JEDDAH: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks to build stronger ties with the US administration and says Donald Trump’s stance is “encouraging,” amid increasingly sour relations with the EU states.
Voters in Turkey went to the polls on Sunday, and voted “yes” in a constitutional referendum to replace the country’s parliamentary system with a presidential model.
US President Donald Trump was among the first to call Erdogan to congratulate him on the referendum victory.
The move gave Erdogan sweeping new powers — but the president has denied claims this makes him a “dictator.”
He was speaking exclusively to CNN’s Becky Anderson in his first interview since the vote.
“I haven’t been a dictator. Everyone is free in their thinking, free in their expressions,” he told CNN.
“If you claim that a dictator will emerge out of a ballot box, it would be unjust to the people who are casting their votes… the choices of the people will have been insulted if you say such things.”
“Democracy gains power from the people. This is what we call a national will, the nation’s will. However, the nation’s will shall prevail, we all have to respect that.”
Erdogan went on to defend the “stronger” presidential system that has been voted in, denying claims that it is purely for his own benefit.
“This system is not tailored for Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I am a mortal, I may die any minute,” he told CNN.
“We are going to have an executive president to show that the country can be governed in a much stronger fashion. This is what we have achieved and this is what we are going to do.”
Turkey’s relations with the EU are at a low ebb, following a war of words between Ankara and several European states in the run-up to the referendum. Some EU countries had banned Turkish ministers from addressing rallies of expatriates ahead of the vote.
Erdogan confirmed that Trump called him to offer his congratulations for his success after Sunday’s referendum — something most EU leaders did not follow in doing.
He said that he senses Trump’s approach as “encouraging,” adding that a face-to-face meeting between the two NATO powers is in the pipeline.
“Our concern is to have a good a relationship as possible with Mr. Trump,” he told CNN.
“We are going to sit down and determine a road map as two strategic partners… We believe we can resolve specific problems.”
The telephone call took place on Easter Day.
“While he was congratulating me, he stated that our mutual relationship will only get stronger in the future. And he shared his opinions and thoughts with me, his thoughts on Syria.
“I have specifically mentioned one thing... After the referendum, we have to move on from making phone calls to one another and instead get together face-to-face whereby we can further strengthen relations between the US and Turkey.”
Turkey and the US earlier hit a diplomatic stumbling block over the expected assault on Daesh in Raqqa, Syria. The US wants to use the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the offensive, but Turkey objected as it considers the YPG an extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group.
“In order to hit a terrorist organization such as Daesh using another terrorist organization such as YPG… it’s not right. It’s a terrorist organization,” Erdogan told CNN.
“The US, the coalition forces and Turkey would be sufficient and would be strong enough to fight Daesh once and for all,” he added.
Erdogan’s victory in the referendum was a slim one, with the “yes” vote winning by 51.4 percent compared to 48.6 percent for the “no” side. Critics pointed to alleged one-sided media coverage and the use of emergency powers in Turkey as having possibly influenced the result.
But Erdogan said that a win is a win.
“I’m a person who has played football for many years and I know for sure, whether you win one to zero, or three to zero, the points you will get at the end will be the same. What matters most at the end of the day is to score and win the game.”
Erdogan also accused the EU of breaking its promises in a deal to stem the flow of refugees into the bloc in return for financial assistance and an easing of visa restrictions.
“We rose up to the occasion and we did what we were supposed to. But the EU failed to keep the promises that were made to us,” he said. “Not a single promise had been kept.”
Turkish prosecutors earlier launched an investigation into 17 US politicians, bureaucrats and academics in connection with the attempted coup last summer.
Those included in the investigation are former CIA Director John Brennan and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, along with others accused of collaborating with Turkish resistance groups to overthrow Erdogan, a Turkish state-run news service reported.
Erdogan told CNN that the investigations into the coup continue, and that he has renewed an extradition request to the US concerning his arch-rival Fethullah Gülen.
“We have renewed our extradition requests and when we visit the US we are going to sit down and talk about these issues,” Erdogan said. “The evidence is there. The documents have been amassed pointing to the No. 1 perpetrator of this failed coup as Fethullah Gülen.”
Erdogan also claimed “terrorist organizations” — presumably his political rivals — are being supported by the West.
“These people are supporting those terrorist organizations, and behind those terrorist organizations you will find these strong media outlets of the Western world,” he said.
Erdogan looks to build ties with ‘encouraging’ Trump
Erdogan looks to build ties with ‘encouraging’ Trump
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44,330 Gazans killed in more than 13 months of war
- Medics said Israeli military strikes killed at least 17 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday
GAZA CITY: The Health Ministry in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 44,330 people have been killed in more than 13 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The toll includes 48 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 104,933 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Medics said Israeli military strikes killed at least 17 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday as forces stepped up bombardments on central areas and pushed tanks deeper in the north and south of the enclave.
Six people were killed in two separate airstrikes on a house and near the hospital of Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, while four others were killed when an Israeli strike hit a motorcycle in Khan Younis in the south.
In Nuseirat, one of the Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps, Israeli planes carried out several airstrikes, destroying a multi-floor building and hitting roads outside mosques.
At least seven people were killed in some of those strikes, health officials said.
Medics said at least two people, a woman and a child, were killed in tank shelling that hit western areas of Nuseirat, while an air strike killed five others in a house nearby. In Rafah, near the border with Egypt, tanks pushed deeper into the northern-west area of the city, residents said.
Months of attempts to negotiate a ceasefire have yielded scant progress, and negotiations are now on hold.
Royal Jordanian, Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to Lebanon, Gulf carriers delay decisions
- Both airlines announce service resumption in coming days, but most foreign airlines remain wary as they monitor stability of truce
- Lebanon’s ATTAL president says ‘7-8 companies expected to return in coming days’
LONDON: Royal Jordanian, and Ethiopian Airlines have announced the resumption of flights to Beirut following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that took effect on Wednesday.
However, most Gulf and European airlines are delaying any immediate return to Lebanese airspace as they monitor the stability of the truce.
Jordan’s flag carrier, Royal Jordanian, will restart flights to Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Sunday after halting operations in late August amid escalating hostilities. CEO Samer Majali confirmed on Thursday that services would resume following the ceasefire.
Ethiopian Airlines has also reopened bookings for flights to Beirut, with services scheduled to resume on Dec. 10.
But despite these developments, most international airlines remain cautious.
Fadi Al-Hassan, director of Beirut Airport, told LBCI that Arab and foreign carriers were expected to gradually resume operations in the coming weeks, especially as the holiday season approaches.
However, Jean Abboud, president of the Association of Travel and Tourist Agents in Lebanon, predicted a slower return.
Abboud said in a statement that he expects “the return of some companies within a few days, which do not exceed seven to eight companies out of about 60 companies,” adding that many carriers were eyeing early 2025 to resume operations.
Airline updates
- Emirates: Flights to and from Beirut remain canceled until Dec. 31.
- Etihad Airways, Saudia, Air Arabia, Oman Air, Qatar Airways: Suspensions extend until early January 2025.
- Lufthansa Group (including Eurowings): Flights to Beirut suspended until Feb. 28, 2025.
- Air France-KLM: Services to Beirut suspended until Jan. 5, 2025, and Tel Aviv until Dec. 31, 2024.
- Aegean Air: Flights to Beirut from Athens, London, and Milan are suspended until April 1, 2025.
At present, Middle East Airlines remains the sole carrier operating flights to and from Beirut, having maintained operations despite intense Israeli airstrikes near the airport.
The airline serves all major Gulf and European hubs, but flights are fully booked in the coming days as Lebanese expatriates rush to return home following the ceasefire announcement.
The upcoming Christmas season has also driven a surge in demand, offering a glimmer of hope for a country reeling from widespread destruction and an escalating economic crisis.
With the conflict having severely impacted Lebanon’s tourism sector, the holiday season could provide a much-needed lifeline for the struggling economy.
The resumption of additional services is expected to depend on whether the ceasefire holds and the overall security situation stabilizes.
UK signs deals with Iraq aimed at curbing irregular immigration
- “Organized criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to operate across borders too,” Cooper said
- Pacts include a joint UK-Iraq “statement on border security” committing both countries to work more closely in tackling people smuggling and border security
LONDON: The UK government said Thursday it had struck a “world-first security agreement” and other cooperation deals with Iraq to target people-smuggling gangs and strengthen its border security.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper said the pacts sent “a clear signal to the criminal smuggling gangs that we are determined to work across the globe to go after them.”
They follow a visit this week by Cooper to Iraq and its autonomous Kurdistan region, when she met federal and regional government officials.
“Organized criminals operate across borders, so law enforcement needs to operate across borders too,” she said in a statement.
Cooper noted people-smuggling gangs’ operations “stretch back through Northern France, Germany, across Europe, to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and beyond.”
“The increasingly global nature of organized immigration crime means that even countries that are thousands of miles apart must work more closely together,” she added.
The pacts include a joint UK-Iraq “statement on border security” committing both countries to work more closely in tackling people smuggling and border security.
The two countries signed another statement on migration to speed up the returns of people who have no right to be in the UK and help reintegration programs to support returnees.
As part of the agreements, London will also provide up to £300,000 ($380,000) for Iraqi law enforcement training in border security.
It will be focused on countering organized immigration crime and narcotics, and increasing the capacity and capability of Iraq’s border enforcement.
The UK has pledged another £200,000 to support projects in the Kurdistan region, “which will enhance capabilities concerning irregular migration and border security, including a new taskforce.”
Other measures within the agreements include a communications campaign “to counter the misinformation and myths that people-smugglers post online.”
Cooper’s interior ministry said collectively they were “the biggest operational package to tackle serious organized crime and people smuggling between the two countries ever.”
Some Lebanon hospitals look set to restart quickly after ceasefire, WHO says
- “Probably some of our hospitals will take some time,” Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO representative in Lebanon said
GENEVA: A World Health Organization official voiced optimism on Thursday that some of the health facilities in Lebanon shuttered during more than a year of conflict would soon be operational again, if the ceasefire holds.
“Probably some of our hospitals will take some time, but some hospitals probably will be able to restart very quickly,” Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO representative in Lebanon, told an online press conference after a damage assessment this week.
“So we are very hopeful,” he added, saying four hospitals in and around Beirut were among those that could restart quickly.
Lebanon says 2 hurt as Israeli troops fire on people returning south after truce with Hezbollah
- Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded by Israeli fire in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details
- It said Israel fired artillery in three other locations near the border
BEIRUT: At least two people were wounded by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to state media. The Israeli military said it had fired at people trying to return to certain areas on the second day of a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded by Israeli fire in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. It said Israel fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese militant group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
