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Erdogan Tells Putin He is Sorry Over Death of Russian Su-24 Pilot

That's what I said, it can be one of the reasons or the major reason but not the only reason...Turkey getting a boot from EU seems also to have some weight in the decision. However a big unknown is how Putin responds. So let wait and see how things progress but I hope for the best for both the countries.
The Eu thing wasnt different prior to jet incident so i dont think it will have any effect, Erdogan once said he is interested in joining SCO and afterwards the incident happened, only shows that he wasnt very serious about it.
Russia cant be a replacement for EU or NATO for Turkey, there are just too much colliding geopolitical interests but booth need fresh money for the economy just as everone else, so booth will pretend to be friends.

Russia also made statements before where they expressed their willingness for normalization.
 
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How exactly does erdogan plan to 'resolve the situation'?

Bring the pilot back from the dead? Quitting NATO?

Funny guy this erdogan.
 
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Unless this Turkish despot drops his support for ISIS and apologises for the slaughter of 1 million Syrians and destroying Syria, Russia should not accept his insincere apology.

I agree, the Syria question will likely be the most important precondition for Russia to normalize relations.

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Turkey Ready to Pay Compensation for Downed Russian Jet in Syria
© REUTERS/ Shamil Zhumatov/Files

00:40 28.06.2016(updated 00:48 28.06.2016) Get short URL
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Turkey is ready to pay compensation to Moscow for the downed Russian Su-24 combat jet near the Turkish border in Syria, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — On Monday, the Kremlin's press office published a statement saying that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin saying he was interested in resolving the conflict triggered by the 2015 Turkish downing of a Russian jet in Syria and offering condolences to the family of the killed pilot.

"The letter's content is clear. We expressed our regret and we will pay the compensation [for the downed jet] if it is necessary. Both countries are seeking to normalize the relations. To my mind, we have reached some progress," Yildirim told the TRT television broadcaster.

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How exactly does erdogan plan to 'resolve the situation'?

Bring the pilot back from the dead? Quitting NATO?

Funny guy this erdogan.
He is doing this, and it works.

In all seriousness, the Russians still like Turkey and Turkey needs Russia in the game to keep Assad in check and the Saudis at their heels.
 
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Russia needs Turkey as much as I need obesity.

The day NATO nukes were setup in Turkey, it became Russia's primary target in a MAD scenario.

I always wondered why Turkey never became USSR's Cuba? Soviets were too weak by then I suppose.
 
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normalizing relatins benefits both nations..a step in the right direction.
 
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I think it definitely cause a warming of relations. In what form and how quickly - we will see.

Yes but not just that Turkey seems to be reappraising it's foreign policy.




Israel and Turkey end rift over Gaza flotilla killings
27 June 2016
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The Mavi Marmara was the lead ship in a six-vessel convoy heading for Gaza
Israel and Turkey have normalised relations, ending a six-year rift over the killing by Israeli troops of 10 Turkish activists on a Gaza-bound ship.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a deal reached on Sunday would see Israel pay $20m (£15m) in compensation. It will also allow Turkey to send aid to Gaza and carry out infrastructure projects in the Palestinian territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the agreement would help bring "stability" to the Middle East.
Turkey was once Israel's closest ally in the region, and the two countries share many strategic interests.

Gaza 'lifeline'
The Turkish and Israeli prime ministers announced the deal to restore diplomatic ties at simultaneous news conferences in Ankara and Rome.
Mr Yildirim said the two countries would appoint ambassadors "as soon as possible" after the agreement is signed on Tuesday.

A "lifeline to Palestinians" would be provided, he added, with the first ship loaded with 10,000 tonnes of aid due to leave for the Israeli port of Ashdod on Friday.

Analysis - By Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent
The reconciliation deal between Israel and Turkey will see a return to normal diplomatic relations, but ties are unlikely to have the warmth that they did in the past.

It is Turkey's growing diplomatic problems - strategic tensions with Russia; difficulties with Europe due to the growing authoritarianism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan; and above all the failure of Turkey's Syria policy (which has also soured ties with Washington) - that have prompted this move.

Turkey gains a privileged role in Gaza's economic development and a lessening of its isolation in a deeply troubled region.
Israel sees an end to its practical difficulties with Turkey and gets assurances about future Hamas activity on Turkish soil.
There could also be important economic benefits to both countries in terms of the energy sector and tourism.

Turkey will also be allowed to invest in a series of development projects in Gaza, including residential buildings, a hospital, a power station and a desalination plant for drinking water.
In return, Turkey agreed to pass legislation protecting Israeli troops from legal claims over the Mavi Marmara incident, and to prevent any military action or fundraising by Hamas operatives based there.
"The total embargo imposed on Palestine and on the Gaza region in particular, is to being lifted to a great extent through Turkey's leadership," Mr Yildirim asserted.
But Mr Netanyahu said Israel's "defensive maritime blockade" of Gaza, which is dominated by the militant Islamist movement Hamas, would remain in place.
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Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkish aid for Gaza would arrive at an Israeli port on Friday
"This is a supreme security interest of ours. I was not willing to compromise it. This interest is essential to prevent the force build-up by Hamas and it remains as has been and is," he added.
Israel maintains its blockade of Gaza to try to prevent weapons or materials reaching Palestinian militants, with whom it fought a devastating war in 2014, while allowing humanitarian aid into the territory.

Palestinians say the policy is tantamount to collective punishment, and UN and aid officials have warned of deteriorating conditions in Gaza.
The Turkish-owned ship Mavi Marmara was part of a flotilla attempting to breach the blockade when it was intercepted by Israeli commandos on 31 May 2010.
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The two countries had blamed each other for the violence on board the Mavi Marmara

Ten pro-Palestinian Turkish activists, one of them a dual American citizen, were killed and dozens wounded as clashes broke out after the commandos boarded the ship, descending on ropes from helicopters.
The two sides had blamed each other for the violence. The activists said the commandos started shooting as soon as they hit the deck. Israel said the commandos opened fire only after being attacked with clubs, knives and a gun which was taken from them.
A UN inquiry was unable to determine at exactly which point the commandos used live rounds.
Talks on normalising ties started after Mr Netanyahu telephoned Mr Erdogan, then Turkish prime minister, in 2013 to make it clear that the results of the Mavi Marmara incident were "unintentional" and to "express regret" over the loss of life.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-36639834

Both of them are good moves by Turkey overall. :)
 
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Erdogan Apologizes -The Ruined Tourism Season Made Him Do It!
It helps to be firm and know your ‘partner’s’ soft spots



Originally appeared at Live Journal. Translated by Julia Rakhmetova

A popular Russian blogger and an expert on Near Eastern affairs comments on the news that Turkish President made formal apologies to Russia for downing the Russian SU-24 over Syria:

This is what the tourist season does.

Of course, Erdogan is a villain. If he apologized in winter, instead of playing the act in style of “we were right to shoot down the plane”, Turkey would not face a disrupted holiday season and huge financial losses.

It’s worth noting the consistent hardline stance of the Russian Federation, which at the end of the day forced such a selfish person as Erdogan to apologize.

It’s also worth noting that the Turkish prosecutor’s office started checking the implication of Abdurrahman Celik in the death of the Russian marine in the course of the evacuation operation of the second pilot of Su-24.

Generally speaking, Turkey is trying to settle down to a course of reformation after the idiot attack on the Russian plane, which came at a high price to it.

I would also note that the story with Turkey again proves that the firm stance in the international affairs is more efficient rather than the attempts to expostulate or calls for good will.

http://russia-insider.com/en/politi...-ruined-tourism-season-made-him-do-it/ri15249
 
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“we were right to shoot down the plane”,
Meh, we are still right...just sorry for the Russian pilot's death.

huge financial losses.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/wo...-same.aspx?pageID=238&nID=93532&NewsCatID=344

http://aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkeys-economic-growth-soars-in-last-quarter-of-2015/546824

http://aa.com.tr/en/anadolu-post/turkeys-economic-growth-soars-in-first-quarter-of-2016/587472

Yeah, we had such financial loses that in overall didn't affected our Economy at the slightest.
 
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Russia needs Turkey as much as I need obesity.

The day NATO nukes were setup in Turkey, it became Russia's primary target in a MAD scenario.

I always wondered why Turkey never became USSR's Cuba? Soviets were too weak by then I suppose.
Your history knowledge is mind blowing. :lol:
 
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Overall, it is a welcome development, but, I have little faith on the current president-led government in Turkey. If I am skeptical, I am sure Putin is ten times more skeptical.

Also, at this point, I am afraid even a complete thawing of relations will help Turkey to salvage itself the deep mess it is now. As I said in another thread related to the Islamic State attack in airport in Istanbul, band aid solutions will do little help.

A sane country leadership can't simply destroy relations with countries like Russia, Egypt, Syria etc and then wish that it can gloss over the mistakes at one strike by replacing the PM and calling him the scape goat and writing letters of apology.

It won't work that way; the harm is done.

I think the change must come from inside, by turning Turkey's face to the secular West and reviving Ataturk's ideals.

Even if the military did that, I would be for it.
 
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It takes a GREAT man to say sorry and a Greater man to accept a honest apology, and a far more greater greater person who acts as a middle man
 
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It takes a GREAT man to say sorry and a Greater man to accept a honest apology, and a far more greater greater person who acts as a middle man

On the other hand, it takes only one side (Turkey) to destroy bilateral relations. But it needs two (Turkey and Russia) to mend the ties.

Inter-state relations are not defined by emotions, especially with respect to great powers (China, Russia and the US), but, it might be difficult for great powers to engage emotionally-vulnerable middle and small countries in a meaningful way. And Turkey's foreign policy has been a disaster in terms of pragmatism over the past few years.

I guess what the Russian side will demand in return for mending the ties will be comprehensive.

1. Formal apology (I guess Erdogan did that in written form on behalf of the state of Turkey), using the exact word of "apology," not simply "sorry."

2. Compensation. (I guess formal apology, which means acceptance of wrong-doing, means compensation).

3. Trial and imprisonment of the person from Turkey who claimed to have led the terrorist group that shot down the Russian pilot while he was descending in Northwestern Syria.

4. Reversal of Syrian policy, giving up on supporting anti-Syrian factions, including Jabhat al-Nusra, which, although Turkey formally put on terror list, still provides assistance.

Mr. Putin has the cards and Erdogan showed he is eager to rebuild the bridges.

I am not sure how much it will help in terms of tourism after Istanbul terror attacks (numerous of them recently), but, in terms of regional geopolitics, it is a welcome development.

But, overall, it is very difficult, and risky, to trust Erdogan; his fundamentalist sectarianism might easily show the face if the domestic politics requires so. And in Turkey, foreign policy seems to be very much conditioned to domestic politics.
 
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