“If necessary, we can construct a base and naval structures in the north” of the divided island, the official Anadolu news agency reported him as saying.

“We also have the sea,” Erdogan said he flew back to Turkey after visiting northern Cyprus on Saturday to mark 50 years since Turkey’s invasion.

He also accused rival Greece of wanting to establish a naval base of its own on Cyprus, on whose future both sides remain as divided as ever.

In 1983, Turkey installed what it calls the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which no other country has recognized four decades after it was proclaimed by Turkish Cypriot leaders.

As Greek Cypriots mourned those killed and still missing since the 1974 convulsion of violence, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Saturday that reunification was the only option.

Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 still divided after Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected a UN plan to end their differences with Turkish Cypriots.

But on the other side of the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separates the two communities, Erdogan on Saturday rejected the federal model championed by the United Nations, saying he saw no point in relaunching talks on such a plan.

“Frankly, we do not think it is possible to start a new negotiation process without establishing an equation whereby both parties sit down as equals and leave the table as equals,” Erdogan said.

The last round of UN-backed talks to reunify the island collapsed in 2017.

“We are constructing on the island the building of the presidency of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the parliament building. They are constructing a military base, we are building a political base,” Erdogan added.

He also hailed the “precious” presence during Saturday’s visit of the leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, saying it demonstrated the “unity” of Turkey’s population with regards to Cyprus.

The post Turkey Ready to Build Cyprus Naval Base ‘If Necessary’: Erdogan appeared first on The Defense Post.

Turkey began its Operation Claw-Lock in April 2022, claiming it needed to secure its border with northern Iraq, from where it accused Kurdish separatists of launching attacks on Turkish territory.

“We will very soon complete the lockdown of the area of operation in northern Iraq,” Erdogan said, adding that Kurdish forces were now “incapable of acting inside our borders.”

Erdogan said that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) had been “completely trapped” in both Iraq and Syria, telling young military academy graduates that Turkish forces were “all over them.”

“We will complete the missing points of the security corridor along our southern border with Syria.”

Erdogan’s comments tally with those made earlier this week by Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler, who said his country was “determined” to clear the border area with Iraq and neighboring Syria of “terrorists.”

Decades-Long Struggle

Turkey has a long history of tensions with Kurdish separatists and has often launched operations in neighboring countries to fight rebels it says are holed up there.

Within Turkey, the PKK has been involved in an on-off armed insurgency since 1984.

Founded in 1978, the Marxist-inspired group is regarded as a terror organization by Turkey and most of its Western allies, including the United States and European Union.

It also has a presence in northern Iraq, as does Turkey, which has operated against the Kurdish group from several dozen military bases there.

Turkey’s incursions into Iraq have frequently strained bilateral ties and caused occasional frictions with its Western partners.

On Wednesday, Iraq denounced fresh incursions by the Turkish army into its territory in the autonomous Kurdistan region, urging Ankara to resolve security issues diplomatically.

In recent weeks, Iraqi local media have reported an increase in Turkish strikes, sparking several fires in border areas. Some reports mentioned Turkish forces establishing new positions.

On Friday, the Turkish defense ministry announced that one soldier had been killed and another wounded by an improvised explosive device in northern Iraq, blaming Kurdish militants.

Diplomatic Overtures

That said, there have been signs of growing rapprochement in recent months.

In March, following a diplomatic visit, Baghdad quietly listed the PKK as a “banned organisation” — although Ankara still demands Iraq does more to fight against the militant group.

And in April, Erdogan made his first visit to Iraq since 2011, where he called on Baghdad to rid itself of “all forms of terrorism.”

Since 2016, Ankara has likewise carried out successive ground operations to expel Kurdish forces from border areas of northern Syria, along with Islamic State group jihadists.

Pro-Turkish forces in Syria now control two vast strips of territory along the border.

After originally aiming to topple the government of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Ankara has recently shifted focus to preventing what Erdogan dubbed a “terror corridor” opening up in northern Syria.

On July 7, the Turkish leader even suggested he might invite Assad to Turkey “at any moment,” offering an olive branch after the 2011 war severed ties between Ankara and Damascus.

But after Erdogan’s intervention, Syrian diplomats made clear that any normalization of ties would depend on Ankara withdrawing troops from its territory.

Any bid to restore ties between Syria and Turkey “must be built on clear foundations that ensure the desired result,” the foreign ministry in Damascus said on Saturday.

“Foremost of which is the withdrawal of illegally present forces from Syrian territory.”

The post Erdogan Says End Near for Military Operation in North Iraq, Syria appeared first on The Defense Post.

The Turkish army has been mainly conducting strikes against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a “terrorist” group by Ankara and several Western allies, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

On Wednesday, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the National Security Council during which officials discussed “the issue of interventions and violations by Turkish forces in the shared border areas,” General Yehia Rasool, military spokesman for the PM, said in a statement.

The council said it rejects “Turkish military incursions” in Iraqi territories and urged Ankara to “diplomatically engage with the Iraqi government for any security-related matters.”

A delegation led by the National Security Advisor will travel to the Kurdistan Region to “assess the general situation and develop a unified stance on this matter,” the statement added.

The PKK, which has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, has a presence in northern Iraq, as does Turkey, which has operated from several dozen military bases there against the Kurdish group.

Turkey’s military operations, which sometimes take place deep inside Iraqi territory, have frequently strained bilateral ties.

In recent weeks, Iraqi local media have reported an increase in Turkish strikes, sparking several fires in border areas. Some reports mentioned Turkish forces establishing new positions.

Turkish forces “have advanced 15 kilometres into Iraqi Kurdistan territory,” said the Community Peacemakers Teams (CPT), an NGO registered in the United States that monitors Turkish operations in northern Iraq.

In an interview earlier this week, Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler said his country is “determined” to clear the border area with Iraq and neighboring Syria of “terrorists.”

In March, following a visit by senior Turkish officials to Iraq, Baghdad quietly listed the PKK as a “banned organization” — though Ankara demands that the Iraqi government do more in the fight against the militant group.

During a visit to Iraq in April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of “expectations” of Iraq regarding the fight against the PKK, and Sudani mentioned “bilateral security coordination” that would meet the needs of both countries.

However, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet al-Abbasi ruled out in March “joint military operations” between Baghdad and Ankara.

The post Iraq Condemns Turkish Military ‘Incursions’ Into North appeared first on The Defense Post.

“The contract was signed and delegations from both sides are negotiating the details,” the ministry sources said.

Under the deal, Turkey will get 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of the jets in its existing fleet.

The State Department last week hailed “a major step forward” in Turkey’s purchase of new F-16 fighter jets calling them “the most advanced F-16 ever made available only to closest Allies and partners.”

“Just the latest example of US enduring commitment to security partnership with Turkey,” it said in a social media post.

As required by law, the State Department notified Congress of the agreement in January, as well as a separate $8.6 billion sale of 40 F-35s to Greece.

The United States did not green light the transaction until Turkey’s instruments of ratification of Sweden’s membership had arrived in Washington.

Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership in January after more than a year of delays that upset Western to unite in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to join NATO leaders’ summit in Washington next month.

He had been set for talks with US counterpart Joe Biden last month but what would have been their first White House meeting was postponed over scheduling problems.

The post Turkey Signs Deal With US to Buy F-16 Warplanes appeared first on The Defense Post.

Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory following Hamas’ attack on October 7, has often expressed support for the Palestinian group as defenders of their homeland.

Hamas is classed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union, amongst others.

“Do not think that Israel will stop in Gaza,” Erdogan told his party lawmakers in the parliament in the capital Ankara.

“Unless it’s stopped… this rogue and terrorist state will set its sights on Anatolia sooner or later,” he said, referring to the large Turkish peninsula also called Asia Minor that comprises more than half of Turkey’s territory.

“We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia,” added Erdogan.

The Turkish leader on Monday said more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized some 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 the military says are dead.

Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed more than 35,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The post Erdogan Says Israel Will ‘Set Sights’ on Turkey if Hamas Defeated appeared first on The Defense Post.

Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory following Hamas’s attacks on October 7, made the announcement to reporters, adding that he considered Hamas “a resistance organization.”

“So many Hamas members have been killed. The whole of the West is attacking them with all sorts of arms and munitions,” he said.

“Calling Hamas … a terrorist organization would be cruel,” he said, adding that Greece and Turkey disagreed on this “very important” question.

Hamas is classed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union among others.

The October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized some 250 hostages, scores of whom were freed during a week-long truce in November.

Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed over 35,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The post More Than 1,000 Hamas Members Hospitalized in Turkey: Erdogan appeared first on The Defense Post.

A significant factor in their geopolitical strife is the need for air superiority over the Aegean. Numerous incidents have taken place over the Aegean Sea with frequent Turkish Air Force violations — some nearly causing war.

Already having some of the best pilots in NATO, the Hellenic Republic is making strides in bilateral ties, which have allowed Athens to purchase new-generation aircraft while Ankara’s air capabilities have remained stagnant.

Greco-Turkish Dispute

In the aftermath of the catastrophic 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish War, the original Treaty of Sevres that partitioned mainland Asia Minor between various nations was replaced by the Kemalist-backed Treaty of Lausanne.

In the treaty, the Hellenic Republic recognized all territories of the Republic of Turkey in return for Ankara’s recognition of the Greek sovereignty of the Aegean Isles. Articles 8 and 12 established Athens’ sovereignty and territorial claims over the Aegean Isles, save for Imbros and Tenedos that were given to Ankara.

The treaty has hold for several decades, but air and maritime violations by Turkey are frequent. Turkey, which boasts NATO’s second-biggest military, is also one of the alliance’s few members with a force projection capability.

Due to unstable governments that led to internal conflicts and corruption, Greece struggled to keep up with Turkey’s military might. The countries came close to war, particularly during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the S-300 dispute, and the Imia Crisis.

Feeling emboldened by Greece’s stagnation, Turkey has regressed from Mustafa Kemal’s original policies, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party has dreams of Neo-Ottomanism, which directly threatens Greece’s sovereignty.

Athens Upgrades Air Force

Greece, realizing it could not keep up with Turkey’s population in a ground war, instead focused on naval and air power. Turkey has a solid and large navy as their responsibility includes rivaling Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. For this, Greece’s military doctrine shifted to complete aerial supremacy.

Already having top-ranked NATO pilots with extensive pilot training, the Hellenic Air Force is currently being revamped with state-of-the-art warplanes.

In early 2022, Athens purchased six Rafale fighter jets from Paris. Consolidating a defensive alliance with Greece against Turkish threats that coincide with French interests, France has helped revamp the Hellenic military.

Turkey’s ploy to purchase the Russian S-400 missile defense system is Ankara’s most significant foreign policy blunder, as the country has been barred from the F-35 program, while Greece was welcomed in. Athens is also supplemented with the Mirage 2000 and modernized F-16s.

Ankara’s Shortfalls and Attempts to Rebuild

Attempting to mirror Greece’s growing aerial capabilities, Turkey is currently faltering for assorted reasons.

Erdogan’s growing authoritarian government is not just affecting Turkish citizens but also the military. As with any hybrid regime, government purges lead to stagnation with military capabilities.

In the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup, Erdogan ordered military purges in the military. One of the wings directly affected was the air force, which remains stagnant.

Sense of Urgency in Turkey

The Turkish government and military analysts are coming to terms with Greece’s growing aerial warfare capabilities, which is causing a sense of panic in the country.

If Turkey cannot modernize its aircraft, particularly the F-16s, by 2025, Greece will have the edge on air superiority, retired Turkish Air Force Commander General Abidin Unal said earlier this month.

One could argue Turkey’s two year-long blackmail towards Sweden’s NATO membership is not because of Stockholm’s amnesty towards Kurdish and Turkish dissidents but to get America’s attention.

On January 27, the US government lifted the F-16 block on Turkey and approved the $23 billion sale of 40 of the jet towards modernization of the Turkish Air Force, which all but hinted Sweden’s near two-year hold on NATO membership was tied to the standoff between Washington and Ankara.

On the same day, Washington also approved the $8.6 billion sale of F-35s to Greece, which Ankara is still barred from, showing equilibrium has not been reached in Turkey’s relations with the US.

However, US Senator Victoria Nuland opened the possibility of Turkey rejoining the F-35 program if Ankara were to give up the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.

Nevertheless, even with a friendship understanding between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Erdogan, conflict can ensue between both countries, particularly over Cyprus.

Unless Turkey can somehow find its way back into equilibrium with top Western partners, such as the US and France, it will lose the fight for aerial dominance with Greece.

Julian McBride is a forensic anthropologist, former Marine, and journalist born in New York.

He reports and documents the plight of people around the world affected by conflicts, rogue geopolitics, and war, and also tells the stories of war victims whose voices are never heard.

Julian is the founder and director of the Reflections of War Initiative (ROW), an anthropological NGO which aims to tell the stories of the victims of war through art therapy.

As a former Marine, he uses this technique not only to help heal PTSD but also to share people’s stories through art, which conveys “the message of the
brutality of war better than most news organizations.”

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Defense Post.

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The post The Fight for Air Superiority in the Aegean appeared first on The Defense Post.

As required by US law, the State Department notified Congress of the agreement, as well as a separate $8.6 billion sale of 40 F-35s to Greece.

Turkey will get 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of the jets in its existing fleet, the State Department said in a news release.

The United States did not green light the transaction until Turkey’s instruments of ratification of Sweden’s membership had arrived in Washington, a US official said, highlighting the highly sensitive nature of the negotiations.

All instruments of ratification must be deposited in the US capital — a city NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit next week and which will host a summit in July to mark the 75th anniversary of the trans-Atlantic alliance.

Turkey’s parliament ratified Sweden’s NATO membership on Tuesday after more than a year of delays that upset Western efforts to show resolve in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially objected to Sweden’s NATO bid over Stockholm’s perceived acceptance of Kurdish groups that Ankara views as “terrorist” organizations.

Sweden responded by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and taking other security steps demanded by Erdogan.

But Erdogan then turned to an unmet US pledge to deliver a batch of F-16 fighter jets that has met resistance in Congress because of Turkey’s perceived backsliding on human rights and standoffs with fellow NATO member Greece.

The powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democrat Ben Cardin, said Friday he would permit the F-16 sale to Turkey but that it was “not a decision I came to lightly.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken led an intense diplomatic effort to broker the deal, telling the Turkish president three times during a trip to Ankara just after the February 2023 earthquake that there would be no planes if Turkey blocked Sweden’s NATO bid, the US official said.

Athens meanwhile strongly opposed the sale due to unresolved territorial disputes with Turkey in the energy-rich Mediterranean region.

The US agreement with Turkey hinged first on Athens not obstructing the sale, and Greece was simultaneously granted more advanced F-35s.

Turkey’s aging air force would benefit from new F-16s, as it has suffered from Ankara’s expulsion from the US-led F-35 joint strike fighter program in 2019 over Erdogan’s decision to acquire an advanced Russian missile defense system.

Turkey’s green light of Swedish NATO membership leaves Hungary as the last holdout in an accession process that Sweden and Finland began in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest to discuss the bid, although hints emerged of strains between the two countries.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said he will meet with Orban but that he would “not negotiate” with Hungary over Stockholm’s NATO bid.

In Washington, it is thought that the process will take a few more weeks, with hopes of a flag-raising ceremony during the next NATO ministerial in Brussels in April.

The post Washington Approves Sale of 40 F-16s to Turkey appeared first on The Defense Post.

Lawmakers voted 287-55 in favor of the Nordic nation’s bid to become the 32nd member of the alliance after it won the public backing of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish leader is expected to sign Sweden’s ratification document and conclude Ankara’s role in the protracted saga in the coming days.

“Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on social media after the vote.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Turkey’s move and called on Hungary to do the same, urging Budapest to “complete its national ratification as soon as possible.”

The United States also applauded the Turkish parliament’s vote, with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan saying on social media that Sweden’s addition to NATO will make the alliance “safer and stronger.”

Turkey’s green light leaves Budapest as the last holdout in an accession process that Sweden and Finland began in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.

Ankara forced the northern neighbors to split up their applications after finding fault with Sweden and approving Finland after a few rounds of talks.

Finland’s membership last April doubled the length of NATO’s border with Russia and boosted the defenses of three tiny Baltic nations that joined the bloc following the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

End of Non-Alignment

Sweden and Finland pursued a policy of military non-alignment during the Cold War era between the Soviet Union and the West.

But the Ukraine war upturned geopolitical calculations and forced the two to seek the nuclear protection afforded by the world’s most powerful defense bloc.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday invited his Swedish counterpart to Budapest to discuss the bid, although hints emerged of strains between Stockholm and Budapest.

Orban and Erdogan have maintained good rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin throughout the Ukraine war.

NATO leaders had feared that the Kremlin was trying to use the two mercurial leaders — both regular visitors to Moscow — to seed divisions in the West.

The bloc’s commanders have cast the latest round of expansion as a show of Western resolve in the face of Russia’s aggression.

Turkey Demands Jets

Erdogan’s objections to Sweden’s bid initially focused on Stockholm’s perceived acceptance of Kurdish groups that Ankara views as “terrorists.”

Sweden responded by tightening its anti-terrorism legislation and taking other security steps demanded by Erdogan.

But Erdogan then turned his gaze on an unmet US pledge to deliver a batch of F-16 fighter jets that has met resistance in Congress because of Turkey’s perceived backsliding on human rights and standoffs with fellow NATO member Greece.

Turkey also wants Canada to follow through on its promise to lift a ban on the sale of a key component used for making combat drones.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Turkey over two visits in the past three months that the Swedish candidacy’s ratification could help break congressional resistance to the F-16 sale.

Turkish opposition lawmaker Cengiz Candar said during Tuesday’s ratification debate that Ankara had “blackmailed” its Western partners during the drawn-out negotiation process.

“Turkey violated three pillars of foreign policy: predictability, credibility and consistency,” he said before voting for the bid.

Orban Talks Tough

Hungary had followed Turkey’s lead during Finland’s accession process and was largely expected to back Sweden’s candidacy without much delay.

But Orban got tangled up in an unexpected tiff with Swedish leaders on Tuesday that revolved around his invitation for Kristersson to come and discuss Stockholm’s candidacy in Budapest.

“I invite you to visit Hungary at your earliest convenience to exchange views on all issues of common interest,” Orban wrote in the letter seen by AFP.

Orban then added in a social media statement that Kristersson should come to Hungary “to negotiate” Sweden’s accession.

Swedish officials immediately countered that there was nothing to negotiate because — unlike Turkey — Hungary never presented conditions when Sweden was invited to the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he saw “no reason” to negotiate with Hungary about Stockholm’s NATO candidacy “at this point.”

“It is now time for Hungary to conclude the remaining steps so that we can welcome our Swedish friends into the Alliances,” the German foreign ministry said after the Turkish vote.

The post Turkey Ratifies Sweden’s NATO Membership After Protracted Delay appeared first on The Defense Post.

A ceremony in northwestern Turkey saw the delivery of the country’s first domestically-built frigate, the TCG Istanbul, and a replenishment combat support ship, TCG Derya.

The TCG Istanbul features a cutting-edge radar system, combat management, and electronic warfare systems.

It is also fitted with the MIDLAS national vertical launch missile system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms.

Meanwhile, the TCG Derya will ensure timely and rapid refueling and replenishment of essential supplies for combat units.

Additional Vessels

The Turkish Navy also recently received the TCG Lt. Arif Ekmekçi logistics support ship and its first armed unmanned surface vessel (USV).

The TCG Lt. Arif Ekmekçi is expected to provide Turkish sailors deployed away from naval bases with fuel, freshwater, and food.

The USV, named Marlin, is designed to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.

With a speed of 36 knots, it can maneuver in extremely rough sea conditions, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

It also has the necessary technologies to support surface warfare and electronic attack missions.

“With its superior technical features, the Marlin USV will support our dominance at sea, instilling confidence in friends and causing fear in adversaries,” Erdoğan explained.

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