The truth about Syria

[MosJan]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/29/europe/syria-turkey-russia-warplane/index.html

[MosJan]

IS executes over 3,500 people since declaring “caliphate:” monitor
IS executes over 3,500 people since declaring “caliphate:” monitor
November 30, 2015 - 13:52 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State group has executed more than 3,500 people in Syria, including nearly 2,000 civilians, since declaring its "caliphate" in June last year, a monitor said Sunday, November 29, AFP reports.

In the last month alone IS executed 53 people -- including 35 civilians -- in areas it controls in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The new figures from the Britain-based Observatory bring to 3,591 the number of people executed by IS in Syria since it declared its Islamic "caliphate" after seizing control of large parts of the country.

The new toll includes 1,945 civilians, including 103 women and 77 children, with civilians defined as those who are not taking part in the fighting.

Some were executed for alleged witchcraft, homosexuality and collaborating with the US-led coalition that has been bombarding IS in Syria since September 2014.

Members of Sunni Shaitat tribe account for around half of the civilians killed. IS killed 930 members of the clan in the northeastern Deir Ezzor province last year after they opposed the extremist Sunni Muslim group.

The monitor also documented 247 IS executions of rival rebels and Kurdish fighters, as well as the executions of 975 members of regime forces.

IS has also executed 415 of its own members it accused of crimes including spying, many of them captured as they were trying to desert the group, according to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists, medical staff and fighters on the ground.

 

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/201470/

[MosJan]

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/201458/
Greece calls on Russia to recognize genocide of Pontiacs
November 30, 2015 - 13:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Greek public and the Greeks living in Russia are calling on the country to recognize the genocide of Pontiacs perpetrated at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Addressed to the Russian President, State Duma and the Federal Council, the petition was published on Change.org.

The Turkish authorities have destroyed some 326.000 – 382.000 Greek civilians, living in Pontus, the document says.

“The souls of the victims have been yearning for justice for already 100 years. We call on Russia – a country that sheltered hundreds of thousands of Greeks who survived the Turks' atrocities – to honor the memory of the innocent victims,” the document reads, according to RIA Novosti.

[MosJan]

ohhh good timing

[MosJan]

Putin Says Turkey Downed Jet to Protect ‘Oil Trade with ISIS’

 

http://asbarez.com/142317/putin-says-turkey-downed-jet-to-protect-oil-trade-with-isis/

 

ARIS—Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused Turkey of deliberately downing a Russian fighter jet last week to protect what he called Turkey’s “oil trade with ISIS,” reported the TASS news agency.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Climate Summit in Part, Putin said that Moscow has grounds to suspect that the Su-24 was downed by Turkish jets on November 24 to secure illegal oil deliveries from Syria to Turkey by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Da’esh.

“At the moment we have received additional information confirming that oil from the deposits controlled by Islamic State militants enters Turkish territory on an industrial scale,” said Putin. “We have every reason to believe that the decision to down our plane was guided by a desire to ensure security of this oil’s delivery routes to ports where they are shipped in tankers.”

Putin, who called the downing of the jet a “mistake” by Turkey, said that he addressed the issue and presented details to all world leaders with whom he met during the Paris talks.

The Russian leader said that most of those leaders “at least share the opinion that there was no need to attack the unprotected Russian bomber, which was of no threat to Turkey.”

Speaking to reporters in Paris, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied the Putin allegations, saying that he would resign if they were true.

Turkey has maintained that its decision to shoot down the plane was justified by claiming that it was violating its airspace. Official Moscow immediately released video footage suggesting that the plane did not cross Turkish airspace, an account verified by one of the rescued pilots.

[MosJan]

Russia has ‘more proof’ ISIS oil routed through Turkey, Erdogan says he’ll resign if it’s true

 

Russia has received additional intelligence confirming that oil from deposits controlled by Islamic State is moved through Turkey on an industrial scale, said Vladimir Putin. President Recep Erdogan said he will resign if this is confirmed.

 

Moscow has grounds to suspect that the Su-24 was downed by Turkish jets on November 24 to secure illegal oil deliveries from Syria to Turkey, he said speaking on the sidelines of the climate change summit in Paris on Monday.

“At the moment we have received additional information confirming that that oil from the deposits controlled by Islamic State militants enters Turkish territory on industrial scale,” he said.

“We have every reason to believe that the decision to down our plane was guided by a desire to ensure security of this oil’s delivery routes to ports where they are shipped in tankers,” Putin said.

Speaking in Paris on Monday, President Recep Erdogan said that he will leave office if there is proof of Turkey’s cooperation with IS.

“We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have, in fact, done so, I will leave office. If there is any evidence, let them present it, we’ll consider [it],” he said, as quoted by TASS.

The countries from which Turkey buys oil are “well known,” said Erdogan.

He called on Russia to comment on the US’ recent black-listing of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the World Chess Federation President, accusing him of “materially assisting and acting for or on behalf of the Government of Syria.” Erdogan alleged Ilyumzhinov had been dealing with Islamic State oil.

 

https://www.rt.com/news/324045-putin-erdogan-su-downing/#.VlyxNAbXlJ8.facebook

[MosJan]

 

 

[MosJan]

Are Syrian Kurds Becoming Erdogan's Worst Nightmare?

 

As Turkey's Erdogan cracks down on internal dissent, Syrian Kurds, viciously opposed to Turkey-backed terrorist rebel groups, may provide the most potent challenge yet for the Turkish president.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), began multiple offensives against the al-Nusra Front and its US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) allies over the weekend, reports on both sides' social media and YouTube accounts suggest.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20151130/1030988427/syria-kurds-erdogan-nightmare.html#ixzz3t125XODv

 

It is unclear if the SDF attacked the al-Nusra Front and its allied FSA units in coordination with previously reported Russian bombings of al-Nusra Front targets in Syria's northern Aleppo region.

On November 25, a day after Turkey shot down the Russian plane, the co-head of Syria's Democratic Union Party (PYD) Salih Muslim told Sputnik that the party seeks cooperation with Russia.

The PYD also has an armed wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is said to form the backbone of the SDF.

http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20151130/1030988427/syria-kurds-erdogan-nightmare.html

[MosJan]

Time to Kick Turkey Out of NATO? Ankara Playing Dangerous Games With ISIL

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151127/1030887274/turkey-nato-ankara-dangerous-games-isil.html#ixzz3t12GAeAH

 

For decades Ankara has used its NATO membership to achieve its own goals, which very often do not coincide with the interests of the Alliance, Czech-based freelance journalist and analyst Martin Berger emphasizes.

Ankara's recent provocative action toward Russia has prompted deep concerns among NATO member states: it is clear that not one of them is interested in escalating tensions with Russia.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151127/1030887274/turkey-nato-ankara-dangerous-games-isil.html#ixzz3t12K6E8l

 

"The members of NATO fear that the 'impulsive actions' of Turkey's President will force them into a new major conflict, and NATO is not prepared to fight it yet. These 'impulsive actions' may trigger the response that is required by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty," Czech-based freelance journalist and analyst Martin Berger writes in his article for New Eastern Outlook."

 

In order to resolve the dangerous crisis which erupted in the wake of the downing of an Su-24 bomber by a Turkish fighter jet, the West is now searching for those "guilty" of the attack. And it is obvious that the guilty party is Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, Berger stresses.

"Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and the chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Sigmar Gabriel expressed harsh criticism of Turkey after the downing of Russia's Su-24 bombers by labeling it an 'unpredictable player'," the analyst points out.

Citing French media sources, Berger calls attention to the fact that since the Muslim Brotherhood "came to power" in Turkey, the country has become a serious headache rather than a reliable partner of the Western bloc.

Furthermore, under Erdogan's rule Ankara has spoiled Turkey's relations with Israel. On the other hand, during the Arab Spring the Turkish leader had first sided with Assad but then "stabbed him in the back" allowing Islamists from around the world to flood Syria through the Turkey-Syrian border, Berger narrates. He adds that Ankara has never missed an opportunity to demonstrate its disdain toward the Kurds, which have long been fighting against Islamic State and even went so far as to attack them.

In light of this the analyst quotes the former NATO commander of Europe, Ret. General Wesley Clark, who once said about Turkey

[MosJan]

ok on the left its the flag that we all know is turkish, but the one on the right ??

 

http://cdn3.img.sputniknews.com/images/103070/66/1030706619.jpg

[Yervant1]

Could be party emblem added to the furkish one!

[MosJan]

Ռուսաստանը շտապ կերպով զինվորներ և ռազմատեխնիկա է տեղաբաշխում հայ-թուրքական սահմանին

30-11-2015 18:57:02 | Ռուսաստան | Քաղաքական
Ռուսաստանը հազարավոր զինվորներ և ռազմատեխնիկա է տեղաբաշխում հայ-թուրքական սահմանի երկայնքով:
Այս մասին հայտնում է asialive.info-ն՝ հղում անելով Ռուսաստանի Պաշտպանության նախարարության զեկույցին:

Ըստ տեղեկությունների, ՌԴ նախագահ Վլադիմիր Պուտինը նոյեմբերի 29-ի առավոտյան հրաման է տվել 58-րդ բանակին «լավագույն ուժեր»-ն անմիջապես տեղաբաշխել հայ-թուրքական սահմանին:
«Լավագույն ուժեր» ասելով` նկատի է առնվում զենիթային, համազարկային կրակի ռեակտիվ և հակատանկային համակարգերը, ինչպես նաև հետևակային և հրետանային զորքերը:
Ըստ աղբյուրի, հայ-թուրքական սահմանին ընդհանուր առմամբ պետք է լինի մոտ 7000 ռուս զինվոր:

[Yervant1]

THE PROGRESSIVE TURK OXYMORON

Editorial, 29 November 2015

Armenians who follow Armenian/Turkish politics and particularly the
Armenian goal to recover all or part of Western Armenia and Cilicia
are split into three general groups: the first believes Armenians can
recover their lands only through military means probably through a
major international conflict; the second group hopes that by helping
Kurds they can recover some of the Armenian territories when Kurds
gain independence; the third group counts on a peaceful resolution.

According to the last school of thought, as Turkey becomes
progressive/democratic and gain unfettered access to the historic
truth about the horrific injustice they inflicted upon the Armenians
they would return the Armenian lands.

The third and possibly the second group received shock as a result
of President Erdogan's overwhelming electoral victory on Nov. 1.

The Erdogan victory underlines the obvious: he knows Turks better
than the progressive forces inside and outside Turkey do. The Turks
progressive forces were counting on to wake up from their racist,
ultranationalist, and obscurantist frame of mind returned to power an
Erdogan who is far more powerful than at any time in his controversial
career. The Turkish voter, with his eyes wide open, boosted the power
of a man who:

Is partly responsible for the Syrian Civil War; Is partly responsible
for the death of more than 250,000 Syrians, injury to more than 2
million Syrians, and the flight of close to 5 million Syrians; Is
partly responsible for the presence of 2.5 million destitute Syrians
in Turkey; Is partly responsible for the countless Syrian refugees who
continue to flee to Europe; Is partly responsible for the $7 billion
or so Turkey claims to have spent to "accommodate" the Syrian refugees;
Is the closest ally of the murderous IS/ISIS/ISIL/Da'esh.

In the past three years Erdogan has armed and trained ISIS; Provided
the fleeing terrorists with sanctuary; Provided free R & R (rest
and recreation) plus medical services at Turkish hotels, hostels,
and hospitals to ISIS and related psychopaths; Provided air cover
for ISIS forces to kill Syrians--Arab or Kurd; Helped ISIS in the
destruction of Kobani; Supported the ISIS office in Istanbul which
offered welcoming service for the nascent international terrorists and
hoi polloi who wanted to join in the ISIS bloodbath; Allowed that same
Istanbul hospitality office to provide money, advice, transportation
services and safe crossing from Turkey to Syria; Who did a wink-wink,
nudge-nudge to "refugees" headed to Europe to terrorize the people
there; Who sheltered Chechen, Uighur, Jabhat el-Nusra (the Al-Qaida
chapter in Syria) and other Islamic terrorists whose bloody trail
extended from Western Europe to Thailand; Who helped ISIS flourish
financially by buying the terror group's ill-gotten Iraqi oil. By
doing so contributed to ISIS' ability to perpetuate further atrocities
and destruction; Who facilitated the theft of antiques in Iraq and
Syria by allowing art thieves to use Turkey as transport channel to
Europe; Who is an ally of one of the most primitive, corrupt, violent,
and anti-human rights countries in the world: Wahabist Saudi Arabia;
Allowed the Dokumacilar Unit of ISIS in Turkey to recruit terrorists
(of the 400 recruited from Adyaman alone, 60 were trained as suicide
bombers); Collaborated with ISIS suicide bombers who killed 98 Kurds
and allied peace activists in Ankara on October 10. As Kurdish leader
Sallahetin Demirtas wondered aloud: "How in a country where a bird
can't fly without the knowledge of the intelligence services did the
killers acquire the bombs, travel freely to the demonstration site and
merge with the Kurds without the knowledge of the Turkish authorities?"

Sent toxic sarin gas to Damascus (which killed many civilians) so as
to draw the Americans into the Syrian Civil War; Backed false flag
operations in Syria; Told the Islamic terrorists to target Armenian
neighborhoods in Aleppo and to attack Armenian Kessab in northern
Syria; Frequently banned or blocked Internet, Twitter and other
social media so as to control freedom of expression; Imprisoned
scores of journalists and harassed media which did not march to
his drum beat. Among his major victims: Zaman, Hurriyet, CNN Turk;
Announced he would increase the budget of the intelligence services
by 47%. This at a time when the lira had lost 25% of its value within
a year; Allowed the budget of the Directorate of Religious Affairs
to be larger than those of 12 ministries; Whose government arrested
12-year-old boys for "insulting the president". The punishment
for such offense is two to three years in jail; Built a 1,001-room
Presidential Palace at a time when the economy was in a downward spiral
(the building has a staff of 2,700); Who is a billionaire whose path to
fabulous wealth is a state secret; Boasts about his vile language and
is responsible for such quotes as "Ben buyuk tasakiera var" (I have
big balls); Admitted "democracy is like a trolley--you ride it until
you arrive at your destination, then you step off"; Who is intent at
replacing parliamentary government with an executive president--a
sure path to dictatorship in his case; Whose intelligence services
killed Kurdish women activists in Paris and journalists Serena Shim
and Jackie Sutton. Shim's crime was to report on Turkish military
activities in Kobani. Sutton, a former BBC reporter, was found
hanged at an Istanbul airport washroom. She was the director of the
Institute of War and Peace Reporting in Iraq. She was on her way to
Irbil. Her predecessor was killed a few years ago; Who interfered in
the domestic policies of neighboring countries, particularly Egypt,
a country which has been a long-time friend of Turkey.

The above rap sheet of Tayyip the Terrible is by no means
comprehensive.

The murderous buffoon, the psychotic clown, the scourge of progressive
forces certainly understands the Turkish psyche. Otherwise how to
explain the ringing victory the electorate gave him in early November?

How did the Mussolini of Mendacity achieve his victory? He first
created a false Kurdish threat by attacking them. When the Kurds
refused to fall into his trap and didn't retaliate, Wily Erdo
tried to provoke them once again: his intelligence services sent
deranged ISIS murderers to kill the Kurdish marchers in Ankara. The
jumped-up Machiavelli of Ankara hoped the outrage would finally
force the Kurds to hit back. Erdo then scared the electorate by
claiming Turkey's existence was threatened and that the only way to
maintain the country's cohesion was to choose his ultranationalist
and rejectionist path.

An electorate which had these facts at its finger tips but rejected
to accept them is not one which inspires hope or confidence. An
electorate which is willing to be hoodwinked is a long way from
seeking the truth about itself, its ancestors, and its history.

Have progressive forces been taken on a ride as to the possibility
of healthy change in Turkey? Are the Turks who said "We are all Hrant
Dink" the useful idiots of Erdogan? Are they the unaware fig leaf of
a reactionary Turkey?

http://www.keghart.com/Editorial-Oxymoron#comment-23610

[Yervant1]

MP SUGGEST RUSSIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL TO ENLIST "GREY WOLVES" AMONG TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

21:42, 30 November, 2015

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of Constitutional
Legislation and State Construction Committee of the RF Federation
Council Andrey Klishas addressed a letter to Prosecutor General of
Russia Yuri Chayka asking to recognize Turkish youth organization "Grey
wolves" as a terrorist organization and ban its activities in Russia.

"I ask you to discuss the possibility of submitting an application to
the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for recognizing Turkish
"Grey wolves" organization as a terrorist organization and banning
its activities in the territory of the RF", "Armenpress' reports,
citing TASS, the letter reads.

"Grey wolves" organization is an extreme right wing nationalist
organization existing since 1960s. The assassination attempt of Pope
John Paul II is linked with that organization.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/827829/mp-suggest-russian-prosecutor-general-to-enlist-%E2%80%9Cgrey-wolves%E2%80%9D-among-terrorist-organizations.html

[MosJan]

Turkey's Trump Card: Erdogan Can Cut Russia's Syrian Supply Line By Closing Bosphorus

On Saturday, Russia unveiled a raft of economic sanctions against Turkey in retaliation for Ankara’s brazen move to shoot down an Su-24 warplane near the Syrian border. Charter flights to Turkey are now banned, Turkish imports will be curbed, visa-free travel is no more, Russian tourism companies are forbidden from selling travel packages that include a stay in Turkey, and Turkish firms will face restrictions on their economic activity.

“It’s not just Turkey that has economic interests, Russia too has economic interests in relation to Turkey,” Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, adding that he hoped Putin would act in a "cool-headed" manner.

Russia does indeed have economic interests in Turkey. Ankara paid Gazprom some $10 billion last year and Turkey accounts for nearly a third of the company's nat gas exports:

[MosJan]

Tensions between Russia and Turkey over the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber in Syria may challenge freedom of navigation through the Bosphorus Strait, a major pathway for Russian ships. However, a Turkish unilateral ban on the passage of Russian ships is unlikely since it would violate international law.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151126/1030827768/turkey-russia-bosporus-strait.html#ixzz3t64hsvi0

[MosJan]

Even if Turkey is right that a Russian fighter jet strayed into its airspace, the plane was within Ankara’s borders for just 17 seconds before being attacked – and was making no hostile moves against the Turks.

Airspace incursions, granted usually in less politically tense contexts, happen all the time, and generally you’d expect warning shots to be fired and then attempts to force the intruder to leave or to land.

That the Turks shot down the jet and did so within 17 seconds – with the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying he gave the order to fire himself – suggests very strongly they were waiting for a Russian plane to come into or close enough to Turkish airspace with the aim of delivering a rather pyrotechnic message.
Turkish military releases audio recordings said to be warnings to Russian jet

In this respect, it is understandable that the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, called the attack a provocation and an ambush.

Moscow may have been foolish to let its planes stray so close to the border – doubly so if its rules of engagement allowed pilots to dip into Turkish airspace when it was operationally useful (as is likely). But Turkey’s response went way beyond the usual practice.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/26/russia-turkey-jet-mark-galeotti

[Yervant1]

IS ERDOGAN PLANNING A FULL-FLEDGED TURKISH OCCUPATION OF NORTHERN SYRIA?

© AP Photo/ Petros Karadjias
OPINION
20:06 01.12.2015(updated 20:17 01.12.2015) Get short URL
61831104

French politician Nicolas Dhuicq believes that the Turkish government
may be attempting to carry out a campaign which amounts to an indirect
form of ethnic cleansing in northern Syria, resettling abandoned
villages in the north of the country with Turkic-speaking peoples.

Speaking with Radio Sputnik France on Tuesday, Dhuicq, an MP in the
French National Assembly and a member of the legislative body's
Defense Commission, said that he thinks "that Mr. Erdogan seeks,
like the Ottoman Empire did before him, to move people and resettle
several villages in northern Syria with Turkic-speaking peoples."

The MP explained that he has access to information which leads him to
believe that "these villages, abandoned by Syrians, will be settled
by Uighurs from China."

"I think that Mr. Erdogan is pursuing a policy aimed at the
reconstruction of the Ottoman Empire," Dhuicq warned.

"He is investing heavily in Iraqi Kurdistan, aiming to take possession
of its oil, as Turkey has no oil of its own. Mr. Erdogan is gunning
down Syrian and Turkish Kurds. He is moving Turkic-speaking peoples to
northern Syria. He is interested in seeing the distraction of ISIL,
Al-Nusra or whatever else you want to call it, playing out in the
center of Syria and Iraq."

© AFP 2015/ ADEM ALTAN Is Turkey Waging War on Russia in Crimea,
the Caucasus, and Central Asia?

Ultimately, the politician said, "Mr. Erdogan is playing a very
dangerous game. Unfortunately, [Western governments] have turned a
blind eye to his extremely sharp rhetoric."

Asked to comment on the anti-ISIL coalition's ostensible military
goals of cutting off ISIL's oil revenue, Dhuicq emphasized that "the
military goal is very simple -it's aim must be to close the northern
border of Syria, to block off supply channels. We [the members of the
French National Assembly's Defense Commission] spoke about this with
our Commander in Chief, [President Francois Hollande]."

Read more:
http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20151201/1031070705/Turkey-northern-syria-occupation.html#ixzz3t5pM8l1F

[Yervant1]

Erdogan Shot Himself in the Foot
By Shooting Down the Russian Jet

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Leaders around the world have been pandering to Recep Tayyip Erdogan
for years, trying to win him over to their side. They flattered the
Turkish President so much that the lavish compliments went to his
head. As the self-appointed Grand Sultan of the neo-Ottoman Empire,
Erdogan started meddling in the internal affairs of neighboring
countries, and jailing scores of his own citizens who dared to point
out that the Sultan is naked!
The first leader to be duped by Erdogan was Syria's President Bashar
Al-Assad whose ill-considered honeymoon with Turkey turned into an
endless nightmare, devastating his country. The next head of state to
part ways with the Turkish dictator was President Al-Sisi of
Egypt. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has still not fully
learned his lesson, carrying on a baffling love-hate relationship with
Turkey. Erdogan almost succeeded even in tricking Armenia's leaders
with the deceptive Armenia-Turkey Protocols. Ironically, Armenia's
interests were saved by none other than Erdogan's junior partner,
Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who killed the deal with his
persistent self-serving objections.
The latest world leader to discover Erdogan's fiendish nature is
Vladimir Putin, after losing a military jet and two Russian airmen to
a Turkish attack under the guise that the plane had crossed Turkey's
airspace for 17 seconds!
Within days of this tragic incident, the Russian government took
several retaliatory measures that would have a devastating effect on
Turkey's economy:
-- Banned the import of Turkish products. Trade between the two
countries amounts to a whopping $33 billion annually, making Russia
Turkey's second largest trading partner.
-- Refused the entry of Turkish businessmen into Russia. Sixty of them
were detained upon their arrival in Moscow last week and sent back to
Turkey.
-- Lifted the visa-free travel of Turkish citizens to Russia as of
January 1.
-- Forbade hiring new Turkish workers -- currently 200,000 live with
their families in Russia -- and cancelled multi-billion dollar
construction contracts with Turkish firms.
-- Ordered Russian travel agencies not to send tourists to Turkey,
depriving that country of billions of dollars in income. Since 4.5
million Russians visited Turkey last year, Russia is the second
largest source of foreign tourists.
-- Imposed higher customs duties on imports from and exports to
Turkey.
-- Under consideration is the cancellation of three major projects: 1)
Selling natural gas to Turkey as Russia supplies over half of that
country's needs; 2) Building Turkey's first nuclear power plant, worth
over $22 billion; and 3) Constructing a multi-billion dollar natural
gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey.
Pres. Putin has also taken several military steps since the downing of
the Russian jet:
-- Boosted the Russian military presence in Syria -- on the ground, in
the air, and off the Mediterranean coast.
-- Bombed pro-Turkish terrorist groups in the region where the Russian
jet was hit and two Russian airmen killed.
-- Destroyed hundreds of Turkish trucks, some of which were
transporting weapons to the rebels in Syria, and others carrying oil
bought from ISIS and smuggled into Turkey.
Russia may take additional military measures against Turkey in the
near future:
-- Arming Kurdish militants in Iraq, Syria, and within Turkey.
-- Shooting down Turkish planes and helicopters that cross Syria's or
Armenia's airspace, in view of such incursions in the past.
On the diplomatic front:
-- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled his pre-planned
trip to Turkey last week.
-- Putin refused to take Erdogan's phone calls and rejected his
request for a meeting during their Paris visit.
-- The Russian President called off the planned Summit Meeting with
Erdogan in St. Petersburg on Dec. 15.
-- The Russian Duma (Parliament) is considering a law that would
criminalize denial of the Armenian Genocide: 300,000-500,000 Ruble
penalty and three-year imprisonment.
-- Some Russian politicians have even called for the liberation of
Western Armenia from Turkish occupation and the establishment of free
Kurdistan with its capital in Diyarbekir!
It appears that Pres. Putin will not easily back down after the
treacherous Turkish attack on the Russian jet. He has no choice but to
react harshly to show the world that he won't allow anyone to attack
Russians with impunity. Putin described the Turkish action as a `stab
in the back from the accomplices of terrorists' and sternly warned of
`severe consequences.'
Erdogan has finally bitten more than he can chew! He is foolishly
confronting a nuclear power with a leader determined to go to great
lengths to teach the arrogant Turkish President a lesson he will not
soon forget.
If indeed Sultan Erdogan is counting on NATO to defend his reckless
adventure, he is sadly mistaken. He cannot misrepresent the shooting
down of a Russian jet as an attack on Turkey, and then seek protection
by hiding under NATO's skirts!
Regrettably, Turkey has become a major liability for NATO. The Turkish
President's irresponsible behavior over a minor incursion risks
dragging all NATO members into a larger conflagration. NATO should
seriously question the wisdom of harboring a terrorist state in its
midst that can trigger yet again a grave international incident with
far reaching consequences for the entire world!

[Yervant1]

ASSAD: TERRORISTS RECEIVE ARMS, FUNDS VIA TURKEY

15:02, 02 Dec 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Syria's president Bashar al-Assad says Russia's involvement in his
country's war has led to significant changes, including the "shrinking"
of the Islamic State (IS) group, the BBC reports.

Mr Assad told Czech television that US air strikes on Syria had not
slowed IS, but that Russian bombing was doing so.

He also condemned the recent shooting down of a Russian warplane
by Turkey.

Assad said that funds and arms for terrorists come mainly via Turkey
with support of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according of Sputnik News.

Funds and arms for terrorists come mainly via Turkey with support of
Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Syrian President said.

"If you really want to fight them [terrorists] and defeat them,
you must prevent the supplies of arms, finances and recruits, which
mainly goes through Turkey with support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar,"
Assad told the Czech Television.

"This is the first step, which is necessary to take, when starting to
fight terrorism. Otherwise you fight them, while they have unlimited
supplies [of arms] from different countries, primarily of other region
with support or the blind eye of the West. More precisely some of
its states," Assad added.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/12/02/assad-terrorists-receive-arms-funds-via-turkey/

[MosJan]

Russian military reveals new details of ISIS funding

 

https://www.rt.com/news/324252-russian-military-news-briefing/

 

 

 

 

[MosJan]

[MosJan]

Putin vows more sanctions, retaliation for Turkey’s Su-24 downing
Putin vows more sanctions, retaliation for Turkey’s Su-24 downing
December 3, 2015 - 16:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkey's shooting down of a Russian military jet was a war crime and that the Kremlin would punish Ankara with additional sanctions, signaling fallout from the incident would be long-lasting and serious, Reuters reports.

Minutes after Putin had finished speaking, his energy minister, Alexander Novak, said Russia was halting talks with Ankara on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, a symbolic move designed to emphasize the strength of Kremlin anger.

Putin, who made the comments during his annual state of the nation speech to his country's political elite on Thursday, December 3, said Russia would not forget the incident and that he continued to regard it as a terrible betrayal.

"We are not planning to engage in military saber-rattling (with Turkey)," said Putin, after asking for a moment's silence for the two Russian servicemen killed in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and for Russian victims of terrorism.

"But if anyone thinks that having committed this awful war crime, the murder of our people, that they are going to get away with some measures concerning their tomatoes or some limits on construction and other sectors, they are sorely mistaken."

Turkey would have cause to regret its actions "more than once," he said, promising Russia's retaliatory actions would be neither hysterical nor dangerous.

The rhetoric Putin used will dash hopes of any early rapprochement and deepen a rift between the two countries.

Repeating a call for a new broad international coalition against terrorism, Putin, in an overt reference to Turkey, called on countries to avoid "double standards, contacts with any terrorist organizations, and any attempts to use them for their own ends."

Russia has already banned some Turkish food imports, including selected fruit and vegetables, as part of a wider retaliatory sanctions package.

Nine days after the incident, Moscow and Ankara still have starkly different versions of what happened and Putin is furious Erdogan has not apologized for the episode, something the Turkish leader has said he will not do.

 

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/201696/

[MosJan]

Russian, Turkish Foreign Ministers to meet in Belgrade

December 3, 2015 - 14:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's Foreign Ministry says the Turkish and Russian foreign ministers will meet Thursday, December 3, on the sidelines of an Organization for Security and Cooperation meeting in the Serbian capital Belgrade, the Associated Press reports.

The meeting would be the first between senior Turkish officials since Turkey downed a Russian plane near its border with Syria, touching off a crisis between the two countries that previously enjoyed warm ties.

A ministry official said the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu was scheduled for 3.30 pm local time.

[MosJan]

UK launches first anti-IS airstrikes after vote
UK launches first anti-IS airstrikes after vote
December 3, 2015 - 10:34 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - British bombers made their first strikes on Syria on Thursday, December 3 just hours after Britain's parliament voted to target Islamic State in Syria, a government source said, according to Reuters.

Tornado bombers took off from the RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus and made strikes on targets in Syria, the source said. The bombers are back at base.

"A strike was made from over Syria," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The source declined to give further operational information about the targets or the number of aircraft involved, citing national security.

A Reuters witness in Cyprus saw four jets leaving in pairs from the air base within an hour of each other. Two have since returned.

RAF Akrotiri has been used as a launchpad for attacks on Islamic State targets in Iraq for just over a year, and late on Wednesday Britain's parliament broadened its scope for targets within Syria.

After more than 10 hours of tense debate, members of parliament voted in favor of the air strikes, by 397 to 223.

In addressing parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said high-precision, laser-guided Brimstone missiles attached to the Tornado GR4 bombers would help to make a real difference by hitting the de facto Islamic State capital of Raqqa and its oil-trading business.

France and the United States are already bombing Islamist militants in Syria, while Russia has bombed mainly other rebels, according to conflict monitors and Western officials, in an intervention launched on Sept. 30 to bolster its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The West says Assad must go.

Cyprus, 100 km (60 miles) from Syria, is the closest European Union member state to turmoil in the Middle East.

In October, two boatloads of Middle Eastern migrants, including Syrian refugees, washed ashore at Akrotiri, a jutting peninsula on Cyprus's southern coast.

Britain, a former colonial power, retains two sovereign military bases in Cyprus.