by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : The US and Turkey have mutually suspended all non-immigrant visa services for travel between the two countries, after last week’s arrest of an American consulate employee in Istanbul, the media reported.
With some exceptions, the move implemented from Sunday effectively blocks Turks from travel to the US, and vice versa, indefinitely, reports CNN.
The US said it was “deeply disturbed” by the employee’s arrest, after he was charged over alleged links to Pennsylvania-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen who Turkey blames for the unsuccessful 2016 coup.
Turkey has pushed for the US to extradite Gulen, although the cleric has denied any involvement.
“Recent events have forced the United States government to reassess the commitment of government of Turkey to the security of US mission and personnel,” the statement by the US mission in Ankara said.
Just after the announcement by the US, Turkey on Sunday retaliated through its embassy in Washington, issuing a statement that effectively mirrored the one released by Washington, CNN reported.
“Recent events have forced Turkish Government to reassess the commitment of the Government of the United States to the security of Turkish Mission facilities and personnel.”
The Turkish embassy said the measure, effective immediately, would “apply to visas in passports as well as e-Visas and visas acquired at the border”.
Washington’s move, meanwhile, means that Turks will not be issued visas to visit the US unless they plan to move there.
According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency, the arrested consulate employee was a male Turkish citizen.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Istanbul : The number of foreign visitors to Istanbul rose by 10.8 percent in the first eight months of this year, when compared to the same period last year, official Turkish data revealed Tuesday.
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said this year, so far, 6.95 million foreign tourists have visited the city, official data showed. A 37.3 percent surge to 1.24 million foreign tourists was seen this August when compared to the same period last year.
According to Anadolu Agency, most tourists came to Istanbul from Germany (656,428 people), followed by Iran (526,084 people) and Saudi Arabia (413,273).
The visitors from Arab countries went up by 36.7 percent to 1.78 million between January and August 2017, compared to the same period last year.
Most tourists came to Istanbul through the Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen airports, 5.45 million and 1.47 million, respectively.
The total foreign tourists were 9.2 million in 2016, 12.4 million in 2015, 11.8 million in 2014 and 10.4 million in 2013.
—AG/IINA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Attorney General Ali bin Fetais al-Marri
Doha : Turkey has arrested five people in connection with the alleged hack of Doha’s state news agency, an incident which sparked the current Gulf political crisis, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported on Saturday.
The arrests were announced by Qatar’s most senior legal figure, Attorney General Ali bin Fetais al-Marri, Xinhua reported.
“Five people were arrested and they are being investigated. The prosecutors in Qatar are working with the Turkish authorities to follow the case,” he said in comments published by the Qatar News Agency (QNA).
The alleged hack of the QNA website took place on May 24, attributing explosive political remarks to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
The remarks covered sensitive regional political subjects such as Iran, Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Israel and the United States.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates severed ties with Qatar over its ties to Shiite Iran and support for Sunni Islamist extremist groups.
Qatar denies the charges and said Sheikh Tamim did not make the statements, but that the website was hacked.
Doha called in the FBI to help with the hacking investigation and has accused the UAE of being behind the cyber-attack. The UAE has denied the claims.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Ankara (IANS): Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir to protest the coup attempt which killed at least 194 people and led to chaos in major cities in Turkey, Hurriyet News reported.
Protesters waving flags gathered in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Saturday night. The group also staged a march toward the central Istiklal Avenue, Xinhua news agency reported.
Thousands gathered at the central Kizilay Square of capital Ankara on late Saturday to protest the coup attempt, chanting anti-coup slogans.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was due to address the crowd but it was postponed later. The square was also closed to traffic. Protesters said they will stay until officials ask them to return to their homes.
In the Aegean province of Izmir, protesters gathered in the central Konak Square and chanted anti-coup slogans.
Following the coup attempt in the country on July 15, Turkish officials called on the nation to continue to protest the coup attempt.
Defence Minister Fikri Isik said it was early to say that the coup danger was completely over, while urging caution in Turkey.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, World
Ankara (IINA) – Close to 200 unarmed soldiers at the Turkish military headquarters have surrendered after a coup attempt, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Saturday.
Earlier, around 50 soldiers surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus in Istanbul on Saturday, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air, live footage showed. A witness earlier saw tens of other pro-coup soldiers surrendering to armed police after being surrounded in Istanbul’s central Taksim square, Reuters news agency reported. The footage was aired amid tumultuous events that have led to the death of 90 people, the injury of 1,154 others and the arrest of 1,563 military officers members of armed forces.
A Turkish official said 29 colonels and five generals were removed from their posts in military after the coup attempt. Friday’s attempted coup in Turkey ‘appears to have been unsuccessful’ a Turkish official was reported as saying, early Saturday morning. The senior official told The Associated Press all government officials were in charge of their offices. Their comments came as Erdogan arrived at Istanbul airport where he was greeted by large crowds, but also amid reports of explosions near the parliament buildings in Ankara.
The coup started when members of the military blocked streets, bridges, government buildings, took over the state controlled media and shutdown social media.
But within the hours that followed Erdogan appeared on CNN Turk on the screen of a smartphone and called on the people to take to the streets. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told NTV television: “The military commanders have made it clear that the coup plotters violated the chain of command… The people have shown that they stand in solidarity with democracy and the elected government.” Speaking to CNN Turk Erdogan had called on the nation to gather in the squares in response to the “attempted uprising”. He said it was an act encouraged by “parallel structure”.
Turkish authorities shot down a military helicopter apparently operated by soldiers trying to stage the coup as it fired on the offices of state satellite operator Turksat in the capital Ankara on Saturday, broadcaster CNN Turk said. Turkish army F-16s also launched air strikes against tanks stationed by coup backers outside the presidential palace in Ankara, an official with the presidency said. “Turkish F-16s have launched air strikes against tanks outside the presidential palace,” the official said, adding that a military helicopter, which was involved in an attack against a Turkish satellite operator earlier, has been downed in the Golbasi district of Ankara.
Earlier, maritime authorities shut Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait to transiting tankers “for security and safety” reasons, shipping agent GAC said. Some cargo carriers like bulkers were still being allowed to travel through the key shipping channel which divides Istanbul into European and Asian sides, GAC said.
At approximately 1 am local time, Turkish army helicopters opened fire on the intelligence headquarters in Ankara and guards returned fire, Al Arabiya reported. Witnesses were quoted as saying they heard an explosion in the capital. Tanks opened fire around the Turkish parliament building, Reuters reported. Elsewhere in Istanbul there were reports of gun fire coming from the airport, Al Arabiya reported.
The group affiliated with US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who was accused by Erdogan of being behind the coup attempt condemned the uprising. Gulen later strongly condemned the attempted Turkey coup in a statement. “For more than 40 years, Fethullah Gulen and Hizmet participants have advocated for, and demonstrated their commitment to, peace and democracy,” the Alliance for Shared Values said in a statement. “We have consistently denounced military interventions in domestic politics. These are core values of Hizmet participants. We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey.”
Their denial came after the Turkish Prime Minister insisted that the attempted coup was an act of rebellion by the Gulen movement. The military faction attempting the coup took control of some tanks and ordered its forces to try to take over the streets. But the attempts were unsuccessful in many areas, a senior Turkish government official said. Had the coup been successful, the overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003 (first as Prime Minister and then as President since 2014) would have amounted to one of the biggest shifts in power in the Middle East in years.
Responding to claims early during the coup attempt Turkey’s prime minister said the attempted coup would be put down. Yildirim said the elected government would remain in office. “Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command,” Yildirim said in comments broadcast by private channel NTV. “The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so.”
Dogan News Agency footage showed cars and buses being diverted. CNN Turkey showed two military vehicles and a group of soldiers lined up at the entrance of one of the bridges in Turkey’s biggest city.
A Turkish official who did not want to be named said soldiers had been deployed in other cities in Turkey, but did not specify which ones. Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate summoned all police to duty in Ankara. Turkey’s minister for EU Affairs, Omer Celik, called on soldiers to disobey orders after the military announced on Friday that it was seizing control of the government in a coup. Meanwhile Reuters cited a pilot who said all flights from Istanbul’s Ataturk airport had been cancelled after the events in Turkey. As the events developed countries around the world issued advisories to their citizens in Turkey to stay indoors. “A message was sent saying that serious events were taking place in Ankara and Istanbul,” said a French diplomatic source. “French citizens have been asked to stay inside.” Similar statements were made but other countries.
Global leaders from United States President Barack Obama to German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted during the coup attempt, both siding with Erdogan and the elected government of Turkey.
Others like United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling for clam and return to civilian rule.
After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers. His AK Party, with roots in Islamism, has long had a strained relationship with the military and nationalists in a state that was founded on secularist principles after World War One, and which has a history of military coups.
