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Turkey & China: alternative for Macedonia?
Turkish and Chinese militaries recently conducted a joint aerial exercise in central Anatolia, the first such exercise involving the air forces of NATO member Turkey and China.
The joint exercise was part of Turkey’s Anatolian Eagle maneuvers, which have so far been carried out jointly with US, other NATO countries and Israel. They took place sometime this month in the central Anatolian province of Konya, where Anatolian Eagle maneuvers traditionally take place. Turkish F-16s and Chinese SU-27s and Russian-made MIG-29s took part in the joint exercise, staging a mock dogfight in central Anatolian airspace. The exercise comes ahead of a planned visit by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Turkey next month, which officials say will boost relations to a new level. The two sides are expected to sign several agreements on economic and cultural cooperation during the Chinese prime minister’s visit.
Turkey has recently modified its security policy, removing neighbors from a list of countries considered as threats to national security.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
ISTANBUL - Daily News with wires
The Turkish and Chinese air forces secretly participated in a military drill in Konya as part of the “Anatolian Eagle” war games, prompting a reaction from Washington, daily Taraf reported Thursday.
Taraf based its report on Turkish and Western military sources, who confirmed that the military drills took place but did not state the exact dates of the games or what kind of aircraft were involved.
Washington has requested information on the matter from Turkey, the report added.
Last year, Ankara excluded Israel from the war games, reportedly because of political tension that arose with Tel Aviv after the Israeli-led war in Gaza in January 2009.
The Turkish government decided to freeze all military exercises with Israel in response to the killing by Israeli commandos of nine people on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. Last year, Ankara excluded Tel Aviv from the same exercise, which prompted fellow NATO members the United States and Italy to withdraw from the drills. Turkey had to conduct the exercise on a national instead of an international level.
Since the early 2000s, Turkey, a NATO member, has conducted war games in the central Anatolian province of Konya with other members of the alliance or non-member friendly nations. But this year was the first time a military drill was conducted with China.
The U.S. administration reportedly contacted the Turkish foreign and defense ministries and asked why the drill was conducted and what kind of maneuvers were practiced.
Going before:
25 March 2009,
Turkey, China to raise military cooperation
Turkish Military Academies Commander Gen. Hasan Aksay who is in China, said Turkey and China should consider conducting joint military exercises: "Our talks should not remain limited to educational activities. We should think about joint military exercises."
In addition, China's Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ge Zhenfeng said they expect to receive more military students from Turkey; since 1985, China has received 18 military delegations consisting of 200 people from Turkey. Turkey received 14 Chinese military delegations with more than 330 representatives in the same period, officials said.
Zhenfeng also said that he admires the Turkish military, "With its educational achievements and its combat capabilities, the Turkish military has made a deep impression on my mind," and added the Turkish military was exceptionally "disciplined." He also expressed his country's gratitude for Turkey's "one China" policy.
Aksay is expected to visit Shanghai today and leave China tomorrow.
China And Turkey Increase Their Military Cooperation.
What Is Behind It?
Martin McCauley writes: Last month, General Hasan Aksay, commander of the Turkish military academies, paid a visit to China.This was not the first visit of a high ranking Turkish military official. There have been 18 delegations since 1985 and 14 Chinese military visits to Turkey. General Aksay was not senior enough to launch any new initiative. However, some observers think there was to his trip than meets the eye. Military collaboration has been steadily increasing during the last 15 years.
Turkey was a member of the UN force during the Korean War (1950-53). Fighting was ferocious and over 25,000 Turks saw service there. Casualties were high: over 700 men were killed and over 2,100 wounded. As a result of the conflict Turkey became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in October 1951 while the war was still going on.
The Korean conflict has left its mark to this day. China is still less favourably portrayed than other countries in East Asia. Diplomatic relations were only established in the early 1970s and military contact began a decade later.
During the first half of the 1990s, the United States criticised Turkey for using US weapons in its struggle with Kurdish separatists. Arms embargos followed. The result was that Turkey turned to China, among others, for arms. Ankara signed its first deal in 1997 for the supply of rockets. Turkey then began to produce rockets based on Chinese designs under licence. Then surface to surface missiles were manufactured.
One estimate is that purchases of Chinese arms between 1998 and 2007 only amounted to about 1 per cent of Turkey’s total arms purchases.
Beijing is keen that Ankara participates in the war against terrorism. The primary target are the Uyghurs who are Muslim and want greater autonomy in Xinjiang province. As a Turkic people they are to be found also in Turkey as are some of the leaders of the Xinjiang movement. Demonstrations and violence against Chinese personnel in Turkey eventually led to the signing of a Sino-Turkish agreement on military cooperation in February 2000. This included mutual opposition to separatist movements (Uyghurs in China and Kurds in Turkey).
One of the goals of Chinese military intelligence in Turkey is to penetrate Uyghur organisations with moles and sleepers. Beijing has had some success as there is often conflict among Uyghurs. These organisations are aware that there are collaborators within their ranks and attempts to purge them have led to uproar.
Chinese foreign intelligence also monitors the activities of Falung Gong, a religious movement which Beijing has perceived as a threat since the late 1990s.
China is also concerned about the re-emergence of Pan-Turkism. Turkic peoples stretch from Sakha-Yakutia, in Siberia, to Tatarstan and Bashkortostan in the Urals to Central Asia, Azerbaijan (there are also Azeris in northern Iran) to Turkey. The Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang province are also Turkic. All Turkic groups are Muslim and predominantly Sunni.
Ironically some Turkish politicians and military officers regard China as an alternative model to the United States and the European Union. The ‘Eurasian’ faction in the military is right wing and anti-Islamist. The present Turkish government has forced some of them to retire.
During General Aksay’s visit to China it was agreed to increase military cooperation. Joint military exercises and training are envisaged as are joint military production projects. The Chinese and Turks have certainly a lot to discuss. Ankara regards China as a rising military power. Regarding military matters, Turkey will soon have a Chinese option as well as an American.
What do you think of it, don't you agree that Macedonia should follow the example of Turkey in relation to China and look as alternative for NATO?
What would Macedonia gain or lose if we change our "national priority" of being part of NATO but instead alliance with Turkey, China and probably Russia?
I could include in also strong ties with India, Japan, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Belorussia, Czech, Slovakia, Croatia, Israel etc.
The joint exercise was part of Turkey’s Anatolian Eagle maneuvers, which have so far been carried out jointly with US, other NATO countries and Israel. They took place sometime this month in the central Anatolian province of Konya, where Anatolian Eagle maneuvers traditionally take place. Turkish F-16s and Chinese SU-27s and Russian-made MIG-29s took part in the joint exercise, staging a mock dogfight in central Anatolian airspace. The exercise comes ahead of a planned visit by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Turkey next month, which officials say will boost relations to a new level. The two sides are expected to sign several agreements on economic and cultural cooperation during the Chinese prime minister’s visit.
Turkey has recently modified its security policy, removing neighbors from a list of countries considered as threats to national security.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
ISTANBUL - Daily News with wires
The Turkish and Chinese air forces secretly participated in a military drill in Konya as part of the “Anatolian Eagle” war games, prompting a reaction from Washington, daily Taraf reported Thursday.
Taraf based its report on Turkish and Western military sources, who confirmed that the military drills took place but did not state the exact dates of the games or what kind of aircraft were involved.
Washington has requested information on the matter from Turkey, the report added.
Last year, Ankara excluded Israel from the war games, reportedly because of political tension that arose with Tel Aviv after the Israeli-led war in Gaza in January 2009.
The Turkish government decided to freeze all military exercises with Israel in response to the killing by Israeli commandos of nine people on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. Last year, Ankara excluded Tel Aviv from the same exercise, which prompted fellow NATO members the United States and Italy to withdraw from the drills. Turkey had to conduct the exercise on a national instead of an international level.
Since the early 2000s, Turkey, a NATO member, has conducted war games in the central Anatolian province of Konya with other members of the alliance or non-member friendly nations. But this year was the first time a military drill was conducted with China.
The U.S. administration reportedly contacted the Turkish foreign and defense ministries and asked why the drill was conducted and what kind of maneuvers were practiced.
Going before:
25 March 2009,
Turkey, China to raise military cooperation
Turkish Military Academies Commander Gen. Hasan Aksay who is in China, said Turkey and China should consider conducting joint military exercises: "Our talks should not remain limited to educational activities. We should think about joint military exercises."
In addition, China's Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ge Zhenfeng said they expect to receive more military students from Turkey; since 1985, China has received 18 military delegations consisting of 200 people from Turkey. Turkey received 14 Chinese military delegations with more than 330 representatives in the same period, officials said.
Zhenfeng also said that he admires the Turkish military, "With its educational achievements and its combat capabilities, the Turkish military has made a deep impression on my mind," and added the Turkish military was exceptionally "disciplined." He also expressed his country's gratitude for Turkey's "one China" policy.
Aksay is expected to visit Shanghai today and leave China tomorrow.
China And Turkey Increase Their Military Cooperation.
What Is Behind It?
Martin McCauley writes: Last month, General Hasan Aksay, commander of the Turkish military academies, paid a visit to China.This was not the first visit of a high ranking Turkish military official. There have been 18 delegations since 1985 and 14 Chinese military visits to Turkey. General Aksay was not senior enough to launch any new initiative. However, some observers think there was to his trip than meets the eye. Military collaboration has been steadily increasing during the last 15 years.
Turkey was a member of the UN force during the Korean War (1950-53). Fighting was ferocious and over 25,000 Turks saw service there. Casualties were high: over 700 men were killed and over 2,100 wounded. As a result of the conflict Turkey became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in October 1951 while the war was still going on.
The Korean conflict has left its mark to this day. China is still less favourably portrayed than other countries in East Asia. Diplomatic relations were only established in the early 1970s and military contact began a decade later.
During the first half of the 1990s, the United States criticised Turkey for using US weapons in its struggle with Kurdish separatists. Arms embargos followed. The result was that Turkey turned to China, among others, for arms. Ankara signed its first deal in 1997 for the supply of rockets. Turkey then began to produce rockets based on Chinese designs under licence. Then surface to surface missiles were manufactured.
One estimate is that purchases of Chinese arms between 1998 and 2007 only amounted to about 1 per cent of Turkey’s total arms purchases.
Beijing is keen that Ankara participates in the war against terrorism. The primary target are the Uyghurs who are Muslim and want greater autonomy in Xinjiang province. As a Turkic people they are to be found also in Turkey as are some of the leaders of the Xinjiang movement. Demonstrations and violence against Chinese personnel in Turkey eventually led to the signing of a Sino-Turkish agreement on military cooperation in February 2000. This included mutual opposition to separatist movements (Uyghurs in China and Kurds in Turkey).
One of the goals of Chinese military intelligence in Turkey is to penetrate Uyghur organisations with moles and sleepers. Beijing has had some success as there is often conflict among Uyghurs. These organisations are aware that there are collaborators within their ranks and attempts to purge them have led to uproar.
Chinese foreign intelligence also monitors the activities of Falung Gong, a religious movement which Beijing has perceived as a threat since the late 1990s.
China is also concerned about the re-emergence of Pan-Turkism. Turkic peoples stretch from Sakha-Yakutia, in Siberia, to Tatarstan and Bashkortostan in the Urals to Central Asia, Azerbaijan (there are also Azeris in northern Iran) to Turkey. The Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang province are also Turkic. All Turkic groups are Muslim and predominantly Sunni.
Ironically some Turkish politicians and military officers regard China as an alternative model to the United States and the European Union. The ‘Eurasian’ faction in the military is right wing and anti-Islamist. The present Turkish government has forced some of them to retire.
During General Aksay’s visit to China it was agreed to increase military cooperation. Joint military exercises and training are envisaged as are joint military production projects. The Chinese and Turks have certainly a lot to discuss. Ankara regards China as a rising military power. Regarding military matters, Turkey will soon have a Chinese option as well as an American.
What do you think of it, don't you agree that Macedonia should follow the example of Turkey in relation to China and look as alternative for NATO?
What would Macedonia gain or lose if we change our "national priority" of being part of NATO but instead alliance with Turkey, China and probably Russia?
I could include in also strong ties with India, Japan, Brazil, Poland, Ukraine, Belorussia, Czech, Slovakia, Croatia, Israel etc.
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and both face the usa as a frenemmy.
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