Turkey suspends all defense/trade ties with Israel. Threatens to attack Cyprus.

[jodee]

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stirred up the Middle East further Tuesday, halting trade with Israel while Turkey threatens to attack Cyprus if it lets Noble Energy drill for gas. Israeli businessman Yitzchak Tshuva has options to license some of the gas.

Ignoring pleas from the United States to calm down after a United Nations report stated that Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza is legal, Erdogan warned he will send more ships to patrol in the Mediterranean Sea and still is considering a visit to Hamas-controlled Gaza.

He said Turkey is "totally suspending" defense industry ties with Israel, two days after recalling its ambassador and reducing diplomatic ties to a third-tier level.

The threat to attack Cyprus, reported by Globes, concerns “Block 12,” where the American-based Noble Energy firm plans to explore for gas. It is located north of the Israeli oil and gas field Leviathan, which Hizbullah has warned belongs to Lebanon.

Both gas fields are thought to contain huge gas reserves, with the Leviathan field already having been determined to be the largest natural gas discovery in the world in recent years.

Last week, Turkey’s Minister to the European Union, Ag'mn Bag'is, said the drilling, planned to begin October 1, "is precisely the reason our warships are in the area. That is why we built our army and trained our soldiers. It is illegal to explore waters that do not belong to them."

Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and controls more than one-third of the island, although the international community does not recognize its sovereignty.

Last December, Turkey was furious at an agreement signed between Cyprus and Israel that determined borders for exclusive trade zones.

Source:
Israel National News

Erdogan Threatens to Attack Cyprus - Inside Israel - News - Israel National News

[Sean Osborne]

Interesting.

On Sunday Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed a mutual defense and security agreement ("covenant") with the Greece's Defense Minister, Panayiotis Beglitis during their one-on-one meeting at the IAF's Kirya Air Base in Tel Aviv.

With respect to Cyprus...

Greece Can Defend Cyprus’ Sovereign Rights

Greece is in a position to defend the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, emanating from the Law of the Sea, Greek Minister of Defense Panayiotis Beglitis said on Friday, noting that Greece has a duty to make Turkey liable to international law.

Briefing the Standing Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament on bilateral relations between Greece and Israel, in view of his forthcoming visit to Israel, and commenting on Turkish threats against the cooperation between Cyprus and Israel, and explorations for natural gas, Beglitis said that “we recognize and are in a position to defend the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, emanating from the international Law of the Sea.“

“The Republic of Cyprus is at the heart of our defense pact and we will defend these principles, if and when necessary. Beyond the threats and the continuing review policy of Turkey, we have the determination and necessary means to handle it. We have a duty, by undertaking dynamic initiatives, to make Turkey liable in the area of international law,“ he said.

Like watching a chess match and knowing the opponent's next move well in advance.

[dave-o]

Wow. This is really getting exciting in a morbid sort of way.

[Chris]

Erdonut is at it again.

[Chris]

Turkey clarifies: Trade sanctions against Israel include only defense industry
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, aide to Turkey PM Erdogan clarifies earlier remarks by the Turkish premier, according to which all trade with Israel would be suspended.
By Haaretz and Barak Ravid Tags: Israel Turkey

Turkey's economic sanctions against Israel include only trade between the two countries' defense industries and not trade in general, an aide to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. The clarification came hours after Erdogan announced a suspension of Israel-Turkey trade relations. Erdogan said in his announcement that Turkey was "totally suspending" defense industry ties with Israel, after downgrading diplomatic relations. "Trade ties, military ties, regarding defense industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures," Erdogan told reporters in Ankara on Tuesday morning. A spokesman for the Turkish PM told the Wall Street Journal a few hours later that these sanctions did not include general trade between the two countries, and rather referred only to defense goods "for now".

more.................Turkey clarifies: Trade sanctions against Israel include only defense industry - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

[Sean Osborne]

Interesting.

On Sunday Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed a mutual defense and security agreement ("covenant") with the Greece's Defense Minister, Panayiotis Beglitis during their one-on-one meeting at the IAF's Kirya Air Base in Tel Aviv.

With respect to Cyprus...

Greece Can Defend Cyprus’ Sovereign Rights

Greece is in a position to defend the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, emanating from the Law of the Sea, Greek Minister of Defense Panayiotis Beglitis said on Friday, noting that Greece has a duty to make Turkey liable to international law.

Briefing the Standing Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament on bilateral relations between Greece and Israel, in view of his forthcoming visit to Israel, and commenting on Turkish threats against the cooperation between Cyprus and Israel, and explorations for natural gas, Beglitis said that “we recognize and are in a position to defend the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, emanating from the international Law of the Sea.“

“The Republic of Cyprus is at the heart of our defense pact and we will defend these principles, if and when necessary. Beyond the threats and the continuing review policy of Turkey, we have the determination and necessary means to handle it. We have a duty, by undertaking dynamic initiatives, to make Turkey liable in the area of international law,“ he said.

Like watching a chess match and knowing the opponent's next move well in advance.

This pact has been invoked, and clearly provides evidence that Greek soil and port facilities will be the source of Israel's strategic depth in any engagement with Turkish military forces.

Israeli-Greek defense pact invoked versus Turkish naval and air movements

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 15, 2011, 10:51 AM (GMT+02:00)

Israel and Greece have invoked the mutual defense pact they signed secretly only 12 days ago in the light of heavy Turkish sea and air movements in the eastern Mediterranean. debkafile's sources report that this was decided in a long nocturnal phone conversation Wednesday night Sept. 14 between the Israeli and Greek prime ministers, Binyamin Netanyahu and George Papandreou, and at Israel's expanded cabinet of eight, which was called into session over the Turkish threat to its off-shore oil and gas rigs.
The Greek Prime Minister added to the information recorded so far on Turkish fleet movements in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. He was particularly concerned by the observation flights suddenly increased in the past 48 hours over the Greek island of Kastelorizo in the southeast Mediterranean just two kilometers from the Turkish coast. Those flights are escorted by Turkish combat jets.
Athens fears a Turkish attack on the island, whose population is fewer than 1,000, and an attempt to damage or seize it. Israel suspects that a Turkish attack on the Greek island will be the signal for Turkish military aggression against its oil and gas platforms located in the Mediterranean between Israel and Cyprus. Papandreou said the Turks are capable of surprise attacks on additional Greek islands near the Turkish coast.
Ankara would be acting on the pretext that Israel and Cyprus have no right to mark out and exploit the gas and oil zones of the eastern Mediterranean – a fuel-rich region known as Block 12 – without the consent of Turkish Cyprus (the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus – TRNC). Turkey also backs Lebanon's complaint that Israel is robbing it of its natural resources. Talks between Lebanon and Cyprus to resolve this issue broke down. Beirut refuses any discussion with Israel.

Neither Jerusalem nor Athens has disclosed in what way they have invoked the new defense pact.

Debkafile's military sources surmise that in the first stage, Israeli navy and air forces are to be posted at Greek Mediterranean bases. The two intelligence agencies are already sharing input.
Up until now, Israel could only respond to a Turkish threat from its own borders. With a presence at Greek military bases, Israel will be able to operate from the rear of Turkish forces in the event of an attack by those forces in the Mediterranean.

More at the link...

[mattfivefour]

Fascinating!

[Sean Osborne]

Here's the flashpoint, the Biblical "Kittim," that we know today as Cyprus.



Everything south of the gray-colored U.N. buffer zone line is the independent, E.U. member Republic of Cyprus. Turkey refuses to recognize the sovereignty of this independent E.U. member nation.
It is off these southern shores that Cyprus' government has contracted with US-owned Noble Energy to explore the oil and gas fields for commercial development.

Stay tuned...

[A24AW]

How interesting! I was just reading an article about the same subject with the EU times. Matt54 and Sean is there any true correlation between the articles and any authenticity of information in the EU article? I kinda thought the EU article was a "Sorcha Fall" (Russian Propaganda) article and then I came to RF and read this article. I am just trying to find what is true and what is bogus.

Link removed by mod. The EU Times is a false news site. Mainly pro-Russian, anti-US and Israel propaganda.

[mattfivefour]

Here's a sample of the drivel put out by the so-called European Union Times:

The sobering details emerging from the rare and unexpected visit to Russia by Prime Minister David Cameron reveal that the British leader “warned” President Medvedev that the United States is “firmly intent” upon unleashing World War III and if not stopped warned the “time of end” has come to us all.

According to this report, Cameron’s fears of the US throwing the entire world into the abyss of global warfare were accelerated this past spring after Libya discovered that the Obama regime allowed the American megabank Goldman Sachs to loot nearly $1.3 billion of its sovereign wealth fund (estimated at $65 billion) which has since “lined the pockets” of these bankster criminals who have, likewise, destroyed the United States economy too.

In what they mistakenly believed would be a quick takedown of Libya’s government, Cameron continued, Obama ordered NATO air strikes upon this North African nation and allowed the CIA to rush thousands of Afghanistan terrorists to the region to topple Gaddafi in a war that has, so far, cost over 50,000 lives.

It is all total nonsense. No truth to even one part of that. Just cheap Russian propaganda. A day or so ago they were reporting nuclear bombs had exploded in the US!

[Carl]

Side barb. Turkey complains about oil/gas field outside of coastal waters (approx. 12 miles) per UN 1982 ruling. Because they want oil. Yet Turkey does not hesitate to shut off the flow of the Euphrates River to fill their reservoir. I guess they just want it all.