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Turkey will purchase Russia’s S-400 missile defense system using local currency, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said while speaking to journalists at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport before departing for the G20 summit in Argentina.
“When we started this deal, we had one principle. And that was to finalize this purchase with local currency. We have decided among ourselves whether this will be the Russian ruble or Turkish lira,” Erdoğan said.
“However, our central banks have not yet completed their final work. We have about a year. Deliveries will begin toward the end of 2019 and from then, we will have actualized our goal of purchasing using local currency,” he added.
The S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles. The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Wednesday held phone conversations with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts over the recent tension between the countries in the Black Sea, according to Turkish presidential sources.In phone calls with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Petro Poroshenko, Erdoğan expressed his concerns over the tension in Sea of Azov.Turkish president also underlined the importance of resolving the problems via diplomacy.Kremlin also announced the phone call between Erdoğan and Putin in an online statement.Ukraine says martial law not affecting Azov Sea grain exports but outlook unclearThe two presidents discussed the situation over the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation in a strait near Crimea, according to a statement published on the Kremlin website.They also discussed the implementation of the memorandum on Idlib, signed in September, and some aspects of the bilateral relations, it said.On Sunday, Russia seized two Ukrainian navy ships and a navy tugboat along with 23 crew members off Crimea, accusing Kiev of entering its waters and provoking a conflict.It said the vessels had ignored calls to stop, sparking military action.'Put Putin in his place', Ukrainian ambassador tells GermanyRussia intervened as the Ukrainian ships were relocating from the Black Sea port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.Videos appeared online showing a Russian coast guard vessel ramming the Ukrainian navy tugboat in the Kerch Strait.Ukraine also accused Russian warships of opening fire on the ships, asserting that crew members were wounded and the vessels were seized by Russia.Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum.Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.Russia to deploy new S-400 missiles on Crimea
In phone calls, Erdoğan urges Putin, Poroshenko to reach diplomatic solution
Ukraine-Russia crisis
“When I spoke with Mr. [Vladimir] Putin, we mainly discussed the developments with Ukraine and what can be done about it and whether we can be a mediator. I discussed the matter with both sides. Mr. Putin and Mr. [Petro] Poroshenko both had requests and I will pass these on to Mr. Putin during our meeting in Argentina,” Erdoğan said, referring to two separate phone calls he held with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Russia seized two Ukrainian navy ships and a navy tugboat along with 23 crew members off Crimea, accusing Kiev of entering its waters and provoking a conflict.
It said the vessels had ignored calls to stop, sparking military action.
Two Ukrainian Azov Sea ports, Berdyansk and Mariupol, are effectively under blockade by Russia as vessels are being barred from leaving and entering, Ukraine's infrastructure minister, Volodymyr Omelyan, said on Thursday.Overall, 35 vessels have been prevented from carrying out normal operations and only vessels moving towards Russian ports on the Azov Sea are permitted entry, he said on Facebook."The goal is simple - by placing a blockade on Ukrainian ports on the Azov Sea, Russia hopes to drive Ukraine out of our own territory - territory that is ours in accordance will all relevant international laws," he said.Putin accuses Ukraine leader of plotting naval clash to boost ratingsOmelyan said 18 vessels were awaiting entry into the Azov Sea, including four to Berdyansk and 14 to Mariupol. There is also a line of nine vessels to leave the Azov Sea and eight other vessels are standing by near the port berths.Grain and steel dominates the Azov ports shipments.Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships and their crews on Sunday near the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters - a charge Ukraine strongly refutes.The seizure of the navy vessels drove tension to its highest since 2015, when Moscow-backed rebels rose against the Kiev government in the eastern Donbass region, sparking a war that has killed tens of thousands.Ukraine says martial law not affecting Azov Sea grain exports but outlook unclear
Russia blocks Ukrainian Azov Sea ports
Russia intervened as the Ukrainian ships were relocating from the Black Sea port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine also accused Russian warships of opening fire on the ships, asserting that crew members were wounded and the vessels were seized by Russia.
Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum. Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.
Turkey and other nations will address challenges faced by the global economy at this week’s G20 summit in Argentina, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Thursday.“We will determine the steps that we will take to eliminate the main risks to the world economy by evaluating the global economic outlook,” Erdoğan said while speaking to journalists at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before departing for Buenos Aires, where the two-day meeting will be held beginning Friday.He warned that the issue of trade was recently causing serious controversy due to the unilateral protectionist actions of some countries.“Free and fair international trade is one of the key elements of global economic growth,” he said.Erdoğan said education, health, employment, agriculture, development and energy issues would also be addressed.He reiterated plans to pay official visits to Paraguay and Venezuela from Dec. 2-3 after attending the G20 summit.UN chief says ready to meet Saudi crown prince at G20Russia-Ukraine disputeRecalling his phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday, Erdogan said he discussed tensions in the Sea of Azov with both parties.“We discussed with both sides what can be done about this and whether we can play a mediator role,” he said.Erdogan said he will discuss the issue further with Putin on the sidelines of the summit.On Sunday, Russia seized two Ukrainian navy ships and a navy tugboat along with 23 crew members off Crimea, accusing Kiev of entering its waters and provoking a conflict.It said the vessels had ignored calls to stop, sparking military action.Russia intervened as the Ukrainian ships were relocating from the Black Sea port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.Videos appeared online showing a Russian coast guard vessel ramming the Ukrainian navy tugboat in the Kerch Strait.Ukraine also accused Russian warships of opening fire on the ships, asserting that crew members were wounded and the vessels were seized by Russia.Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum.Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.Germany sticks to Nord Stream 2 pipeline despite Ukraine crisisPutin accuses Ukraine leader of plotting naval clash to boost ratingsSyria's ManbijErdoğan also said he would meet with his U.S. counterpart on the sidelines of the summit.“We will discuss [northern Syria’s] Manbij issue with U.S. President Donald Trump in Argentina,” he said.Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij, northeast of the Aleppo Governorate in Syria, on Nov. 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, a terrorist group recognized by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU which in its 30-year terror campaign has taken some 40,000 lives.The U.S. has claimed the YPG/PKK is an “ally” in the fight against Daesh over Turkey’s objections that one cannot use a terrorist group to fight another.Turkey has repeatedly cited evidence that the YPG is no different from the PKK.
Turkey to address challenges of global economy at G20
Erdoğan to discuss Manbij with Trump
“I will meet with Mr. [Donald] Trump in Argentina and we will discuss Manbij,” Erdoğan said.
Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij, northeast of the Aleppo Governorate in Syria, on Nov. 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.
The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a terrorist group recognized by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU which in its 30-year terror campaign has taken some 40,000 lives.
The U.S. has claimed the YPG/PKK is an “ally” in the fight against Daesh over Turkey’s objections that one cannot use one terrorist group to fight another.
Turkey has repeatedly cited evidence that the YPG is no different from the PKK.
U.N. war crimes investigators called on Syria on Wednesday to tell families what happened to their relatives who disappeared and provide the medical records and remains of those who died or were executed in custody.No progress can be made towards a lasting peace to end the nearly eight-year-old war without justice, the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said.After years of government silence, Syrian authorities this year released "thousands or tens of thousands" of names of detainees alleged to have died, mostly between 2011 and 2014, it said in a report released before delivery to the U.N. Security Council."Most custodial deaths are thought to have occurred in places of detention run by Syrian intelligence or military agencies. The Commission has not documented any instance, however, where bodies or personal belongings of the deceased were returned," it said.11th round of Syria peace talks starts in AstanaIn nearly every case, death certificates for prisoners that were provided to families recorded the cause of death as a "heart attack" or "stroke", the independent panel led by Paulo Pinheiro said."Some individuals from the same geographic area share common death dates, possibly indicating group executions," it said.In most cases, the place of death was stated as Tishreen military hospital or Mujtahid hospital, both near Damascus, but the place of detention was not named, it said."Pro-government forces and primarily the Syrian state should reveal publicly the fates of those detained, disappeared and/or missing without delay," the report said, noting this meant Syrian government forces, Russian forces and affiliated militia.Istanbul deal on Idlib, Syria prevented worse: FranceFamilies had the right to know the truth about their loved one's deaths and be able to retrieve their remains, it said.In a 2016 report, the panel found that the scale of deaths in prisons indicated that the government of President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for "extermination as a crime against humanity".In Syria, a family member must register a death within a month after receiving a death notification, the report said. Failure to do so results in a fine which grows after a year.But given that there are millions of Syrian refugees abroad and internally displaced, many are not in a position to meet deadlines, it said.The lack of an official death certificate may affect the housing, land and property rights of relatives, it said, noting that female-headed households may face further challenges to secure inheritance rights.'Turkey will not allow fait accompli in Syria'Saudi Arabia denies military deployments in Syria
Syria must account for thousands of detainees who died in custody: UN
Erdoğan to visit three South American countries
Erdoğan reiterated plans to pay official visits to Paraguay and Venezuela from Dec. 2-3 after attending the G20 summit in Argentina.
These will be the first visits to Paraguay and Venezuela on the presidential level.
“I have had the opportunity to meet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a few occasions recently. These meetings accelerated our political and economic ties. During the [upcoming] visit, we will discuss how to develop our bilateral relations in every aspect. I believe that these visits will have great significance in terms of strengthening our ties with Paraguay and Venezuela,” Erdoğan said.