Latest news with #Erdogan
Rudaw Net
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Turkey accuses Israel of trying to ‘divide Syria,' vows to intervene
Also in Middle East Iraq says Turkey ready to renew, expand oil export deal PKK disarmament could be completed within four months: Kurdish lawmaker Sudani, Erdogan discuss Ankara-PKK peace talks President Barzani plays key role in PKK peace talks, says veteran politician A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey's foreign minister on Tuesday blasted Israel for attempting to 'divide Syria' and threatened to intervene in the country to prevent what he called a 'direct threat' to Ankara's national security. 'If the groups in Syria move towards division and destabilization, Turkey will consider it a direct threat to its national security and will intervene,' Hakan Fidan said in a joint presser with his El Salvadoran counterpart in Ankara. 'Israel, which does not want to see a stable country in the region, aims to divide Syria.' Fighting erupted in Syria's southern Druze-majority Suwayda province between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes on June 13, leading to a regional crisis as Israel intervened in support of the Druze, striking several targets, including Syrian state forces and an airstrike on the defense ministry building in Damascus. 'Discuss anything you want, make whatever demands you have, Turkey is willing to assist, but if you go beyond that, we will not allow ourselves to remain under threat,' Fidan asserted. He further condemned Israel's regional policy as one that is aimed at 'weakening the region and keeping it in chaos.' At least 1,265 people have been killed in the violence in Suwayda, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A Washington-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria was announced on Saturday by US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, with the truce seemingly holding. The Druze are in control of the province while Syrian government forces are guarding the entrance to prevent Sunni fighters' entry in a bid to avoid further tensions. Three ceasefires between Damascus and the Druze fighters have failed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December. While Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pledged to form an 'inclusive transitional government that would reflect Syria's diversity,' he continues to face domestic and international criticism over his perceived marginalization of minority communities.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kurdish farmers return to mountains in peace as PKK tensions calm
Deep in the mountains of Turkey's southeastern Hakkari province, bordering Iran and Iraq, Kurdish livestock owners and farmers have gradually returned with their animals after decades of armed conflict between Kurdish militants and the Turkish army. "We've been coming here for a long time. Thirty years ago we used to come and go, but then we couldn't come. Now we just started to come again and to bring our animals as we want," said 57-year-old Selahattin Irinc, speaking Kurdish, while gently pressing his hand on a sheep's neck to keep it from moving during shearing. On July 11 a symbolic weapons destruction ceremony in Iraqi Kurdistan marked a major step in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics -- part of a broader effort to end one of the region's longest-running conflicts. The PKK, listed as a terror group by Turkey and much of the international community, was formed in 1978 by Ankara University students, with the ultimate goal of achieving the Kurds' liberation. It took up arms in 1984. The conflict has caused 50,000 deaths among civilians and 2,000 among soldiers, according to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Alongside with several other men and women, Irinc practices animal husbandry in the grassy highlands at the foot of the Cilo Mountains and its Resko peak, which stands as the second-highest in the country with an altitude of 4,137 meters (13,572 feet). A place of scenic beauty, with waterfalls, glacial lakes and trekking routes, Cilo has gradually opened its roads over the past few years to shepherds and tourists alike as the armed conflict with PKK died down on the backdrop of peace negotiations. But the picturesque mountains had long been the scene of heavy fighting between the Turkish army and PKK fighters who took advantage of the rough terrain to hide and strike. It left the Kurdish farmers often at odds with the army. "In the past we always had problems with the Turkish soldiers. They accused us of helping PKK fighters by feeding them things like milk and meat from our herd," another Kurdish livestock owner, who asked not to be named, told AFP, rejecting such claims. "Now it's calmer," he added. - 'Last generation' - Although the peace process brought more openness and ease to the region, tensions did not vanish overnight. Checkpoints remain present around the city of Hakkari, and also to the main access point to the trekking path leading to Cilo glacier, a major tourist attraction. "Life is quite good and it's very beautiful here. Tourists come and stay in the mountains for one or two days with their tents, food, water and so on," said farmer Mahir Irinc. But the mountains are a hard, demanding environment for those making a living in their imposing shadow, and the 37-year-old thinks his generation might be the last to do animal husbandry far away from the city. "I don't think a new generation will come after us. We will be happy if it does, but the young people nowadays don't want to raise animals, they just do whatever job is easier," he lamented. An open truck carrying more than a dozen Kurdish women made its way to another farm in the heart of the mountains, where sheep waited to be fed and milked. The livestock graze at the foot of the mountains for three to four months, while the weather is warm, before being brought back to the village. "We all work here. Mothers, sisters, our whole family. Normally I'm preparing for university, but today I was forced to come because my mother is sick," explained 22-year-old Hicran Denis. "I told my mother: don't do this anymore, because it's so tiring. But when you live in a village, livestock is the only work. There's nothing else," she said. ii/fo/giv/jhb Solve the daily Crossword
Rudaw Net
14 hours ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq says Turkey ready to renew, expand oil export deal
Also in Middle East PKK disarmament could be completed within four months: Kurdish lawmaker Sudani, Erdogan discuss Ankara-PKK peace talks President Barzani plays key role in PKK peace talks, says veteran politician Turkey continues to strike PKK ahead of disarmament: Watchdog A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi oil ministry said late Monday that the Turkish government has officially expressed its willingness to renew the 1973 oil export agreement with Baghdad and expand it to other fields, a day after Ankara announced the end of the deal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not renew the 1973 Iraq-Turkey oil export agreement and the deal is set to be terminated in 2026, the country's official gazette announced on Monday. The agreement stipulates that the deal will be considered extended unless a termination note is sent by one of the parties one year before its expiration. The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) late Monday cited an official from the Iraqi oil ministry as saying that based on this Ankara has sent a letter to Baghdad 'expressing its desire to renew the agreement and attaching a draft of a new agreement for cooperation in the energy field that is more comprehensive than the previous agreement, as it included cooperation in the fields of oil, gas, petrochemical industries, and electricity in order to expand the horizons of cooperation between the two countries." The unnamed source added that both sides have been negotiating a new deal since July 2014, noting that the Iraqi oil ministry 'is in the process of reviewing the draft agreement sent by the Turkish side and negotiating with them about it to reach a formula that serves the interests of Iraq and Turkey." Turkey has confirmed sending the letter to Iraq. The agreement was first signed between the Turkish and Iraqi governments on August 27, 1973, and has been renewed repeatedly over the years, most recently in 2010. The Iraq-Turkey crude oil pipeline was built to transport crude oil from Kirkuk and other fields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The development comes amid renewed efforts by the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to resume long-stalled oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the pipeline have been halted since March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin exporting oil independently in 2014.
Asharq Al-Awsat
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Türkiye's Erdogan Says Syria's Sharaa Showed Strong Stance against Israel
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan praised his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa for showing a strong stance and not compromising in Syria's conflict with Israel, and said Sharaa took a "very positive" step by reaching an understanding with the Druze. Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a US-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said. In comments to Turkish media released on Monday, Erdogan said Syria's government had established some control in Sweida and the country's south with around 2,500 soldiers, with all but one Druze faction agreeing to respect the ceasefire during talks in Amman. He also told reporters on his flight returning from northern Cyprus that the United States now understood it needed to "own" the issue more, warning that the main issue was Israel using the fighting as an excuse to invade Syrian lands.
Rudaw Net
a day ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Erdogan commends Ocalan's support for peace process
Also in Turkey Erdogan will not seek Turkey-Iraq oil export deal renewal: Gazette PKK says no more disarmament until Ankara enacts reforms Turkish parties discuss forming PKK peace commission in parliament Parents find missing daughter during PKK disarmament ceremony A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday praised the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for his continued support for peace talks between the Kurdish group and Ankara. Erdogan also noted progress in ongoing efforts to establish a parliamentary commission to bring the matter before the legislature. 'We are determined to build a terrorism-free future. We are clear about what we will do to reach our goal, how we will achieve it, and where we will ultimately end up,' Erdogan told journalists on Monday. 'Imrali has provided and continues to provide all kinds of support on this issue. This aspect is very important,' the Turkish leader added, referring to the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been jailed at Imrali prison since 1999. On May 12, the PKK announced its dissolution and intention to disarm after being urged to do so by their founder Ocalan who said it was time to take the struggle for Kurdish rights into the political sphere. The PKK has declared a unilateral ceasefire and on July 11 had a ceremonial disarmament where 30 fighters, including commanders, burned their weapons. Erdogan also said that they are following the PKK disarmament process, adding that the negotiations to form a parliamentary commission to address the peace process, or what Ankara calls terror-free Turkey, have 'reached the final stage. You will soon see progress at the parliamentary level.' The peace process will be guided by the parliamentary commission. Representatives of the parliamentary bloc of Turkey's political parties met with the parliament speaker on Friday and the commission will be formed within days. The commission has broad political support, except from the ultranationalist IYI Party. Cemil Bayik, co-chair of the executive council of PKK umbrella group the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), said in a recent interview with PKK media that the commission's sole purpose cannot be disarmament of the PKK. 'If the PKK armed itself, it wasn't because they wanted to use weapons. The Turkish state, through its policies and practices, forced them to do so. That's why the armed movement developed. If they don't want an armed movement, they need to change their policies. Only then will the problem be solved. The issue of weapons alone won't solve the problem,' he said. He also warned that the group will not commit to further disarmament until Turkey makes legal reforms to address discrimination of its Kurdish population, and if Ankara fails to take action, then other groups will emerge and pick up the fight. Devlet Bahceli, the initiator of the nascent peace process and leader of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has said that a Kurd and an Alevi could serve as vice presidents of the country - a statement he reiterated on Monday. 'Both Alevis and Kurds are ours,' he said. 'We are one, we are together, we are brothers, we are a very large family.'
