October 15- October 21, 2019
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THE LATEST IN U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS
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RECENT Events:
On Wednesday, October 16, 2019 the Turkish Heritage Organization hosted a timely panel discussion on “
The Future of Syria: Syrian Kurds and the Realities in the Region
” The panel featured
Eva Savelsberg
, President of the European Center for Kurdish Studies, Germany;
Wa’el Alzayat
, CEO of Emgage Foundation and former advisor at the U.S. Department of State; and
Joel Rubin
, National Security Expert and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
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UPCOMING Event:
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
THO will be hosting Former Vice Admiral Kadir Sagdic in November, 2019 both in New York City and Washington, D.C. Stay tuned as we announce more details!
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The Latest Developments in US-Turkey Relations
A Timeline of Events
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October 16, 2019
U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution by 354-60 on Wednesday to condemn President Trump’s decision to pull troops out of Syria. The resolution was blocked by Rand Paul claiming that this resolution does nothing to fix the problem.
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October 16, 2019
US National Security Advisor O’Brien and Amb. Jeffrey meet with Turkish Defense Minister Akar in Ankara. Additionally, US National Security Advisor O'Brien and Ambassador Jeffrey meet with Turkish Presidency Spokesperson Kalin and Chief Adviser Aybet that afternoon.
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United States Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said he will introduce a bill on Thursday to punish Turkey for their offensive against the Kurds.
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U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo and
discussed details on the phone .
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U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Turkey including top three Turkish government officials and two ministries in a way to force Turkey for a ceasefire with Kurdish troops in Syria.
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President Trump orders U.S. troops in Northern Syria to withdraw as safely and quickly as possible due to Turkey’s incursion into the area. Trump signed an order on Saturday to call off its troops which would mean the end of most of the U.S. presence in that area.
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Turkey launches continued efforts into Syria after President Trump pulls back 50 U.S troops.
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President Erdogan discussed developments in a conference held by Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and threatened the EU that Turkey will open its border if EU takes critical stance against Turkey’s operation into Syria.
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The Turkish incursion into northern Syria begins to clear out Kurdish militia groups of People’s Protection Units (YPG), Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Democratic Union Party (PYD). The operation’s code name is designated as the “Operation Peace Spring.” Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and their Syrian rebel allies backed by Turkey entered the region to clear out the Kurdish militia and begin to establishment of safe zone.
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President Donald J. Trump sent a letter to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging him to make a deal with the Kurdish militia groups in Northern Syria. The letter was initially kept from the public.
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Coming Up:
October 22, 2019
- Deadline for Turkey's Operation Halt
- Erdogan-Putin Meet in Sochi
November 13, 2019
- President Trump and President Erdogan to Meet in Washington, D.C.
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See what our THO Advisory Board Members have said in response to the developments last week in U.S.-Turkey relations
here
.
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Salih Hudayar, the U.S. Representative of the East Turkestan Government in Exile discusses in the latest
THO Exclusive Insight
the current situation in China's East Turkestan territory and the treatment of the Uyghurs in the region.
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Radhika Coomaraswamy, member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar on Myanmar, spoke to THO and discussed her work in the international community on how they are addressing the violence in Myanmar and around the world today.
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THO NON-RESIDENT FELLOWSHIP
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Stay tuned as THO releases our Non-Resident Fellowship Cohort for 2019-2020 soon!
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Stay tuned as. THO released a comprehensive review of US-Turkey relations in 2018-2019 and predictions for the coming year soon!
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CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED
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THO welcomes the outcome of the Ankara Meeting between VP Pence and President Erdogan.
THO has also met with Vice President Pence previously.
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THO President Ali Cinar
continued with media outreach on both Turkish and American news outlets.
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THO Communications Manager Savannah Lane
additionally also commented on the latest developments of U.S.-Turkey news.
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Remarks by Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo in Press Conference | Ankara, Turkey
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See the full remarks by U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State regarding the latest developments in Ankara, Turkey.
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Turkey, US Full Statement on Northeast Syria and Developments
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Last week Turkey and the United States agreed to a five-day ceasefire in Syria.
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U.S. Secretary of State Discusses Developments with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
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NATO and U.S. Joint Press Conference
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appeared at a joint press conference with the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo where they welcomed they joint ceasefire agreement.
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Turkey Remains Strongly Committed to U.S. and NATO
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On a military-to-military level, very solid relations on that front,” Lt. Gen. Chris Cavoli, the commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, said at
an event hosted by Defense One
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Former NATO Commander James Stavridis Comments on U.S. Withdrawal from Syria
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Former NATO Commander James Stavridis discusses potential concerns following U.S. withdrawal from Syria.
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Senate Republicans and Democrats alike fear the power vacuum potentially left behind in the wake of US forces withdrawing from Northeast Syria, and push for sanctions.
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Turkey Closely Monitors Withdrawal of YPG/PKK from Syria
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"Ankara is closely monitoring the withdrawal of YPG/PKK, collection of heavy weaponry and destruction of their positions and fortifications in the Syria safe zone," the ministry said in a statement.
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Treasury Designates Turkish Officials in Response to Military Action in Syria
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On October 14, U.S. Treasury Department released a press release explaining that due to Turkey’s incursion into Syria, the Department has imposed sanctions on two Turkish Ministry and three top Turkish government officials.
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Markets don’t react for Trump’s tariff threats against Turkey
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President Trump ordered sanctions on Turkish economy to discourage them to continue their incursion into Syria but the current imposed sanctions are relatively light sanctions and it seems like they are only imposed to appease Congress while dollar is down 1% against lira for the session at 8am London Time on Tuesday.
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This December, the NATO Summit will convene December 3-4, 2019 in London.
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS AND INDIVIDUALS
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The UN remains committed to advancing the common good and continues to play a critical role in the international community.
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Turkish Heritage Organization
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