Posted on 05/02/2018 8:33:31 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with Mike Pompeo, his US counterpart, in Brussels last week on the sidelines of a NATO ministerial gathering in the hope of opening a new and more positive chapter in Turkish-US ties.
There was little to suggest, however, that Cavusoglu’s first contact with the new secretary of state resulted in major breakthroughs with regard to the many problems besetting Turkish-American ties.
To the contrary, the readout of the meeting from the US side, and the remarks by Cavusoglu after the meeting, showed that differences remain, even if they are being contained as a result of backstage diplomacy.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s visit to Ankara in mid-February kept tensions between Turkey and the United States from boiling over. Tillerson’s visit came at a time when the two “strategic partners” appeared to be heading toward a military standoff over Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters in Syria.
Ankara’s threats to go after US-supported YPG fighters in the city of Manbij could not be brushed off by Washington after Turkey launched its Operation Olive Branch in January against the YPG in the northern Syrian city of Afrin.
Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization that poses an existential threat to Turkey. It has indicated that it will do what is necessary to prevent this group, and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party, from establishing a presence along Turkey’s border with Syria.
It was Ankara’s apparent determination that prompted Tillerson to visit Turkey with a view to reducing tensions and preventing the situation from spinning out of control. Washington also distanced itself from Turkey’s operation in Afrin, saying it had no forces in that city and, therefore, no interests there.
(Excerpt) Read more at al-monitor.com ...
A few points in the article are clearly not accurate, but it does define the tension.
This morning I read the readout posted on the Turkish Embassy website site and in the State Department web site and it is vague and somewhat misleading as to how this is viewed within the US Government.
After the invasion of Afrin by Turkey, I'm convinced there will not be repeat.
We need to kick the turkcoats off the team, since they’re not on it anyway. And take our playbook away from them in the process of giving them the boot.
The Turks have a completely different agenda than the rest of the NATO alliance. Theirs is an Islamist supremacist agenda.
Time for them to be kicked out.
“Washington also distanced itself from Turkey’s operation in Afrin, saying it had no forces in that city and, therefore, no interests there.”
I am not surprised. I believe that Turkey may have been behind the chemical attack in Syria. They should get booted out of NATO.
Translated...............Erdogan just found out Pompeo won’t bend to his nonsense!
We have No interests in Turkey giving away Kurd homes to al Qaeda militants bussed out of Ghouta?
This one will come back to bite
Unless Erdogan is defeated in the flash election coming up or something “happens” to him, you are correct.
Even if Erdogan was gone, not likely, the forces supporting him are still there.
He is not fooling Pompeo or Trump.
Yep
When they said that, the issue was Russia. After what happened in Afrin, it is crystal clear how bad this is.
Since we have forces in North Eastern Syria and control the air traffic there, I don’t look for any further concessions to Turkey in Northern Syria.
There are other things going on in the background. We are delaying, but this will be dealt with. In my humble opinion.
Earlier in Northern Syria Turkey was a supplier of the chemicals that the Jihadi’s use to make the Chem Weapons.
I don’t see that link to the area around Damascus.
It is very probable that Assad used them too.
Also not the silence from Assad. He is totally an Iranian puppet now.
Russia? Is protecting their interests. And associating with some very very bad people.
Translated.?
Absolutely correct. Pompeo has Erdogan’s number, BS will not work with him.
Yes, and it will bite Turkey too.
Good
And we still harbor GULEN. What’s that about?
And the number is snake eyes.
And we still harbor GULEN. What’s that about?
And we still harbor GULEN. What’s that about?
“If Erdogan is gone...”
That’s the issue; you’re right. There’s a big problem when fascism has been consolidated in the person of one man(iac): any elections are simply exercises in adoration.
I’m hearing Iran-Turkey on this.
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