Turkey and Israel should have fruitful dialogue: Israeli PM

REUTERS/Gali Tibbon/Pool

Turkey and Israel share common interests and would benefit from resuming “a fruitful dialogue,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently during an interview with Jerusalem Post.

“We both have a border with Syria, and I am sure we both want to see a stable and peaceful Syria,” Netanyahu told the Jerusalem Post.

“That is a common interest. There are other common interests that come to mind. I think it is in our common interest to find a way to be able to stop – to arrest – the slide in our relationship and resume a fruitful dialogue,” he said.

The prime minister also said Israel was considering a form of apology for the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid as a possible move to restore bilateral relations between the countries.

Turkey has said it will not accept anything less than an official apology before it mends ties with Israel, dismissing Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s earlier suggestion of issuing a text similar to Washington’s message containing works of regret and sorrow that was released to Islamabad in the wake of a U.S. air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last year.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have been tense since May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos attacked a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza, killing eight Turkish citizens and one American of Turkish descent. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Bozcaada – Heaven or Hell

Photo by Ferhan Talib

Only a year ago, I stepped on this island for the first time and it made believe in “love at first sight.” Even on the ferry going from Geyikli Yukyeri Port to Bozcaada I had a huge smile on my face, like I already knew that I was going to fell in love with this island.

It was early June, when my friends and I arrived on the island, and the season had not yet started. I believe that the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the island was one of the main reasons why I fell in love with Bozcaada.

I’ve visited Bozcaada many times since my first visit during the crowded (by “crowded,” I mean packed) seasons, which were not as delightful as off-season days, but still there is always a secluded beach or café to find even during the most crowded times of the year.

Bozcaada was one of Turkey’s best kept secrets until the 2010s, but today it is one the most popular destinations for romantic couples and families looking for a quite place away from daily city life.

How couldn’t it be? Bozcaada produces its own wine and gets the most delicious seafood from its bays. It could be one of the best destinations for those who like to wine & dine…

Bozcaada is also great for swimming if you are interested in ice-cold water. Ayazma is the most well-known beach on the island, but that also means it is the most crowded.


If you’re looking to be a bit more isolated you can always try Tuzburnu, Poyrazland, Igdelik and Akvaryum. Even in the city centre you could have a lovely day swimming in the back sea by the historical castle.

During the season you can travel around the island by minibuses.

But, for me, walking in the city centre’s narrow streets, which are surrounded by the old houses of the island, is more intriguing than anything else.

When you spend the day walking around the lovely houses of the island, or have coffee in the hidden gardens of the island’s lovely cafes, you’ll be ready to see the wonderful sunset.

The most popular way to watch the sunset while you are on the island is to go to the Polente Lighthouse, just in front of the windmills.

But my choice would be enjoying the sunset by the sea (you can always find a captain willing to take you to enjoy that view). But whether you watch the sunset by Polente Lighthouse or on a little boat floating in the sea - do not forget to take a bottle of local wine with you.

Bozcaada is best for romantic couples and families with kids because there not many options if you are interested in a heavy night life. There are a few bars where you can enjoy a few drinks before or after dinner, but the music ends by midnight. That means you can go to bed early in order to wake up early for the best breakfast in town.


Rengigül Konukevi’s breakfast is sensational with its 45 different kinds of homemade jams. If you ever visit Bozcaada, do not go back without enjoying this experience. Reservation is a must.

For me Bozcaada is heaven, but remember, it has the potential to become a hell if you ever decide to visit the island during Bayram holidays, where thirty thousand people trying to survive on 1500-2000 people populated island.

Good to know:
- From Istanbul to Bozcaada is 6 hours by car, 10 hours by bus.
- Geyikli Yukyeri Port is 50 km away from Çanakkale, you can fly to Çanakkale from Istanbul
- Make sure you check the Geyikli-Bozcaada ferry schedule, it differs from winter to summer
- Try to avoid coming to Bozcaada on Saturdays, and leaving Bozcaada on Sundays during summer season, or be prepared to wait in a ferry queue for at least a few hours
- Make dinner and breakfast reservations even before coming to the island - better to be safe than sorry
- Special tip for romantic couples: Bozcaada is even more romantic when you visit the island on autumn and spring… (Ferhan Talib/Hurriyet Daily News)

Russia, China will pay price for Syria: Clinton

The US adopts a hard line on Moscow and Beijing for objecting to action on Syria, while Russia says Clinton’s remarks are inappropriate

Russia and China must “pay a price” for blocking U.N. sanctions that might press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad into stepping down, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said July 6 in some of Washington’s strongest remarks yet on the crisis.

“The only way that will change is if every nation represented here directly and urgently makes it clear that Russia and China will pay a price. They are holding up progress, blockading it. That is no longer tolerable,” Clinton told the Friends of the Syrian People conference in Paris on July 6.

Clinton’s remarks were followed immediately by a reaction from Russia, which was not present at the Paris meeting. “I categorically reject the formulation that Russia supports Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the situation that has developed in Syria,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

“What the Russian Federation is engaged in is not supporting specific politicians or political figures in Syria, but in work that we hope will help create the important dialogue between the authorities and the opposition. … The issue is not supporting specific political figures or leaders, but putting the process of regulating the crisis on a normal political basis.”

Russia criticize Clinton’s remarks as ‘inappropriate’

“The statement is inappropriate,” Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov also told the Interfax news agency in an interview, saying the comment was not in line with the recent declaration signed in Geneva.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, present at the conference, called for pressure on countries that support the Syrian administration and urged the necessity of establishing a transitional government for the future of the country.

French President François Hollande urged stiffer sanctions against al-Assad and more support for the rebels. “Bashar al-Assad must go ... It’s in the interest of Syria, of its neighbors and everyone who wants peace in the region.” British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the conference those countries that failed to impose sanctions were allowing al-Assad’s forces to go on killing.

Clinton and Hague were among the 50 foreign ministers and delegates meeting in Paris. But Russia and China stayed away from a meeting they said was one-sided.

In its final statement on July 6, the Friends of the Syrian People called for a U.N. Security Council resolution backed by sanctions.

The meeting was seeking a resolution under the U.N. charter’s Chapter 7, including the threat of sanctions and diplomatic action in line with Article 41, which explicitly does not allow for use of armed force. Participants at the Paris meeting called on the U.N. Security Council to “adopt, under the United Nations Charter’s Chapter 7, a resolution that reaffirms envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point plan,” the final statement said. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Pilots’ bodies retrieved, sent for a state funeral

Turkey will bid farewell today to two of its pilots shot down by Syria as NATO nixes Turkey’s request to establish a no-fly zone over the Arab republic amid Moscow’s laughter that President al-Assad could seek asylum in Russia

Turkey will today hold a state funeral to bid farewell to two pilots from a RF4-E jet that was shot down last month by Syria after their bodies were recovered from the seabed 8.6 nautical miles off the Syrian coastline.

The ceremony will take place at the Erhaç Base of the Turkish Air Forces in the eastern province of Malatya, from where the RF4-E took off. It will be attended by top civil and military officials, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also expected to participate.

“The bodies of our pilots were found at a depth of 1,260 meters near the wreckage of the jet … which had broken up into eight pieces. The bodies have been flown to Malatya,” the Chief of General Staff said in a written statement yesterday. The army’s statement differed from Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz, who had earlier said the bodies were found inside the wreckage.

The Turkish jet was shot down by Syria on June 22; Ankara claims that plane was downed 12.6 nautical miles from the Syrian coast in international airspace while testing Turkish radar capacity in a solo and unarmed flight. Syria argues that it shot down the jet in its own airspace with an anti-aircraft weapon, and not by a laser guided missile as Turkey claims. The technical analysis on the wreckage will give strong evidence on how the jet was downed.

In Malatya, a large ceremony will be held for Capt. Gökhan Ertan and Maj. Lt. Hasan Hüseyin Aksoy with the participation of the foreign and defense ministers, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel and force commanders. Erdoğan has also cut short a holiday to attend the ceremony.

The army’s statement included a map showing exactly where the wreckage was found and pictures of the parts of the wreckage found on the seabed and the surface. The main parts of the wreckage will be retrieved following the completion of the documentation process, sources said. This process is particularly important to better understand how the jet was downed and at which point it crashed into the sea. The works are being carried out by the military’s hydrographic vessels Çeşme and İnebolu, as well as the U.S.-flagged Nautilus.

‘Our radar tracks enough for proof’
The results of the technical analysis will address all lingering questions as to whether the plane was shot down by a missile or an anti-aircraft weapon. Russian and U.S. media have cast doubt on the Turkish version of the strike.

“We have issued calls to other countries to share their information if they have any. We have not been given anything yet,” a senior diplomatic source told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday in an obvious reference to Russia, the U.K. and the U.S., who all have military bases in the region.

“As a matter of fact, the information they provide us is not that vital, as this is our jet and our radar tracks are better than anyone else’s. We have traced our jet second per second via our radars in Malatya and radars on its route,” the source said. “We are pretty sure that it was shot down 12.6 nautical miles off the Syrian coastline in international waters.” (ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkey scrambles jets as Syrian choppers near border

From Yesim Comert, CNN

Turkey scrambled fighter jets three separate times Saturday as Syrian helicopters neared the border between the two countries, Turkey's military said Sunday.

The helicopters were in Syrian airspace, but were getting close to the border, the armed forces statement said.

The jets -- a total of six -- were scrambled twice out of Incirlik, and once out of Batman, it said.

The incident underscores rising tensions between the two nations in the wake of Syria's downing a Turkish F-4 Phantom jet on June 22.

Both Syria and Turkey acknowledged the plane strayed into Syrian airspace, but Turkey said the incursion was accidental and quickly corrected.

Turkey's National Security Council said last week the nation would act against "hostile action" by Syria. Turkey also bolstered its forces along the border.

Also, Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan said his country was changing its military rules of engagement and would treat a military approach toward its borders by Syria as a potential threat that "will be dealt with accordingly."

The downing of the jet drew sharp condemnation from NATO, but the alliance did not promise any action in response to the incident. Turkey did not invoke the NATO article calling for collective defense of members, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh has said.

A senior U.S. official said Turkey asked NATO members to study a range of ways a no-fly zone could potentially help the situation and ease threats. It was "not clear what, if anything, will be done," the official said last week.

A search for the pilots of the downed jet was ongoing. The wreckage of the plane has also not been located.

A man from the border village of Guvecci, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said Thursday military personnel and equipment had been arriving for the past two or three days. Turkish state television also reported air-defense systems and tanks were among the equipment.
(Istanbul CNN)

Turkish policemen say their hands were hurt in beating

DHA file photo

Three of the seven policemen who were caught on camera June 20 beating and kicking a man in Istanbul's Fatih district received health reports saying their "hands were hurt," daily Hürriyet reported today.

Police officers Muhammed Mustafa Gülcan, Ahmet Özdemir and Ahmet Güler claimed – despite a video which explicitly showed that they threw Ahmet Koca to the ground and beat him for several minutes – that it was Koca who beat them.

The officers went to Istanbul's Haseki Hospital to receive health reports to support their claims. The health reports said one of the policemen had a "sensitivity in his right hand," another had an "aching right wrist," while the third had "pains in the index and middle fingers of his left hand."

The policemen presented their health reports to prosecutor Ayhan Bedirhan, who is supervising an investigation into the incident.

Bedirhan requested all the paperwork and documents which were prepared after the beating from Fatih police station, as well as the video footage of the beating and the GPS tracks of the police vehicles issued to officers who are suspects in the investigation.

Koca had filed a complaint against the policemen, saying the officers did not take him to a police station after the beating in the street but drove him around in a squad car for hours, beating him the entire time. The GPS tracks would shed light on Koca's claims.

An amateur footage surfaced June 20 showing seven policemen beating Koca on the ground in front of his pregnant relative despite her pleas for them to stop. The footage caused public upheaval and prompted the Interior Ministry launch an investigation into the incident. The seven policemen were removed from duty. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Explorer boat ready to find missing pilots

DHA Photo

The United States’ Nautilus explorer has been officially assigned to help locate the missing pilots and the wreckage of a Turkish aircraft which was shot down by Syria last week, daily Milliyet reported today.

The underwater vehicle, which has undergone four days of preparation in Istanbul's Haydarpaşa harbor, is expected to arrive at the scene in two and half days after departing today.

Turkey had been in contact with countries and international companies that can search below a depth of 1,000 meters, which is greater than the capability of the Navy’s present Çeşme boat, the official told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.

The Nautilus became famous after locating the wreckage of the Titanic in 1985. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Turkey to pick new missile defence system soon

Turkey deployed air defence weaponry along its border with Syria on Thursday, following Syria's downing of a Turkish warplane over the Mediterranean last Friday. REUTERS Photo

Turkey is to pick a new long-range air defence missile system soon, as tension builds with neighbouring Syria, media and foreign diplomats said today.

Companies vying for the four billion dollar (3.2 billion euro) contract include Raytheon and Lockheed Martin of the United States, Rosoboronexport of Russia, CPMIEC of China and the French-Italian consortium, Eurosam, they said.

A Western diplomatic source said a shortlist would be announced on July 11 or 12.

The news comes a week after Syria shot down a Turkish warplane, prompting Turkey to start beefing up its forces along their lengthy border with anti-aircraft guns, missile batteries and tanks.

Turkey also hosts a NATO early warning radar as part of a new defence system aimed at protecting Europe from missiles coming from the Middle East, notably Iran. (ISTANBUL - Agence France-Presse)

Syrian army amassing near Turkish border, FSA general claims

A Syrian army tank patrols an area in the district of Al-Waar in the flashpoint city of Homs on May 2, 2012. AFP

A general in the rebel Free Syria Army said today that Syrian government forces had amassed around 170 tanks north of the city Aleppo, near the Turkish border, but there was no independent confirmation of the report.

General Mustafa al-Sheikh, head of the Higher Military Council, an association of senior officers who defected from President Bashar al-Assad's forces, said the tanks had assembled at the Infantry School near the village of Musalmieh northeast of the city of Aleppo, 30 kilometers from the Turkish border.

"The tanks are now at the Infantry School. They're either preparing to move to the border to counter the Turkish deployment or attack the rebellious [Syrian] towns and villages in and around the border zone north of Aleppo," Sheikh told Reuters by telephone from the border.

He said the tanks were mostly from the 17th Mechanised Division.

Turkey deployed air defense weaponry along its border with Syria yesterday, following Syria's downing of a Turkish warlplane over the Mediterranean on Friday. (ANTAKYA - Reuters)

No-fly zone reports denied by Ankara

A French Mirage 2000 fighter jet refuels with an airborne Boeing C-135 refuelling tanker aircraft from the Istres military air base during a refuelling operation above the Mediterranean Sea March 25, 2011. France continues its military air sorties over Libya with NATO indicating that the no fly zone operation could last three months. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources have denied reports that Turkey sought NATO support to create a no-fly zone near Syria.

A British daily reported yesterday that Ankara “has requested that the alliance draw up contingency plans for a no-fly zone to protect Turkish territory in the event of further acts of Syrian aggression,” citing an unnamed U.S. diplomat.

“The Turks purposefully left it vague and didn’t provide many specifics,” the anonymous source was quoted as saying by the daily. “But they also didn’t give [NATO] members a heads-up before the meeting that they’d be asking for this and everyone was surprised.”

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, however, yesterday denied the content of the report, adding that such a measure was not on the agenda during the NATO meeting.

Upon a request by Turkey, NATO held a meeting on June 27 to discuss the developments after Syria shot down a Turkish military jet on June 22. NATO strongly condemned as “unacceptable” Syria’s downing of the Turkish jet and expressed “solidarity” with Turkey. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Turkey deploys missile batteries on Syrian border

AA photo

A convoy of about 30 military vehicles, including trucks loaded with missile batteries, arrived in Turkey's coastal town of İskenderun and deployed near the the Syrian border 50 kilometers away, Turkish agencies said.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, who has given shelter in the border area to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, announced after Syrian air defences shot down a Turkish warplane last Friday he would step up security there.

Turkish television film showed the column moving off on Wednesday, escorted by police cars, along a narrow highway leading out of the main port of Turkey's Hatay province. It included rocket launchers on transporters, anti-aircraft artillery and military ambulances.

Erdoğan said any military element moving towards the Turkish border and deemed threatening would be declared a military target. The preponderance of air defence weapons in the convoy suggested Turkey was preparing for any possible approach by Syrian helicopters or warplanes.

State-run Anatolia news agency said armored military vehicles were being transported to military installations in Şanlıurfa, in the middle of Turkey's border with Syria and Hatay, a panhandle province that juts down into Syria.

It said several military vehicles had traveled separately to a military garrison in the border town of Reyhanlı in Hatay.

There have been no details given of new rules of engagement issued to troops after the shooting down of the warplane which Turkey says was in international air space.

The Hatay province is sheltering over 33,000 refugees as well as elements of the rebel Free Syrian Army. (ISKENDERUN, Turkey - Reuters)

Turkish plane shot by Iranian weapon, report claims

An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube on February 11, 2012 shows the Syrian military using a Shilka anti-aircraft system. AFP PHOTO / YOUTUBE

A Turkish plane that was shot by Syria on June 22 was brought down by a weapon manufactured by Iran, daily Milliyet has reported.

The report cited daily al-Quds al-Arabi, an Arabic newspaper that publishes in the United Kingdom, as its source.

A Syrian expert in Damascus reportedly said the Turkish plane was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft weapon that was purchased by Syria two years ago. The weapon supposedly could be fitted on armored vehicles, the newspaper reported.

The unidentified expert said the Turkish plane was flying at a low altitude to avoid Syrian radars. "Turkish personnel were unaware that Syria possessed weapons that could hit targets flying at such low altitudes." (From online dispatches/Hurriyet Daily News)

Turkish gov’t puts Syrian border troops on red alert

We urge the Syrian regime not to make a mistake and test Turkey’s determinacy and capacity,’ says PM Erdoğan as Kuwaiti lawmakers (inset) applaud. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

Turkey gives its troops on the Syrian border license to kill in case of any vioaliton as PM Erdoğan vows to treat any Syrian threat to the frontier as a military target

The Turkish government has instructed its army to intercept any potential security risk posed by Syrian security forces along its land and sea border, in response to the downing of a Turkish jet by Syria in international airspace. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also described the al-Assad regime as a “clear and present danger to Turkey’s security” in the wake of the incident.

“After this attack, we have entered into a new stage. The rules of engagement of the Turkish Armed Forces have changed. Any risk posed by Syria on the Turkish border, any military element that could pose a threat, will be considered a threat and treated as a military target,” Erdoğan said in his parliamentary group meeting yesterday. The comments are his first public statements on the issue after it was clarified that a Turkish RF4-E Phantom jet had been shot down by Syria.

‘Turkey’s wrath is as strong as its friendship’

“We urge the Syrian regime not to make a mistake and test Turkey’s determinacy and capacity. … Our rational response should not be perceived as weakness, our mild manners do not mean we are a tame lamb. … Everybody should know that Turkey’s wrath is as strong and devastating as its friendship is valuable.” A Turkish unarmed reconnaissance jet that was performing a training flight over the Mediterranean Sea was shot down by Syria 13 nautical miles off the Syrian coast in international airspace. Syria had claimed the incident took place in Syrian airspace.

Five Syrian helicopters recently violated Turkish airspace, but no action was taken against them other than issuing diplomatic notes. Some minor shooting incidents have even taken place without being made into an issue between the two countries, a Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News. “After now, if they occur, they will surely become a matter,” the source said. Erdoğan underlined that Turkey would also use its rights stemming from international laws. “Turkey will use its rights born out of international law with determination and take the necessary steps by determining the time, place and method by itself in the face of this unfairness. This is what I want to stress.”

According to diplomatic sources, this refers to Article 51 of the 7th Chapter of the U.N. Charter, which gives countries the right to self-defense in the event of a foreign attack. The prime minister also challenged the Syrian administration’s argument that it shot down the jet in its own airspace. “Our plane was targeted on purpose and in a hostile way and not as a result of a mistake. The attitude of the Syrian officials following the incident is the most concrete evidence that our jet was attacked on purpose. The harassing fire on our Casa-type plane during the search and rescue operations is the most palpable evidence of this intent.”

‘Turkey’s support will continue’

Despite his strongly worded statements that also mentioned increasing military measures against Syria, Erdoğan said they would not fall into the traps of what he called “war provocateurs,” although “this does not mean we’ll stand idle with our hands tied.”

He also vowed that Turkey would continue to support the Syrian people until they get rid of the “blood-shedding dictator and his gang.”

Turkey has no eye on any neighbors’ soil and has no intention to intervene in their internal affairs, Erdoğan said, emphasizing that the security of Anatolia was very much dependent on the security of Damascus, once ruled by the Ottoman Empire until the early 20th century. “Today when we are talking about Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, we are not talking about political gain, but in the name of the bloodshed of our brothers.”

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TURKEY BEGINS DEPLOYMENT
MARDIN - Doğan News Agency

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Turkey has deployed a large number of military vehicles to the Syrian border. The shipment included 15 armored tanks, in addition to long-distance guns and other military vehicles. The convoy was heavily guarded as it moved toward the border in the event of an attack by outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members. Military sources couldn’t immediately confirm the report. Military units reportedly increased security measures on the border following recent events that have strained bilateral relations. In a related development in the region, 13 zones near Hakkari, Diyarbakır and Şırnak have been declared temporary militray security zones. Diyarbakır Governor’s Office said yesterday in a written satement that no civilians will be allowed in the mentioned regions between July 6 and Oct. 6 since shooting drills will be exercised in those areas. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Ship combs for downed Turkish jet

TCG Çeşme (A-559) ship arrives in the south to join search for downed plane. DHA photo

Syria has returned some minor parts of the jet it shot down to Turkey, but the parts do not provide any useful information about how the plane was downed. The part Syria delivered was not the tail, as Syria had claimed, but another small part which did not show any indication of bullet holes.

Sevil Küçükkoşum
“The basic information for us is not those parts, but radar data,” a Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday. Ankara is not optimistic about finding the wreckage of the plane, since the depth is too great, according to military and technical experts. “There is a question mark whether it will even be possible to go down that deep,” the official said.

Turkey’s Naval Forces’ TCG Ceşme (A-599) boat for hydrographical and oceanographical searches has arrived in the area where Turkey’s RF-4E Phantom was shot down by Syria. The boat started to search to find the exact location of the wreckage. Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said they had presented a part of the Turkish F-4 plane with bullet holes in it to Turkey – thus proving that the plane had not been shot down by a rocket.

Turkish officials said the jet had been flying 200 feet over the sea for a short while for radar tests but had then climbed to higher levels before it was shot down. Officials said the plane could not have been shot down by an antiaircraft weapon, since the plane was shot 13 miles away and downed eight miles from the Syrian shore. According to Turkey’s action plan on the crisis, after informing the international community, Turkey will continue to show restraint, but will not keep a low profile responding to any violation by Syria of Turkish borders.

Ankara brought the case to NATO in yesterday’s permanent representatives’ meeting in Brussels, but did not raise invoking Article 5 of the alliance, which calls for a military response. Turkey has not asked for any defense support from the alliance’s capabilities so far, the official said. The United States and Britain may also carry the case to the U.N. Security Council’s agenda.
(Sevil Küçükkoşum/ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkish jet shot down by Russians, opposition leader claims

Türker said Russian warship Admiral Chabanenko hit the Turkish jet that went down on June 22. AFP photo

The Turkish military jet that went down off Syrian coast on June 22 was shot down by the Russians, not the Syrian military, an opposition party leader has claimed.

“There are currently two Russian war ships and a Russian frigate in Latakia harbor,” Masum Türker, leader of the Democratic Left Party (DSP) said today in an interview with TV8. “One of them, Admiral Chabanenko, has the technology to detect the slightest action in the air.”

Türker said Russian warship Admiral Chabanenko hit the Turkish jet that went down on June 22.

“The vessel that shot down our plane is Chabanenko, it is the most equipped vessel of the three,” Türker said, arguing that the foreign ministry and the foreign intelligence services have this information.

An unarmed Turkish military plane conducting a test mission was shot down by Syria on June 22. Turkey claims the plane was shot down in international airspace with a laser or heat-guided missile. Syria, however, says they shot the plane down with anti-aircraft guns as the plane flew within Syrian airspace at an altitude of 100 meters. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Turkey, Azerbaijan sign major pipeline deal

AA photo

Turkey signed today a deal with Azerbaijan on building the $7 billion Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline (TANAP) to carry Azeri gas to European markets.

"Today we have taken a historic step," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his speech at the signing ceremony.

"We firmly support the southern natural gas corridor projects that envisage to transfer Caspian basin and the central Asia natural gas to Europe via alternative routes as to provide our own energy supply security and as to contribute to the energy supply security of Europe."

Realizing southern natural gas corridor is also important for Azerbaijan to carry its natural gas reserves to Europe in a safe way, Erdoğan noted. (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

Russia says Syria downing of Turkey jet not a 'provocation'

AFP photo

Russia said today its regional ally Syria's downing of a Turkish jet last week should not be viewed as a provocation or an intentional move.

"We believe it is important that the incident is not viewed as a provocation or an intentional action, and that it does not lead to destabilising the situation," the foreign ministry said in its first comment on Friday's incident. (MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse)

Turkey sends letter to UN on jet downed by Syria

Turkey sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council on June 24 over Syria’s downing of a Turkish warplane in the eastern Mediterranean two days previously.

The letter, published by the New York Times, calls the shooting incident a "serious threat to peace and security in the region" and gives information on the coordinates of the location where the plane was struck and where it crashed.

Both Turkish and Syrian radar and radio records testified that the plane was shot in international air space and added that "thirds parties' radar records would substantiate these facts as well."

Click here to read the full letter from Turkey to the U.N. (From online dispatches-Hürriyet Daily News)

Turkey sends military convoy to Syrian border

Handout photo by Turkish Armed Forces

Turkey has deployed a large number of military vehicles to the Syrian border, daily Milliyet reported.

The shipment included 15 armored tanks, in addition to long-distance guns and other military vehicles. The convoy was heavily guarded as it moved toward the border in the event of an attack by outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members.

Military units reportedly increased security measures on the border following recent events that have strained bilateral relations.

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Timeline of Turkey-Syria relations
ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

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Relations between Turkey and Syria, which share a long border, have soured since a widespread revolt broke out against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad early last year.

Key developments: - June 2011: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the first time accuses Assad's regime of committing "atrocities" in putting down the revolt.

Large numbers of Syrians begin flocking across the border to escape the violence. By mid-month Turkey says it is sheltering 8,000 Syrians, many of whom are housed in tent cities just within its territory.


- August 9: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu visits Damascus and calls on Assad to end the repression.

- September 21: Erdoğan meets with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York. The Turkish leader says his country has broken off contacts with the Syrian regime and is planning to enact sanctions against it.

- October 2: Syrian opposition leaders meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul announce the creation of a broad-based Syrian National Council.

- October 4: The Turkish news agency Anatolia says Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad, who defected from Syria's army in July, has set up a Free Syrian Army operating out of Turkey.

- November 12-13: Pro-regime protesters in Syria attack Turkish diplomatic missions.

- November 30: Turkey says it is cutting trade relations with Syria.

- March 15, 2012: A Turkish official says Syria has laid landmines along the common border to prevent its citizens fleeing. The next day, Turkey advises its nationals to leave Syria.

- March 26: Turkey closes its embassy in Damascus.

- April 1: Istanbul hosts a meeting of the "Friends of Syria", an informal grouping of mainly Western and Arab states.

- April 9: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, says Syrian forces have fired across the border into Turkey at camps housing refugees from the violence.

- April 10: Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, who is mediating in the crisis, visits refugees in Turkey.

- May 30: Turkey, as well as Japan, says it is expelling Syrian diplomats from its territory.

- June 22: Syria shoots down a Turkish fighter plane near the joint border. Turkey requests a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which it is a member.


- June 25: The Anatolia news agency says a Syrian army general has defected and crossed into Turkey, taking the total number of such defectors to 13.

- Tuesday, June 26: Turkish prime minister declares Syria a "clear and present danger" for Turkey. All Syrian military vehicles approaching the Turkish border are to be considered a threat from this day on.

NATO meets at its Brussels headquarters to discuss the shooting-down of the Turkish plane by Syrian forces.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen condemns the act as "unacceptable", but the alliance makes no reference to any possible military action against the Syrian regime. (Hurriyet Daily News)

Turkey divided over response to Syria

A Turkish F-4 Phantom fighter jet was shot down by Syria on Friday. Photograph: Stringer/EPA

What Turkish newspapers, commentators and Twitter users are saying about the downing of a Turkish jet by Syria

The Turkish political leadership may be doing its best to present a united response to the downing of one of its fighter jets by Syria on Friday, but among the media and wider public there is heated debate about how to respond.

In the main Turkish newspapers, commentators stressed their opposition to a military confrontation with Syria, but generally agreed with the government's call for a Nato meeting to discuss the incident, arguing that Syria's actions were wrong.

Pointing out that general rules of engagement would have obliged Syria to warn the pilots of a plane entering their airspace before firing, Fikret Bila wrote in Milliyet: "In the light of this it is impossible to accept the Damascus government's explanation that 'we fired because [the plane] had entered our airspace by 1 kilometre'."

Others, such as commentator Mümtazer Türköne of the government-supporting daily Zaman, argue that Syria is openly trying to engage in a war. He wrote: "Let's not forget that our military is part of Nato. […] If we go to war, we will not go alone."

But several analysts also point to unanswered questions.

Commentator and columnist Özgür Mumcu writes in Radikal: "It is one question to ask in what ways Syria might have broken international laws. But we need to know what this plane was doing there in the first place, in such critical times."

Meanwhile, calls to war were issued on social media sites. Pop singer Nihat Dogan tweeted that "Turkey should not miss this chance and occupy Syria while it was fighting with its own opposition," adding that the "New Ottoman [project] would fail otherwise."

His colleague Erol Köse tweeted in similar vein: "We remained silent when they put bags over our soldiers' heads, when Israel attacked our ship, do these anti-war [activists] say that we should also remain silent when one of our planes is shot down?"

But their tweets were rebuked by Aykan Erdemir, MP for the Republican People's party, who wrote on his Twitter account: "Let's see whether Turkish PM Erdoğan will use Ramadan for dialogue & peace-building, or for hatred & warmongering." (guardian)