Posted on 11/27/2015 7:14:27 AM PST by Michael van der Galien
A few days ago, Turkish F16-jets shut down a Russian jet. Ever since, tensions between Turkey and Russia have been on the rise.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly threatened Turkey, and has taken action against Turkish citizens inside Russia. Some construction companies owned by Turks have been raided, trucks delivering flowers have been sent back at the border, and the Russian government has warned Turkish food producers that their goods may no longer be welcome in Russia.
At the same time, Putin has spoken out against Turkey's Islamist ruler, President Erdogan, by accusing him of supporting terrorism. The Russian president said in a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande yesterday that Turkey has supported all kinds of Islamist groups in Syria, ISIS being one of them.
President Erdogan has now shot back. He warns Putin not to "play with fire," adding that Putin and Assad, not Turkey, are supporting ISIS:
"Putin says ‘those who have double standards on terrorism are playing with fire.’ I totally agree with him. Indeed, supporting the [Bashar] al-Assad regime in Syria, which has killed 380,000 people, is playing with fire. Striking opposition groups that have international legitimacy with the excuse of fighting against Daesh [an acronym of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL] is playing with fire. Using an incident in which Turkey’s righteousness is accepted by the whole world as an excuse to torment our citizens who were in Russia to attend a fair is playing with fire. Irresponsibly hitting trucks in the region that are there for trade or humanitarian reasons is playing with fire. We sincerely advise Russia not to play with fire." He went on to say that the United States has documented the oil trade between ISIS, Russia and the Syrian regime.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Erdogan would be mute save the implied threat from NATO when he spews.
The only reason Russia didn’t turn Afghanistan into goo was because the US backed the Afghanis with modern weapons and logistical support. This was back in the days of Reagan and the USSR, when the USSR was (rightly) seen to be the biggest threat to the US.
Yup, that and the fact he has a fellow ISIS sympathizer (Obama) running the US...
My feeling is that - without the existence of Obama - the Turkish military would have disposed of Erdogan a long time ago and none of this would be happening.
The feminist physician has ambitions to succeed Merkel should Germany survive as a sovereign nation.
The Russians play chess. They will cripple Turkey economically. In fact, they have already started to do so.
Russia won’t start full scale military action vs. Turkey because of NATO. But if Turkey is stupid enough to start a fight, they will lose. BADLY.
And I doubt the US would step in to save them, even if/when Obama orders our military to do so.
As far as whose side am I on, that’s an easy question:
(1) God
(2) My family (including my dear friends)
(3) Texas
(4) Free Republic
(5) The US
(6) Freedom loving parts of Europe (what’s left of it)
(7) Russia if they continue taking on worse monsters
...
(10093745) Turkey
Oh, to add:
(6.1) The Kurds
(6.2) The Ukraine — yes, this is a contradiction with (7). It is a complicated world. And an increasingly ugly one.
But I can’t exactly do much on those scores. Sigh.
Also, we might be misled by numbers when comparing NATO forces today with Russian forces. If our Western forces are crippled by a lack of will on the part of our leaders, infiltrated by neurotic sexual deviants and political correctness, and the need to corral all the disparate forces into servicing the same endeavor, we might be unpleasantly surprised. The Russians for the most part are fully behind Putin, and they’ve got to be shaking their heads over the crap the EU is forcing the European members to swallow in order to belong to their increasingly suicidal club.
Well said.
You are correct, Russia would turn Turkey into a large and stinky greasy spot in short order.
Without air power Turkey is easy pickings, Putin can sit on the southern border and declare a no-fly zone over most of Turkey using several S-400 batteries. Turkey can’t take out the S-400 batteries...they don’t have the tech for it.
I’d like to see a reborn Constantinople!
I’d like to see the Turks suffer as they made the Armenians suffer!
FU Erdogan!
LOL. How will they cripple Turkey economically?
The top export destinations of Turkey are Germany ($15.5B), Iraq ($11.9B), the United Kingdom ($8.92B), France ($7.7B) and Italy ($7.26B). The top import origins are Germany ($25.8B), China ($24.3B), Russia ($14.5B), Italy ($13.2B) and the United States ($12.1B).
But, I have doubts about whether he understands much about economic principles. As a long-time commie at the KGB, his views became a bit distorted, probably.
Did you read your own post?!
“Russia ($14.5B)”
BtW, unless you donate, sniff.
You mean that by Russia refusing to sell $14.5 billion to Turkey, it will hurt the Turks and not the Russians? Do you understand the difference between imports and exports?
That all depends on what the Turks are buying doesn’t it?
Kinda like the United States and rocket engines...
“Do you understand the difference between imports and exports?”
No, I don’t. What are these words “export” and “import”? They are new to me.
/SARC
Fool.
Here’s a concept: Economic activity matters.
Ohhh, too complex a concept for you? So sorry.
/I recanted my call for a ZOT earlier. It is now renewed.
Wow, that's profound. The point is that Russia would hurt itself if it stopped sales to Turkey.
The two countries signed a series of strategically important energy deals just a year ago. Chief among them was the Turkish Stream project -- a plan to build a new pipeline to carry Russian gas to Turkey, and then to the huge European market. It is set to replace the South Stream project, which was supposed to run through Ukraine but was canceled last year.
Turkey is the second largest buyer of Russia's natural gas, behind Germany.
Russia is also building Turkey's first nuclear power station, located in Mersin on the south coast of the country. Construction started in April and is expected to be completed by 2020. Under the agreement, signed in 2010, Russia will finance the $22 billion project and then operate the plant.
Both countries are already suffering huge economic turmoil and urgently need a boost, not another shock.
Russia's economy has been slammed by low oil prices and Western sanctions. The International Monetary Fund expects Russian GDP will shrink by 3.8% this year, and by another 0.6% in 2016.
Turkey is not in the best place either. Months of political deadlock after an inconclusive election in June weighed on activity. Growth has slumped in recent years. The IMF expects the economy to grow by just 3.1% this year and 3.6% in 2016 -- way below the 9% it experienced in 2010 and 2011.
I doubt Russia will cut off its nose to spite its face.
I recanted my call for a ZOT earlier. It is now renewed.
LOL. Idiot.
ZOT
There is absolutely no evidence that Obama wants to destroy ISIS.
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