​Erdogan Trump summit: Last chance to prevent sanctions

TURKEY - In Brief 08 Nov 2019 by Atilla Yesilada

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Important: Since both authors are traveling abroad this weekend, there will be no Weekly Report. Apologies. President Erdogan loudly protested the resolution by the House of Representatives condemning the so-called Armenian genocide, threatening to cancel his Washington visit. However, after receiving the go ahead from his nationalist ally Mr. Bahceli and a “constructive” phone chat with Trump, he decided to go ahead anyway.In my view, this was a wise decision, because the trip may be Turkey’s last chance to avert Congressional sanctions. Turko-American relations stubbornly fail to improve.Erdogan is now accusing both US and Russia failing to keep their promises of removing YPG militias from the agreed-upon safe zone with some justification. He argued that only Wednesday YPG attack martyred 10 members of the Syrian National Army, counting 21 artillery assaults into the safe zone.As well, Trump ordered US troops back to Raqqa and reportedly to Qamishli, North East of the safe zone, to defend oil wells.This means YPG-PYD is alive, financed by oil revenues and defended by the American defense umbrella, making a mockery of Erdogan’s claim to have destroyed the pro-PKK proto-Kurdish statelet. From the American side, reports of Turkey advancing beyond the borders demarcated in the Erdogan-Pence protocol and large number of war crimes against civilians allegations mar the relationship. The agenda with Trump will probably start at these items, but there are lots of other topics on it. The American president is expected to bring up S-400s, while Erdogan will request once again Trump’s good services to stop the trial against Halkbank. I’ve never been able to figure out where Tru...