Turkey Letter: 1 October 2018

TUSIAD US

Turkey Letter: 1 October 2018

Foreign Policy:

  • U.S. and Turkey Begin Training for Joint Patrols in Syria’s Manbij
  • Turkey will Resist U.S. Sanctions Over Pastor, Erdogan Says
  • Turkish Army Chief Meets U.S. Counterpart in Poland
  • Hopes Rise for Release of U.S. Pastor Being Held in Turkey
  • Turkey’s Foreign Minister: The U.S. Must Stop Arming Terrorists in Syria
  • Erdoğan: UNSC Standing Idle to Oppressions in World
  • Trump, Erdogan Shake Hands at UN With Major Tensions Unresolved
  • Erdogan Vows to Impose Secure Zones East of Euphrates in Syria

Economy and Energy:

  • Turkey Will Not Turn its Back on Europe, Says President Erdoğan
  • Erdogan Says Turkey Will Overcome Attacks on Economy
  • Merkel Reopens to Erdogan as Trump Squeezes Turkey’s Economy
  • Albayrak: Turkey Ready to Support Its Banks If Needed

Domestic Politics:

  • CHP MP Berberoglu Takes Oath in Parliament After Release From Prison
  • Turkey’s Saadet Party to Run in Local Polls Without Ally
  • Economic Crisis Reflection of Political Crisis in Turkey: CHP Leader

FOREIGN POLICY: 

US and Turkey Begin Training for Joint Patrols in Syria’s Manbij
The United States and Turkey have started training together to carry out joint patrols soon in northern Syria’s Manbij area, U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday, despite tense relations between the two countries.
Reuters, US and Turkey Begin Training for Joint Patrols in Syria’s Manbij, 1 October 2018

Turkey will Resist U.S. Sanctions Over Pastor, Erdogan Says
Turkey will resist U.S. efforts to impose sanctions on Ankara over the trial of a Christian pastor who has been detained for two years, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, accusing the preacher of having “dark links with terror.”
Reuters, Turkey will resist U.S. sanctions over pastor, Erdogan says, 1 October 2018

Turkish Army Chief Meets U.S. Counterpart in Poland
Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler has met his American counterpart in the Polish capital of Warsaw, a U.S. military official said on Sept. 30. Güler met with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Sept. 29 on the sidelines of NATO Military Committee meetings that run between Sept. 28 and 30.
Hurriyet, Turkish Army Chief Meets US Counterpart in Poland, 1 October 2018

Hopes Rise for Release of U.S. Pastor Being Held in Turkey
Turkish authorities are sending signals that an American pastor facing terrorism charges could be released next month, raising fresh hopes in the U.S. that the polarizing dispute will soon be resolved.
The Wall Street Journal, Hopes Rise for Release of U.S. Pastor Being Held in Turkey, 23 September 2018

Turkey’s Foreign Minister: The U.S. Must Stop Arming Terrorists in Syria
As world leaders gather this week for the U.N. General Assembly, President Trump has an opportunity to reverse a failed policy in the Middle East and deliver a blow to a terrorist organization by stopping the shipment of arms to the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, the Syrian arm of an organization designated as terrorists by authorities in the United States and Europe.
The Washington Post, Turkey’s foreign minister: The U.S. must stop arming terrorists in Syria, 28 September 2018

Erdoğan: UNSC Standing Idle to Oppressions in World
The UN Security Council currently serves the interests of five permanent members holding veto rights, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sept. 25. The five members of the Council, the U.S, Russia, China, France and Britain, are “standing idle to the oppressions in other parts of the world,” Erdoğan said in his address to the 73rd session of UN General Assembly.
Hurriyet, Erdoğan: UNSC standing idle to oppressions in world, 1 October 2018

Trump, Erdogan Shake Hands at UN With Major Tensions Unresolved
U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met briefly backstage at the United Nations General Assembly, shaking hands but not engaging on key tensions dividing the two NATO allies.
Bloomberg, Trump, Erdogan Shake Hands at UN With Major Tensions Unresolved, 25 September 2018

Erdogan Vows to Impose Secure Zones East of Euphrates in Syria
Turkey will take action east of the Euphrates river in Syria and impose secure zones as it has done in the northwest of the country, President Tayyip Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Turkish media on Monday.
Reuters, Erdogan Vows to Impose Secure Zones East of Euphrates in Syria, 24 September 2018

ECONOMY AND ENERGY:

Turkey Will Not Turn its Back on Europe, Says President Erdoğan
Turkey will not turn its back on the European Union, its biggest trade partner where around 5 million Turkish-origin people live, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.
Hurriyet, Turkey will not turn its back on Europe, says President Erdoğan, 1 October 2018

Erdogan Says Turkey Will Overcome Attacks on Economy
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday fluctuations in the lira do not reflect economic reality and Turkey was on the verge of overcoming what he described as attacks on the economy.
Reuters, Erdogan says Turkey will overcome attacks on economy, 1 October 2018

Merkel Reopens to Erdogan as Trump Squeezes Turkey’s Economy
Chancellor Angela Merkel is letting Turkey’s leader in from the cold, a year after he accused Germans of using Nazi methods.
Bloomberg, Merkel Reopens to Erdogan as Trump Squeezes Turkey’s Economy, 27 September 2018

Albayrak: Turkey Ready to Support Its Banks If Needed
The Turkish government is ready to provide required support to its banks should the need arise due to recent developments, Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak has said.
Hurriyet, Albayrak: Turkey Ready to Support Its Banks If Needed, 25 September 2018

DOMESTIC POLITICS:

CHP MP Berberoglu Takes Oath in Parliament After Release From Prison
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Enis Berberoglu took his oath in parliament on Oct. 1 at the opening session of the new legislative year, 10 days after being released from a 15-month imprisonment.
Hurriyet, CHP MP Berberoglu Takes Oath in Parliament After Release From Prison, 1 October 2018

Turkey’s Saadet Party to Run in Local Polls Without Ally
Turkey’s opposition Saadet (Felicity) Party will run in the upcoming local elections without an ally, a party lawmaker announced on Oct. 1.
Hurriyet, Turkey’s Saadet Party to run in local polls without ally, 1 October 2018

Economic Crisis Reflection of Political Crisis in Turkey: CHP Leader
The current economic crisis in Turkey is a reflection of the political crisis, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has said, criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for playing down Turkey’s current economic woes.
Hurriyet, Economic Crisis Reflection of Political Crisis in Turkey: CHP Leader, 28 September 2018