First transfers under agreement between EU, Turkey set to take place Monday
The Wall Street Journal
By NEKTARIA STAMOULI in Athens and AYLA ALBAYRAK in Izmir, Turkey
April 3, 2016 11:27 a.m. ET
Greece is due to start sending Syrian refugees and other migrants back across the Aegean Sea to Turkey on Monday, putting into practice a controversial deal between the European Union and Turkey aimed at stemming the migration flow into Europe.
Returns are scheduled to take place from the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios and will be carried out by EU border agency Frontex. Government and police officials are bracing themselves for resistance from migrants.
"Ό,τι η ψυχή επιθυμεί, αυτό και πιστεύει." Δημοσθένης (Whatever the soul wishes, thats what it believes, Demosthenes)
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Migrant arrivals to Greece rise sharply despite EU-Turkey deal
Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:12pm EDT
ATHENS | BY KAROLINA TAGARIS AND LEFTERIS KARAGIANNOPOULOS
Migrant and refugee arrivals to Greece from Turkey rose sharply on Wednesday, just over a week after the European Union and Turkey struck an agreement intended to cut off the flow and as hundreds marched through central Athens to protest that deal.
The demonstrators included human rights activists, students and migrants from among the thousands stranded in Greece by recent border closures across the Balkans.
Greek authorities recorded 766 new arrivals between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, up from 192 the previous day. Most entered the country via the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos.
Italy reported an even larger jump on Tuesday, when officials there said 1,350 people - mostly from Africa - were rescued from small boats taking a longer migration route across the Mediterranean as the weather warmed up.
ATHENS | BY KAROLINA TAGARIS AND LEFTERIS KARAGIANNOPOULOS
Migrant and refugee arrivals to Greece from Turkey rose sharply on Wednesday, just over a week after the European Union and Turkey struck an agreement intended to cut off the flow and as hundreds marched through central Athens to protest that deal.
The demonstrators included human rights activists, students and migrants from among the thousands stranded in Greece by recent border closures across the Balkans.
Greek authorities recorded 766 new arrivals between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, up from 192 the previous day. Most entered the country via the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos.
Italy reported an even larger jump on Tuesday, when officials there said 1,350 people - mostly from Africa - were rescued from small boats taking a longer migration route across the Mediterranean as the weather warmed up.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
European Union Grapples With Plan to Return Migrants From Greece to Turkey
By JAMES KANTERMARCH 17, 2016
Continue reading the main storyShare
The New York Times
BRUSSELS — European leaders edged closer early on Friday to a deal to return asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey despite a host of legal, political and moral issues raised by their latest effort to quell the migrant crisis.
The common stance agreed by the European Union’s 28 national leaders still needs the approval of Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. He flew here late Thursday for face-to-face talks on Friday.
Those negotiations will revolve around what incentives to grant Turkey, which is not a European Union member, in return for Turkey’s taking on the job of housing more of the migrants while they wait for word on whether they qualify for resettlement in Western Europe.
“We need to put all our efforts into achieving an agreement with Turkey,” Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, told an early morning news conference. “These will be negotiations that will certainly be anything but easy,” she warned.
Continue reading the main storyShare
The New York Times
BRUSSELS — European leaders edged closer early on Friday to a deal to return asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey despite a host of legal, political and moral issues raised by their latest effort to quell the migrant crisis.
The common stance agreed by the European Union’s 28 national leaders still needs the approval of Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. He flew here late Thursday for face-to-face talks on Friday.
Those negotiations will revolve around what incentives to grant Turkey, which is not a European Union member, in return for Turkey’s taking on the job of housing more of the migrants while they wait for word on whether they qualify for resettlement in Western Europe.
“We need to put all our efforts into achieving an agreement with Turkey,” Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, told an early morning news conference. “These will be negotiations that will certainly be anything but easy,” she warned.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
E.U. Woos Turkey for Refugee Help, Ignoring Rights Crackdown
By TIM ARANGO and CEYLAN YEGINSU
MARCH 8, 2016
The New York Times
ISTANBUL — The contrast was jarring: Just days after the police broke into the offices of an opposition newspaper using tear gas and water cannons, Turkey’s prime minister was greeted in Brussels with offers of billions in aid, visa-free travel for Turks in Europe and renewed prospects for joining the European Union.
The juxtaposition highlighted the conundrum Europe faces as it seeks solutions to its worst refugee crisis since World War II. To win Turkey’s desperately needed assistance in stemming the flow of migrants to the Continent, European officials seem prepared to ignore what critics say is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s steady march toward authoritarianism.
It is a moment of European weakness that the Turkish leadership seems keen to capitalize on. As Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Brussels this week, he upped the ante, asking for more financial aid than was previously negotiated and demanding visa-free travel by June, while offering to take back some migrants who had crossed into Europe.
MARCH 8, 2016
The New York Times
ISTANBUL — The contrast was jarring: Just days after the police broke into the offices of an opposition newspaper using tear gas and water cannons, Turkey’s prime minister was greeted in Brussels with offers of billions in aid, visa-free travel for Turks in Europe and renewed prospects for joining the European Union.
The juxtaposition highlighted the conundrum Europe faces as it seeks solutions to its worst refugee crisis since World War II. To win Turkey’s desperately needed assistance in stemming the flow of migrants to the Continent, European officials seem prepared to ignore what critics say is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s steady march toward authoritarianism.
It is a moment of European weakness that the Turkish leadership seems keen to capitalize on. As Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Brussels this week, he upped the ante, asking for more financial aid than was previously negotiated and demanding visa-free travel by June, while offering to take back some migrants who had crossed into Europe.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Turkey Places Conditions on E.U. for Migrant Help
By JAMES KANTER
MARCH 7, 2016
The New York Times
BRUSSELS — Turkey surprised European Union leaders on Monday by hitting them with a new set of demands if it is to help stem the flow of refugees from Syria and Iraq and other migrants seeking to enter Europe.
Leaders assessed the demands at an emergency summit meeting in Brussels, where Turkey’s prime minister asked for billions of euros in new assistance, easier access to visas for Turks to go to Europe and the dramatic acceleration of talks on Turkey’s membership in the bloc, a discussion that has languished for years.
The toughening of the Turkish position underscored Ankara’s apparent attempt to win more support from Europe if it is going to be expected to protect the bloc from hundreds of thousands of new asylum seekers.
But after a long day of negotiations that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday, the European leaders had made only partial progress, with many of them still assessing the terms. Even so, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said leaders would meet again in Brussels on March 18.
MARCH 7, 2016
The New York Times
BRUSSELS — Turkey surprised European Union leaders on Monday by hitting them with a new set of demands if it is to help stem the flow of refugees from Syria and Iraq and other migrants seeking to enter Europe.
Leaders assessed the demands at an emergency summit meeting in Brussels, where Turkey’s prime minister asked for billions of euros in new assistance, easier access to visas for Turks to go to Europe and the dramatic acceleration of talks on Turkey’s membership in the bloc, a discussion that has languished for years.
The toughening of the Turkish position underscored Ankara’s apparent attempt to win more support from Europe if it is going to be expected to protect the bloc from hundreds of thousands of new asylum seekers.
But after a long day of negotiations that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday, the European leaders had made only partial progress, with many of them still assessing the terms. Even so, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said leaders would meet again in Brussels on March 18.
Syria refugee crisis: Turkey and EU agree outline of 'one in, one out' deal Angela Merkel describes Turkish proposal as a ‘breakthrough’ but says time needed to agree final details
The Guardian
European leaders said early on Tuesday morning that they had reached the outlines for a possible deal with Ankara to return thousands of refugees to Turkey and were hopeful a full agreement could be reached at a summit next week.
Analysis One in, one out – the EU's simplistic answer to the refugee crisis
The proposal that Europe will resettle every Syrian that Turkey allows in from Greece is morally and legally complex
Read more
Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, outlined proposals to resettle one Syrian refugee in Europe for every Syrian returned to Turkey from the Greek islands.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
The Russia-Armenia alliance is threatening Turkey, a critical U.S. ally
The Washington Post
February 26 at 5:35 PM
The Feb. 21 front-page article “For Turkey, high stakes as troubles intensify” highlighted a critical development: The growing military alliance between Russia and Armenia is threatening Turkey, an indispensable U.S. ally and partner in the fight against the Islamic State.
February 26 at 5:35 PM
The Feb. 21 front-page article “For Turkey, high stakes as troubles intensify” highlighted a critical development: The growing military alliance between Russia and Armenia is threatening Turkey, an indispensable U.S. ally and partner in the fight against the Islamic State.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Questions Linger Over Russia’s Endgame in Syria, Ukraine and Europe
By NEIL MacFARQUHARFEB. 23, 2016
The New York Times
MOSCOW — The partial truce that Russia and the United States have thrashed out in Syria capped something of a foreign policy trifecta for President Vladimir V. Putin, with the Kremlin strong-arming itself into a pivotal role in the Middle East, Ukraine floundering and the European Union developing cracks like a badly glazed pot.
Beyond what could well be a high point for Mr. Putin, however, lingering questions about Russia’s endgame arise in all three directions.
The New York Times
MOSCOW — The partial truce that Russia and the United States have thrashed out in Syria capped something of a foreign policy trifecta for President Vladimir V. Putin, with the Kremlin strong-arming itself into a pivotal role in the Middle East, Ukraine floundering and the European Union developing cracks like a badly glazed pot.
Beyond what could well be a high point for Mr. Putin, however, lingering questions about Russia’s endgame arise in all three directions.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Turkey’s increasingly desperate predicament poses real dangers
The Washington Post
By Liz Sly February 20 at 7:09 PM
ISTANBUL — Turkey is confronting what amounts to a strategic nightmare as bombs explode in its cities, its enemies encroach on its borders and its allies seemingly snub its demands.
As recently as four years ago, Turkey appeared poised to become one of the biggest winners of the Arab Spring, an ascendant power hailed by the West as a model and embraced by a region seeking new patrons and new forms of governance.
All that has evaporated since the failure of the Arab revolts, shifts in the geopolitical landscape and the trajectory of the Syrian war.
By Liz Sly February 20 at 7:09 PM
ISTANBUL — Turkey is confronting what amounts to a strategic nightmare as bombs explode in its cities, its enemies encroach on its borders and its allies seemingly snub its demands.
As recently as four years ago, Turkey appeared poised to become one of the biggest winners of the Arab Spring, an ascendant power hailed by the West as a model and embraced by a region seeking new patrons and new forms of governance.
All that has evaporated since the failure of the Arab revolts, shifts in the geopolitical landscape and the trajectory of the Syrian war.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
NATO's support for Turkey is not unconditional
NATO warns Turkey it can't count on support in a conflict with Russia as tensions escalate
European diplomats warned that Ankara cannot invoke Article 5
Germany says that NATO cannot 'pay the price for a war started by Turks'
Turkey has called for international ground operation in Syria
Russia called Security Council meeting to halt Turkey's shelling of Kurds
By GIANLUCA MEZZOFIORE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 13:06 GMT, 20 February 2016 | UPDATED: 14:45 GMT, 20 February 2016
Daily Mail
European diplomats warned that Ankara cannot invoke Article 5
Germany says that NATO cannot 'pay the price for a war started by Turks'
Turkey has called for international ground operation in Syria
Russia called Security Council meeting to halt Turkey's shelling of Kurds
By GIANLUCA MEZZOFIORE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 13:06 GMT, 20 February 2016 | UPDATED: 14:45 GMT, 20 February 2016
Daily Mail
These 5 Facts Explain Why Turkey Is in Deep Trouble
Ian Bremmer @ianbremmer Feb. 19, 2016
TIME
As Turkey ramps up its involvement in the war in Syria, it risks being hit by serious international blowback
It’s been a bad week for Turkey. As the country intensifies its military campaign in Syria, a bomb ripped through Ankara in apparent retaliation on Feb. 17, killing 28 people and injuring 61 others. Sadly, it’s an all too familiar sight. These five facts explain the mounting threats Turkey faces from Syria’s war next door.
TIME
As Turkey ramps up its involvement in the war in Syria, it risks being hit by serious international blowback
It’s been a bad week for Turkey. As the country intensifies its military campaign in Syria, a bomb ripped through Ankara in apparent retaliation on Feb. 17, killing 28 people and injuring 61 others. Sadly, it’s an all too familiar sight. These five facts explain the mounting threats Turkey faces from Syria’s war next door.
Labels:
Debt crisis,
Geopolitics,
Kurdistan,
Refugees,
Turkey
Friday, February 19, 2016
Turkey Blames Kurdish Militia for Ankara Attack, Challenging U.S.
By TIM ARANGO and CEYLAN YEGINSUFEB. 18, 2016
The New York Time
BAGHDAD — In blaming a Syrian Kurdish militia supported by the United States for a deadly car bombing in Ankara, Turkey added new urgency on Thursday to a question its president recently posed to the Obama administration: Are you on the side of a NATO ally — Turkey — or its enemies?
The militia, which adamantly denies any role in the bombing, is the administration’s most important ground force inside Syria in the fight against the militants of the Islamic State. But it is also fast becoming an enemy of Turkey, which views the militia as a national security threat because of its links to another Kurdish militant group that is battling for autonomy within Turkey.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Kurds Warn Turkey of ‘Big War’ With Russia If Troops Enter Syria
Henry Meyer
Stepan Kravchenko
Bloomberg
February 18, 2016 — 2:51 PM EET Updated on February 18, 2016 — 5:18 PM EET
Russia has promised to protect Kurdish fighters in Syria in case of a ground offensive by Turkey, a move that would lead to a “big war,” the Syrian group’s envoy to Moscow said in an interview on Wednesday.
“We take this threat very seriously because the ruling party in Turkey is a party of war,” Rodi Osman, head of the Syrian Kurds’ newly-opened representative office said in Kurdish via a Russian interpreter. “Russia will respond if there is an invasion. This isn’t only about the Kurds, they will defend the territorial sovereignty of Syria.”
Stepan Kravchenko
Bloomberg
February 18, 2016 — 2:51 PM EET Updated on February 18, 2016 — 5:18 PM EET
Russia has promised to protect Kurdish fighters in Syria in case of a ground offensive by Turkey, a move that would lead to a “big war,” the Syrian group’s envoy to Moscow said in an interview on Wednesday.
“We take this threat very seriously because the ruling party in Turkey is a party of war,” Rodi Osman, head of the Syrian Kurds’ newly-opened representative office said in Kurdish via a Russian interpreter. “Russia will respond if there is an invasion. This isn’t only about the Kurds, they will defend the territorial sovereignty of Syria.”
Hundreds of armed rebels cross from Turkey into Syria, says monitor
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports 500 insurgents
and Islamist fighters headed for town of Azaz where anti-Assad forces have lost
ground
The Guardian
At least 500 rebels on Wednesday crossed the Turkish border,
a monitor said, and headed for the Syrian town of Azaz in northern Aleppo
province where opposition forces have suffered setbacks at the hands of Kurdish
fighters.
“At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salam border
crossing on their way to the town of Azaz, from which they want to help the
insurgents in the face of gains made by Kurdish forces in the north of the
province,” the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel,
told Agence France-Presse.
Ankara blast: Turkey vows retaliation for deadly bomb attack
18-2-2016
49 minutes ago
BBC
Turkey has vowed to retaliate against the perpetrators of a
powerful blast in the capital Ankara that left at least 28 people dead and 61
injured.
"Turkey will not shy away from using its right to
self-defence at any time, any place or any occasion," President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said.
Officials said a vehicle full of explosives was detonated as
military buses were passing by on Wednesday.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
NATO and Europe’s Refugee Crisis
By THE EDITORIAL
BOARDFEB. 16, 2016
The New York Times
The announcement last
Thursday that NATO would send ships to patrol the Aegean in an effort to break
up the smuggling rings ferrying desperate refugees and migrants from Turkey to
Greece is, at this point, more a symbolic show of solidarity than anything else.
Even so, it reflects a heightened sense of urgency about the refugee crisis and
sends a strong signal that the Western alliance stands ready to help Europe
cope with it.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Turkey Moves to Clamp Down on Border, Long a Revolving Door
By TIM ARANGODEC. 22, 2015
The New
York Times
Down south,
at the border with Syria , Turkey is
building a concrete wall, digging trenches, laying razor wire and at night
illuminating vast stretches of land in an effort to cut off the flow of supplies
and foreign fighters to the Islamic State.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Turkey says has duty to protect soldiers in Iraq after Baghdad ultimatum
Mon Dec 7,
2015 7:56am EST Related: WORLD, TURKEY ,
IRAQ
ISTANBUL/ERBIL
| BY DAREN BUTLER
AND ISABEL COLES
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Russia and Turkey Hurl Insults as Feud Deepens
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
DEC. 3, 2015
DEC. 3, 2015
The New
York Times
The Kremlin
also said that the long-delayed transfer of the S-300 air defense system to Iran had started, a move that strengthens one of
Turkey ’s regional rivals
while raising concerns in Israel .
Friday, November 27, 2015
Memo to Putin: Syria Is Turkey's Ukraine
49 NOV 27,
2015 2:00 AM EST
By Marc
Champion
Bloomberg
Russian
leaders have evidently been shocked by Turkey 's
deliberate decision to shoot down one of their planes, which they say was
motivated by Turkey 's
alleged support for Islamic State and greed for the proceeds of smuggled
terrorist oil. A simpler explanation is that Russia would have done the same.
Here is the
hypothetical: What would President Vladimir Putin do if civil war broke out in
a neighboring country, which had been part of the Russian empire for centuries
before breaking away under circumstances, and with borders, that Russians still
found difficult to accept? What would he do if, in that war, some of the rebels
were ethnic Russians at risk of being brutally crushed by the armed forces of
the neighboring state?
Actually,
that's not so hypothetical; it pretty much describes eastern Ukraine . And we
know what Russia
did -- it became heavily involved in a poorly concealed invasion.
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