The results of the Istanbul elections is still being discussed in Turkey. The clear-cut victory of Ekrem Imamoglu over Binali Yildirim has raised questions on the transformation of voting behavior. Why did a significant number of the Istanbul electorate change their voting preference in just 84 days? Is this change in voting behavior related to a long-lasting social and political transformation in Turkish society? Even though it is not an easy task answering these questions, there are some eye-catching issues that are crucial to find a satisfying answer.

The first critical point is related to the transformation of the profile of the electorate in the last decade. Contrary to a common myth implying that the number of young voters is increasing in Turkey, their number showed a decrease in the last decade. While the ratio of young people between the ages 15-29 consisted of 26.79 percent of the whole population in 2007, this ratio decreased to 24,34 percent in 2015. In parallel to this information, the ratio of young voters is also showing a slight decrease. Thus, it is obvious that the argument on rejuvenation does not explain the reason behind the change of voting behavior.

Contrary to a common myth, the number of young voters in Turkey showed a decrease in the last decade.

Nonetheless, a second more prominent point explains more about the change of voting behavior, especially in regards to the Istanbul elections. This point is the reaction that the electorate gave against the renewal of elections in Istanbul. The Turkish electorate has always been critical against the renewal of elections and the idea of snap elections. However, the ongoing dynamics in political, economic, and social affairs determine the way of reactions. For instance, in 2002, the electorate showed a noticeable reaction against existing political actors because of the ongoing economic crisis. During November 2015, the electorate favored the ruling party in the renewed elections in order to avoid uncertainty arising from political and economic instability, the future of the Kurdish question, and the war in Syria.

When it comes to the Istanbul elections, it is possible to say that the electorate was not convinced about the reason why the elections were canceled in the first place. Therefore, they reacted against the AK Party candidate, Binali Yildirim. Thus, rather than a long-lasting dissatisfaction with the government, the results of the election is substantially related to the post-March 31 period, along with pre-electoral alliances.

The electorate was not convinced of the reason why the elections were canceled, and they reacted against the AK Party.

The reaction given by the 220,000 AK Party supporters who voted for Binali Yildirim on March 31 and who did not vote for him on June 24 should therefore be evaluated within this framework. A certain number of the electorate did not accept the rationality behind the renewal of the Istanbul elections – although it was legally explained.

All political parties will most probably take all issues into consideration when discussing the change of voting behavior in Turkey. It is obvious that there is a need for further studies based on empirical data in order to understand the in-depth reasons behind this issue. It is crucial to understand whether there had been a long-lasting shift in voting behavior of whether the specific conditions of the Istanbul elections created a short-term change in the electorate. Even if the second option is more valid under these circumstances, all political parties need to take necessary measures in order to prepare for the first option.

On last Sunday evening, the two candidates in the Istanbul mayoral election race, Binali Yildirim and Ekrem Imamoglu, came together for a three hours-long televised debate. As a highlight right before the re-run election today on June 23, 2019, the debate gathered millions of voters from all over Turkey to watch the potential future mayor of Istanbul. There was no actual winner of the televised debate, but Yildirim reflected more successfully on mayoral issues.

This evening will show by which dynamics and factors the voters of Istanbul were persuaded and on which grounds they elected their new mayor. Unfortunately, on the other hand, the televised debate – just like all other news on Istanbul – was not accurately discussed in the Western media. A simple look at the news and headlines of some media outlets in the U.S., UK, France and Germany reveal the journalistic bias.

The Western media have portrayed Ekrem Imamoglu as an ideal candidate for Turkish politics and have disregarded serious questions and accusations that he faces. They’ve turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to his previous failures, which Imamoglu is consistently asked about. Interestingly enough, Binali Yildirim, the experienced statesman and the joint candidate of the AK Party-MHP alliance, is not given equal attention by the Western media. Even when he is given attention, it’s usually in a negative tone. It is absurd that Yildirim’s previous achievements during both his term as the country’s Minister for Transportation and Communication (2002-2013, 2015-2016) when Turkey’s main highways and high-speed train networks were re-constructed, and his term as the Prime Minister (2015-2018), are not taken into consideration by these media outlets.

Instead of addressing Yildirim’s personality, success and failures, career path, massive infrastructural projects he took, which were not common for Turkey, nearly all Western media outlets editorialized news on Yildirim by silencing him. On the contrary, Imamoglu was presented in the media in a very positive way, disregarding any standards about a minimum level of objectivity. Moreover, he was falsely placed vis-à-vis the AK Party chair and President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as the de facto rival of the Nation Alliance’s and CHP’s candidate. No need to say that this is not the case.

It is true that President Erdogan has also been delivering speeches along Binali Yildirim regarding the Istanbul mayoral elections. However, this does not mean that journalists from the Western world should disregard the AK Party’s mayoral candidate and his projections for the future of Istanbul. By this, it is weird to observe that most of the pieces that appeared in the Western media about the Istanbul elections focused on Erdogan rather than Yildirim and used a negative discourse, continuing their habit that has been accustomed for about 7-8 years now.

For instance, pieces from France’s leading media platforms and dailies portrayed Imamoglu as a “new hope of Turkish politics” (“nouvel espoir de la politique turque”) while openly disregarding the criteria of objectivity with regard to his rival Binali Yildirim (I,II). Similarly, the British media (III,IV) openly described Imamoglu “as a unifying power to take on Erdogan” without challenging and stressing various accusations towards Imamoglu. Furthermore, particularly media platforms in the United States, openly took positions supporting the CHP’s candidate, and, where also Imamoglu – a person running for being elected as a local politician– received the chance to publish a (Washington Post op-ed) article appealing to international audience (V,VI).

Of course, main support in the Western media still comes from Germany, where nearly every single politician who challenges the governing AK Party – no matter whether ultra-conservative, ultra-nationalist, Kurdish-separatist, etc- received media support without critical journalism. This happened and continues to happen during the 23 June election campaigns. For instance, titles such as “Istanbul candidate Imamoglu: Erdogan’s successor?” (VII) and its content or  articles mainly addressing the CHP’s candidate and President Erdogan (VIII,IV,X,XI) are not delivering satisfactory content about the recent election campaign, which at the end of the day was a quite fruitful period from a socio-political and democratic point of view.

People in Istanbul will decide on who will govern their metropolitan municipality for the next five years. Journalists and editors in Western media outlets continue their manipulative and biased behaviors and thus set a good example for the next generations about how this profession should not be done. Lacking any criteria for objectivity unfortunately is a fact of our post-truth world, no matter what the cost of losing ethical journalist credibility can mean in the long run.

Turkey’s long-awaited live debate between the two mayoral candidates of Istanbul, Binali Yildirim and Ekrem Imamoglu, took place on Sunday night. Despite high expectations and controversies, the live debate did not end up with any shocking events or scandals. Thus, both candidates showed a decent performance and there was no unfair balance in their appearance at the debate.

After the live debates in the U.S., survey companies conduct an instant survey to show the true winner of the debate. Nevertheless, the format of the program in Turkey was not designed in a way that enabled being able to choose the winner of the debate. Throughout the program, two candidates never engaged in a face-to-face dialogue. Rather than being in direct interactions, the two candidates separately answered the questions of the moderator.

Imamoglu underlined that he had never allowed the sale of alcohol at social facilities during his mayorship in Beylikduzu province. These statements created anger and frustration among his supporters.

Although the public complained that the program was dull and that the moderator ought to have allowed the two sides to interact with each other, there were small incidents that raised tensions throughout the program. The most prominent incident was Ekrem Imamoglu’s statements on the ban of alcohol and gender-segregated pools. Imamoglu underlined that he had never allowed the sale of alcohol at social facilities during his mayorship in Beylikduzu province. He also stated that he built gender-segregated pools in Beylikduzu while he was trying to show his “respect to conservative values.” Nonetheless, Imamoglu’s statements created anger and frustration among his supporters and this issue became one of the most controversial outcomes of the live debate.

Even though a true winner of the debate cannot be declared, there is a public consensus that Binali Yildirim was more successful in answering the questions of the moderator. Indeed, Yildirim showed great success in explaining the reason of the cancellation of the Istanbul elections by emphasizing his demand on a re-count of votes rather than a cancellation. When it comes to Imamoglu, he could not clearly answer most of the questions asked by the moderator. Imamoglu could not make a satisfactory explanation on his humiliation of the Governor of Ordu and his intention to copy data from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Even though a true winner of the debate cannot be declared, there is a public consensus that Binali Yildirim was more successful in answering the questions of the moderator.

Nevertheless, both candidates have well-prepared projects on resolving the structural problems of Istanbul, such as transportation, traffic, and youth unemployment. Yildirim clearly identified how he was going to find resources to implement his projects on these structural problems. Imamoglu also provided information on his long-term projects on the resolution of green area problems and youth unemployment in Istanbul.

Both candidates had a consensus on the importance of the problem of Syrian refugees in Turkey. However, they had a different road map in the resolution of this issue in the long-term. While Yildirim underlined that refugees would return to their countries after creating conflict-free zones in Syria, Imamoglu spoke about a project on creating a distinct zone for Syrian refugees before sending them back to their countries. It is fair to state that both candidates failed to mention the rise of hate speech against Syrian refugees in Turkey.

It seems that the live debate between the two candidates did not create a huge impact on the electorate. Nevertheless, Yildirim’s performance on the live debate may create an effect on the previous AK Party voters who did not go to the polls on March 31. Beyond all these issues, the live debate was a triumph for Turkish democracy, which indeed, was the true winner of the live debate on Sunday night.

Turkey is still discussing the results of the March 31 local elections. As a result of the AK Party’s official application, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) has decided to re-count the invalid votes in 39 districts in Istanbul. The council took the same decision for 20 other provinces where other parties also made applications for the votes to be re-counted. For instance, while the AK Party applied for a re-count in Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Antalya, and some other provinces, the CHP made an application for Bursa, Malatya, Giresun, Artvin and others.

Obviously, the re-count of votes in Istanbul has taken the center stage in the post-election period. Since the process itself is ambiguous and complex, it’s crucial to analyze different dimensions of mayoral elections in Istanbul. The first dimension of the Istanbul elections is its unique character compared to other previous elections. When the official results were announced by the head of the YSK soon after the elections, the difference between AK Party’s Binali Yildirim and the CHP’s candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, was only 28,027. There has never been such a slight difference between votes of candidates in Istanbul before. Thus, the re-count of valid and invalid votes would have an enormous effect on the final results. As a result of the re-count of votes in Istanbul, the difference between Imamoglu and Yildirim, as I write this piece, has decreased to 13,000. This low margin between the two candidates has triggered discussions and objections in the post-election period.

The CHP itself applied to the YSK many times for a re-count of votes. CHP made an official application for the re-count of votes in Yalova in the 2014 local elections, and as a result, its candidate won the elections with a slight difference.

Another crucial dimension of the elections in Istanbul is the inconsistent approach of some political parties. As had occurred in the previous elections, political parties always make objections to the results, even if there was a huge margin between the candidates. In the case of Istanbul this time, the close results between Imamoglu and Yildirim has caused anger and frustration on the CHP side. Nevertheless, the CHP itself applied to the YSK many times for a re-count of votes. For instance, while the first official results were indicative of an AK Party victory in Yalova in the 2014 local elections, the CHP made an official application for the re-count of votes, and as a result, the CHP’s candidate won the elections with a slight difference.

Nonetheless, the CHP has strongly condemned the re-count of invalid votes in Istanbul even though the party has utilized this legal right on multiple occasions. This illustrates that political parties in Turkey still suffer from internalizing the fundamental values of democracy and the rule of law. The last dimension of the elections in Istanbul occurs at this point: Political parties want to adopt the rule of law according to changing conditions. In all previous local elections, there have been lots of delays in delivering the certificate of election – as is happening now due to the ongoing legal process. However, none of the previous examples raised tensions as much as the case of Istanbul, since political parties adopted the rule of law and accepted the YSK’s final decision.

President Erdogan has recently underlined that almost all the voting was marred by irregularities in Istanbul. It is obvious that the current discussions on the results in Istanbul will continue to remain high on the political agenda in the upcoming days. All parties will determine their strategies according to the YSK’s final decision, which may indicate the re-count of all votes, a repetition of the elections, or the victory of one of the candidates. We will wait and see.

The AK Party is expected to reveal its candidate for Istanbul on Saturday. Binali Yildirim’s name has already been discussed in circles close to the party and he may be considered as the ‘common’ candidate of the People’s Alliance – composed of the AK Party and MHP. Devlet Bahceli already announced that MHP will fully support Yildirim’s candidacy in Istanbul.

The technical detail that both party’s leading figures are talking about is the fact that Binali Yildirim is currently the president of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. In the previous weeks there were rumors that Binali Yildirim will resign from his current position in order to run for the mayoral elections. However, rumors now suggest that both Erdogan and Bahceli don’t think it’s necessary for Yildirim to resign in order to become the candidate for Istanbul.

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is yet to comment on this issue. Whether he is remaining silent due to the friendly meeting he held with Yildirim in December or whether he will use this as a tool during the election campaign is yet to be known.

The campaigns for Turkey’s local elections in 2019 will start in full gear next week. Above economic reasons, political analysts expect the potential military operation to be launched by the Turkish Armed Forces in the east of the Euphrates to have an impact on the campaign process and the results of the election.

Since the upcoming local elections will be the first of their kind in the new presidential system, there are some technical details that are being adjusted for these elections according to the needs of the new system in Turkey.

According to the current Turkish electoral law, which has been applied until now, the official authority to depose majors are in the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, in the new system, the Minister of Internal Affairs can be appointed as a technical bureaucrat and does not need to be an elected representative. In this regard, the related constitutional bylaw will change and will give this authority directly to the President.

There are also some other details, like the protocol procedures or immunity issues of the mayors – that need to be regulated. These details and others are currently being studied by technocrats and whether or not changes will occur depend on the agenda of the parliament.

*Written by Selahattin Emre Celebi

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Thursday to improve strained ties between the two countries following months-long tensions between Ankara and Berlin.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Merkel in Berlin, Yildirim called for an intensified dialogue and stronger solidarity in the fight against terrorism.

“The PKK is a terrorist organization. The PYD/YPG is a terrorist organization.

“In fact, the YPG is the PYD/PKK’s Syrian offshoot. This is also confirmed by British and American intelligence.

“Whatever their names are, their main purpose is to violate peace in the region and create new troublesome fields,” he said, adding that Turkey wants to see its allies’ support.

The premier also said the decisiveness shown by the West in its fight against Daesh should also be displayed in the battle against the PYD/PKK and YPG terrorist organizations.

The German chancellor welcomed Turkish premier’s first visit to Berlin and backed the need for dialogue to improve ties.

“I believe that this visit is a signal, showing that both sides have an interest in improving German-Turkish relations,” she said.

But she also acknowledged that difficult issues were on the agenda of bilateral relations.

“We must continue our intensive discussions,” Merkel added.

Turkey’s right to self-defence

Despite the opposition pushing the German government to exert more pressure on Ankara due to Turkey’s ongoing counterterrorism operation in northwestern Syria, Merkel underlined that Turkey reserved the right to self-defense.

“Just like every country, of course Turkey has the right to pursue its security interests,” she said.

However, she voiced concern over growing tensions between NATO allies, the U.S. and Turkey, due to Washington administration’s support for the terrorist PKK/PYD group in northwestern Syria.

The German chancellor hoped Ankara and Washington would overcome their differences and reach an agreement.

Yildirim underlined that the goal of Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch in northwestern Syria was not only to protect Turkish citizens, but also for securing NATO’s borders and preventing a huge refugee influx to Europe.

It was not Turkey that started the war in Syria but it is Turkey that continues to face the consequences of it and today it is sheltering 3.5 million refugees on its soil, the Turkish premier added.

Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained since the defeated coup in Turkey in 2016, as Turkish politicians heavily criticized their German counterparts for failing to show strong solidarity with Turkish government against the attempted military takeover.

Ankara slammed Berlin for granting asylum to several coup suspects, turning a blind eye to outlawed groups and terrorist organizations like the PKK and FETO, which use Germany as a platform for their fund-raising, recruitment and propaganda activities.

German politicians, on the other hand, voiced concern over press freedom and human rights issues, and criticized large-scale investigations into FETO, which orchestrated the defeated coup in Turkey.

Deniz Yucel case

The court case involving German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who was arrested last year on suspicion of doing propaganda for terrorists, was continuing in accordance with Turkey’s principles of rule of law, according to the premier.

Yildirim said the Turkish courts were under a heavy load due to cases linked to the defeated coup of July 15, 2016.

“The case of Deniz Yucel, like other cases, is continuing in accordance with the principles of the rule of law,” he said.

“Turkey faced a huge coup [attempt]. There are thousands of people in these coup-linked cases.

“The courts are overloaded. There might be delays due to the work load. I hope [Deniz Yucel] appears before the court soon and there would be a development soon.”

The arrest of Yucel and around a dozen German citizens on suspicion of aiding terrorist groups has become a source of friction between Ankara and Berlin.

Despite repeated calls by German politicians for the release of their citizens, the Turkish government ruled out any political influence on the judiciary and advised them to wait for the decision of the courts.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and his British counterpart Theresa May met at her office on Downing Street on Monday.

Following Yıldırım’s Monday morning meeting with a group of British businesspeople, which focused on new investment opportunities, May hosted a Turkish delegation led by Yıldırım for talks before a one-to-one meeting with the Turkish prime minister.

“We will deal with our bilateral relations and regional issues, including Iraq and Syria, in particular the struggle against terrorism, and this visit will be an opportunity to strengthen relations,” Yıldırım said.

Speaking at the press conference, Yıldırım stated that May’s visit to Turkey at the beginning of the year paved the way for new cooperation and investment opportunities, especially in the defense industry.

May added “Our relationship with Turkey is very important for us, we are partnering on various global issues, we are fighting terrorism, we have a trade volume reaching 15 billion sterling, and I am happy to see the developments in our relations since our visit to Turkey.”

After the Yıldırım-May meeting, the delegations met.

European Union Minister and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik, Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci, Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu, Minister of National Defense Nurettin Canikli, Turkey’s Ambassador Abdurrahman Bilgic and Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser Kerim Uras, ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Deputy Chair Mehdi Eker, and AK Party acting parliamentary group head Mustafa Elitaş also attended the meeting.

Interview with BBC World

• Erdogan – Trump dialogue on weapons supplied to YPG

Besides his meeting with May, Yıldırım was also interviewed by BBC World.

The Turkish prime minister has confirmed that US President Donald Trump recently told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in clear terms that it was “wrong” to supply weapons to the PKK/YPG.

“They [the US] said this [cooperation with YPG or PYD] is not a choice. This is a necessity. Ok. We understand, although we do not accept. It is a temporary relation. Now, it is time to finish because Daesh is defeated,” Yıldırım said.

“So, President Trump said it is wrong to provide weapons. This is clearly mentioned.”

Stating that Turkish policy on fighting against Daesh had been quite “clear” since the beginning, Yildirim said it was important to “choose the right partner” to fight Daesh.

“You are not able to fight a terror organization using another terror organization,” he added.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon later told Anadolu Agency “We have always been clear with Turkey that the weapons provided to the SDF, to include its Kurdish elements, would be limited, mission-specific and provided incrementally to achieve military objectives.”

He said the US would “continue our partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces to complete the military defeat of Daesh”.

At the White House, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said even though a complete defeat of Daesh is in sight, “that doesn’t mean stopping all support of those individual groups”

FETO leader Gulens extradition and the coup attempt

On a question whether Turkey had submitted evidence to Washington showing Fetullah Gulen, the US-based criminal cult leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), had links to last year’s defeated coup attempt, Yildirim said the necessary documents had been submitted.

“They need to take some steps because we have shared the evidence and documents necessary for extradition, for us, it is obvious. We have no hesitation. We have no doubt about it.” He added, referring to FETO’s role in masterminding the coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

Yildirim also answered a question on accusations about the detentions since the defeated coup attempt.

“This kind of accusation is there. I accept. But those who are accusing us should think about what happened on July 15. Our parliament building [was] bombed. And their bullets and bombs killed 250 innocent people and [left] 2,194 heavily injured. What can we do then? We have to find [those] who committed the crime. This is the situation in Turkey.”

When the hostess interrupted Yildirim saying; “But in the UK we don’t pass decrees in parliament here that conflict with basic human rights.” Yıldırım responded “Did you ever face a coup attempt where the Buckingham Palace was attacked by [your own] planes? Did you face this kind of thing? If you ever do, then we will see what you are going to do.”

Yildirim opens first Turkish investment bank in London

Before his meeting with British Prime Minister May, Yildirim attended the opening ceremony of a new investment bank by Dome Bank, a joint venture by various partners, including Turkey’s Dogus and FIBA holdings on Sunday evening.

The first-ever investment bank founded with Turkish capital in the British capital London was inaugurated by Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim.

“Primarily our economy, and Dogus Holding, FIBA Holding, and other partners, who contributed to this business with their finances, money, and time, will benefit from actions carried out via this investment bank,” Yildirim said.

Meeting with Investors

Yıldırım made the following statements in his meeting with investors;

“The trade volume between the two countries surpassed $17 billion, and the total gross annual output in Turkey is around $30 trillion. The investment to Turkey is not limited to Turkey only, it means investment in many countries with ambitions to grow.

Although scenarios for 2017 was produced, the Turkish economy is in 3rd place with more than 5 percent growth. Our growth rate will be around 6-7 percent at the end of the year. The economy produces employment. I would like to remind you once again that our country is the fastest growing country among OECD and G20 countries.

Turkey has made 6 of the world’s 10 mega projects. This is the greatest result of how far Turkey has been in confidence and stability.”

Panel at the International Institute for Strategic Studies

Prime Minister Yıldırım also spoke at a panel titled “Turkey’s perspectives on the Middle East: Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?” in the London-based think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies on Monday.

Yildirim made important statements, saying, “Turkey is a nation that can contribute to efforts toward lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.”

“If there is one country that keeps the hopes of Syrian people alive, it is Turkey,” Yildirim told a group of NGO representatives, scholars and journalists.

He pointed out that peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan launched in January this year were not competing with similar efforts in Geneva but were aimed at supporting a peaceful transition in Syria.

“The Astana process is not an alternative to the Geneva process but a preparation for a sustainable and stable governance that would be based on the territorial integrity of Syria and in which all ethnic groups that have not had contact with terrorism [groups] would be represented,” he said.

Yildirim said the parties involved in the Astana process had come a long way in reducing tensions and achieving a ceasefire. The Astana process has been an initiative by Turkey, Russia, and Iran to look for a sustainable peace deal in Syria.

Yildirim added he was sure that “in a not very long period of time, the Syria question will meet a solution and the struggle and pain experienced in the region will come to an end”.

The prime minister also mentioned that 250,000 Syrian children were born in Turkey and around 600,000 Syrian children are being educated at Turkish schools.

He stressed that more than 3.5 million Syrians have been accommodated in Turkey in total after fleeing their country due to civil war.

“Of course, it would be unthinkable for Turkey – who shares a 911-kilometer-long border with Syria – to remain non-responsive”, he said.

“We have welcomed millions of people who fled oppression and attacks.”

Terrorism

Turning to the subject of terrorism, Yildirim said Turkey has rejected the entry of more than 50,000 foreign fighters from 54 different countries.

He said around 3,000 Daesh members were arrested or jailed.

“We have achieved great work in the fight against Daesh within the framework of [Operation] Euphrates Shield. We have neutralized 3,600 Daesh members on Syrian soil,” Yildirim said.

Iran

Yildirim said “we always say that religion and sects could never be countries’ politics; they cannot be shaped by them,” he added after saying that Turkey and Iran have had good neighborly relations for centuries.

“We can think or believe differently. What we need to do is respect each other’s beliefs, thoughts and even interpretations. No matter what we are — Christian, Muslim, Shia or Sunni — we are all subjects created by Almighty God.”

Pointing out that Turkey is a country capable of providing a balance between the U.S., the EU, NATO countries, Russia and Iran, Yildirim said it is a country that can contribute to building lasting peace in the region.

S-400 missiles

Regarding a question on various concerns over Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia, Yıldırım said “the answer is simple.”

“We say to the US that ‘PYD/YPG is a terrorist organization. Do not cooperate with them’, and they turn to us to say ‘This is not a choice; this is a necessity.’ I also say the S-400s are not a choice but a necessity.”

Terror attack in Egypt

Yildirim said a day of mourning was declared in Turkey following last week’s terror attack in Egypt. He said messages of condolences were sent to Egypt from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and himself. The attack on a mosque after the Friday prayer killed more than 300 people.

“There has been no problem between Egyptian and Turkish people since the beginning. The problem is the ousting of a president who was elected in a democratic way with a coup. This happened in Egypt,” he said.

Referring to the July 15 coup attempt Yildirim added that a similar coup was tried in Turkey, but “our nation did not permit it.”

Yildirim’s visit to London ended Monday night.

*Written by Suna Nur Sarihan. 

For the first time Turkish government has openly reflected on why the current prolonged tension continue to disturb the two longtime allies: Turkey and the US. Of all the issues, the lack of response on behalf of the US administration in regards to calls from Turkey to extradite the criminal cult leader, Fetullah Gulen, stands as the most sensitive.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s prominent host, Fareed Zakaria, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said despite providing “enormous documentary evidence” on the involvement of FETO in last year’s deadly coup attempt in Turkey, since one and a half years no significant response has come from the US government on this issue.

Responding to the US government’s suspicion that the evidence provided by Turkey on Gulen was scarce, Prime Minister bluntly said, “When 9/11 attacks happened in the US, Bush said al-Qaeda did it and we did not ask for evidence. Nobody asked. Turkey was the first country to offer help and send our army to Afghanistan.”

Referring to the former US national security advisor, Michael Flynn’s public call for support to “our ally Turkey” last year, Yildirim said even Flynn did not provide any assurance to Turkey about Gulen’s extradition.

The prime minister insisted that the propaganda against Turkey on weakening democracy, civil liberties, freedom of press, weak protection for press and opposition was mere “perception rather than reality.”

On the operation against the so-called “independent” journalists and experts who are fleeing the country, Yildirim said this was mostly related to FETO, as the criminal cult had inserted its people into Turkey’s judicial system, bureaucracy, army, civil society and business community to remove the government and rule the country undemocratically.

Since last year’s failed coup attempt in Turkey, the relations between Turkey and US have witnessed a steep downfall after one issue followed the other. As Turkey described the coup attempt, which was resisted massively by Turkish citizens — sacrificing more than 250 lives and hundreds injured — its own 9/11, it found a lukewarm response and “inadequate condemnation” from the lifelong Western allies, the US most importantly. Things changed for the worst as the US unexpectedly saw rightwing leader Donald Trump win elections.

When Turkey called for the extradition of the US-based criminal cult leader Fetullah Gulen, who was behind the coup attempt, unsurprisingly the demand was not met. Under the motive of fighting against DAESH, very recently the US government has provided weapons to the YPG/PYD, the sister wings of the PKK – a serious security threat for the country. The move was another blow to the relations. Lastly, Turkey’s arrest of a Turkish staffer at the US embassy, who had links to FETO, has triggered a visa row between the two countries. Turkish Prime Minister’s recent visit to the US is expected to bring a long needed pause in the downfall of the relations.

During a joint news conference with his Somali counterpart in Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Thursday that “Regardless of whatever decision the northern Iraqi administration takes, the point we reach today clearly shows that any decision they take would not bear any compensation for the damage they caused.”

The announcement came after the KRG announced that they would freeze the referendum results in order to halt the military operations in Kirkuk.

Prime Minister Yildirim also mentioned the Turkish government’s willingness to work “more efficiently” with Iran and Iraq for peace, security and counter-terrorism operations in the region.

He stated that Ankara is working with the Baghdad administration in transferring the control of the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing – also known as Habur – from the Erbil-based KRG to the central government.

Yildirim emphasized that according to the Iraqi constitution, the border gates belong to the central government.

“We have additionally discussed establishing a new route from the west of Habur. The Iraqi side welcomes it and we will work together to open this border.”

KRG poll results must be cancelled

In addition to the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu commented on the decision to freeze the referendum results.

The Foreign Minister said: “Northern Iraq’s step back is an important step but an insufficient one. This referendum must be cancelled.”

Cavusoglu also mentioned that KRG President Masoud Barzani is in a weaker spot now after the illegal poll, adding that in a one-on-one meeting, he had previously warned the President about the consequences of the illegitimate referendum.

On 15^th September, the Iraqi Kurdish parliament voted to hold an independence referendum planned by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), which is currently opposed by Baghdad, Turkey and the United States.

The resolution passed by an absolute majority with 65 out of 68 deputies in the chamber, while three MPs rejected the resolution.

The referendum is due to take place on 25 September 2017.

Ankara and Washington call for the suspension of the referendum

Both Ankara and Washington have urged the KRG to call off the independence referendum, on the basis that it will increase the isolation of Kurds in the region and will affect the fight against terrorist organizations.

While the US has long been a supporter of Kurdish autonomy, it claims that the current referendum is not suitable due to its timing. It claims that the referendum will further de-stabilize the region and affect the fight against DAESH.

Moreover, President Donald Trump has called for the KRG to engage in serious dialogue with Baghdad, which Washington “has repeatedly indicated it is prepared to facilitate.”

In attempts to persuade the KRG, US envoy Brett McGurk visited Masoud Barzani, leader of the KRG, in order to call off the referendum and to engage in a new diplomatic initiative.

Likewise, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the initiated referendum lacks reason and experience. In a statement made, he stressed that Turkey would not allow steps that would threaten Iraq’s territorial integrity.

In addition, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the Iraqi Kurdish region’s decision to hold an independence referendum a “false step.”

The independence referendum carries importance for Turkey not only due to potential territorial changes in the region, but also in concern of its fight against the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by both the US and Europe.