ErdoFascism turks In Their Natural Behavior

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Armenpress.am

 

Turkey14:58, 24 January 2025

Turkish police arrest suspects in shooting outside Armenian school in Istanbul, no injuries reported

Read the article in: فارسیՀայերենРусскийTürkçe

Istanbul police arrested the suspects who opened fire at the Dadian Armenian school in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district on January 22. 

According to Turkish media reports police initially detained two suspects but released one of them shortly afterwards. The other suspect’s case has been submitted to court. 

Police found a handgun and ammunition during a search conducted at the suspect’s home after studying CCTV footage.

The footage appears to show one of the suspects firing the handgun at the school during the night, while his accomplice is collecting the bullet cases from the ground. Turkish media reports, citing police, said that the suspects were allegedly intoxicated. 

According to the report the attack resulted in broken windows and bullet holes on the private school building.

No injuries were reported. 

The motive behind the attack wasn’t immediately clear.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1210352?fbclid=IwY2xjawIBdGpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHcdEJcEWflGQ_VsarLr-pnEAQL1J4ANUHzC_JrSeH1ywfLbf17Vodyx9kw_aem_LkH5ryntRrgWYiK-Ey4bGw

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TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

Canadian Turks to erect Ataturk Bust

· JANUARY 23, 2025

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Ottawa — Chandra Arya, a Liberal member of the Canadian Parliament, who traveled to Azerbaijan with trip expenses paid by both the Azeri community in Canada and the Azeri government, announced on X that the Turkish community in Canada plans to commemorate Mustafa Kemal Atatürk by erecting a bust in Kars, a village on the Rideau River, which is part of the city of Ottawa.

 

 

https://www.thecaliforniacourier.com/canadian-turks-to-erect-ataturk-bust/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIEFL5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYIQfZvuYjFxsAQkogxVabBoCsQF3Uvk4VdYacoDPofsx6yiNHDfjrDr7Q_aem_v5kDAe4FzqTMDyuOPnUN9Q

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Armenpress.am

 

Turkey19:42, 29 January 2025

Erdogan meets with Hamas delegation in Ankara

Read the article in: فارسیՀայերենРусский

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met with Hamas leader Muhammad Ismail Darwish in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan's office said in a statement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting, as well as other Hamas officials.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1210712?fbclid=IwY2xjawIHz9JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVI40r9BVTL2VWQ6LHud7mhu4a4PBePiOLKe4TatmHwu9s1fOpJOMtSFkA_aem_ezZAIXCo50blU2oBr42IGw

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Voice of America

Jn 30 2025

 

 

Turkey, Azerbaijan step up efforts to create land corridor through Armenia

Azerbaijan and Turkey are stepping up efforts to secure a land corridor between their countries through Armenia. Until now, Iran, a key ally of Armenia, has backed Yerevan's opposition to what is known as the Zangezur corridor. With Iran weakened in the region, Ankara and Baku see an opportunity to secure a key strategic goal. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

 

Watch the video at link below

https://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-azerbaijan-step-up-efforts-to-create-land-corridor-through-armenia-/7957351.html

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Armenpress.am

 

Politics09:42, 4 February 2025

Turkiye seeks to record South Caucasus status quo in Armenia-Azerbaijan treaty, says scholar

Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

Turkiye seeks to become a top decision-maker on the global stage but South Caucasus doesn’t have the kind of significance for it as before, according to a scholar.

Academician Ruben Safrastyan, a top expert on Turkiye, told Armenpress that the latest developments in Syria have greatly strengthened Turkiye’s positions. Ankara has assumed huge obligations, to control the transition of power in Syria. Nevertheless, according to Safrastyan, Turkiye doesn’t seek to get involved with the same intensity in the regional processes in South Caucasus. 

Armenpress asked Safrastyan on the possible impacts of the developments in Syria on the South Caucasus region.

“Right now, Turkiye wouldn’t want the situation in South Caucasus to escalate for it to have to interfere. If we were to look at this strategic issue more broadly, then we have to mention that an important phase of geopolitical changes is happening now in the Middle East, the purpose of which is to some extent the US withdrawal from the region, which would lead to Turkiye trying to fill that vacuum by agreeing its steps with the American side and getting support. This also gives the chance to conclude that Turkiye will not seek a highly active role in South Caucasus by escalating the situation,” Safrastyan said.

According to Safrastyan, Turkish President Erdogan is pursuing a strategic goal of making Turkiye one of the top decision-makers in the world. Erdogan had even announced that the world is much bigger and not limited to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. 

But South Caucasus, according to Safrastyan, is not of the same significance to Turkiye as several years ago.

“Turkiye is now interested for the status-quo stemming from its strengthened positions in the region to be documented in the Armenian-Azerbaijani treaty and be favorable for Azerbaijan. I think, in the foreseeable future Turkiye will not want for an escalation or new war to happen here,” Safrastyan said.

Asked why Turkiye is not suppressing the Azeri leader’s belligerent and maximalist rhetoric, Safrastyan said that a differing outlook has emerged between Turkiye and Azerbaijan: Ankara pursues geopolitical and strategic aspirations, global projects, while Baku's outlook is a lot smaller and narrower.

“What matters for Baku is not the signing of the peace treaty with Armenia, but extorting big concessions, thus it is using the belligerent rhetoric to pressure Armenia. Nevertheless I am not convinced that the foundation of this rhetoric is unleashing war against Armenia, because reality and rhetoric are different things. Despite this, we should remain vigilant and be ready to withstand any opportunism or aggression,” the academician said.

According to Safrastyan, currently Turkiye doesn’t want to oppose Russia or Iran as well, but it is not ruled out that Ankara will try to strengthen its positions further in the future.

“Turkiye is simply involved in another, bigger game, and for example, it achieved success in Syria because the positions of Russia and Iran had gotten weaker. In turn Russia is mainly focused on the conflict with Ukraine and wouldn’t want a new hotspot to emerge in South Caucasus. For centuries Russia, Iran and Turkiye had been fighting for our region and as a result of an interesting combination of circumstances now all three of them are against a drastic escalation of the situation in the South Caucasus,” he said.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1211072?fbclid=IwY2xjawIPs8NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHX5oFKFLCVOTOJv9iWp4yY6vR-dUmItYfakdxzPHTrpN5BlBHWLHtyjqug_aem_5ZRaenIDJS5pVQB8JaPIVA

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Erdogan is Said to be the Descendant

Of a Greek Pro-Armenian Anarchist

 

By Harut Sassounian

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Over the years, many articles have appeared in the Turkish press claiming that various high-ranking Turkish officials are of Armenian or Kurdish origin.

These officials have often vehemently denied the claim, but sometimes have ignored it in order to avoid drawing more attention to it. For example, several years ago, when it was claimed that Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is of Armenian origin, he simply replied: “I regret that they are calling me Armenian.” Given the prevalent racism in Turkey, calling someone an Armenian is considered an insult.

Former Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz was reported to be of Armenian origin, as well as Devlet Bahceli, the Chairman of the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party), a radical ultra-nationalist party. I recently found a YouTube video in which Isa Ilyasoglu, who served in Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), claimed that Bahceli is of Armenian origin on his mother’s side. Ilyasoglu reported that during the genocide, a 16-year-old Armenian girl was kidnapped and raped by the Governor of Adana. That girl later became the grandmother of Bahceli who, contrary to what is indicated on his I.D. card, is not from Osmaniye, but from Halfeti, a town in the region of Urfa. As a child his family moved to the town of Bahce in Adana, where he acquired his last name, Bahceli.

It is widely acknowledged that a large percentage of today’s Turks are descendants of Armenians, Greeks or Kurds, many of whom were Islamized and Turkified, particularly during the 1915 Genocide, when young Armenian children were abducted and adopted by Turkish families. Most of these children were too young to remember their ethnic origin. The Turkified and Islamized Armenians are often referred to as “Hidden Armenians.”

However, over the years, many Turks have come forward stating that they have just discovered their Armenian origin. Some of them have even asked to be baptized in the Armenian Church and reconvert to Christianity.

In 2018, The Turkish Government unexpectedly launched a website that revealed the ancestry of all Turkish citizens. Within days, millions of Turks rushed to find out their ethnic origin. As a result, the website crashed and shortly thereafter, it was shut down. Subsequently, the website was reinstated with “enhanced privacy measures.” There were several reports of Muslim Turks being shocked upon finding out that they had Armenian blood. One report claimed that an anti-Armenian Turkish fanatic, upon finding out that he was of Armenian origin, committed suicide.

There is also a large group of Armenians in Turkey, known as Hemshens, who live in the Black Sea region. They were forcefully Islamized. Some of them have retained their Armenian traditions and native Armenian language which has a distinct dialect.

In the YouTube video I recently found, the Turkish intelligence officer Ilyasoglu made sensational revelations about Turkish President Erdogan’s ethnic origin. I am not sure how true his report is, but given Ilyasoglu’s intelligence background, I could not ignore his claim.

Ilyasoglu lived in England from 1995 to 1996 and moved to Germany in 2000. In 2005, he ran for the Turkish Parliament, but later withdrew his candidacy. He is currently the Chairman of the Resurrection Party which has the slogan, “one government, one nation, one flag and one religion – Turk.” He now lives in Germany. It is widely known that the Turkish government has many intelligence officers in Germany to spy on millions of Turks who live there, particularly Kurds and Erdogan’s political opponents.

Erdogan’s I.D. card shows that he was born in Rize which is in the Greek Pontus region of Turkey. Ilyasoglu said in his video that “Erdogan’s father was a Greek man from Pontus. His mother was a Spanish Jew who came to Pontus via Georgia.” Ilyasoglu added: “If Erdogan dares, let him dispute it.”

“The brother of one of Tayyip (Erdogan’s] grandparents was a Greek priest who, on the coast of the Black Sea, tried to establish the Pontus Greek Republic after the Russian-Turkish war.

“His grandfather and his brother, who was a priest, were arrested, tried by the ‘Giresun Independence Court,’ sentenced to death in Giresun and hanged.” Ilyasoglu explained that he is from Giresun: “This is written in the memoirs of Judge Ali Kilic.”

“In fact, Erdogan’s maternal great-grandfather, Tayyoub, was an anarchist, who after entering Turkish villages and committing murders, engaged in looting. Then, during the 1922 Marash Armenian rebellion, with his group, he sided with the Armenians, attacked Turkish soldiers and was killed in the Taurus Mountains.” Ilyasoglu added: “Let Tayyip Erdogan look for his maternal great-grandfather’s remains in the Taurus Mountains. In other words, his mother’s grandfather has no grave.”

The above cited video is dated October 28, 2023. There are no reports in the Turkish media that Ilyasoglu was criticized or prosecuted for his sensational revelations about Erdogan, even though he has visited Turkey several times. Since the Turkish media is under the total control of Erdogan, no Turkish newspaper would dare to publish anything that may be upsetting to the President. It is not known why the Turkish government has not prosecuted Ilyasoglu for claiming that Erdogan’s forefathers are Greek. The reason could mean either that Ilyasoglu is telling the truth about Erdogan’s ancestry or that the President is reluctant to draw more attention to the claims in the video.

According to a Turkish proverb, “a spoiled wine becomes bitter vinegar.” This can mean that some Islamized and Turkified Armenians become fervent enemies of Armenians. This is similar to the _expression_, “more Catholic than the Pope.”

[Yervant1]

TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

How Erdogan’s Ottoman energy ambitions threaten Israel and the West – opinion

· FEBRUARY 17, 2025

Erdogan’s ambitions in Syria go beyond fighting ISIS. Is he laying the foundation for a modern Ottoman Empire?

By RUTH WASSERMAN LANDEThe Jerusalem Post 
Syria’s newly appointed president for a transitional phase Ahmed al-Shaara meets with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025.(photo credit: MURAT CETINMUHURDAR/PPO/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

 

Syria is no longer Syria but rather an integral part of the emerging Ottoman Empire. A similar case was seen with Iraq, which, since the American withdrawal and until very recently, was, de facto, an extension of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This regional development is fundamentally different from how it is perceived in the global public opinion and general perception: It is not only relevant to the countries of the Middle East but is also symptomatic of a broader war of radical Islam against the enlightened world.

 

Within this context, the recent revolution in Syria cannot be merely seen as the strengthening of Ahmed al-Shaara’s Islamist rebels against Assad’s regime; rather, it should also be seen as Turkey’s exploitation of a prime opportunity (created mainly by the blows Israel inflicted on the Shi’ite axis) for the enhancement of its influence and power.

The developments in Syria are also a reflection of the titanic struggle between Shi’ite Islam, led by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Sunni Islam, led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey and funded by Qatar, with each axis pulling in its direction, seeking to conquer as much territory and natural resources as possible. In competing to establish an Islamic caliphate based on Sharia law, each side is working vigorously to create Islamist cells in a long list of geographical targets in the West, including the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

 

The product of this thorough and systematic work, facilitated in recent decades by both Sunni and Shi’ite forces, has been particularly noticeable since October 7. It can be seen in many Western cities in the form of demonstrations against the state, violence against locals, and the holding of mass Muslim prayers in public places, for example.

Turkey is, for now, the big winner from the latest campaign in Syria. Erdogan, who leads it, is also the architect of an alternative energy transport route to Iran, which will shorten and reduce the cost of energy to Europe and the West by leveraging his influence in the bloc of Turkic states (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc.) and in Syria, as well as through his recent strengthening of ties with Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan wants an empire

Erdogan intends to create a route that will anchor his supremacy and prompt those in the region and in the West to be dependent upon purchasing cheaper energy from Ankara.

This will, indeed, materialize, unless the Israeli-Saudi-American union will be signed, in which case the route may render Syria (and hence Turkey) irrelevant as Israel will take its place in the creation of an alternative cheaper route to the one already in existence and led by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Erdogan, a disciple and supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, understands this dynamic and will therefore do anything to prevent the Israeli-Saudi alliance from being cemented.

 

Moreover, both the current Sunni radical leadership in Turkey and the Shi’ite radical leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran understand the symbolism Jerusalem has for the Muslim world, and hence both leaderships frequently declare their intentions to “liberate” it from the Zionist infidels.

Erdogan’s successes, through the Sunni rebels in Syria, have only increased his appetite to expand his empire, which also includes minimizing the Kurdish threat of autonomy in northeastern Syria. His actions against the Kurds, for example, are currently underway without any signs of opposition from the “enlightened” world.

Turkey’s membership in NATO significantly amplifies the magnitude of the threat posed to Israel and highlights the need for sophisticated and meaningful Israeli action, such as impressing upon the new US administration the magnitude and repercussions of Ankara’s aspirations.

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The real war, that of radical Islam against the enlightened world, should be perceived as a serious concern to the US administration. It threatens the stability of Western nations, as well as many countries in the Middle East including Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE. The crushing of one axis will necessarily lead to the rise of the other, as was demonstrated when the United States led a successful international coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

In doing so, it laid the groundwork for the rise of the Shi’ite axis, led by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies. A similar result can be expected when the much-needed action will be taken against Iran, as a result of its nuclear program.

Hence, if and when the Trump administration strikes Iran, it must not take its eyes off the radical Sunni axis for a moment, despite (and perhaps even because of) the fact that those who lead it, both Turkey and Qatar, are partners of the US, who simultaneously strive for its demise.

 

 

https://www.thecaliforniacourier.com/how-erdogans-ottoman-energy-ambitions-threaten-israel-and-the-west-opinion/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIhG59leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHX4WJlDcrBdOIv57Qe-BmI9M7KSqAZJcpHMUiMUZSFc9yylAZDtOMS9o-g_aem_JFJ4yDcZr1VIsmHKk25Sjw

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Turkey19:24, 18 February 2025

Trump's stance on resolving the Ukraine conflict aligns with Turkey's – Erdogan

Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

Turkey supports the diplomatic initiative launched by US President Donald Trump to reach a swift aggreement over the Ukraine situation through negotiations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He noted that Trump’s initiative to resolve the conflict through negotiations aligns with Turkey's policy over the past three years.

Erdogan also highlighted that the Istanbul talks created a foothold as a platform on which the parties came closer to an agreement.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1212336?fbclid=IwY2xjawIiTfhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUE0NanD3EeREW1fvJxCUMrmIYl0fyRz4n6IPweKIYNTZoueE6bEG77Jlw_aem_NQ6RphPSUCAn9ej0FJ7I8w

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Armenpress.am

 

Politics12:08, 25 February 2025

MEP calls on Turkiye to stop linking Armenia border opening with Azerbaijan normalization

Read the article in: العربيةEspañolՀայերենРусскийTürkçe简体中文

MEP Nils Ušakovs on Tuesday urged Turkiye to separate the opening of the border with Armenia from the Yerevan-Baku normalization process.

Speaking at the 4th Meeting of EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee, Ušakovs, the co-chair of the committee, said, “We call on Ankara to separate border issues from the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations agenda.”

In 2022, Armenia and Turkiye reached an agreement on opening their land border for citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders. The agreement is yet to be implemented, but Turkiye has numerously said afterwards that it will open its border with Armenia only after the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are normalized.

Ušakovs emphasized that the EU is interested in the Armenian government’s Crossroads of Peace initiative, describing the implementation of the project as highly important for the entire region.

He highlighted that Armenia must be able to freely chose a European future, which implies also economic diversification, which is yet another reason to focus on opening of connection routes.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1212859?fbclid=IwY2xjawIreKFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHfv31y0BbrfU_FesGDi9JxSVpUlphZuj-a_N7CRuHyaDTigWPdtshKjE5g_aem_oEb_oghERHc7jXMuk6tfBA

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Turkey17:25, 26 February 2025

Turkey's Fidan accuses Israel of expansionism in Syria

Read the article in: FrançaisՀայերենРусский

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of “regional aggression” and “expansionism” following recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his country would not allow Syria’s new army to enter areas south of Damascus, AP reported.

“The biggest obstacle to peace and stability in our region is Israel’s regional aggression,” Fidan said.

 “Netanyahu’s recent statements regarding Syria clearly show that Israel is not in favor of peace. Israel must end its regional expansionism under the guise of establishing security,'' AP quoted him as saying.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1213015?fbclid=IwY2xjawIs9R1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHb2RMMomiabT6T1ykpSeQ0cHJswrF5Ni5S0uBWBFPIWf8XH2A7WKhX9XnQ_aem_7WHUKeI4ZiXXceUWUT4SaQ

[Yervant1]

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Feb 28 2025

 

Bar association executives acquitted for 6th time in Armenian genocide commemoration statement

 

A court has acquitted 11 executives of the Diyarbakır Bar Association in southeastern Turkey of charges stemming from a 2021 statement commemorating the victims of the mass killings of Armenians, marking the sixth time the bar’s leaders have been cleared in similar cases, Turkish Minute reported on Thursday.

The case involved former bar president Nahit Eren, vice president Mehdi Özdemir and nine executive board members who were accused of “insulting the Turkish nation and state” under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for issuing the statement on April 24, 2021, marked as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.”

The defendants were cleared of all charges during Thursday’s hearing at Diyarbakır’s 2nd High Criminal Court, attended by representatives from the Human Rights Association (İHD), the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV), the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) and Diyarbakır branch of the Rights Initiative.

With this ruling, all six cases filed against the bar’s leaders under Article 301 between 2017 and 2022 have resulted in acquittals.

In a statement released in 2021 the bar called for acknowledgment and recognition of the mass atrocities committed by the Ottoman authorities against the Armenian minority during World War I.

After the statement, titled “We Share the Pain of the Great Catastrophe,” was published on the bar association’s social media accounts and website, a complaint was filed against its executives. This resulted in a criminal case under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of one to three years.

The indictment cited the statement as evidence, pointing to passages that described April 24, 1915 as “a dark day” for a society that had “lived together for centuries, learned from one another, and thrived in pluralism.”

It also criticized the Turkish state’s approach to the issue, saying, “Every April 24, the Turkish government and bureaucracy react with anxious tension, ignoring the darkness of the great catastrophe that lingers over us while keeping count of who calls it what, engaging in a struggle against the truth.”

The statement also called for historical reckoning, saying, “Today, our duty is to shed light on the darkness, to face the truth no matter how painful and to provide a measure of peace to the souls of those who lost their lives in the great catastrophe.”

The Armenians — supported by historians and scholars — say 1.5 million of their people died in a genocide committed by the İttihat Terakki government of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Turkey accepts that both Armenians and Turks died in huge numbers as Ottoman forces fought czarist Russia. But Ankara vehemently denies a deliberate policy of genocide.

Take a second to support Stockholm Center for Freedom on Patreon!

 

https://stockholmcf.org/bar-association-executives-acquitted-for-6th-time-in-armenian-genocide-commemoration-statement/ 

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Turkey16:58, 17 March 2025

Turkish journalist blames Azerbaijan for lack of progress in Yerevan-Ankara normalization

Read the article in: EspañolՀայերեն

A Turkish journalist who took part in the media tour in Armenia has described the trip and the chance to interview Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as an historic event.

T24 journalist Barcin Yinanc spoke about her visit and impressions during an interview aired on T24.

She described Pashinyan’s policy as ‘breaking taboos.’

She said that Azerbaijan’s factor plays a big role in the lack of progress in Armenia-Turkiye normalization.

The journalist noted that the Armenian Prime Minister has been promoting the Real Armenia concept, and sending signals to both the domestic and Turkish societies.

She said that the Pashinyan Administration is constantly making steps for normalization with Turkiye and Azerbaijan. The journalist said she has an impression that there is great disappointment in Armenia over the lack of results in the normalization process.

She criticized Ankara’s approach in normalization with Armenia, labeling as an ‘exaggeration’ the Turkish claims that a country of 3 million people could have territorial claims.

Yinanc said that the opening of the borders would boost trade and tourism in the border areas.

“Azerbaijan demands Turkiye to not make even the slightest step as long as the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan isn’t signed. Thus, Azerbaijan has been acting from positions of power in the relations with Armenia, and constantly making new demands. Armenian officials say that the blocking of Turkiye-Armenia relations because of Azerbaijan actually complicates the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process,” the Turkish journalist said, according to Ermenihaber.

She said that Armenian leaders, including first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, had expected reciprocal steps or gestures in response to their steps. She said that Turkiye’s silence for the messages by Levon Ter-Petrosyan has been wrong. The journalist said the implementation of the 2022 agreement on opening the land border for citizens of third countries could be such a gesture. The journalist described Turkiye’s non-implementation of the agreement as unreasonable.

She further said that in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks Baku has been pursuing maximalist goals. The journalist said she believes that Azerbaijan is demanding Armenia change its constitution as a precondition for signing a peace treaty.

Yinanc said that the peace process is hindered by the fact that Azerbaijan wants to secure an extraterritorial corridor through Armenia towards Nakhchivan, while Armenia refuses the move because it would imply surrendering its sovereignty.

The journalist described PM Pashinyan’s policy in the normalization with Turkiye and the peace talks with Azerbaijan as ‘strategic patience’, noting that the Armenian Prime Minister has been advancing with small steps, not disrupting the process and presenting proposals to every new demand.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1214644?fbclid=IwY2xjawJFYrNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHa6dYqqknnKYbJIgKt_BV4MJbWKz8qAbHTCqwxRZfwSwkUfMgx7GugA0EQ_aem_VrMXwDZPrtNoJtBtyw9Kmg

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Armenpress.am

 

Turkey12:02, 18 March 2025

Turkish journalist points out Azerbaijan’s unconstructive conduct against Armenia

Read the article in: Հայերեն简体中文

Turkish journalist Barcin Yinanc, after visiting Armenia and interviewing government officials, has pointed out Azerbaijan’s unconstructive policy, Region Monitor reported. 

Yinanc said she believes there are concerns in Armenia that Azerbaijan could attempt to militarily capture an extraterritorial corridor through its territory. Yinanc explained Armenia’s defense policy with these concerns.

“That’s why Armenia has been acquiring arms from France, India and such countries, and Azerbaijan tells them to cancel the arms contracts, why are you buying weapons, if you are buying weapons it means you don’t want peace and you are a threat to the region,” the Turkish reporter said, adding “Well, but Azerbaijan has been receiving intelligence and weapons from Israel. No one tells Azerbaijan why they are buying weapons from Israel and Turkiye. It has the support of the defense industry of a country like Israel, that has claimed the lives of 50,000 Palestinians. Most probably it is sending the fuel of the same warplanes that perpetrated this. And a very little group in Turkiye was able to raise protest against Israel for its support to Azerbaijan, and as you know they were arrested by police.”

The Turkish analyst stressed that Armenia has been announcing that it has accepted the Alma-Ata Declaration. “Armenia's stance in terms of Azerbaijan is a tactic of strategic patience. Whenever Azerbaijan makes a new demand, when it says for example cancel the weapons contract, Yerevan makes a new proposal, for example an arms control mechanism and so on. Of course I don’t know how much longer this can go on like this,” the journalist said.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1214711?fbclid=IwY2xjawJGho9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaUwD2ym2zI2l2sC0pGBZP8_gSvxZXg1hX6jFd91AD78pLyNu_Vl635w5w_aem_kUBGdGMXyEBO-U4y-vXQXA

[MosJan]

 

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[MosJan]

 

[Yervant1]

MediaMax, Armenia
March 20 2025

Margara checkpoint on Armenia-Turkish border to be opened for 10 days

Yerevan /Mediamax/. The Margara checkpoint between Armenia and Turkey will be opened for 10 days from March 21 to 31 to transport humanitarian cargo from Armenia to Syria through the territory of Turkey.

The relevant decision was made at today’s cabinet meeting.

The reasoning states that this will enable faster and cost-effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria on behalf of Armenia.

Currently, the Margara checkpoint is not operational, and the existing legal regulations make it impossible for cargo and vehicles to pass through this border point.

https://mediamax.am/en/news/armeniaturkey/57307/

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Armenpress.am

 

Turkey11:42, 24 March 2025

Fierce protests in Turkiye over Istanbul mayor's arrest

Read the article in: Հայերեն

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in demonstrations across Turkiye after the main rival to the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was formally arrested and charged with corruption, the BBC reported. 

Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, was due to be selected as the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential nominee in a vote on Sunday.

In response to his arrest, Sunday night saw a ramping up of the worst unrest the country has seen in more than a decade - with protesters fired upon with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to the BBC. 

Imamoglu said the allegations against him are politically motivated. "I will never bow," he wrote on X before he was remanded in custody.

Erdogan has condemned the demonstrations and accused the CHP of trying to "disturb the peace and polarise our people".

Crowds amassed near Istanbul's city hall by early evening on Sunday for a fifth night, and could be seen waving Turkish flags and chanting in front of a row of riot police.

Officers were seen firing water cannons at some protesters and using pepper spray.

In total, rallies took place in at least 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces, or more than two-thirds of the country, according to a tally by French news agency AFP.

Imamoglu was one of more than 100 people, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen, detained as part of an investigation on Wednesday.

He was formally arrested on Sunday and charged with "establishing and managing a criminal organisation, taking bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data and rigging a tender".

He was remanded in custody pending trial.

Some 15 million people voted in Sunday's primary to choose a presidential candidate for Turkey's opposition CHP party, said the vote's organisers, Istanbul City Hall, France24 reported.

"Out of 15 million votes, 13,211,000 (non-party members) expressed their solidarity" with Ekrem Imamogu, the imprisoned opposition figure now suspended as Istanbul's mayor.

Observers said it was the looming primary that triggered the move against Imamoglu, widely seen as the only politician capable of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The CHP said the protests will continue every day this week.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1215256?fbclid=IwY2xjawJPX0dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHemEJ7-A5Zs4SdtOrza4PKEvZKTIa_3WIhyWcjS_TdBPqXpN9hSJOJKKRw_aem_e6SrAHd46X61qM6gYih73w

[Yervant1]

Turkish Court Jails Erdogan’s Leading Rival

https://wallstreetjournal-ny.newsmemory.com/?publink=07d506dea_134f8f8

Turkish Court Jails Erdogan’s Leading Rival

BY WSJ STAFF

An Istanbul court ordered the arrest of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 
top rival on corruption charges, according to state-run media and a copy of the 
decision viewed by The Wall Street Journal, and the country’s Interior Ministry 
said it was temporarily removing him from his post as Istanbul mayor.

Police detained Ekrem Imamoglu last week as his Republican People’s Party 
prepared to nominate him to face Erdogan if there is a snap election. The 
primary drew some 15 million voters Sunday, and on the same day the party said 
Imamoglu is its presidential candidate. He denies the allegations against him 
and says they are politically motivated.

The court ruled that Imamoglu, 53, should remain in cus-tody until he is tried. 
On Sunday he was transferred from a police station in central Istanbul to a 
high-security prison on the far outskirts of the city. If he is barred from 
running for president or is imprisoned, it would represent a significant setback 
for Turkey’s democracy. Erdogan has held power since 2003.

Imamoglu on Sunday called on Turks to take to the streets in nonviolent protest. 
“I stand tall, and will keep my head high,” he said on social media. “I invite 
our nation to fight for their rights.”

Erdogan, 71, who has worked for years to concentrate power, faces a 
constitutional limit when his current term ends in 2028, but he could run again 
if Parliament calls an early election or if the constitution is amended.

Some European leaders have criticized Imamoglu’s arrest. U.S. reaction has been 
muted.

In an interview aired late Friday, President Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve 
Witkoff, didn’t mention the Istanbul mayor’s arrest but said in reference to a 
call between Trump and Erdogan, “There is just a lot of good, positive news 
coming out of Turkey right now as a result of that conversation.”

After Imamoglu’s detention last week, throngs of demonstrators assembled in 
Istanbul and other cities decrying what they said was an attack on democracy. 
Police arrested dozens of people in connection with the rallies.

“Erdogan at the moment still thinks that he’s holding all the cards, and he 
thinks that this is the right moment for him to get rid of opposition,” said 
Murat Somer, a political scientist at Istanbul’s Ozyegin University.

Erdogan and the Turkish government have accused the opposition of politicizing 
what they say is an independent judicial investigation into the mayor’s affairs.

“If you have the courage, let democracy work, let the law work. Let the courts 
decide on behalf of the Turkish nation without any pressure,” Erdogan said on 
Saturday.

Prosecutors have accused Imamoglu of leading a criminal organization, taking 
bribes and an array of financial crimes. When he was first detained, prosecutors 
also accused him of terrorism-related charges connected to his cooperation with 
a pro-Kurdish party in a recent election.

He has denied the allegations, some of which his office called “comically 
trivial.”

In Erdogan’s first years in office, he presided over an economic expansion that 
lifted millions into the middle class. In recent years, a financial crisis wiped 
out much of the gain. He has also broadened Turkey’s influence, with the country 
playing a larger role in Middle Eastern affairs.
Under his leadership, Turkish authorities have also jailed journalists, 
activists and major politicians on charges that the opposition rejects as a part 
of a clampdown on dissent.

Imamoglu is widely seen as the strongest candidate to challenge Erdogan in any 
election. He first became mayor in 2019, wresting control of the Istanbul city 
government from Erdogan’s party. Last year, Imamoglu helped propel the 
opposition to power in other cities across the country.

Whether he and the opposition can now mount a sustained protest movement, and 
how the government responds to the demonstrations, could determine the outcome 
of the current standoff.

“There is strong social resistance to what is happening now, and I think that is 
going to shape what happens next.” said Evren Balta, a political scientist at 
Ozyegin University. “Turkey really has strong party institutionalization and a 
strong democratic culture.”

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Turkey09:54, 26 March 2025

U.S. requests Turkish support for peace in South Caucasus

Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский简体中文

The United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has requested Turkiye’s support for peace in the South Caucasus during his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Washington, D.C.

Rubio and Fidan discussed “cooperation on key issues in security and trade,” the U.S. State Department said in a readout. “The Secretary requested Türkiye’s support for peace in Ukraine and the South Caucasus,” it added.

“He appreciated Turkiye’s leadership in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and reiterated the need for close cooperation to support a stable, unified, peaceful Syria that is neither a base for international terrorism nor a pathway for destabilizing Iranian activities.  The Secretary also noted recent advancements in bilateral trade and encouraged even greater economic partnership moving forward.  Finally, the Secretary expressed concerns regarding recent arrests and protests in Türkiye,” the U.S. State Department said.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1215452?fbclid=IwY2xjawJSN7NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUJxFqZS0y7piECrag-Ds8agEXq7F8ZyaPucvKjnPTGKp1Q5CRQaGPgIuw_aem_jJU8q4FanQJwMxU0u5x8_Q

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Politics21:59, 26 March 2025

Opposition member Nuri Aslan elected deputy mayor of Istanbul

Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

The Istanbul City Council elected Nuri Aslan from the opposition party as acting mayor on Wednesday, following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the Istanbul Municipality has announced.

Nuri Aslan, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the current deputy mayor, was elected with 177 votes. His rival, Zeynel Abidin Okul of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), received 125 votes. The outcome allows the CHP to retain control of the municipality despite İmamoğlu’s detention.

İmamoğlu was remanded in custody on March 23 on corruption-related charges and suspended from office by the Interior Ministry. 

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1215542?fbclid=IwY2xjawJSP2NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHX_jOPc-Ltl4AFevCegh4-pheGXS_qZtqgeNGtgyP8Oe7jJN_GGyByVilQ_aem_tcVFnVnkLKNjVmw0P8FK9w

 

--

[Yervant1]

April 8 2025

 

Turkish mayor faces backlash over derogatory social media post targeting Armenians

 

Controversial Turkish mayor Tanju Özcan is facing backlash after posting a social media message using derogatory language towards Armenians, the Agos news website reported.

Özcan, the mayor of Bolu and a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), in a post on X targeted Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. 

“If only your Armenian father had acted two seconds earlier, so you were never born, Öcalan. I hope this is your last birthday. Traitorous man,” he said.

Since the 1980s the PKK has been leading an insurgency that has claimed the lives of some 40,000 people in Turkey.

The post, viewed more than 7 million times by Friday, drew criticism for what rights groups described as hate speech and ethnic discrimination.

Özcan did not clarify why he invoked Armenian identity in the message. However, critics say the language reinforced harmful ethnic stereotypes and incited division by associating one of Turkey’s most notorious terrorist leaders with the Armenian community.

The spiritual leader of Turkey’s Armenian community, Patriarch Sahak Maşalyan, issued a written statement condemning the mayor’s language, calling it hate speech that undermines social harmony.

“The Armenian community, which has lived in these lands for centuries, is an integral and inseparable part of this country,” the statement read. “Remarks targeting Armenian identity not only insult a people, but also threaten our shared history and will to coexist.”

Maşalyan said such rhetoric “has never served brotherhood, unity or social peace — not in the past, not today, and not in the future.” He urged public officials to adopt more responsible language and warned that legitimizing hate speech damages all of society, not just minorities.

Özcan has previously attracted controversy for remarks targeting ethnic minorities and immigrants. In recent years he made headlines for proposing measures in Bolu aimed at restricting services for refugees and has faced criticism for statements about Kurds, Syrians and Afghans.

The CHP has not issued a formal statement regarding the tweet.

While Turkish law prohibits incitement to hatred and enmity under Article 216 of the penal code, legal experts note that enforcement is inconsistent and often influenced by political context.

Rights organizations and minority advocates have warned of a rise in discriminatory language and xenophobia in Turkish political discourse, particularly on social media platforms where elected officials face little accountability for inflammatory rhetoric.

https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-mayor-faces-backlash-over-derogatory-social-media-post-targeting-armenians/

[MosJan]

 

[MosJan]