Cyprus-Forum.com

[Lordo]

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday said Turkey had proof that Russia was involved in illegal oil trade with the terrorist organization Daesh in Syria, countering Russian allegations that Ankara was importing oil from the terrorists.

Typical Turkish Strategy,

While doing 'x', refute any accusations by others of doing 'x' then counter argue it by accusing them of doing 'x'.

what happened to y and z then. you seem to be stuck on x.

[Tim Drayton]

As the following report yet again shows, Daesh is able to operate with ease in AKP-controlled Turkey:

The German TV channel ARD has reported that Daesh sells captured Yazidi women in “slave markets” in southwest Turkey. Its correspondent was reportedly able to make contact with a Kurdish middleman who has assisted families in negotiating the paid release of family members. With the middleman’s help the ARD correspondent was able to negotiate the sale of a prisoner, receiving instructions to visit an office in Gaziantep where the TV correspondent presented a sum of $15,000 for the release of an eleven-year old girl. The money was mechanically counted by the staff in the office, reportedly staffed by Syrians only. Shortly after this the correspondent received a WhatsApp message confirming that Daesh had received the payment and would release the girl. The Kurdish middleman Abi Mital said he had been able to secure the release of 250 Yazidi women and children in this fashion and that Daesh had taken over $250 million in return for their release.

http://www.daeshdaily.com/

However, showing that Erdoğan and his crooked family are doing any more than tolerating such things is another matter.

[Paphitis]

I have a different take on the turks downing the russian plane...
1...Erdogan is playing the nationalistic card to enrich his chances in becoming the ultimate sultan...
2...the yanks want the straights closed to Russia....think about it if there is war scaring from Russia to turkey, turkey will close the straights and NATO will have no option but to guard the straights...

On 1. above, I would have agreed with you if Erdogan took credit and pleasure in shooting down the Russian jet, but he did not. He said he did NOT know it was a Russian jet that got shot down and that he wanted to meet with Putin to explain what had happened, other than he crapping in his shorts once all the high-fives was over and now he had been left alone to face the Russian music.

I believe the Americans pushed Erdogan to shoot down the Russian jet, so that they can then push Erdogan under the Russian bus. I find it ironic that Obama and Putin are having a meeting in Paris couple of days ago, probably on how to get rid of Erdogan, all awhile Erdogan is alone next door wondering what Putin and Obama have in store for him!

He won't have to wait too long before he finds out, I'm sure.

As I always said, that 2 week is a long time in politics. Only 2 weeks ago Erdogan and Putin were shaking hands at G-20.

Erdogan is telling porkies. we all knew it was Russian as Syria do not even have SU-34.

But let's say that our hypothesis is 100% correct which of course sounds fairly reasonable. I do believe that the USA was involved in the shooting down of the SU-34. I believe it makes perfect sense that this is the case and that America was trying to escalate things with Russia in order to close the straights.

As a result, I believe that NATO has Turkey's back on this. That is, if Russia took the bait, then NATO will mobilise too and Turkey would have a lot of support in a war Pootin can't win. Pootin would lose just because the straights are closed. His Mediterranean Fleet is stranded and with no supply line.

Pootin is in no position to retaliate at this stage. It would be disastrous for him.

[Paphitis]

Sadly, the USA appears to be standing behind Erdoğan, though:

The United States said it rejected the premise that the Turkish government was in league with the militants to smuggle oil. "We frankly see no evidence, none, to support such an accusation," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/12/ ... trsWeGq.97

Perception is not always the reality, Tim. America and NATO are boosting Erdogan's ego for him to get dirty and nasty with Putin, then they will stand back as Putins wipes the floor with Erdogan. Erdogan is already in deep shit with Putin by being called a terrorist and smuggling oil for the terrorist. That's the kind of label Erdogan will not be able to get rid off no matter what the Americans and NATO says on behalf of Erdogan. The damage has been already done and Erdogan is now a damaged goods.

I don't think they will stand back. Erdogan and Pootin are not that stupid.

[Tim Drayton]

I like the following exchange between a journalist and Mark Toner from yesterday’s Department of State press briefing (especially the inquiry as to how heir to the sultanate Bilal Erdoğan has become a billionare without ever having worked in his life):

QUESTION: Mark, I have a question on Greece, but first a clarification --

MR TONER: Excuse me.

QUESTION: -- on what you said about Erdogan’s family.

MR TONER: Sure.

QUESTION: Do you have proof to support that? Because his son is a billionaire and he never worked in his life.

MR TONER: So Michael, my rebuttal to that is: Does anyone have proof that it’s true? There’s a lot of allegations being made, and I got into this yesterday quite a bit, alleging high-level involvement, including in Erdogan – President Erdogan’s family in illicit oil trade with ISIL. We have no evidence of – that that is the case. We reject it outright, and frankly, we question some of these allegations that have been leveled against the family.

QUESTION: Because it seems to us that you try to cover for them because the Russians accuse them. That’s --

MR TONER: Well, Michael, look, I mean, the Russians in the wake of the shootdown of the Russian air jet last week have made some pretty serious allegations about Turkey’s complicity with ISIL in Syria. We have been working constructively and effectively with Turkey. They’ve given us the use of Incirlik Air Base. They’ve been working on us – with us on closing this 98-kilometer stretch of the border that remains open. It’s not to say that there are not still challenges to overcome and that we don’t need – that we all don’t need to do more to counter ISIL and to close that border and to help those forces in northern Syria who are fighting ISIL. But allegations that somehow the Turkish Government is helping or working in cahoots with ISIL is – we believe are just unfounded.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/12/250310.htm

I also like the way that journalists in the USA can hold public officials to scrutiny in this way. If that journalist dared to ask the same kind of searching questions of an official in a country like Turkey or Russia, he would probably be behind bars by now.

[denizaksulu]

According to the BBC, the plane “is believed to have come down in a rebel-held area.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983

Once again, it seems Turkey are protecting IS-held territories.

Now we know that is not true. They were protecting Turkmen tribes.
But yes, Turkey is very close to DAESH/IS because of the Kurdish Question.

Hello btw GiG

Greetings to Paphitis too.

[GreekIslandGirl]

According to the BBC, the plane “is believed to have come down in a rebel-held area.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983

Once again, it seems Turkey are protecting IS-held territories.

Now we know that is not true. They were protecting Turkmen tribes.
But yes, Turkey is very close to DAESH/IS because of the Kurdish Question.

Hello btw GiG

Greetings to Paphitis too.

Yes, hello.

But, I don't think it means Turkey is not protecting ISIS - even if Turkey does also protect other terrorists like the Turkmen who shot at the parachuting pilots.

[Tim Drayton]

Are all the chickens coming home to roost? I can only hope so. Shortly before the most recent phony elections in Turkey, Erdoğan's son Bilal travelled to Italy, ostensibly to start a doctorate degree there, but reportedly accompanied by a phalanx a bodyguards and taking a large amount of cash with him. It was rumoured that this was a preemptive move by the Erdoğans to get some of their illicit wealth out of the country in case the election didn't go their way and the December 2013 corruption investigations (in which they were chief suspects) were relaunched.
Well, it appears that the Italian public prosecution has launched an investigation into Bilal Erdoğan for money laundering, in connection with his recent visit to Italy.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/turk ... stemi.html

[denizaksulu]

According to the BBC, the plane “is believed to have come down in a rebel-held area.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983

Once again, it seems Turkey are protecting IS-held territories.

Now we know that is not true. They were protecting Turkmen tribes.
But yes, Turkey is very close to DAESH/IS because of the Kurdish Question.

Hello btw GiG

Greetings to Paphitis too.

Yes, hello.

But, I don't think it means Turkey is not protecting ISIS - even if Turkey does also protect other terrorists like the Turkmen who shot at the parachuting pilots.

It was a Turkish Grey Wolf that murdered the pilot not the Turkmens. Criminals the whole lot!

[Lordo]

According to the BBC, the plane “is believed to have come down in a rebel-held area.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34907983

Once again, it seems Turkey are protecting IS-held territories.

Now we know that is not true. They were protecting Turkmen tribes.
But yes, Turkey is very close to DAESH/IS because of the Kurdish Question.

Hello btw GiG

Greetings to Paphitis too.

Yes, hello.

But, I don't think it means Turkey is not protecting ISIS - even if Turkey does also protect other terrorists like the Turkmen who shot at the parachuting pilots.

what does that make the pilot who was dropping bombs on them few seconds before. to hell with all those who are bombing syria.