...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor....
traded barbs on Wednesday, each accusing the other of undermining the NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure....
alliance in the latest development in their dispute over Ankara’s military ties with Moscow and Washington’s backing of armed Kurdish groups in Syria.
"Turkey must choose. Does it want to remain a critical partner in the most successful military alliance in history or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making such reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?" US Vice President Mike Pence said at a NATO event in Washington where the military alliance is celebrating their 70th anniversary.
Pence was referring to Turkey’s decision to purchase the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system. The United States has argued that Ankara’s purchase could expose NATO to potential security risks. This week, Washington announced it was halting deliveries of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey until Ankara walked back on its deal with Moscow.
In Washington,
"This system will not see any NATO system, including F-35s," he said, Anadolu Agency reported.
"We don't see our relations with Russia as an alternative to our relations with others. And nobody, neither the West nor Russia, should or can ask us to choose between," he said.
The "terrorists" Oktay accused the US of backing are armed Kurdish groups in Syria. The People’s Protection Units (YPG) are the backbone of the global war against ISIS in northern Syria. The United States and coalition allies have armed, trained, and fought alongside the YPG and the umbrella Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), defeating the so-called ISIS caliphate.
Ankara considers the YPG a branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a terror organization. The YPG denies the charge.
The United States is withdrawing most of its troops from northern Syria, leaving 400 soldiers behind. Washington and Ankara are trying to work out an agreement that will alleviate Turkey’s security concerns along its border with northern Syria and protect America’s Kurdish allies from a threatened
Cavusoglu was asked if he understood US policy in Syria. "No, and this is the problem," he replied, AFP reported.
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...will travel to Moscow on Monday to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances....