U.S., Turkish Leaders Discuss Syrian War, Region

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Sept. 18, 2012 – U.S. and Turkish leaders have a similar view of events in Syria and agreed to work together on that and other regional issues, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey spoke about his meetings in Ankara, Turkey, during his flight back to Washington.

The war in Syria is the regional issue with the most notoriety, the chairman said. While hard numbers are tough to come by, tens of thousands of Syrians have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled as Syrians tried to overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad.

Turkey shares a border with Syria, and thousands of Syrians have taken refuge in Turkey. Fighting in Aleppo, Syria, has caused the numbers of Syrians fleeing to spike.

Dempsey met with his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Necdet Ozel, Minister of National Defense Ismet Yilmaz and officials at Turkey’s Foreign Ministry. “We shared our insights into the common interests we are both trying to address in the region,” Dempsey said. “We agreed to recommit ourselves to collaborate on the regional issues -- not just issues unique to either Turkey or the United States.”

Syria is the epicenter of instability in the region, and events there tangle the threads that weave through the area, the chairman said. The Turks are worried about the thread of violent extremism and groups taking advantage of instability, whether those groups are al-Qaida or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, better known as PKK.

The Turks also are worried about Iranian influence in Syria and the region, and the chairman said he and Turkish officials discussed the whole cloth these threads make.

“That’s the piece of this that I was encouraged by,” Dempsey said. “They are not looking at Syria through a soda straw any more than we are.”

The Turks told the chairman they are concerned about the prolonged nature of the conflict. They believe the longer the fighting lasts in Syria, the greater the chances of sectarian division.

The Turks discussed humanitarian efforts. More than 200,000 Syrians have fled the country, and between 400,000 and 500,000 are “internally displaced” people.

“The Turks are actually quite proud of what they have been able to accomplish in their southern provinces to help take care of the Syrians,” Dempsey said, “but they are also concerned about the continuing influx of refugees and are reaching out to the international community to assist them in that regard.”

Turkish leaders did not ask for any U.S. military assistance for the refugees. The American commitment to Turkey is “the U.S. will continue to monitor the situation, and we will continue to engage at all levels in order to think through some of the contingencies that might occur with regard to the humanitarian issue,” Dempsey said.

Panetta Praises U.S.-Turkish Alliance, Pledges More Support

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2012 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta delivered keynote remarks during the 31st Annual American Turkish Council Conference dinner here last night reaffirming the U.S.-Turkish alliance and pledging further support for shared security goals.

“As some of you may know, I’ve just returned … from a nine-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region,” Panetta said. “The main purpose of it was to explain the new defense strategy … to our allies and to our partners throughout the region. In many ways, my appearance here tonight continues that mission.”

The defense secretary reflected on the “historic” U.S.-Turkey alliance, and noted 2012 marks 60 years since Turkey joined NATO.

Through this alliance, and a bilateral military relationship, Turkey and the U.S. have built “strong cooperation and connections” across their armed services, Panetta said.

“Our troops fought alongside each other in the Korean War, our troops helped stem the bloodshed in the Balkans, and they worked together to protect the Libyan people as they stood up to a brutal dictator,” Panetta noted.

“Just as critically, Turkey continues to make vital contributions in Afghanistan, where more than 1,200 Turkish forces are currently deployed,” he said. “We deeply appreciate the determination and resolve of the Turkish people to assist the international military effort, even in the face of the challenges that we have to confront, and even in the face of tragedy.”

Panetta said he was “deeply saddened” by news of a March 16 Turkish helicopter crash in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 12 Turkish soldiers.

“In the aftermath of that tragedy, Turkey stayed focused on the mission,” he said. “In the lead-up to the Chicago Summit, Turkey played a leading role within NATO to ensure that we affirmed our enduring commitment to the security and stability of Afghanistan.”

“Just as Turkey has shared in the effort to deny al-Qaida and its militant allies safe haven in Afghanistan, the United States has expressed its strong solidarity in Turkey with their fight against the PKK,” he said.

Panetta assured attendees his discussions with his Turkish counterparts have been clear in the commitment to continue helping Turkey counter the PKK “threat.” The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as the PKK, is a terrorist group that has been fighting the Turkish government since 1984.

“I’ve reiterated, obviously, our long-term view, that military force, alone, while important, cannot solve this problem,” Panetta said. “There should be a political process involved as well. But let me be clear -- so long as the PKK threatens Turkey and threatens its people, we will continue to provide Turkey with the capabilities needed to counter that threat.”

“Our shared commitment to these efforts reflects our shared aspiration for a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for our children, and our shared values as two democracies,” he said.

Panetta said as some threats recede, more arise such as violent extremism, destabilizing behavior from Iran and North Korea, rising powers in the Asia-Pacific region, turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, and challenges in the cyber domain.

Panetta said as the U.S. deals with these challenges and fiscal pressures requiring nearly half a trillion dollars in budget cuts over a decade, the Defense Department is putting forth a new defense strategy.

“[This] strategy recognizes ‘yes’ we’re going to be smaller, we’ll be leaner, but we have to be agile, we have to be flexible, we have to be quickly deployable, we have to be on the cutting edge of technology for the future,” he said. “We recognize that the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East are where the most pressing security challenges lie, and we must increase our focus on these key areas.”

Panetta said the strategy recognizes the need to maintain a U.S. presence throughout the world with “innovative rotational deployments that emphasize alliances” and new partnerships, and investments in the realms of cyberspace, unmanned systems, special operations forces, and the ability to mobilize quickly.

The defense secretary noted as part of this effort, the U.S. also wants to encourage nations like Turkey “whose values we share” to help advance peace and security in these regions.

“As part of a shared vision for security and stability in the Middle East, the United States strongly supports Turkey's growing and vital leadership role as a prosperous, democratic nation that is an anchor of security, and an engine of growth for the region's economy,” Panetta said.

“Together, Turkey and the United States are working closely to support the historic wave of democratic change that is sweeping the Middle East and North Africa,” he added.

Turkey and the United States, Panetta said, are confronting nations blocking change and destabilizing behavior in the region such as Syria and Iran.

The defense secretary said the U.S. and Turkey will continue to work together with the international community to bring pressure on Syria and Iran, because “there is no silver bullet here.”

“We are more effective in achieving that objective when the international community stands together as one,” Panetta said.

Panetta also stated he believes Turkey has an important leadership role in solving future security challenges as part of NATO Force 2020.

Through the decades, Panetta said, the partnership between the American and Turkish people has grown stronger, and the two nations have been made stronger and more prosperous because of it.

The challenges and threats both nations face today are complex, dangerous, and destabilizing, he said.

“But our two nations understand that in that kind of world, nations that have common values and are not afraid to lead will prevail,” Panetta said.

Spokesman Cites Diplomacy as Preferred Course for Turk-PKK Issue

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Oct. 17, 2007 - Diplomacy is the preferred method for solving the problem the Kurdish terrorist group known as the PKK poses to Turkey and Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. The PKK – also known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party – has launched attacks against Turkey for a generation. The U.S. State Department has labeled the group a foreign terrorist organization.

The PKK has established safe havens in the mountains of Iraq near the Turkish border, in an area under the control of the Kurdish regional government. Turkey has threatened to send its army across the border after these terrorists.

Complicating the situation is a resolution before Congress to brand the 1915 murder of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has urged Congress not to pass that resolution, saying the passage of the legislation would alienate Turkey at a time when that country is allowing the U.S. military to use its facilities to keep American troops in Iraq supplied.

"We understand (the Turks) are angry, and we have urged them despite their anger to remember our long-standing alliance before they take any retaliatory action," Morrell said.

Morrell said more and more members of Congress appear to recognize that this is not the right time to be considering this legislation.

"If Turkey restricted our access to Incirlik (an air base in eastern Turkey) or to their airspace, this would certainly harm our efforts to supply our forces in Iraq and pose a threat to our national security," he said.

The Defense Department sent Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy and former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, to explain the situation in Congress to his opposite number in the Turkish government. But the situation on the border with Iraq is potentially more serious, Morrell said.

"We'd like to end all terrorist threats to everyone in Iraq, but there is only so much you can do at one time," the press secretary said. "We certainly have our hands full dealing with al Qaeda (in Iraq), dealing with extreme elements of Jaysh al Mahdi and the other extreme elements in Iraq. So that is where our efforts are concentrated at this time."

He said the U.S. government is sympathetic to the fact that Turkey is suffering PKK terrorist attacks, but the best way to deal with this threat is through diplomatic means.

"We have urged the Turks to show restraint," Morrell said. "We understand their frustration, we understand their anger, but we are urging them not to engage in cross-border operations."

The Turks clearly are frustrated and angry, Morrell said. "But I also do not think there is a great deal of appetite to take this next step," he added. "It would an enormous step. It would have enormous implications not just for us, but the Turks, and I don't think there is any rush to war for the Turks.

"They know how treacherous the terrain is, they know how dug-in the PKK is, and I don't think there is any willingness or desire to have to solve this through a cross-border incursion in this area," he continued. "I think, as frustrated as they are, they see as we do that the best way to deal with this is to keep the pressure on the PKK, on the Iraqis, on all of us to solve this problem diplomatically."