming the Kurdish forces "as necessary to ensure a clear victory" in Raqqa.

Despite fierce opposition from NATO ally Turkey, US President Donald Trump has approved supplying arms to Kurdish YPG fighters to support an operation to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State, US officials said on Tuesday. Ankara views the Kurdish YPG militia fighting within a larger US-backed coalition as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey's southeast since 1984. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey, whose president, Tayyip Erdogan, is expected to meet Trump later this month. The Pentagon immediately sought to stress that it saw arming the Kurdish forces "as necessary to ensure a clear victory" in Raqqa, Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria and a hub for planning the group's attacks against the West. "We are keenly aware of the security concerns of our coalition partner Turkey," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement as she travelled in Lithuania with Trump's defence secretary, Jim Mattis. "We want to reassure the people and government of Turkey that the US is committed to preventing additional security risks and protecting our NATO ally." The United States has long supplied arms to the Arab components of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, which include YPG fighters. White said Washington would still prioritize supplying those Arab fighters within the SDF. One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the equipment could include small arms, ammunition, machine guns, armoured vehicles and engineering equipment. The US alliance with Turkey has proven decisive in the battle against Islamic State in Syria, providing the coalition with access to Turkey's Incirlik air base to wage strikes against the militants, officials say. Mattis, speaking before the announcement, sounded upbeat about working through tensions with Ankara when he spoke to reporters in Denmark after talks with coalition officials, including from Turkey. "Our intent is to work with the Turks, alongside one another, to take Raqqa down, and we're going to sort it out and we'll figure out how we're going to do it," Mattis told a news conference in Copenhagen. Ankara had long argued that Washington should switch support for the planned assault on Raqqa from the Kurdish YPG militia to Syrian rebels Turkey has trained and led against Islamic State for the past year. But the US administration was sceptical that the Turkish-backed force was large enough or sufficiently trained. White appeared to allude to that conclusion when she said: "The SDF, partnered with enabling support from US and coalition forces, are the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future." Saleh Muslim, co-chair of the Syrian Kurdish PYD party, the YPG's political affiliate, said the US decision was expected. "The Raqqa campaign is running in parallel with the international coalition against terrorism. It's natural that they would provide weapons" to the SDF and the armed groups fighting as part of it, Muslim said. In a sign of recent tensions, Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes against Kurdish YPG fighters in northeastern Syria and Iraq's Sinjar region late last month, killing less than 30 fighters, according to one estimate. The United States has played down Turkish accusations of links between the YPG and PKK. Ankara believes the YPG's advances will fuel anti-Kurdish sentiment in predominantly Arab parts of Syria such as Raqqa, and threaten Syria's territorial integrity. Mattis acknowledged the war in Syria had not left the United States with easy choices but he voiced confidence that Washington and Ankara would get past the impasse. "But we will work it out ... War sometimes doesn't give you all good options. That's the nature of war. It's not a good situation," he said. (Reuters)

US to arm Syrian Kurds battling Islamic State, despite Turkish opposition

Russian President Vladimir Putin said any proposed safe zones in Syria should become no-fly areas if fighting on the ground stops entirely.

&quot;If there is a de-escalation zone, then planes will not fly there on condition that no military activity emanates from these zones,&quot; Putin said at a press conference with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking after holding talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea Russian resort of Sochi, Putin said relations were finally getting back to normal and that trade had stopped falling.

&quot;Some time ago our bilateral ties, as it well known, were tested. Now we can say with certainty remark that the recovery process in Russo-Turkish ties is complete,&quot; Putin told a news conference. &quot;We are getting back to a normal cooperative partnership.&quot;

Putin said Russia would launch a joint investment fund with Turkey with funds of up to $1 billion and said Moscow stood ready to help Turkey improve security measures at its tourist resorts.

(WION with Agency inputs) 
&nbsp;

Russian President Putin while meeting said President Erdogan said relations with Turkey were finally getting back to normal

Russian President Vladimir Putin said any proposed safe zones in Syria should become no-fly areas if fighting on the ground stops entirely. "If there is a de-escalation zone, then planes will not fly there on condition that no military activity emanates from these zones," Putin said at a press conference with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Speaking after holding talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea Russian resort of Sochi, Putin said relations were finally getting back to normal and that trade had stopped falling. "Some time ago our bilateral ties, as it well known, were tested. Now we can say with certainty remark that the recovery process in Russo-Turkish ties is complete," Putin told a news conference. "We are getting back to a normal cooperative partnership." Putin said Russia would launch a joint investment fund with Turkey with funds of up to $1 billion and said Moscow stood ready to help Turkey improve security measures at its tourist resorts. (WION with Agency inputs)

Erdogan in Russia: Syria safe zones should be no-fly areas, says Putin

Turkey backs India&#39;s claim to NSG as much as it supports Pakistan&#39;s bid, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told WION in an exclusive conversation with Ramesh Ramachandran. Erdogan also offered to be involved in a multilateral dialogue to solve the Kashmir issue with India and Pakistan, while brushing aside comparisons with the Kurdish issue in his country. Read edited excerpts of the interview here:&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;Mr President, we are meeting a few days after your hard-fought win, the 16th April referendum. What is your state of mind? Are you satisfied? Relieved? Happy? Or, are you anxious?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;I am happy with the outcome of the referendum. I am also grateful for the opportunity to talk to the people of India. The referendum was a success. It was important that we change a presidential form of government, an executive presidency. The changes to the constitution that we sought in the referendum will be implemented from November 2019. To my mind, the outcome of the 16th April referendum was the most important moment in the 94-year-old history of the Republic of Turkey.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;You are described as the strongest President ever in modern-day Turkey. But some say an all-powerful presidency is not be good for Turkey. Your comments?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;I&#39;ve been the mayor of Istanbul, I was the Prime Minister for 12 years and for the past two-and-a-half years I am the president of Turkey. We decided to change our system (into a presidential form of government) for the future of Turkey. The new system is compliant with our cultural values and I hope it is auspicious for our people and country.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;Your critics say you are a polarising figure, but you retain your popularity. What makes you so popular with the masses?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;My party (Justice and Development Party) has empowered the people. Our parliamentary majority has never dropped below 60 per cent. So I don&#39;t think I polarise people. If I were that, my party would not be where it is today. Turnout in elections, including the recently concluded referendum, is more than 80 per cent. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;You last visited India in 2008. A number of agreements were signed at the time. What do you hope to achieve from your forthcoming visit to India?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;I visited India in 2008 as the Prime Minister of Turkey. Since then, India has emerged even stronger. It is respected by all. For its part, Turkey&#39;s voice is easily heard all over the world. My visit will deepen Turkey-India relations. Trade volume is about US$ 6.5 billion, but it is not in the favour of Turkey. I want a win-win situation and a favourable trade balance. We opened a consulate in Mumbai in 2011 and another in Hyderabad in 2013, so it confirms the importance Turkey attaches to India. Turkey can take greater steps to export to India. A business delegation comprising 150 representatives will accompany me to India. Maybe Turkish and Indian companies can invest in third countries.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;Where do you stand on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir? Why does Turkey continue to support Pakistan?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;India-Pakistan relations are improving, which makes me happy, buy it saddens me that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has not been settled for 70 years. India and Pakistan are our friends. Faith has contributed to our ancient relations. We have followers of Islam in Pakistan. We are for strengthening dialogue between stakeholders. We should not allow more casualties to occur and by strengthening multilateral dialogue, we can be involved, and through multilateral dialogue I think we have to seek out ways to settle this question once and for all, which will benefit both countries. &nbsp; 
I have been discussing these issues at length with my dear friend, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. I know he is a good-intentioned man. I personally heard him speak about settling this issue once and for all.&nbsp; 
So if we keep dialogue channels open, we can settle it once and for all. There is no better option than keeping dialogue channels open and contributing to global peace. I want this mentality to prevail among the leaders.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q:&nbsp;When people say that Jammu and Kashmir is disputed, some in India might say that the demands of the Kurdish people might be legitimate, too. What would you say to that?&nbsp;

A: You are comparing apples and oranges. We&#39;re making a big mistake. We have no problem with the Kurdish people. We have a problem with a terrorist organisation. There is no similarity with the Jammu and Kashmir issue. The nature of the dispute is different. It is a territorial dispute. In Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is different. Let&#39;s not make the mistake of comparing them.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Turkey is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which routinely issues statements critical of India on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. This, when more Muslims live in India than many other countries of the world. Why this prejudice against India?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;A two-state solution is the basis of the OIC statements. Pakistan is 100 per cent Muslim country and there is a very serious Muslim population in India. As the OIC, we would never act against India. All we want is an open channel of dialogue to bring India and Pakistan closer and settle this dispute.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: The OIC also talks about self-determination as a means to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Is self-determination a sustainable solution of crises? Is it practical? Also, if it is, should it not be universally applied, be it Tibet, Taiwan, Balochistan, or even the Kurdish issue?&nbsp;

A: I have to explain it meticulously. The OIC represents a certain population. It has its area of influence. It has economic and political strengths, it has a say in global matters, and it can contribute to world peace. If something has been approved by all member-states, it should not be criticised, or questioned. The OIC members also have weight in the United Nations (UN.) Turkey supports India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC.) The world is greater than five (the current number of permanent members, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China). I support a plan where there will not be permanent or non-permanent members. Instead, I propose 20 UNSC members, 10 of whom can become members by rotation for a period of two years. That way all the UN members would be rightfully represented. All religions will be represented. The UN was established after the Second World War and it has never been reformed since. It has not been updated. Let us update it. The problem is the five countries don&#39;t want to give up their seats.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Why is Turkey reluctant to support India as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group?&nbsp;

A: We are supportive of both India and Pakistan. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Why link the two?&nbsp;

A: We are not linking them. Both India and Pakistan have the right to aspire for NSG membership. I think India should not assume such an attitude. If Turkey was fair enough to support Pakistan, it was fair enough to support India. We are very objective and positive to the NSG process.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Unlike say France, secularism is interpreted differently by Turkey. What has Turkey&#39;s experience been like?&nbsp;

A:&nbsp;My definition of secularism can never be observed in Anglo-Saxon or continental Europe. We say that all groups are at full liberty to exercise their faith...Jews, atheists, etcetera. The state is equidistant.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Islamophobia is spreading in Europe and North America. France banned the Hijab, but you had a divergent view. Was it about choice and freedoms or asserting one&#39;s religious identity?&nbsp;

A: The Hijab is necessitated by faith, that is, Islam. The West has been aggressive towards Muslims. You can see it in the burning down of mosques, vandalising the walls of a mosque with the Swastika sign, banning Hijab, etcetera. We are not against any faith. We protect synagogues or churches from possible terror attacks. The West needs to reciprocate, but it is not doing it.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Are you still interested in becoming a member of the European Union (EU)?&nbsp;

A: The EU was never sincere or honest. Turkey is working in vain. It&#39;s been lingering for 54 years. We fully fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, our economy is doing much better than some EU members, we are a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), but we are made to wait patiently... after some time, Turkey will choose the next path of a Brexit-like referendum.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: When do you plan to hold it?&nbsp;

A: We have not decided yet. We will discuss it in Parliament, and if need be, turn to the people.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Your critics say there are no media freedoms in Turkey, that journalists are threatened and jailed, that political opponents are targeted... to some around the world, your actions are indefensible.&nbsp;

A: Those claims are political. It is all propaganda. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: You have particularly been critical of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. You accused him of plotting the failed July 2016 coup in Turkey. He was your one-time ally. Is there evidence against him or are these just allegations?&nbsp;

A: I don&#39;t talk without proof. He is a traitor and his involvement in the failed coup is obvious. His group has infiltrated the army, judiciary, police, schools and other State institutions. We want to cleanse the institutions of them. The Gulenists have a great network in India. They might infiltrate into the government. Please don&#39;t take them so lightly. The Indian Government should take their presence in India very seriously.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: What is the way forward in Syria?&nbsp;

A: The US and its allies, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, must join forces with Russia, Iran and Turkey. Let&#39;s work together to eradicate the Islamic State.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: But who is your enemy number one: Islamic State or Gulen?&nbsp;

A: Right now, our primary enemy is the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation or FETO. The Gulenists have to be eradicated as soon as possible. The Islamic State is a remotely located terrorist organisation. Of course, we are fighting the Islamic State, but the coalition forces are not fighting the Islamic State with as much commitment as us.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Q: Can Turkey be a NATO member and hope for better ties with Russia at the same time?&nbsp;

A: Russia is our neighbour and we trade with it. We have positive relations with NATO, too. One cannot be favoured at the expense of the other.&nbsp;

(WION)

&nbsp;

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks exclusively to WION about the attempted coup, his stand on the European Union and his view on the Kashmir issue (WION)
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also wants to increase exports to India to balance out US$ 6.5 billion trade

Turkey backs India's claim to NSG as much as it supports Pakistan's bid, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey told WION in an exclusive conversation with Ramesh Ramachandran. Erdogan also offered to be involved in a multilateral dialogue to solve the Kashmir issue with India and Pakistan, while brushing aside comparisons with the Kurdish issue in his country. Read edited excerpts of the interview here: Q: Mr President, we are meeting a few days after your hard-fought win, the 16th April referendum. What is your state of mind? Are you satisfied? Relieved? Happy? Or, are you anxious? A: I am happy with the outcome of the referendum. I am also grateful for the opportunity to talk to the people of India. The referendum was a success. It was important that we change a presidential form of government, an executive presidency. The changes to the constitution that we sought in the referendum will be implemented from November 2019. To my mind, the outcome of the 16th April referendum was the most important moment in the 94-year-old history of the Republic of Turkey. Q: You are described as the strongest President ever in modern-day Turkey. But some say an all-powerful presidency is not be good for Turkey. Your comments? A: I've been the mayor of Istanbul, I was the Prime Minister for 12 years and for the past two-and-a-half years I am the president of Turkey. We decided to change our system (into a presidential form of government) for the future of Turkey. The new system is compliant with our cultural values and I hope it is auspicious for our people and country. Q: Your critics say you are a polarising figure, but you retain your popularity. What makes you so popular with the masses? A: My party (Justice and Development Party) has empowered the people. Our parliamentary majority has never dropped below 60 per cent. So I don't think I polarise people. If I were that, my party would not be where it is today. Turnout in elections, including the recently concluded referendum, is more than 80 per cent. Q: You last visited India in 2008. A number of agreements were signed at the time. What do you hope to achieve from your forthcoming visit to India? A: I visited India in 2008 as the Prime Minister of Turkey. Since then, India has emerged even stronger. It is respected by all. For its part, Turkey's voice is easily heard all over the world. My visit will deepen Turkey-India relations. Trade volume is about US$ 6.5 billion, but it is not in the favour of Turkey. I want a win-win situation and a favourable trade balance. We opened a consulate in Mumbai in 2011 and another in Hyderabad in 2013, so it confirms the importance Turkey attaches to India. Turkey can take greater steps to export to India. A business delegation comprising 150 representatives will accompany me to India. Maybe Turkish and Indian companies can invest in third countries. Q: Where do you stand on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir? Why does Turkey continue to support Pakistan? A: India-Pakistan relations are improving, which makes me happy, buy it saddens me that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir has not been settled for 70 years. India and Pakistan are our friends. Faith has contributed to our ancient relations. We have followers of Islam in Pakistan. We are for strengthening dialogue between stakeholders. We should not allow more casualties to occur and by strengthening multilateral dialogue, we can be involved, and through multilateral dialogue I think we have to seek out ways to settle this question once and for all, which will benefit both countries. I have been discussing these issues at length with my dear friend, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. I know he is a good-intentioned man. I personally heard him speak about settling this issue once and for all. So if we keep dialogue channels open, we can settle it once and for all. There is no better option than keeping dialogue channels open and contributing to global peace. I want this mentality to prevail among the leaders. Q: When people say that Jammu and Kashmir is disputed, some in India might say that the demands of the Kurdish people might be legitimate, too. What would you say to that? A: You are comparing apples and oranges. We're making a big mistake. We have no problem with the Kurdish people. We have a problem with a terrorist organisation. There is no similarity with the Jammu and Kashmir issue. The nature of the dispute is different. It is a territorial dispute. In Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is different. Let's not make the mistake of comparing them. Q: Turkey is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which routinely issues statements critical of India on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. This, when more Muslims live in India than many other countries of the world. Why this prejudice against India? A: A two-state solution is the basis of the OIC statements. Pakistan is 100 per cent Muslim country and there is a very serious Muslim population in India. As the OIC, we would never act against India. All we want is an open channel of dialogue to bring India and Pakistan closer and settle this dispute. Q: The OIC also talks about self-determination as a means to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Is self-determination a sustainable solution of crises? Is it practical? Also, if it is, should it not be universally applied, be it Tibet, Taiwan, Balochistan, or even the Kurdish issue? A: I have to explain it meticulously. The OIC represents a certain population. It has its area of influence. It has economic and political strengths, it has a say in global matters, and it can contribute to world peace. If something has been approved by all member-states, it should not be criticised, or questioned. The OIC members also have weight in the United Nations (UN.) Turkey supports India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC.) The world is greater than five (the current number of permanent members, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China). I support a plan where there will not be permanent or non-permanent members. Instead, I propose 20 UNSC members, 10 of whom can become members by rotation for a period of two years. That way all the UN members would be rightfully represented. All religions will be represented. The UN was established after the Second World War and it has never been reformed since. It has not been updated. Let us update it. The problem is the five countries don't want to give up their seats. Q: Why is Turkey reluctant to support India as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group? A: We are supportive of both India and Pakistan. Q: Why link the two? A: We are not linking them. Both India and Pakistan have the right to aspire for NSG membership. I think India should not assume such an attitude. If Turkey was fair enough to support Pakistan, it was fair enough to support India. We are very objective and positive to the NSG process. Q: Unlike say France, secularism is interpreted differently by Turkey. What has Turkey's experience been like? A: My definition of secularism can never be observed in Anglo-Saxon or continental Europe. We say that all groups are at full liberty to exercise their faith...Jews, atheists, etcetera. The state is equidistant. Q: Islamophobia is spreading in Europe and North America. France banned the Hijab, but you had a divergent view. Was it about choice and freedoms or asserting one's religious identity? A: The Hijab is necessitated by faith, that is, Islam. The West has been aggressive towards Muslims. You can see it in the burning down of mosques, vandalising the walls of a mosque with the Swastika sign, banning Hijab, etcetera. We are not against any faith. We protect synagogues or churches from possible terror attacks. The West needs to reciprocate, but it is not doing it. Q: Are you still interested in becoming a member of the European Union (EU)? A: The EU was never sincere or honest. Turkey is working in vain. It's been lingering for 54 years. We fully fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria, our economy is doing much better than some EU members, we are a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), but we are made to wait patiently... after some time, Turkey will choose the next path of a Brexit-like referendum. Q: When do you plan to hold it? A: We have not decided yet. We will discuss it in Parliament, and if need be, turn to the people. Q: Your critics say there are no media freedoms in Turkey, that journalists are threatened and jailed, that political opponents are targeted... to some around the world, your actions are indefensible. A: Those claims are political. It is all propaganda. Q: You have particularly been critical of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. You accused him of plotting the failed July 2016 coup in Turkey. He was your one-time ally. Is there evidence against him or are these just allegations? A: I don't talk without proof. He is a traitor and his involvement in the failed coup is obvious. His group has infiltrated the army, judiciary, police, schools and other State institutions. We want to cleanse the institutions of them. The Gulenists have a great network in India. They might infiltrate into the government. Please don't take them so lightly. The Indian Government should take their presence in India very seriously. Q: What is the way forward in Syria? A: The US and its allies, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, must join forces with Russia, Iran and Turkey. Let's work together to eradicate the Islamic State. Q: But who is your enemy number one: Islamic State or Gulen? A: Right now, our primary enemy is the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation or FETO. The Gulenists have to be eradicated as soon as possible. The Islamic State is a remotely located terrorist organisation. Of course, we are fighting the Islamic State, but the coalition forces are not fighting the Islamic State with as much commitment as us. Q: Can Turkey be a NATO member and hope for better ties with Russia at the same time? A: Russia is our neighbour and we trade with it. We have positive relations with NATO, too. One cannot be favoured at the expense of the other. (WION) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks exclusively to WION about the attempted coup, his stand on the European Union and his view on the Kashmir issue (WION) ×

EXCLUSIVE: India, Pak both have right to aspire to NSG: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking exclusively to WION correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran on the Kashmir dispute involving India and Pakistan said he was &quot;deeply saddened&quot; and &quot;upset&quot; over the issue which has divided people in the Indian sub-continent.&nbsp;

The President declared that he wanted to see &quot;an open channel for dialogue to bring India and Pakistan together which can be put into place by the Indian PM and Pak PM to solve&nbsp;the dispute forever&quot;.

&quot;For the last seven decades, this question has not been settled. And I believe doing so will provide relief to both&nbsp;countries,&quot; Erdogan said.

Calling for an early resolution of the Kashmir issue, the Turkish President said that&nbsp;&quot;extending conflicts, extending questions and carrying these questions to the future will be unfair to the future generations&quot;.

On Turkey being a member of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), which has been&nbsp;critical of India on the issue of Kashmir, Erdogan said, &quot;Pakistan consists of 100% Muslims and there is a very large Muslim population inside India. And as the OIC, we would never act against India, we would never release statements against India. This is not what we are running after. All we want to see is open the channel for dialogue in order to bring India and Pakistan closer to one another, in order to hopefully settle the dispute on Kashmir once and for all.&quot;

&quot;I have heard PM Nawaz Sharif personally speaking about his will to settle this question with me once and for&nbsp;all. So if we keep the dialogue channels open, we can settle this question,&quot; he told WION.

The president hoped to strengthen &quot;multilateral dialogue&quot;&nbsp;to find a way forward to solve the contentious border issue.

The president also said that his country &quot;can be involved&quot; in the process, if required.

Catch&nbsp;the complete interview&nbsp;with&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s President&nbsp;Recep Tayyip Erdogan on WION Live TV at 8 pm (IST) Monday.&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fZTiCEJ8eCU" width="560"></iframe>

(WION)

On Kashmir, Erdogan said that surmounting the Kashmir issue will contribute to global peace as the Kashmir question has lingered for seven decades

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking exclusively to WION correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran on the Kashmir dispute involving India and Pakistan said he was "deeply saddened" and "upset" over the issue which has divided people in the Indian sub-continent. The President declared that he wanted to see "an open channel for dialogue to bring India and Pakistan together which can be put into place by the Indian PM and Pak PM to solve the dispute forever". "For the last seven decades, this question has not been settled. And I believe doing so will provide relief to both countries," Erdogan said. Calling for an early resolution of the Kashmir issue, the Turkish President said that "extending conflicts, extending questions and carrying these questions to the future will be unfair to the future generations". On Turkey being a member of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), which has been critical of India on the issue of Kashmir, Erdogan said, "Pakistan consists of 100% Muslims and there is a very large Muslim population inside India. And as the OIC, we would never act against India, we would never release statements against India. This is not what we are running after. All we want to see is open the channel for dialogue in order to bring India and Pakistan closer to one another, in order to hopefully settle the dispute on Kashmir once and for all." "I have heard PM Nawaz Sharif personally speaking about his will to settle this question with me once and for all. So if we keep the dialogue channels open, we can settle this question," he told WION. The president hoped to strengthen "multilateral dialogue" to find a way forward to solve the contentious border issue. The president also said that his country "can be involved" in the process, if required. Catch the complete interview with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on WION Live TV at 8 pm (IST) Monday. (WION)

WION EXCLUSIVE: India, Pak should keep open channel for dialogue to solve the Kashmir issue, says President  Erdogan

Turkey has blocked online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, the telecommunications watchdog said on Saturday, citing a law allowing it to ban access to websites deemed obscene or a threat to national security.

The move is likely to further worry rights groups and Turkey&#39;s Western allies, who say Ankara has sharply curtailed freedom of speech and other basic rights in the crackdown that followed last year&#39;s failed coup.

&quot;After technical analysis and legal consideration ... an administrative measure has been taken for this website (Wikipedia.Org),&quot; the BTK telecommunications watchdog said in a statement on its website.

It cited a law that allows it to block access to individual web pages or entire websites for the protection of public order, national security or the well-being of the public.

Turkey&#39;s communications ministry said Wikipedia was attempting to run a &quot;smear campaign&quot; against Turkey, saying some articles purported that Ankara was coordinating with militant groups, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

&quot;Instead of coordinating against terrorism, it has become part of an information source which is running a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena,&quot; Anadolu quoted the ministry as saying in a statement.

The ban would be lifted if Wikipedia met the government&#39;s demands, Anadolu said.

Under the law, the watchdog is required to submit its ban to a court within 24 hours. The court then has two days to decide whether the ban should be upheld.

A block on all language editions of the Wikipedia website was detected at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Saturday, monitoring group Turkey Blocks said on its website.

&quot;The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country,&quot; it said.

When attempting to access the webpage using Turkish internet providers, users received a notice the site could not be reached and a &quot;connection timed out&quot; error.

Monitoring groups have accused Turkey of blocking access to social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, particularly in the aftermath of militant attacks.

The government has in the past denied blocking access to some sites, blaming outages on spikes in usage after major events. But technical experts at watchdog groups say the blackouts on social media are intentional, aimed in part at stopping the spread of militant images and propaganda.

Since last year&#39;s failed coup, authorities have sacked or suspended more than 120,000 people from the civil service, police and judiciary and arrested more than 40,000 on suspicion of ties to terrorist groups.

President Tayyip Erdogan says the measures are needed given the scope of the security threat Turkey faces.

Turkey last year jailed 81 journalists, making it the world&#39;s top jailor of journalists, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

State-run Anadolu news agency reported the ban would be lifted if Wikipedia met the government's demands

Turkey has blocked online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, the telecommunications watchdog said on Saturday, citing a law allowing it to ban access to websites deemed obscene or a threat to national security. The move is likely to further worry rights groups and Turkey's Western allies, who say Ankara has sharply curtailed freedom of speech and other basic rights in the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup. "After technical analysis and legal consideration ... an administrative measure has been taken for this website (Wikipedia.Org)," the BTK telecommunications watchdog said in a statement on its website. It cited a law that allows it to block access to individual web pages or entire websites for the protection of public order, national security or the well-being of the public. Turkey's communications ministry said Wikipedia was attempting to run a "smear campaign" against Turkey, saying some articles purported that Ankara was coordinating with militant groups, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. "Instead of coordinating against terrorism, it has become part of an information source which is running a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena," Anadolu quoted the ministry as saying in a statement. The ban would be lifted if Wikipedia met the government's demands, Anadolu said. Under the law, the watchdog is required to submit its ban to a court within 24 hours. The court then has two days to decide whether the ban should be upheld. A block on all language editions of the Wikipedia website was detected at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Saturday, monitoring group Turkey Blocks said on its website. "The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country," it said. When attempting to access the webpage using Turkish internet providers, users received a notice the site could not be reached and a "connection timed out" error. Monitoring groups have accused Turkey of blocking access to social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, particularly in the aftermath of militant attacks. The government has in the past denied blocking access to some sites, blaming outages on spikes in usage after major events. But technical experts at watchdog groups say the blackouts on social media are intentional, aimed in part at stopping the spread of militant images and propaganda. Since last year's failed coup, authorities have sacked or suspended more than 120,000 people from the civil service, police and judiciary and arrested more than 40,000 on suspicion of ties to terrorist groups. President Tayyip Erdogan says the measures are needed given the scope of the security threat Turkey faces. Turkey last year jailed 81 journalists, making it the world's top jailor of journalists, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Turkey blocks access to Wikipedia

&nbsp;A Russian navy&nbsp;reconnaissance ship&nbsp;collided with a vessel carrying livestock off Turkey&#39;s Black Sea coast on Thursday, broadcaster NTV reported. Initial reports said 45&nbsp;Russian&nbsp;soldiers were rescued while 15 were missing. Later,&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s coastal safety authority said all 78 soldiers were rescued even as the ship sunk in the Black Sea.

NTV said the coast guard and emergency teams had been dispatched to the site, 18 miles (29 km) from Kilyos village, on the Black Sea coast just north of Istanbul.

&quot;All 78 crew members of a Russian navy vessel have been rescued,&quot; Turkish transport minister Ahmet Arslan said.

The minister said the navy ship sank after the collision which was caused by fog and poor weather. The other vessel only suffered minor damage.

&quot;Russian personnel would be returned to Russian authorities,&quot; the minister added.

The research ship Liman &quot;sustained a hull breach due to a collision&quot; with the ship Ashot-7, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north-west of the Bosphorus Strait, the Russian defence ministry informed earlier.

(WION with agency inputs)

A Russian military ship collided with a vessel off Turkey's Black Sea coast

A Russian navy reconnaissance ship collided with a vessel carrying livestock off Turkey's Black Sea coast on Thursday, broadcaster NTV reported. Initial reports said 45 Russian soldiers were rescued while 15 were missing. Later, Turkey's coastal safety authority said all 78 soldiers were rescued even as the ship sunk in the Black Sea. NTV said the coast guard and emergency teams had been dispatched to the site, 18 miles (29 km) from Kilyos village, on the Black Sea coast just north of Istanbul. "All 78 crew members of a Russian navy vessel have been rescued," Turkish transport minister Ahmet Arslan said. The minister said the navy ship sank after the collision which was caused by fog and poor weather. The other vessel only suffered minor damage. "Russian personnel would be returned to Russian authorities," the minister added. The research ship Liman "sustained a hull breach due to a collision" with the ship Ashot-7, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north-west of the Bosphorus Strait, the Russian defence ministry informed earlier. (WION with agency inputs)

Russian?navy?ship collides with vessel off Turkey's Black Sea coast,  78 soldiers rescued

Turkey&#39;s electoral authority on Wednesday rejected appeals to annul a referendum granting President Tayyip Erdogan wide new powers, but the main opposition CHP party said it would maintain its legal challenge to the result.

Sunday&#39;s referendum narrowly backed the largest overhaul of Turkey&#39;s political system since the founding of the republic nearly a century ago, giving Erdogan sweeping authority over the NATO member-state.

But the tight result of a highly charged campaign laid bare divisions, while European observers and the head of Turkey&#39;s bar associations union said a decision to count unstamped votes broke electoral law.

The High Electoral Board said it had assessed appeals from the CHP and two other parties at a seven-hour meeting, and rejected them by 10 to one.

In response, CHP Deputy Chairman Bulent Tezcan said his party was considering taking its appeal to Turkey&#39;s Constitutional Court or the European Court of Human Rights.

&quot;This is a serious legitimacy crisis. We will employ all legal ways available,&quot; Tezcan said.

Separately, Istanbul police detained 19 suspects on charges of attempted provocation for organising protests against the referendum, Dogan News Agency reported.

A defiant Erdogan has dismissed the complaints, saying the vote had finally put an end to debate over the powerful presidency he has long sought.

On Wednesday, the ruling AK Party set out plans for Erdogan to gradually resume leadership of the party, a step towards implementing the changes approved in Sunday&#39;s plebiscite.

Turkey&#39;s president has been required to remain above party politics, but that condition was removed in one of the referendum&#39;s 18 amendments.

Prime Minister and AKP leader Binali Yildirim said Erdogan could rejoin the party he founded in 2001 once official results - expected before the end of the month - were announced.

But he said the AKP would not hold a party congress until 2018, indicating Erdogan would not officially become its leader until then, despite widespread expectations that it would happen almost immediately.

Unfair Referendum

The pro-Kurdish opposition HDP, which had appealed along with the CHP for the referendum to be annulled, said the late decision by the electoral board to allow unstamped ballots meant it was impossible to determine how many invalid or fake votes may have been counted.

HDP deputy chairman Mithat Sancar said the vote was also undermined by the fact that the campaign was held under emergency rule while the party&#39;s co-leaders were under arrest, that its candidates for polling station monitors had been rejected, and the &quot;Yes&quot; campaign had benefited from state resources.

&quot;This referendum will forever remain controversial,&quot; he told reporters. &quot;You cannot build a change in the political system on such a controversial and unfair referendum.&quot;

Metin Feyzioglu, head of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, said the decision to count unstamped ballots, without keeping any record of them, removed the main safeguard against voting fraud.

&quot;What makes any country a democracy is the security of the ballot boxes,&quot; Feyzioglu told Reuters. &quot; ... If your ballots are unsafe, that means that regime is not a democracy.&quot;

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a critical report by European observers on the referendum contained several mistakes, which he believed were deliberate.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe said Sunday&#39;s referendum had been an uneven contest.

&quot;The OSCE&#39;s report has no reliability as their observations lack objectivity and are extremely partial,&quot; Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara.

(Reuters)

Sunday's referendum narrowly backed the largest overhaul of Turkey's political system since the founding of the republic

Turkey's electoral authority on Wednesday rejected appeals to annul a referendum granting President Tayyip Erdogan wide new powers, but the main opposition CHP party said it would maintain its legal challenge to the result. Sunday's referendum narrowly backed the largest overhaul of Turkey's political system since the founding of the republic nearly a century ago, giving Erdogan sweeping authority over the NATO member-state. But the tight result of a highly charged campaign laid bare divisions, while European observers and the head of Turkey's bar associations union said a decision to count unstamped votes broke electoral law. The High Electoral Board said it had assessed appeals from the CHP and two other parties at a seven-hour meeting, and rejected them by 10 to one. In response, CHP Deputy Chairman Bulent Tezcan said his party was considering taking its appeal to Turkey's Constitutional Court or the European Court of Human Rights. "This is a serious legitimacy crisis. We will employ all legal ways available," Tezcan said. Separately, Istanbul police detained 19 suspects on charges of attempted provocation for organising protests against the referendum, Dogan News Agency reported. A defiant Erdogan has dismissed the complaints, saying the vote had finally put an end to debate over the powerful presidency he has long sought. On Wednesday, the ruling AK Party set out plans for Erdogan to gradually resume leadership of the party, a step towards implementing the changes approved in Sunday's plebiscite. Turkey's president has been required to remain above party politics, but that condition was removed in one of the referendum's 18 amendments. Prime Minister and AKP leader Binali Yildirim said Erdogan could rejoin the party he founded in 2001 once official results - expected before the end of the month - were announced. But he said the AKP would not hold a party congress until 2018, indicating Erdogan would not officially become its leader until then, despite widespread expectations that it would happen almost immediately. Unfair Referendum The pro-Kurdish opposition HDP, which had appealed along with the CHP for the referendum to be annulled, said the late decision by the electoral board to allow unstamped ballots meant it was impossible to determine how many invalid or fake votes may have been counted. HDP deputy chairman Mithat Sancar said the vote was also undermined by the fact that the campaign was held under emergency rule while the party's co-leaders were under arrest, that its candidates for polling station monitors had been rejected, and the "Yes" campaign had benefited from state resources. "This referendum will forever remain controversial," he told reporters. "You cannot build a change in the political system on such a controversial and unfair referendum." Metin Feyzioglu, head of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, said the decision to count unstamped ballots, without keeping any record of them, removed the main safeguard against voting fraud. "What makes any country a democracy is the security of the ballot boxes," Feyzioglu told Reuters. " ... If your ballots are unsafe, that means that regime is not a democracy." Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a critical report by European observers on the referendum contained several mistakes, which he believed were deliberate. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe said Sunday's referendum had been an uneven contest. "The OSCE's report has no reliability as their observations lack objectivity and are extremely partial," Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara. (Reuters)

Turkey: Election board throws out appeal to annul referendum

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said Turkey could hold a referendum on its long-stalled EU membership bid after Turks voted to approve expanding his powers in a plebiscite.

&quot;For 54 years, what did they make us do at the EU&#39;s door? Wait!&quot; Erdogan told supporters outside the presidential palace in Ankara, referring to Turkey&#39;s long-standing membership bid.

He hit back at threats by EU leaders to freeze accession talks, adding: &quot;We will sit down and talk, and we can hold a referendum for that (EU bid) too!&quot;

Erdogan added such a vote would be like that in the UK where last year, Britons voted to leave the bloc in a similarly close result.

He repeated the refrain he used often in speeches during the referendum campaign that it did not matter what the EU thought.

&quot;What George, Hans or Helga say does not interest us,&quot; he said, using typical European names. &quot;What counts for us is what Ayse, Murat, Mehmet, Hatice says. What Allah (God) says!&quot; he added, using Islamic-rooted Turkish names.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said earlier Monday that Brussels should end talks after the results of Sunday&#39;s referendum in which &#39;Yes&#39; won by 51.41 per cent.&nbsp;

&quot;With what happened yesterday, (Turkey&#39;s) membership prospects are buried, in practical terms,&quot; Kern said.

Erdogan repeated in his speech that he would approve the death penalty if a bill was submitted to him, adding there could be a referendum on capital punishment as well if necessary.

The EU has been quick to warn Turkey any return of the death penalty would mean the immediate end of its membership bid.

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the bloc.

(AFP)

Erdogan added such a vote would be like that in the UK where last year, Britons voted to leave the bloc in a similarly close result

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said Turkey could hold a referendum on its long-stalled EU membership bid after Turks voted to approve expanding his powers in a plebiscite. "For 54 years, what did they make us do at the EU's door? Wait!" Erdogan told supporters outside the presidential palace in Ankara, referring to Turkey's long-standing membership bid. He hit back at threats by EU leaders to freeze accession talks, adding: "We will sit down and talk, and we can hold a referendum for that (EU bid) too!" Erdogan added such a vote would be like that in the UK where last year, Britons voted to leave the bloc in a similarly close result. He repeated the refrain he used often in speeches during the referendum campaign that it did not matter what the EU thought. "What George, Hans or Helga say does not interest us," he said, using typical European names. "What counts for us is what Ayse, Murat, Mehmet, Hatice says. What Allah (God) says!" he added, using Islamic-rooted Turkish names. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said earlier Monday that Brussels should end talks after the results of Sunday's referendum in which 'Yes' won by 51.41 per cent. "With what happened yesterday, (Turkey's) membership prospects are buried, in practical terms," Kern said. Erdogan repeated in his speech that he would approve the death penalty if a bill was submitted to him, adding there could be a referendum on capital punishment as well if necessary. The EU has been quick to warn Turkey any return of the death penalty would mean the immediate end of its membership bid. Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the bloc. (AFP)

Turkey: President Erdogan hints at holding referendum on EU membership bid

Western leaders reacted cautiously, but with some concern, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#39;s &#39;Yes&#39; campaign emerged as the winner of Sunday&#39;s referendum on expanding the powers of his office.

Some capitals, such as London, were holding fire until hearing the opinion of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which had observer mission in Turkey.

Others offered their first, cautious, reactions.The EU urged the Turkish government to seek the broadest agreement after Erdogan narrow`s victory on the sweeping constitutional changes that the opposition says risk authoritarian rule.

&quot;In view of the close referendum result and the far-reaching implications of the constitutional amendments, we also call on the Turkish authorities to seek the broadest possible national consensus in their implementation,&quot; said a statement issued by European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of Europe&#39;s top rights watchdog, said that &quot;in view of the close result&quot; -- 51.3 per cent voted with Erdogan according to near total unofficial results -- &quot;the Turkish leadership should consider the next steps carefully&quot;.

It is of the utmost importance, said Jagland, &quot;to secure the independence of the judiciary in line with the principle of rule of law enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights&quot;.&nbsp;

Turkey is a full member of the Council of Europe, which &quot;stands ready to support the country in this process&quot;, Jagland added.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, said on Twitter that &quot;it shows how divided the country is; Collaboration with the EU will be even more complex&quot;.&nbsp;

Turkey is officially an EU candidate nation, although its accession process has been moving at glacial pace for years, when it has moved at all.&nbsp;

&quot;Strange to see democracy restrict democracy. The majority has the right to decide, but I&#39;m quite concerned about new Turkish constitution,&quot; Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Twitter.&nbsp;

A NATO official said that the constitutional referendum in alliance member Turkey &quot;is a matter for the Turkish people&quot;.

(AFP)

Turkey voted Yes for expanding the powers of president in a tightly fought contest between the 'Yes' and 'No' camps

Western leaders reacted cautiously, but with some concern, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 'Yes' campaign emerged as the winner of Sunday's referendum on expanding the powers of his office. Some capitals, such as London, were holding fire until hearing the opinion of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) which had observer mission in Turkey. Others offered their first, cautious, reactions.The EU urged the Turkish government to seek the broadest agreement after Erdogan narrow`s victory on the sweeping constitutional changes that the opposition says risk authoritarian rule. "In view of the close referendum result and the far-reaching implications of the constitutional amendments, we also call on the Turkish authorities to seek the broadest possible national consensus in their implementation," said a statement issued by European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn. Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of Europe's top rights watchdog, said that "in view of the close result" -- 51.3 per cent voted with Erdogan according to near total unofficial results -- "the Turkish leadership should consider the next steps carefully". It is of the utmost importance, said Jagland, "to secure the independence of the judiciary in line with the principle of rule of law enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights". Turkey is a full member of the Council of Europe, which "stands ready to support the country in this process", Jagland added. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, said on Twitter that "it shows how divided the country is; Collaboration with the EU will be even more complex". Turkey is officially an EU candidate nation, although its accession process has been moving at glacial pace for years, when it has moved at all. "Strange to see democracy restrict democracy. The majority has the right to decide, but I'm quite concerned about new Turkish constitution," Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Twitter. A NATO official said that the constitutional referendum in alliance member Turkey "is a matter for the Turkish people". (AFP)

Western leaders cautious as Erdogan wins Turkey referendum

In a historic vote Sunday, the people of Turkey sided with the President to usher in changes that will dramatically transform the country&#39;s political system and give president more powers.

In a closely watched referendum, the &#39;Yes&#39;&nbsp;campaign was ahead with 51.34 per cent while the &#39;No&#39; vote stood at 48.66 per cent at last count, state media said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed Turkey for making a &quot;historic decision&quot; as he claimed victory in the referendum.

&quot;Today... Turkey has taken a historic decision,&quot; Erdogan told reporters at his official Istanbul residence, the Huber Palace. &quot;With the people, we have realised the most important reform in our history,&quot; he added.

Turkey&#39;s Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, also&nbsp;declared&nbsp;victory in the historic referendum on expanding Erdogan&#39;s powers.

The opposition has questioned the legitimacy of the vote.

Erdogan also said he could hold a referendum on reinstating the death penalty, after claiming victory in the vote on a new constitution that gives him greater powers, AFP reported.

&quot;If it (a parliament bill) comes in front of me, I will approve it. But if there isn&#39;t support (from the opposition in parliament)... then what shall we do? Then we could have another referendum for that,&quot; Erdogan said in &nbsp;a televised speech in Istanbul, referring to capital punishment, as supporters chanted for its reintroduction.

For the change to be implemented, the &#39;Yes&#39;&nbsp;vote needed 50 per cent plus one vote.

The &#39;Yes&#39; vote significantly enhances the powers of the president.&nbsp;

The voting happened under a state of emergency which has seen dramatic crackdown on dissenters after a failed putsch last year against Erdogan.

More than 55.3 million Turks were eligible to cast ballots on sweeping changes to the president&#39;s role. The change would grant Erdogan more powers than any leader since modern Turkey&#39;s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his successor Ismet Inonu.

The Constitutional reforms will strengthen the office of the president. He will be able to appoint top public officials including ministers directly.

The office of the prime minister, currently held by Binali Yildirim, a stauch Erdogan loyalist, will be scrapped.

The presidnet will be able to appoint one or more vice-presidents.

The judiciary will also see changes. Erdogan has accused the judiciary of being influenced by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Islamic preacher who is blamed for last year&#39;s failed putsch.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

&nbsp;

The 'Yes' campaign won 51.3% of the vote as the counting process has nearly ended, state media reported

In a historic vote Sunday, the people of Turkey sided with the President to usher in changes that will dramatically transform the country's political system and give president more powers. In a closely watched referendum, the 'Yes' campaign was ahead with 51.34 per cent while the 'No' vote stood at 48.66 per cent at last count, state media said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed Turkey for making a "historic decision" as he claimed victory in the referendum. "Today... Turkey has taken a historic decision," Erdogan told reporters at his official Istanbul residence, the Huber Palace. "With the people, we have realised the most important reform in our history," he added. Turkey's Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, also declared victory in the historic referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The opposition has questioned the legitimacy of the vote. Erdogan also said he could hold a referendum on reinstating the death penalty, after claiming victory in the vote on a new constitution that gives him greater powers, AFP reported. "If it (a parliament bill) comes in front of me, I will approve it. But if there isn't support (from the opposition in parliament)... then what shall we do? Then we could have another referendum for that," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul, referring to capital punishment, as supporters chanted for its reintroduction. For the change to be implemented, the 'Yes' vote needed 50 per cent plus one vote. The 'Yes' vote significantly enhances the powers of the president. The voting happened under a state of emergency which has seen dramatic crackdown on dissenters after a failed putsch last year against Erdogan. More than 55.3 million Turks were eligible to cast ballots on sweeping changes to the president's role. The change would grant Erdogan more powers than any leader since modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his successor Ismet Inonu. The Constitutional reforms will strengthen the office of the president. He will be able to appoint top public officials including ministers directly. The office of the prime minister, currently held by Binali Yildirim, a stauch Erdogan loyalist, will be scrapped. The presidnet will be able to appoint one or more vice-presidents. The judiciary will also see changes. Erdogan has accused the judiciary of being influenced by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Islamic preacher who is blamed for last year's failed putsch. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Turkey: President Erdogan claims victory in historic referendum to expand his powers

President Tayyip Erdogan appealed for support from Turkish voters in final campaign rallies on Saturday, the eve of a referendum which could tighten his grip over a country bridging the European Union and a conflict-strewn Middle East.

Opinion polls have given a narrow lead for a &quot;Yes&quot; vote in Sunday&#39;s referendum to replace Turkey&#39;s parliamentary democracy with an all-powerful presidency, a move Erdogan says is needed to confront the security and political challenges Turkey faces.

Opponents say it is a step towards greater authoritarianism in a country where 40,000 people were arrested and 120,000 sacked or suspended from their jobs in a crackdown following a failed coup attempt against Erdogan last July.

Western countries have criticised that tough response, and relations with the EU - which Turkey has been negotiating to join for a decade - hit a low during the campaign when Erdogan accused European leaders of acting like Nazis for banning referendum rallies in their countries on security grounds.

He has also said Turkey could review a deal under which it limits the flow of migrants - many of them refugees fleeing war in neighbouring Syria and Iraq - into the European Union unless the bloc implements plans to grant Turks visa-free travel.

At a rally in Istanbul, one of four he held in the last hours before Sunday&#39;s vote, Erdogan described the constitutional proposals as the biggest change in Turkey since the country was established nearly a century ago, and the culmination of the response to July&#39;s abortive putsch.

&quot;Sunday will be a turning point in the fight against terrorist organisations. We will finish what we started on July 15 this April 16,&quot; he told a crowd in Istanbul&#39;s Tuzla district, decked with Turkish flags and giant pictures of the president.

Erdogan&#39;s Islamist-rooted AK Party has enjoyed a disproportionate share of media coverage in the buildup to the vote, but the result may be close. A narrow majority of Turks will vote &quot;Yes&quot;, two opinion polls suggested on Thursday, putting his support at only a little over 51 per cent.

&quot;Tomorrow is very important, you must absolutely go to the polls,&quot; Erdogan urged the crowd. &quot;Don&#39;t forget that the vote is our honour.&quot;

&nbsp;

&quot;TURKEY AT CROSSROADS&quot;

Some 55 million people are eligible to vote at 167,140 polling stations across the nation, which open at 7.00 am&nbsp;in the east of the country and close at 5 pm. Turkish voters abroad have already cast their ballots.

The package of 18 amendments would abolish the office of prime minister and give the president authority to draft the budget, declare a state of emergency and issue decrees overseeing ministries without parliamentary approval.

Proponents of the reform argue that it would end the current &quot;two-headed system&quot; in which both the president and parliament are directly elected, a situation they argue could lead to deadlock. Until 2014, presidents were chosen by parliament.

They also argue that the current constitution, written by the generals who ruled Turkey in the years following a 1980 coup, still bears the stamp of its military authors and, despite numerous revisions, must be overhauled.

&quot;The presidential system we are bringing with this constitutional change is necessary for the development, growth and stability of our nation,&quot; Erdogan said.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People&#39;s Party (CHP), said Turkey was at a crossroads between a democratic parliamentary system and a &quot;one-man regime&quot;. A &quot;Yes&quot; vote would put the country in danger, he said.

&quot;We will put 80 million people onto a bus...we don&#39;t know where it is headed,&quot; he told an opposition rally in the capital Ankara. &quot;We are putting 80 million on a bus with no brakes.&quot;

Also opposing the proposed changes, the pro-Kurdish People&#39;s Democratic Party (HDP) held a rally on Saturday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, which was addressed by its jailed co-leader Selahattin Demirtas.

&quot;This campaign was not carried out fairly and equally,&quot; Demirtas, who was arrested last November on terrorism charges, said in a joint letter with other detained HDP members which was read out at the rally.

&quot;The reason behind our arrests was to prevent us from calling to our nation. The entire resources of the state were at disposal to support the &#39;Yes&#39; campaign of the AK Party.&quot;

Erdogan views the HDP as the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency in the southeast and claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a police compound in Diyarbakir on Wednesday.

The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.

(Reuters)

Opinion polls give a narrow lead for a 'Yes' vote to replace Turkey's parliamentary democracy with an all-powerful presidency

President Tayyip Erdogan appealed for support from Turkish voters in final campaign rallies on Saturday, the eve of a referendum which could tighten his grip over a country bridging the European Union and a conflict-strewn Middle East. Opinion polls have given a narrow lead for a "Yes" vote in Sunday's referendum to replace Turkey's parliamentary democracy with an all-powerful presidency, a move Erdogan says is needed to confront the security and political challenges Turkey faces. Opponents say it is a step towards greater authoritarianism in a country where 40,000 people were arrested and 120,000 sacked or suspended from their jobs in a crackdown following a failed coup attempt against Erdogan last July. Western countries have criticised that tough response, and relations with the EU - which Turkey has been negotiating to join for a decade - hit a low during the campaign when Erdogan accused European leaders of acting like Nazis for banning referendum rallies in their countries on security grounds. He has also said Turkey could review a deal under which it limits the flow of migrants - many of them refugees fleeing war in neighbouring Syria and Iraq - into the European Union unless the bloc implements plans to grant Turks visa-free travel. At a rally in Istanbul, one of four he held in the last hours before Sunday's vote, Erdogan described the constitutional proposals as the biggest change in Turkey since the country was established nearly a century ago, and the culmination of the response to July's abortive putsch. "Sunday will be a turning point in the fight against terrorist organisations. We will finish what we started on July 15 this April 16," he told a crowd in Istanbul's Tuzla district, decked with Turkish flags and giant pictures of the president. Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party has enjoyed a disproportionate share of media coverage in the buildup to the vote, but the result may be close. A narrow majority of Turks will vote "Yes", two opinion polls suggested on Thursday, putting his support at only a little over 51 per cent. "Tomorrow is very important, you must absolutely go to the polls," Erdogan urged the crowd. "Don't forget that the vote is our honour." "TURKEY AT CROSSROADS" Some 55 million people are eligible to vote at 167,140 polling stations across the nation, which open at 7.00 am in the east of the country and close at 5 pm. Turkish voters abroad have already cast their ballots. The package of 18 amendments would abolish the office of prime minister and give the president authority to draft the budget, declare a state of emergency and issue decrees overseeing ministries without parliamentary approval. Proponents of the reform argue that it would end the current "two-headed system" in which both the president and parliament are directly elected, a situation they argue could lead to deadlock. Until 2014, presidents were chosen by parliament. They also argue that the current constitution, written by the generals who ruled Turkey in the years following a 1980 coup, still bears the stamp of its military authors and, despite numerous revisions, must be overhauled. "The presidential system we are bringing with this constitutional change is necessary for the development, growth and stability of our nation," Erdogan said. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said Turkey was at a crossroads between a democratic parliamentary system and a "one-man regime". A "Yes" vote would put the country in danger, he said. "We will put 80 million people onto a bus...we don't know where it is headed," he told an opposition rally in the capital Ankara. "We are putting 80 million on a bus with no brakes." Also opposing the proposed changes, the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) held a rally on Saturday in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, which was addressed by its jailed co-leader Selahattin Demirtas. "This campaign was not carried out fairly and equally," Demirtas, who was arrested last November on terrorism charges, said in a joint letter with other detained HDP members which was read out at the rally. "The reason behind our arrests was to prevent us from calling to our nation. The entire resources of the state were at disposal to support the 'Yes' campaign of the AK Party." Erdogan views the HDP as the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency in the southeast and claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a police compound in Diyarbakir on Wednesday. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union. (Reuters)

Erdogan makes final push before vote on presidential powers

Laughter rings out and there is an atmosphere of excitement and joyful chaos. Children are perched on stilts, others spin plates or happily perform aerial dances.

This is not a big top&nbsp;circus&nbsp;in a major city but&nbsp;a house in southeastern Turkey, where Syrian refugee children learn&nbsp;circus&nbsp;tricks in an innovative programme to help integrate into their foreign host country.&nbsp;

The Her Yerde Sanat association (Turkish for &quot;Art Anywhere&quot;) works with 120 young people aged three to 20.&nbsp;

Just north of the Syrian border, at the house in Mardin province, there is a beautiful view over the Mesopotamian plain to Syria, which 80 of the youngsters once called home. The other children are Turkish.

On the ground floor, some 15 children alternate between aerial dancing from ribbons suspended from the ceiling, juggling and the trapeze, while younger ones in a second room play percussion instruments with an impressive intensity.&nbsp;

Upstairs, Turkish is being taught to Syrian children so they can integrate into school.

Some learn the&nbsp;circus&nbsp;arts everyday because they are unable to go to school; for others it is a weekend activity. Some become good enough to perform publicly in shows or regional festivals.

&nbsp;

Break down language barriers&nbsp;

Fifteen-year-old Eyad Haj Mahmoud, originally from Aleppo in northern Syria, believes the classes are helpful.

&quot;I learned things here that have allowed me to become a better person,&quot; he told AFP.

It is a chance for the children to temporarily forget their past -- adult instructors, most of whom have a professional or amateur&nbsp;circus&nbsp;background, are told never to ask about their origins.

Surrounded by the sound of laughter and raucous activity, Pinar Demiral told AFP the children &quot;are just here to create&nbsp;circus&nbsp;art&quot;.

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Syrian children perform during a circus class on the roof top of a building in Mardin. (AFP)
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Syrian children play as they attend a circus class. (AFP)
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One of the co-founders of the association, established in 2012, Demiral said: &quot;We use the&nbsp;circus&nbsp;as a tool to break down all the language barriers.&quot;

In the daylong workshops, trainers switch from one language to another, helped by their students who also do music and hip-hop classes.

The adults are mostly volunteers from outside of Turkey, who come for an average of three months; some speak Turkish and Arabic while all know English.

Syria&#39;s conflict has killed more than 310,000 people, forced over five million people to flee the country and left much of it in ruins since it erupted six years ago.

Turkey is home to over 2.9 million Syrian refugees, according to figures released by the Turkish interior ministry last month.&nbsp;

Some 300,000 of those are in camps, while others live with the local population.

And this is where the association comes in, helping with integration through&nbsp;circus&nbsp;arts in a project partly funded by NGO International Medical Corps, together with the Swiss government.

&nbsp;

Respectful space

Activity coordinator Muhammed Kheir Kassim came to Turkey from Damascus four years ago and said he discovered the association through his son.

Having been a school headmaster in Syria, he soon got involved himself.

&quot;I sent my son (to Her Yerde Sanat) to prevent him from hanging around on the streets, especially because he is a refugee and risks having problems in society.&quot;

He described his privileged relationship with the children, saying he was like &quot;a father&quot; and &quot;a friend&quot; to them.

&quot;We get angry, we reconcile, we fight but at the end of the day, we have the same heart and the same goal,&quot; he said.

Teenagers are trained so they can mentor younger ones when volunteers are in short supply or need help. It is a role they take very seriously.

&quot;They learn things from each other, they help each other,&quot; Demiral said, whose aim is to give children &quot;a space, in which they are respected and taught skills so that they can find their own balance&quot;.

&nbsp;

Gained confidence

Turkish children benefit from the experience too.

Nursena, a girl from Mardin, has been taking part for a year, her mother told AFP.

Tuba Akburak said Nursena had &quot;gained confidence after coming, she makes friends more easily&quot;.&nbsp;

But, working with children who have seen war and been through trauma and experiences far removed from those of their Turkish friends, is not always easy.

&quot;There are sometimes conflicts between Turkish and Syrian children, they might fight,&quot; Demiral said.

&quot;But from day one, when they enter, we just tell them that the only rule is &#39;we cannot fight&#39;.&quot;

While mindful that they are working with children with a &quot;background of war&quot;, she added that she wanted to stop the cycle of violence.

&quot;At first, they want to fight and show their power, but playing in the same space, being equal, it decreases the tensions between the groups.&quot;

(AFP)

Syrian refugee children in Mardin learn?circus?tricks in an innovative programme to help them integrate into their host country

Laughter rings out and there is an atmosphere of excitement and joyful chaos. Children are perched on stilts, others spin plates or happily perform aerial dances. This is not a big top circus in a major city but a house in southeastern Turkey, where Syrian refugee children learn circus tricks in an innovative programme to help integrate into their foreign host country. The Her Yerde Sanat association (Turkish for "Art Anywhere") works with 120 young people aged three to 20. Just north of the Syrian border, at the house in Mardin province, there is a beautiful view over the Mesopotamian plain to Syria, which 80 of the youngsters once called home. The other children are Turkish. On the ground floor, some 15 children alternate between aerial dancing from ribbons suspended from the ceiling, juggling and the trapeze, while younger ones in a second room play percussion instruments with an impressive intensity. Upstairs, Turkish is being taught to Syrian children so they can integrate into school. Some learn the circus arts everyday because they are unable to go to school; for others it is a weekend activity. Some become good enough to perform publicly in shows or regional festivals. Break down language barriers Fifteen-year-old Eyad Haj Mahmoud, originally from Aleppo in northern Syria, believes the classes are helpful. "I learned things here that have allowed me to become a better person," he told AFP. It is a chance for the children to temporarily forget their past -- adult instructors, most of whom have a professional or amateur circus background, are told never to ask about their origins. Surrounded by the sound of laughter and raucous activity, Pinar Demiral told AFP the children "are just here to create circus art". Syrian children perform during a circus class on the roof top of a building in Mardin. (AFP) × Syrian children play as they attend a circus class. (AFP) × One of the co-founders of the association, established in 2012, Demiral said: "We use the circus as a tool to break down all the language barriers." In the daylong workshops, trainers switch from one language to another, helped by their students who also do music and hip-hop classes. The adults are mostly volunteers from outside of Turkey, who come for an average of three months; some speak Turkish and Arabic while all know English. Syria's conflict has killed more than 310,000 people, forced over five million people to flee the country and left much of it in ruins since it erupted six years ago. Turkey is home to over 2.9 million Syrian refugees, according to figures released by the Turkish interior ministry last month. Some 300,000 of those are in camps, while others live with the local population. And this is where the association comes in, helping with integration through circus arts in a project partly funded by NGO International Medical Corps, together with the Swiss government. Respectful space Activity coordinator Muhammed Kheir Kassim came to Turkey from Damascus four years ago and said he discovered the association through his son. Having been a school headmaster in Syria, he soon got involved himself. "I sent my son (to Her Yerde Sanat) to prevent him from hanging around on the streets, especially because he is a refugee and risks having problems in society." He described his privileged relationship with the children, saying he was like "a father" and "a friend" to them. "We get angry, we reconcile, we fight but at the end of the day, we have the same heart and the same goal," he said. Teenagers are trained so they can mentor younger ones when volunteers are in short supply or need help. It is a role they take very seriously. "They learn things from each other, they help each other," Demiral said, whose aim is to give children "a space, in which they are respected and taught skills so that they can find their own balance". Gained confidence Turkish children benefit from the experience too. Nursena, a girl from Mardin, has been taking part for a year, her mother told AFP. Tuba Akburak said Nursena had "gained confidence after coming, she makes friends more easily". But, working with children who have seen war and been through trauma and experiences far removed from those of their Turkish friends, is not always easy. "There are sometimes conflicts between Turkish and Syrian children, they might fight," Demiral said. "But from day one, when they enter, we just tell them that the only rule is 'we cannot fight'." While mindful that they are working with children with a "background of war", she added that she wanted to stop the cycle of violence. "At first, they want to fight and show their power, but playing in the same space, being equal, it decreases the tensions between the groups." (AFP)

In Turkey, circus arts help Syrian children forget war-torn past

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on Iraqi Kurds to lower the Kurdish flag in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, warning that failure to do so would damage their relations with Turkey.

Kirkuk, one of Iraq&#39;s disputed territories, has Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen populations. Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of it in 2014 when Islamic State overran around a third of Iraq and the army&#39;s northern divisions disintegrated.

&quot;We don&#39;t agree with the claim &#39;Kirkuk is for the Kurds&#39; at all. Kirkuk is for the Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds, if they are there. Do not enter into a claim it&#39;s yours or the price will be heavy. You will harm dialogue with Turkey,&quot; Erdogan said.

&quot;Bring that flag down immediately,&quot; he said at a rally in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, where he was campaigning ahead of an April 16 referendum on constitutional changes that would broaden his powers.

Kurds have long claimed Kirkuk and its huge oil reserves. They regard the city, just outside their semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, as their historical capital.

The local Rudaw TV channel cited the governor of Kirkuk as saying that the Kurdistan flag should fly alongside the Iraqi national flag because the city is largely under the protection of Kurdish forces.

Turkey has long seen itself as the protector of Iraq&#39;s Turkmen ethnic minority. Local media reported that leaders of Kirkuk&#39;s Turkmen communities have rejected the raising of the Kurdish flag as against the constitution.

Turkey fears territorial gains by some Kurdish groups in Iraq and neighbouring Syria could fuel Kurdish separatist ambitions inside Turkey, where PKK militants have fought an insurgency against the state for more than three decades.

(Reuters)

The demand came as he was campaigning ahead of an April 16 referendum on constitutional changes that would broaden his presidential powers

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on Iraqi Kurds to lower the Kurdish flag in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, warning that failure to do so would damage their relations with Turkey. Kirkuk, one of Iraq's disputed territories, has Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen populations. Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of it in 2014 when Islamic State overran around a third of Iraq and the army's northern divisions disintegrated. "We don't agree with the claim 'Kirkuk is for the Kurds' at all. Kirkuk is for the Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds, if they are there. Do not enter into a claim it's yours or the price will be heavy. You will harm dialogue with Turkey," Erdogan said. "Bring that flag down immediately," he said at a rally in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, where he was campaigning ahead of an April 16 referendum on constitutional changes that would broaden his powers. Kurds have long claimed Kirkuk and its huge oil reserves. They regard the city, just outside their semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, as their historical capital. The local Rudaw TV channel cited the governor of Kirkuk as saying that the Kurdistan flag should fly alongside the Iraqi national flag because the city is largely under the protection of Kurdish forces. Turkey has long seen itself as the protector of Iraq's Turkmen ethnic minority. Local media reported that leaders of Kirkuk's Turkmen communities have rejected the raising of the Kurdish flag as against the constitution. Turkey fears territorial gains by some Kurdish groups in Iraq and neighbouring Syria could fuel Kurdish separatist ambitions inside Turkey, where PKK militants have fought an insurgency against the state for more than three decades. (Reuters)

Turkey's Erdogan calls on Iraqi Kurds to lower Kurdish flag in Kirkuk

The United Nations&#39;&nbsp;Syria envoy sent an urgent appeal Saturday to Russia, Iran and Turkey seeking help to restore a ceasefire, warning that escalating violence was threatening peace talks in Geneva.&nbsp;

UN mediator Staffan de Mistura sent letters to Moscow and Tehran, which back the Damascus regime, as well as Ankara which supports the Syrian opposition, expressing concern over surging violence around the Syrian capital and central Hama province.&nbsp;

&quot;Growing violations in recent days are undermining the ceasefire&quot;, agreed at separate negotiations in Kazakhstan&#39;s capital Astana overseen by the three countries, de Mistura&#39;s office said in a statement.&nbsp;

The violence has had &quot;significant negative consequences for the safety of Syrian civilians, humanitarian access and the momentum of the political process&quot; in Geneva, it added.&nbsp;

De Mistura asked the countries concerned &quot;to undertake urgent efforts to uphold the ceasefire&quot;, said the statement issued during a fifth round of UN-brokered talks in the Swiss city.&nbsp;

Opposition and jihadist fighters have in the past week launched attacks on government positions around Damascus and Hama. The regime has responded with air strikes and other bombardments.&nbsp;

Syrian government negotiators met the UN mediator earlier Saturday for a session focused on terrorism, which is one of four issues on the agenda this round.&nbsp;

The others are governance, elections and drafting a new constitution. The main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) met later with de Mistura&#39;s team, and the talks focused on forming a new government to replace President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime -- the rebel&#39;s top priority.

Citing the recent violence, HNC delegation chief Nasr al-Hariri called the Assad government &quot;a killing machine&quot;, while characterising recent rebel attacks on regime positions as &quot;a must for us to defend ourselves.&quot;

Asked if rising violence could see the talks collapse, Hariri said: &quot;if we don&#39;t have that real ceasefire then things will deteriorate very badly.&quot;

Hariri also fiercely condemned Saturday&#39;s air strike on the opposition held town of Hammuriyeh that killed at least 16 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The latest round of talks wrapped up a second full day with little hope of a breakthrough and rivals still deadlocked on key issues. They have not yet met face-to-face.&nbsp;

Years of diplomatic efforts have failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started in March 2011 with protests against Assad&#39;s regime.

(AFP)

Opposition and jihadist fighters have in the past week launched attacks on government positions around Damascus and Hama. The regime has responded with air strikes and other bombardments

The United Nations' Syria envoy sent an urgent appeal Saturday to Russia, Iran and Turkey seeking help to restore a ceasefire, warning that escalating violence was threatening peace talks in Geneva. UN mediator Staffan de Mistura sent letters to Moscow and Tehran, which back the Damascus regime, as well as Ankara which supports the Syrian opposition, expressing concern over surging violence around the Syrian capital and central Hama province. "Growing violations in recent days are undermining the ceasefire", agreed at separate negotiations in Kazakhstan's capital Astana overseen by the three countries, de Mistura's office said in a statement. The violence has had "significant negative consequences for the safety of Syrian civilians, humanitarian access and the momentum of the political process" in Geneva, it added. De Mistura asked the countries concerned "to undertake urgent efforts to uphold the ceasefire", said the statement issued during a fifth round of UN-brokered talks in the Swiss city. Opposition and jihadist fighters have in the past week launched attacks on government positions around Damascus and Hama. The regime has responded with air strikes and other bombardments. Syrian government negotiators met the UN mediator earlier Saturday for a session focused on terrorism, which is one of four issues on the agenda this round. The others are governance, elections and drafting a new constitution. The main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) met later with de Mistura's team, and the talks focused on forming a new government to replace President Bashar al-Assad's regime -- the rebel's top priority. Citing the recent violence, HNC delegation chief Nasr al-Hariri called the Assad government "a killing machine", while characterising recent rebel attacks on regime positions as "a must for us to defend ourselves." Asked if rising violence could see the talks collapse, Hariri said: "if we don't have that real ceasefire then things will deteriorate very badly." Hariri also fiercely condemned Saturday's air strike on the opposition held town of Hammuriyeh that killed at least 16 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The latest round of talks wrapped up a second full day with little hope of a breakthrough and rivals still deadlocked on key issues. They have not yet met face-to-face. Years of diplomatic efforts have failed to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started in March 2011 with protests against Assad's regime. (AFP)

UN Syria envoy urges Russia, Iran and Turkey to help restore ceasefire

Twitter has said that it has suspended around 377,000 accounts during the final six months of 2016 for &quot;violation&nbsp;related to promotion of terrorism&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The revelation came as part of its semi-annual &quot;transparency report&quot;.

The report also said that the maximum number of requests to takedown posts came from Turkey.

It said that it wanted to &quot;shine a bright light&quot; on the requests as a threat to press freedom.

The micro-blogging website said that during the last six-months of 2016, it received 88 court orders and legal requests from around the world asking it to remove content posted by verified journalits. The highest number of such requests came form Turkey.

Twitter said that it had also stepped up efforts to rid the social networking website of content advocating political and religious violence. It is taking help from a software&nbsp;to spot such tweets instead of relying on government requests.

The revelations assume importance in light of increased pressure on social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Google to fight online radicalisation by Islamist groups like Islamic State.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The highest number of requests to takedown posts came from Turkey, Twitter said in a report

Twitter has said that it has suspended around 377,000 accounts during the final six months of 2016 for "violation related to promotion of terrorism". The revelation came as part of its semi-annual "transparency report". The report also said that the maximum number of requests to takedown posts came from Turkey. It said that it wanted to "shine a bright light" on the requests as a threat to press freedom. The micro-blogging website said that during the last six-months of 2016, it received 88 court orders and legal requests from around the world asking it to remove content posted by verified journalits. The highest number of such requests came form Turkey. Twitter said that it had also stepped up efforts to rid the social networking website of content advocating political and religious violence. It is taking help from a software to spot such tweets instead of relying on government requests. The revelations assume importance in light of increased pressure on social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Google to fight online radicalisation by Islamist groups like Islamic State. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Twitter suspended 377,000 accounts last year for trying to promote extremism

Germany on Monday dismissed as unacceptable an accusation by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Chancellor Angela Merkel is &quot;applying Nazi methods&quot; against Turks and Turkish officials in Germany.

&quot;Nazi comparisons are unacceptable in any form,&quot; a German government spokeswoman said, adding that it was up to Turkey to tone down its rhetoric and avert damage to relations between the two countries.

Germany&#39;s Nazi government during World War II--the&nbsp;perpetrators of the Holocaust in which&nbsp;millions of Jews, Roma, differently-abled and more were murdered--is a legacy&nbsp;contemporary Germany&nbsp;still wrestles with&nbsp;decades later.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Erdogan has previously said that&nbsp;both the German and Dutch governments&nbsp;egaged in &quot;Nazi practices&quot; after each country prevented Turkish ministers from campaigning at events for expatriate&nbsp;voters ahead of an April referendum in Turkey that would expand Erdogan&#39;s power.

Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul on Sunday: &quot;Merkel, now you&#39;re applying Nazi methods. Against my brothers who live in Germany, and against my ministers and lawmakers who visit there. Would this suit the ethics of politics? Your mission is not to support terrorist organisations, but to extradite them.&quot;

Germany, and Berlin in particular, has&nbsp;had a large Turkish population for decades. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/18/home-to-3-million-turkish-immigrants-germany-fears-rising-tensions/?utm_term=.46fcaf49836d" target="_blank">Estimates </a>peg Germany&#39;s Turkish immigrant population at roughly three million. &nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Berlin refused to let Turkish ministers campaign in Germany to Turkish ex pats before an April referendum that would expand Erdogan's power

Germany on Monday dismissed as unacceptable an accusation by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Chancellor Angela Merkel is "applying Nazi methods" against Turks and Turkish officials in Germany. "Nazi comparisons are unacceptable in any form," a German government spokeswoman said, adding that it was up to Turkey to tone down its rhetoric and avert damage to relations between the two countries. Germany's Nazi government during World War II--the perpetrators of the Holocaust in which millions of Jews, Roma, differently-abled and more were murdered--is a legacy contemporary Germany still wrestles with decades later. Erdogan has previously said that both the German and Dutch governments egaged in "Nazi practices" after each country prevented Turkish ministers from campaigning at events for expatriate voters ahead of an April referendum in Turkey that would expand Erdogan's power. Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul on Sunday: "Merkel, now you're applying Nazi methods. Against my brothers who live in Germany, and against my ministers and lawmakers who visit there. Would this suit the ethics of politics? Your mission is not to support terrorist organisations, but to extradite them." Germany, and Berlin in particular, has had a large Turkish population for decades. Estimates peg Germany's Turkish immigrant population at roughly three million. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Germany says Erdogan's Nazi comparisons are unacceptable

Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had gone too far after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using &quot;Nazi measures&quot; in an escalating diplomatic feud.

Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara&#39;s bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan&#39;s powers.

The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a &#39;yes&#39; vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe.

&quot;When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel,&quot; Erdogan said in a televised speech on Sunday.

&quot;But you are right now employing Nazi measures,&quot; Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal &quot;you&quot; in Turkish.

&quot;Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers&quot; who planned to hold campaign rallies for a &#39;yes&#39; vote in the referendum, he said.

Germany&#39;s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan&#39;s comments &quot;shocking&quot;.

&quot;We are tolerant but we&#39;re not stupid,&quot; he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. &quot;That&#39;s why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here.&quot;

Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel&#39;s CDU party, also reacted angrily to the comments.

&quot;Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?&quot; she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze &quot;financial aid amounting to billions of euros&quot; to Turkey. Home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, Germany hosts the world`s largest Turkish diaspora but the partnership between NATO allies Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis.

Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a &#39;no&#39; vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards.

&quot;Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal,&quot; presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin.

The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities &quot;of the worst example of double standards&quot; for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there.

Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States.

(AFP)

The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote

Germany angrily warned Turkey on Sunday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had gone too far after he accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of using "Nazi measures" in an escalating diplomatic feud. Turkey and the European Union are locked in an explosive crisis that threatens to jeopardise Ankara's bid to join the bloc, as tensions rise ahead of an April 16 referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers. The row erupted after authorities in Germany and other EU states refused to allow some Turkish ministers to campaign for a 'yes' vote on their soil, provoking a volcanic response from the Turkish strongman who said the spirit of Nazi Germany was rampant in Europe. "When we call them Nazis they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel," Erdogan said in a televised speech on Sunday. "But you are right now employing Nazi measures," Erdogan said referring to Merkel, pointedly using the informal "you" in Turkish. "Against who? My Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers" who planned to hold campaign rallies for a 'yes' vote in the referendum, he said. Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel branded Erdogan's comments "shocking". "We are tolerant but we're not stupid," he told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper. "That's why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here." Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel's CDU party, also reacted angrily to the comments. "Has Mr. Erdogan lost his mind?" she said, telling journalists she was urging the EU to freeze "financial aid amounting to billions of euros" to Turkey. Home to 1.4 million Turkish voters, Germany hosts the world`s largest Turkish diaspora but the partnership between NATO allies Ankara and Berlin has been ripped to shreds by the current crisis. Turkey reacted furiously to a Frankfurt rally on Saturday urging a 'no' vote where protesters brandished insignia of outlawed Kurdish rebels, accusing Germany of double standards. "Yesterday (Saturday), Germany put its name under another scandal," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told CNN-Turk. He said the German ambassador had been summoned although this was not confirmed by Berlin. The Turkish foreign ministry accused the German authorities "of the worst example of double standards" for allowing the pro-Kurdish protest while preventing Turkish ministers from campaigning there. Many protesters carried symbols of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror organisation not just by Turkey but also the EU and the United States. (AFP)

Germany fumes over Erdogan's Nazi jibe against Merkel

The diplomatic spat between Turkey and the Netherlands spread online on Wednesday when a large number of Twitter accounts, many with no apparent connection to the dispute, were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish.

The attacks, which appeared to be simply a form of political vandalism and used the hashtags #Nazialmanya or #Nazihollanda, took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some regular Twitter users.

The account hijackings took place as the Dutch began voting on Wednesday in national elections seen as a test of anti-establishment and anti-immigrant sentiment held in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Turkey.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Sooooo <a href="https://twitter.com/Forbes">@Forbes</a> just got hacked... 
What&#39;s up with that?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hacking?src=hash">#Hacking</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Forbes?src=hash">#Forbes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Turkey?src=hash">#Turkey</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotFakeNews?src=hash">#NotFakeNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/witness?src=hash">#witness</a> <a href="https://t.co/6lY9TlDHCD">pic.twitter.com/6lY9TlDHCD</a>
&mdash; ??Arb (@RESParb) <a href="https://twitter.com/RESParb/status/841904271348097025">March 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

President Tayyip Erdogan has suspended high-level diplomatic ties with the Netherlands and branded the country&#39;s citizens &quot;Nazi remnants&quot; for preventing his ministers at the weekend from addressing rallies of Turks living there.

Hijacked accounts featured tweets with Nazi symbols, a variety of hashtags and the phrase &quot;See you on April 16&quot;, an apparent reference to the date of Turkey&#39;s planned referendum to grant Erdogan more powers.

The Twitter accounts hijacked included those of the European Parliament and the personal profile of French politician Alain Juppe.

They also included the UK Department of Health and BBC North America, both of which subsequently appear to have recovered, along with the profile of Marcelo Claure, the chief executive of US&nbsp;telecoms operator Sprint Corp, which remains hijacked.

Other accounts included publishing sites for Die Welt and Forbes and several non-profit agencies including Amnesty International and UNICEF USA as well as Duke University.

The Twitter profile of BBC North America noted: &quot;Hi everyone - we temporarily lost control of this account, but normal service has resumed&quot;.

A Twitter spokesman said the company was aware the service was hacked and that it had begun to investigate: &quot;We quickly located the source which was limited to a third party app. We removed its permissions immediately,&quot; the statement said. It added that no additional accounts are affected.

At least some of the hijacked tweets appear to have been hooked up to Twitter Counter, a Netherlands-based Twitter audience statistics company. In a tweet on the company&#39;s own twitter profile, it acknowledged the service had been hacked.

&quot;We&#39;re aware that our service was hacked and have started an investigation into the matter. We&#39;ve already taken measures to contain such abuse,&quot; it said, including the ability to post tweets through the Twitter Connect app.

Twitter Counter also was the target of a hack attack in mid-November that led some of the high-profile Twitter accounts linked to the company&#39;s app to spew out spam tweets, including those of soccer star Lionel Messi and gaming sites Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox. At the time, it said it counted two&nbsp;million users.

The latest attacks appeared unrelated to low-level denial of service attacks against the websites of a Dutch web hosting company and the Rotterdam airport by a Turkish hacking group called Aslan Neferler Tim (Lion Soldiers Team).

The same hacking group appears to have been responsible for temporary outages in August and September last year of the sites of Austrian institutions including the Vienna airport, the national parliament and Central Bank last year.

Those attacks occurred in the midst of a diplomatic row that followed Austria&#39;s calls for European Union accession talks with Turkey to be dropped.

(Reuters)

Anti-Nazi messages written in Turkish were plastered on the accounts of Dutch politicians, CEOs, publishers, governments agencies and more

The diplomatic spat between Turkey and the Netherlands spread online on Wednesday when a large number of Twitter accounts, many with no apparent connection to the dispute, were hijacked and replaced with anti-Nazi messages in Turkish. The attacks, which appeared to be simply a form of political vandalism and used the hashtags #Nazialmanya or #Nazihollanda, took over accounts of high-profile CEOs, publishers, government agencies, politicians and also some regular Twitter users. The account hijackings took place as the Dutch began voting on Wednesday in national elections seen as a test of anti-establishment and anti-immigrant sentiment held in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Turkey. Sooooo @Forbes just got hacked... What's up with that?#Hacking #Forbes #Turkey #NotFakeNews #witness pic.twitter.com/6lY9TlDHCD — ??Arb (@RESParb) March 15, 2017 × President Tayyip Erdogan has suspended high-level diplomatic ties with the Netherlands and branded the country's citizens "Nazi remnants" for preventing his ministers at the weekend from addressing rallies of Turks living there. Hijacked accounts featured tweets with Nazi symbols, a variety of hashtags and the phrase "See you on April 16", an apparent reference to the date of Turkey's planned referendum to grant Erdogan more powers. The Twitter accounts hijacked included those of the European Parliament and the personal profile of French politician Alain Juppe. They also included the UK Department of Health and BBC North America, both of which subsequently appear to have recovered, along with the profile of Marcelo Claure, the chief executive of US telecoms operator Sprint Corp, which remains hijacked. Other accounts included publishing sites for Die Welt and Forbes and several non-profit agencies including Amnesty International and UNICEF USA as well as Duke University. The Twitter profile of BBC North America noted: "Hi everyone - we temporarily lost control of this account, but normal service has resumed". A Twitter spokesman said the company was aware the service was hacked and that it had begun to investigate: "We quickly located the source which was limited to a third party app. We removed its permissions immediately," the statement said. It added that no additional accounts are affected. At least some of the hijacked tweets appear to have been hooked up to Twitter Counter, a Netherlands-based Twitter audience statistics company. In a tweet on the company's own twitter profile, it acknowledged the service had been hacked. "We're aware that our service was hacked and have started an investigation into the matter. We've already taken measures to contain such abuse," it said, including the ability to post tweets through the Twitter Connect app. Twitter Counter also was the target of a hack attack in mid-November that led some of the high-profile Twitter accounts linked to the company's app to spew out spam tweets, including those of soccer star Lionel Messi and gaming sites Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox. At the time, it said it counted two million users. The latest attacks appeared unrelated to low-level denial of service attacks against the websites of a Dutch web hosting company and the Rotterdam airport by a Turkish hacking group called Aslan Neferler Tim (Lion Soldiers Team). The same hacking group appears to have been responsible for temporary outages in August and September last year of the sites of Austrian institutions including the Vienna airport, the national parliament and Central Bank last year. Those attacks occurred in the midst of a diplomatic row that followed Austria's calls for European Union accession talks with Turkey to be dropped. (Reuters)

High profile Twitter accounts hijacked in Turkish-Dutch protest

The Turkish cabinet was on Monday expected to consider imposing sanctions on the Netherlands in a deepening row with its NATO ally over a ban on its ministers speaking at political events in Rotterdam, and one minister said punitive measures were likely.

President Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking support from Turks in a referendum on boosting his powers, has accused the Dutch government of acting like &quot;Nazi remnants&quot; and said it should face sanctions for barring his ministers from addressing expatriate Turks to drum up votes.

The row marks another low point in relations between Turkey and Europe, further dimming Ankara&#39;s prospects of joining the bloc. It also comes as Turkey is caught up by security concerns over militant attacks and the war in neighbouring Syria.

A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions were expected to be discussed when ministers meet at 7 pm (1600 GMT). Ankara&#39;s minister for EU Affairs, Omer Celik, said sanctions were likely.

&quot;We will surely have sanctions against the latest actions by the Netherlands. We will answer them with these,&quot; Celik said.

Apart from any economic measures, a source in Ankara said sanctions could affect cultural activities, and military and technological cooperation. State media later quoted Celik as saying Turkey should reconsider part of its deal to keep migrants out of the EU, comments likely to further anger Brussels.

Turkey summoned the Dutch charge d&#39;affaires on Monday to complain about the ban - imposed due to fears of unrest and distaste at what the Netherlands sees as an increasingly authoritarian tone from Erdogan - and the actions of Rotterdam police against Turkish protesters over the weekend, foreign ministry sources said.

&nbsp;

DOGS, WATER CANNON

On Sunday, Dutch police used dogs and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags outside the consulate in Rotterdam. Some protesters threw bottles and stones and several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a Reuters witness said. Mounted police officers charged the crowd.

&quot;The Turkish community and our citizens were subject to bad treatment, with inhumane and humiliating methods used in disproportionate intervention against people exercising their right to peaceful assembly,&quot; a statement attributed to ministry sources said.

The Dutch government barred Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from flying to Rotterdam on Saturday and later stopped Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate there, before escorting her back to Germany.

Protests then erupted in Turkey and the Netherlands. Several European countries, including Holland, have stopped Turkish politicians holding rallies, due to fears that tensions in Turkey might spill over into their expatriate communities.

Some 400,000 Turkish citizens live in the Netherlands and an estimated 1.5 million Turkish voters live in Germany.

The Dutch government said the visits were undesirable and it would not cooperate in their campaigning. According to polls, it is set to lose about half its seats in elections this week as the anti-Islam party of Geert Wilders makes strong gains.

Monday was the third time the Dutch envoy had been called in since Saturday over the row. The Dutch ambassador is on leave and the Turkish foreign ministry says it does not want him back &quot;for some time&quot;.

The European Union&#39;s executive arm said on Monday that the bloc would assess Turkey&#39;s planned constitutional changes in light of the country&#39;s status as a candidate EU membership, and called on Ankara to refrain from statements and actions that could further fuel the diplomatic row.

&nbsp;

SANCTIONS

Dutch direct investment in Turkey amounts to $22 billion, making the Netherlands the biggest source of foreign investment with a share of 16 per cent.

Ozgur Altug, chief economist at BGC Partners in Istanbul, said at this stage he did not foresee the row having serious short-term economic consequences.

&quot;However, if the tension escalates and if countries start imposing sanctions against each other, it might have serious implications for the Turkish economy,&quot; he said.

Turkish exports to the Netherlands totalled $3.6 billion in 2016, making it the tenth largest market for Turkish goods, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Turkey imported $3 billion worth of Dutch goods in 2016.

Dutch visitors are important to Turkey&#39;s tourism industry, which was hit hard in 2016 by security fears due to attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants. Some 900,000 Dutch people visited Turkey last year, down from 1.2 million a year earlier.

A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions, if imposed, may go beyond the economy.

&quot;When the sanctions are imposed, what we need to be careful about is being realistic. We are not completely closing the windows,&quot; the source said. &quot;However, we want to show that what has been done to Turkey will have a response.&quot;

He said certain cultural activities may be cancelled and the re-evaluation of military and technological cooperation was also on the table.

Ankara is seeking an official written apology for the treatment of its family minister and diplomats in Rotterdam, the Turkish foreign ministry sources also said.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said it is Erdogan who should apologise for comparing the Netherlands to fascists and Nazis, adding that Turkey was acting &quot;in a totally unacceptable, irresponsible manner&quot;.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Turkey and the Netherlands to defuse the row.

At the weekend, Erdogan dubbed the Netherlands &quot;Nazi remnants&quot; and said &quot;Nazism is still widespread in the West&quot;, comments echoed in Turkish media on Monday.

&quot;Nazi Dogs,&quot; said a front-page headline incorporating a swastika in the pro-government Aksam newspaper, above a photo of a police dog biting the thigh of a man during Saturday night&#39;s protest in Rotterdam.

(Reuters)

The row marks another low point in relations between Turkey and Europe, further dimming Ankara's prospects of joining the bloc

The Turkish cabinet was on Monday expected to consider imposing sanctions on the Netherlands in a deepening row with its NATO ally over a ban on its ministers speaking at political events in Rotterdam, and one minister said punitive measures were likely. President Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking support from Turks in a referendum on boosting his powers, has accused the Dutch government of acting like "Nazi remnants" and said it should face sanctions for barring his ministers from addressing expatriate Turks to drum up votes. The row marks another low point in relations between Turkey and Europe, further dimming Ankara's prospects of joining the bloc. It also comes as Turkey is caught up by security concerns over militant attacks and the war in neighbouring Syria. A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions were expected to be discussed when ministers meet at 7 pm (1600 GMT). Ankara's minister for EU Affairs, Omer Celik, said sanctions were likely. "We will surely have sanctions against the latest actions by the Netherlands. We will answer them with these," Celik said. Apart from any economic measures, a source in Ankara said sanctions could affect cultural activities, and military and technological cooperation. State media later quoted Celik as saying Turkey should reconsider part of its deal to keep migrants out of the EU, comments likely to further anger Brussels. Turkey summoned the Dutch charge d'affaires on Monday to complain about the ban - imposed due to fears of unrest and distaste at what the Netherlands sees as an increasingly authoritarian tone from Erdogan - and the actions of Rotterdam police against Turkish protesters over the weekend, foreign ministry sources said. DOGS, WATER CANNON On Sunday, Dutch police used dogs and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags outside the consulate in Rotterdam. Some protesters threw bottles and stones and several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a Reuters witness said. Mounted police officers charged the crowd. "The Turkish community and our citizens were subject to bad treatment, with inhumane and humiliating methods used in disproportionate intervention against people exercising their right to peaceful assembly," a statement attributed to ministry sources said. The Dutch government barred Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from flying to Rotterdam on Saturday and later stopped Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate there, before escorting her back to Germany. Protests then erupted in Turkey and the Netherlands. Several European countries, including Holland, have stopped Turkish politicians holding rallies, due to fears that tensions in Turkey might spill over into their expatriate communities. Some 400,000 Turkish citizens live in the Netherlands and an estimated 1.5 million Turkish voters live in Germany. The Dutch government said the visits were undesirable and it would not cooperate in their campaigning. According to polls, it is set to lose about half its seats in elections this week as the anti-Islam party of Geert Wilders makes strong gains. Monday was the third time the Dutch envoy had been called in since Saturday over the row. The Dutch ambassador is on leave and the Turkish foreign ministry says it does not want him back "for some time". The European Union's executive arm said on Monday that the bloc would assess Turkey's planned constitutional changes in light of the country's status as a candidate EU membership, and called on Ankara to refrain from statements and actions that could further fuel the diplomatic row. SANCTIONS Dutch direct investment in Turkey amounts to $22 billion, making the Netherlands the biggest source of foreign investment with a share of 16 per cent. Ozgur Altug, chief economist at BGC Partners in Istanbul, said at this stage he did not foresee the row having serious short-term economic consequences. "However, if the tension escalates and if countries start imposing sanctions against each other, it might have serious implications for the Turkish economy," he said. Turkish exports to the Netherlands totalled $3.6 billion in 2016, making it the tenth largest market for Turkish goods, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Turkey imported $3 billion worth of Dutch goods in 2016. Dutch visitors are important to Turkey's tourism industry, which was hit hard in 2016 by security fears due to attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants. Some 900,000 Dutch people visited Turkey last year, down from 1.2 million a year earlier. A source close to the government told Reuters that sanctions, if imposed, may go beyond the economy. "When the sanctions are imposed, what we need to be careful about is being realistic. We are not completely closing the windows," the source said. "However, we want to show that what has been done to Turkey will have a response." He said certain cultural activities may be cancelled and the re-evaluation of military and technological cooperation was also on the table. Ankara is seeking an official written apology for the treatment of its family minister and diplomats in Rotterdam, the Turkish foreign ministry sources also said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said it is Erdogan who should apologise for comparing the Netherlands to fascists and Nazis, adding that Turkey was acting "in a totally unacceptable, irresponsible manner". NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Turkey and the Netherlands to defuse the row. At the weekend, Erdogan dubbed the Netherlands "Nazi remnants" and said "Nazism is still widespread in the West", comments echoed in Turkish media on Monday. "Nazi Dogs," said a front-page headline incorporating a swastika in the pro-government Aksam newspaper, above a photo of a police dog biting the thigh of a man during Saturday night's protest in Rotterdam. (Reuters)

Turkey may hit Netherlands with sanctions as 'Nazi' row escalates

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Berlin of &quot;aiding and harbouring&quot; terror after German authorities banned rallies courting support from Turkish expatriates for a constitutional change to expand Erdogan&#39;s powers.

Ankara and Berlin were locked in acrimony and Erdogan also claimed a detained correspondent working for Germany&#39;s Die Welt newspaper was a &nbsp;spy, an accusation Germany said &quot;makes no sense.&quot;

&quot;They need to be put on trial for aiding and harbouring terror,&quot; Erdogan said, criticising German authorities who had allowed outlawed Kurdish leaders to speak but had blocked rallies where Turkish ministers sought to address the Turkish community.&nbsp;

The president also claimed that Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yucel, who was detained on Monday on terror-related charges, was a &quot;German agent&quot;.

Turks vote on April 16 on whether to create a presidential system -- a change that the government says will ensure political stability, but which critics say will drag Turkey into one-man rule.&nbsp;

In the runup to the referendum, controversy has flared over politicians&#39; trips to Germany, where they have been seeking &quot;Yes&quot; votes from the millions of people of Turkish descent.

One such event was a rally by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in the western city of Oberhausen.&nbsp;

On Thursday, local authorities blocked rallies by two more Turkish ministers, prompting a furious response from Ankara which promptly summoned the German envoy to protest.&nbsp;

An incensed Erdogan, who was prevented from adressing a rally in Cologne by video link after a failed coup in July last year, lashed out at Germany.&nbsp;

&quot;They allow Cemil Bayik to speak from (the) Kandil&quot; mountains in Iraq, he said, referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party (PKK) leader.&nbsp;

Earlier, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also accused German officials of failing to &quot;honour democracy&quot; and of allowing &quot;terrorists&quot; to speak but denying the same right to Erdogan.

&quot;They don&#39;t want Turkey to campaign here, they are working for a &#39;No&#39;,&quot; he said. &quot;They want to get in the way of a strong Turkey.&quot;

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Turkey&#39;s accusations, saying the decisions were &quot;taken by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany&quot;.

Cavusoglu and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, speaking by phone, agreed to meet next Wednesday, a senior Turkish official said.

Another rally cancelled&nbsp;

As the political fallout continued, a third German town -- Frechen on the outskirts of Cologne -- scrapped a rally that had been scheduled for Sunday, as the venue &quot;excludes political events,&quot; police said.

And the western town of Gaggenau, which had cancelled a rally scheduled for Thursday by Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, said it received a bomb threat early Friday.&nbsp;

&quot;The caller cited the cancellation of the event with the Turkish justice minister as a reason,&quot; local official Dieter Spannagel told AFP.&nbsp;

Cologne city authorities also withdrew permission for the UETD to use a hall on Sunday for a speech by Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. But Zeybekci said he would still go ahead with the visit.&nbsp;

&quot;Even if they don&#39;t allow (it), I will go from house to house to meet with our citizens in Germany,&quot; he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

&#39;German agent&#39;

Tensions have erupted previously over German criticism of the crackdown in Turkey following last year&#39;s failed coup, which has seen more than 100,000 people arrested, dismissed or sacked for alleged links to the plotters or to Kurdish militants.

The Die Welt correspondent was charged on Monday by an Istanbul court with spreading terrorist propaganda and inciting hatred.

&quot;That person had hidden at the German consulate for a month as a PKK representative, as a German agent,&quot; Erdogan said, adding that Germany had initially refused to hand him over for trial.

Speaking earlier in the day, Merkel said Berlin was right to criticise Ankara over press freedom.

&quot;I also think that it was right of us to criticise any restrictions on press freedom.&quot;

Germany is home to the biggest population of Turks outside Turkey with around three million in the country of Turkish origin, the legacy of a massive &quot;guest worker&quot; programme in the 1960s-70s.

(AFP)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after Berlin banned rallies seeking expansion of his presidential support

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Berlin of "aiding and harbouring" terror after German authorities banned rallies courting support from Turkish expatriates for a constitutional change to expand Erdogan's powers. Ankara and Berlin were locked in acrimony and Erdogan also claimed a detained correspondent working for Germany's Die Welt newspaper was a spy, an accusation Germany said "makes no sense." "They need to be put on trial for aiding and harbouring terror," Erdogan said, criticising German authorities who had allowed outlawed Kurdish leaders to speak but had blocked rallies where Turkish ministers sought to address the Turkish community. The president also claimed that Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yucel, who was detained on Monday on terror-related charges, was a "German agent". Turks vote on April 16 on whether to create a presidential system -- a change that the government says will ensure political stability, but which critics say will drag Turkey into one-man rule. In the runup to the referendum, controversy has flared over politicians' trips to Germany, where they have been seeking "Yes" votes from the millions of people of Turkish descent. One such event was a rally by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in the western city of Oberhausen. On Thursday, local authorities blocked rallies by two more Turkish ministers, prompting a furious response from Ankara which promptly summoned the German envoy to protest. An incensed Erdogan, who was prevented from adressing a rally in Cologne by video link after a failed coup in July last year, lashed out at Germany. "They allow Cemil Bayik to speak from (the) Kandil" mountains in Iraq, he said, referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader. Earlier, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also accused German officials of failing to "honour democracy" and of allowing "terrorists" to speak but denying the same right to Erdogan. "They don't want Turkey to campaign here, they are working for a 'No'," he said. "They want to get in the way of a strong Turkey." German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Turkey's accusations, saying the decisions were "taken by municipalities, and as a matter of principle, we apply freedom of expression in Germany". Cavusoglu and German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, speaking by phone, agreed to meet next Wednesday, a senior Turkish official said. Another rally cancelled As the political fallout continued, a third German town -- Frechen on the outskirts of Cologne -- scrapped a rally that had been scheduled for Sunday, as the venue "excludes political events," police said. And the western town of Gaggenau, which had cancelled a rally scheduled for Thursday by Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, said it received a bomb threat early Friday. "The caller cited the cancellation of the event with the Turkish justice minister as a reason," local official Dieter Spannagel told AFP. Cologne city authorities also withdrew permission for the UETD to use a hall on Sunday for a speech by Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci. But Zeybekci said he would still go ahead with the visit. "Even if they don't allow (it), I will go from house to house to meet with our citizens in Germany," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency. 'German agent' Tensions have erupted previously over German criticism of the crackdown in Turkey following last year's failed coup, which has seen more than 100,000 people arrested, dismissed or sacked for alleged links to the plotters or to Kurdish militants. The Die Welt correspondent was charged on Monday by an Istanbul court with spreading terrorist propaganda and inciting hatred. "That person had hidden at the German consulate for a month as a PKK representative, as a German agent," Erdogan said, adding that Germany had initially refused to hand him over for trial. Speaking earlier in the day, Merkel said Berlin was right to criticise Ankara over press freedom. "I also think that it was right of us to criticise any restrictions on press freedom." Germany is home to the biggest population of Turks outside Turkey with around three million in the country of Turkish origin, the legacy of a massive "guest worker" programme in the 1960s-70s. (AFP)

Turkey's Erdogan accuses Germany of 'aiding and harbouring' terror

An Islamic State car bomb killed more than 50 people on Friday in a Syrian village held by rebels, a war monitor said, a day after the jihadist group was driven from its last stronghold in the area.

The blast in the village of Sousian hit a security checkpoint controlled by rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) banner. 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor of the war based in Britain, said more than 50 people died including over 30 civilians. Two rebels contacted by Reuters put the total death toll at at least 40.

One of the two, a fighter with the Sultan Murad Brigade near al-Bab, said: &quot;It was done on a checkpoint but there were a lot of families there gathered and waiting to get back to al-Bab. Therefore we have many civilian casualties.&quot;

The Turkey-backed rebels drove Islamic State from the town of al-Bab on Thursday, following weeks of street battles near where Ankara wants to establish a safe zone for civilians.

Turkey`s military said on Friday that Syrian rebels had taken full control of all of al-Bab, and that work to clear mines and unexploded ordnance was under way.

Sousian is behind rebel lines about 8 km (5 miles) northwest of al-Bab, around which Ankara has long supported the formation of a security zone it says would help to stem a wave of migration via Turkey into Europe.

A second blast took place 2 km south of Sousian later on Friday, but it was unclear whether it was from a vehicle bomb or a planted device such as a mine. There were reports of casualties but no immediate details, the Observatory said.

Islamic State said in a social media posting that it was behind the Sousian attack, having acknowledged on Thursday it had lost control of al-Bab.&nbsp;

Syria&#39;s main conflict pits President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi`ite militias, against rebels that include groups supported by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies.

However, both those sides, as well as a group of militias led by Kurdish forces and supported by the U.S., are also fighting Islamic State, which holds large parts of northern and eastern Syria.&nbsp;

Mines and cells

As mines laid in and around al-Bab claimed lives for a second day, the Sultan Murad Brigade fighter said many IS cells were still operating there.

&quot;It is very dangerous. Our search and clear operation is still under way,&quot; he said.

Two Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday while clearing mines in the town of Tadef south of al-Bab, Turkey`s military said in a statement. On Thursday, several Turkey-backed rebels were killed by a mine in al-Bab, the Observatory said.&nbsp;

Turkey directly intervened in Syria in August in support of rebel factions under the FSA banner to drive Islamic State from its border. It also wants to stop Kurdish groups gaining control of the region.&nbsp;

After taking al-Bab on Thursday, Turkish forces shelled Islamic State in Tadef, the Observatory reported.&nbsp;

The area immediately to the south of Tadef is held by the Syrian army and its allies, which have in recent weeks pushed into Islamic State territory in that area from Aleppo and advanced towards the Euphrates river.&nbsp;

Further east, the Syrian Democratic Forces, Kurdish-led militias backed by the United States, have in recent weeks taken dozens of villages from Islamic State as they close in on the group`s Syrian capital of Raqqa. 
 
(Reuters)

The Turkey-backed rebels on Thursday drove Islamic State from al-Bab, the jihadist group's last significant stronghold in northwest Syria

An Islamic State car bomb killed more than 50 people on Friday in a Syrian village held by rebels, a war monitor said, a day after the jihadist group was driven from its last stronghold in the area. The blast in the village of Sousian hit a security checkpoint controlled by rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) banner. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor of the war based in Britain, said more than 50 people died including over 30 civilians. Two rebels contacted by Reuters put the total death toll at at least 40. One of the two, a fighter with the Sultan Murad Brigade near al-Bab, said: "It was done on a checkpoint but there were a lot of families there gathered and waiting to get back to al-Bab. Therefore we have many civilian casualties." The Turkey-backed rebels drove Islamic State from the town of al-Bab on Thursday, following weeks of street battles near where Ankara wants to establish a safe zone for civilians. Turkey`s military said on Friday that Syrian rebels had taken full control of all of al-Bab, and that work to clear mines and unexploded ordnance was under way. Sousian is behind rebel lines about 8 km (5 miles) northwest of al-Bab, around which Ankara has long supported the formation of a security zone it says would help to stem a wave of migration via Turkey into Europe. A second blast took place 2 km south of Sousian later on Friday, but it was unclear whether it was from a vehicle bomb or a planted device such as a mine. There were reports of casualties but no immediate details, the Observatory said. Islamic State said in a social media posting that it was behind the Sousian attack, having acknowledged on Thursday it had lost control of al-Bab. Syria's main conflict pits President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi`ite militias, against rebels that include groups supported by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies. However, both those sides, as well as a group of militias led by Kurdish forces and supported by the U.S., are also fighting Islamic State, which holds large parts of northern and eastern Syria. Mines and cells As mines laid in and around al-Bab claimed lives for a second day, the Sultan Murad Brigade fighter said many IS cells were still operating there. "It is very dangerous. Our search and clear operation is still under way," he said. Two Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday while clearing mines in the town of Tadef south of al-Bab, Turkey`s military said in a statement. On Thursday, several Turkey-backed rebels were killed by a mine in al-Bab, the Observatory said. Turkey directly intervened in Syria in August in support of rebel factions under the FSA banner to drive Islamic State from its border. It also wants to stop Kurdish groups gaining control of the region. After taking al-Bab on Thursday, Turkish forces shelled Islamic State in Tadef, the Observatory reported. The area immediately to the south of Tadef is held by the Syrian army and its allies, which have in recent weeks pushed into Islamic State territory in that area from Aleppo and advanced towards the Euphrates river. Further east, the Syrian Democratic Forces, Kurdish-led militias backed by the United States, have in recent weeks taken dozens of villages from Islamic State as they close in on the group`s Syrian capital of Raqqa. (Reuters)

Car bomb on Turkey-backed Syrian rebels kills more than 50 in Syria

Fifty-six Islamic State militants were killed by Turkey-backed forces around the Syrian town of al-Bab and by US-led coalition air strikes in the latest operations on Wednesday, the Turkish military said on Thursday.

Turkish artillery fire also hit 104 Islamic State targets, including buildings and bombed vehicles, the army said in a statement, reiterating it had largely established control in the residential areas of al-Bab.

The Islamic State stronghold, 30 kilometres&nbsp;(20 miles) from the Turkish border, has been a prime target since Turkey launched an incursion with Syrian rebels last August to push the jihadists from its frontier and prevent gains by a Kurdish militia.

Turkey&#39;s army said 11 of the jihadists were killed in air strikes by coalition forces, while the rest were killed in artillery fire and clashes during operations in al-Bab.

(Reuters)

Turkish artillery fire also hit 104 IS targets, including buildings and bombed vehicles

Fifty-six Islamic State militants were killed by Turkey-backed forces around the Syrian town of al-Bab and by US-led coalition air strikes in the latest operations on Wednesday, the Turkish military said on Thursday. Turkish artillery fire also hit 104 Islamic State targets, including buildings and bombed vehicles, the army said in a statement, reiterating it had largely established control in the residential areas of al-Bab. The Islamic State stronghold, 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Turkish border, has been a prime target since Turkey launched an incursion with Syrian rebels last August to push the jihadists from its frontier and prevent gains by a Kurdish militia. Turkey's army said 11 of the jihadists were killed in air strikes by coalition forces, while the rest were killed in artillery fire and clashes during operations in al-Bab. (Reuters)

56 Islamic State militants killed in Syria, says Turkish military

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