by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
Ankara/Istanbul (IANS): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday declared an attempted military coup against his government as an “act of treason” and vowed to his supporters that the coup plotters will pay for the chaos.
After landing in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport earlier on Saturday, Erdogen in a televised speech said “This is a movement of treason and an insurgency. Let me tell you that they will pay a heavy price for this treason.”
“There is a government in power and a president in power elected by the people. We are on duty and we will continue to conduct our duty until the very end,” state-run Anadolu News Agency quoted the President as saying.
A chaotic night began late Friday with reports of soldiers trying to take control of bridges and key areas in major cities. Later, army helicopters began airstrikes and shelled key locations in the capital, Ankara.
So far, 130 soldiers were detained in the coup attempt. Conflicting media reports differed in the death toll figures. BBC, CNN and the Guardian said 42 people, mostly civilians were killed while Xinhua news agency have put the toll at 60.
Bombs struck near the Turkish Grand Assembly. Airborne shelling at several locations included the ruling AK Party headquarters, the presidential complex and the General Staff, Anadolu News Agency said.
Erdogen said the coup is now over and the government is now in control.
In his address, the President blamed Fethullah Gulen, a high-profile political figure and religious scholar based in US responsible for the coup, CNN reported.
“Now I’m addressing those in Pennsylvania. The betrayal you have shown to this nation and to this community, that’s enough. If you have the courage, come back to your country. If you can. You will not have the means to turn this country into a mess from where you are.”
According to the Guardian daily, as Erdogen concluded his speech, crowd, numbering in the thousands, chanted and sang, “one nation, one flag, one motherland”.
Government officials have also announced that the coup was over but a “relatively small amount” of tension still remains in Ankara, the Guardian reports.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced on Saturday that Umit Dündar is the new acting chief of military staff.
However, there was no word on the current head of the armed forces, General Hulusi Akar.
Earlier, Erdogan said he had no information about Akar, who was reportedly taken hostage at military headquarters by those behind the attempted coup.
Istanbul’s Ataturk airport – where more than 40 people were killed in suicide attacks on June 28 – was now reportedly back in the hands of officers loyal to the government after it was seized by coup supporters, the Guardian noted.
Flights were suspended or diverted, but some were now arriving. A number of flights are still being diverted to Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha, as the situation at Ataturk remained unclear.
Broadcaster CNN-Turk was back on air, having been closed down on Friday night when soldiers entered the building and ordered journalists to leave.
State broadcaster TRT was also taken off air by those involved in the coup.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has called an emergency meeting in parliament later in the day, the Guardian added.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
An army group in Turkey says it has taken control of the country, with bridges closed in Istanbul and aircraft flying low over Ankara.
PM Binali Yildirim earlier denounced an “illegal action” by a military “group”, stressing it was not a coup. He said that the government remained in charge.
Traffic has been stopped from crossing both the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges in Istanbul.
There are reports of gunshots in the capital Ankara.
Gunfire was also heard outside Istanbul police HQ and tanks are said to be stationed outside Istanbul airport. All flights are cancelled.
CNN Turk reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was “safe” but did not elaborate.
A statement from the military group read out on NTV television said: “The power in the country has been seized in its entirety.” Who represents the group remains uncertain.
But Mr Yildirim told NTV by telephone: “We are working on the possibility of an attempt. We will not allow this attempt.
“Those who are in this illegal act will pay the highest price,” he added, saying it would not be correct to describe the move as a “coup”.
He said: “There was an illegal act by a group within the military that was acting out of the chain of military command. Our people should know that we will not allow any activity that would harm democracy.”
There are reports Turkey’s top general has been taken hostage at the military HQ.
(Courtesy:http://www.bbc.com)
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World, World
Ankara, (IINA) – Turkey announced on Monday that it is still in the process of giving citizenship to Syrians who have never been involved in any terrorism related activities and who are seen as “useful” to the country, Anadolu Agency reported.
Speaking at a press conference following a Cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said: “Our interior ministry has not yet completed the works on the issue of giving citizenship to Syrians. Our ministry is working on the issue in detail”.
Kurtulmus said work is ongoing to pave the way for Turkish citizenship for Syrians who “can be of use to Turkey, who have never been involved in terrorism, and who can create a bridge between Turkey and Syria”.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this month that millions of Syrians living in Turkey would have the chance to become citizens of the country that has given them shelter.
Around 2.7 million Syrians, who have fled the civil war in their country, are being sheltered at camps inside Turkey.
Syria has remained locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed and more than 10 million have been displaced, according to UN figures collected around two years ago.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Halal Industries
Turkey’s beleaguered tourism sector hopes to reap the fruits of a number of diplomatic steps to improve ties with Israel and Russia, as the number of foreign arrivals to the country plummeted to record lows.
“Due to regional and global crises and some bilateral problems with some countries, we have seen tourism figures that are lower than we had earlier expected. We expect a significant rise in local tourist numbers thanks to the nine-day public holiday for Eid al-Fitr. We also expect that one of the positively affected areas of our improving ties with both Russia and Israel will be seen in the tourism sector,” said Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on June 28, during his speech at a parliamentary group meeting.
The number of foreign arrivals to Turkey slumped by 34.7 percent in May compared to the same month of 2015 to 2.49 million, according to data released by the Tourism Ministry on June 28. This marked the steepest decline since the 1990s.
Arrivals from Russia slump 92 percent
In May, Turkey saw dramatic declines mainly in arrivals from Russia and Western countries amid rising security concerns and the diplomatic row with Russia, which was the second largest foreign tourist source for Turkey until recently.
The number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey declined by around 92 percent to 41,004 in May compared to the same month of 2015, while the number of arrivals from Germany dropped by 31.5 percent and from Britain by 29.4 percent to around 427,000 and 219,000, respectively.
The number of foreign people visiting Turkey decreased by 22.9 percent to 8.3 million in the first five months of this year compared to the same period of 2015, data also showed. Tourism players expect revenue losses of around $15 billion this year.
The head of the Travel Agencies Association of Turkey (TÜRSAB), Başaran Ulusoy, reminded that the number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkey hit its highest in 2008 at over 550,000.
“With the gradual improvement in our ties with Israel, we expect a dramatic rise in the number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkey,” he told Anadolu Agency, adding that the number of arrivals from this country has already increased by 40 percent this year compared to the previous year.
The head of the Hoteliers’ Federation of Turkey (TÜROFED) said the target from this market should be 1 million tourists.
“With the deal, we expect a rapid recovery in the Israeli market. Our target should be to attract at least 1 million Israeli tourists, as Israel is very proximate geographically. They can arrive in Turkey in a very short time, usually choosing Istanbul and Antalya to visit,” said TÜROFED head Osman Ayık, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Saying that the improving ties with both Israel and Russia would have a very positive impact on the sector, the head of the Turkish Hoteliers’ Association (TÜROB), Timur Bayındır, added: “This is what should be done. We can see further yields if our ties with Egypt are recovered.”
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Istanbul (IINA) – UN senior officials on Sunday highlighted that the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), set to kick off Monday in the Turkish city of Istanbul, is to serve as a wake-up call for action in the service of common humanity, providing a launch pad for new initiatives, UN News Center reported.
“We have tremendous suffering in the world today. There is huge need for us to show solidarity with those who are affected by natural disasters and man-made disasters,” UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told reporters in a press conference in Istanbul.
In this two-day conference, more than 125 heads of state and government are expected to join representatives from the UN community, civil society, the private sector, academia and thousands of other participants.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – the Summit’s organizing entity – the goal is to strength the humanitarian system so that preparedness and resilience are taken more seriously.
Speaking at the press conference alongside the Deputy Secretary-General, the UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and head of OCHA, Steven O’Brien, said the world needs a Summit so it can make the scale of change that is necessary to help meet the needs.
Four years ago, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the World Humanitarian Summit to be organized. Since then, 23,000 people were consulted in over 150 countries. The outcome of this global exercise is the Agenda for Humanity, a guiding document for the Summit in which the UN chief calls for people’s safety, dignity and right to thrive.
WHS calls on world leaders to commit to five core responsibilities: Prevent and end conflict; Respect rules of war; Leave no one behind; Working differently to end need; and invest in humanity.
