Turkish president to embark on Russia visit on Thursday

Turkish drones 'battle tested,' export ready: report

The capabilities of Turkey's drone fleet have been "proven in combat" following a series of strikes carried out in Syria against regime targets, according to a report published Wednesday."Turkey joins the United States, United Kingdom, France, Israel, China and Iran as drone-armed nations," said the report on the c4isrnet defense technology website.It differentiates between the swarm attacks from autonomous drone systems working in tandem and the "coordinated mass of drone strikes March 1 against a Syrian military convoy and base," saying "even such a labor-intensive operation as the mass use of remotely piloted drones offers advantages over flying human-occupied vehicles on the same missions."“Given a very complicated battleground in Syria — where Syrian and Russian air defenses protect key assets, and where Iranian forces operate alongside their Assad allies — Turkey’s decision to send a mass coordinated UAV attack points to its availability of options,” Samuel Bendett, an adviser at the Center for Naval Analyses, told the website."Rather than send a piloted aircraft that could be lost, with the pilot killed, Turkey sent unmanned systems, whose loss is less profound and does not ultimately impact Turkish military capability. Turkey is also able to gather key intel on Syrian air defenses, especially those that managed to down Turkish UAVs,” he added.At least seven Turkish drones were targeted by Syrian air defense systems, but the drones were reportedly still able to strike their targets."A swarm the recent strike was not, but for the people targeted on the ground, a remotely piloted salvo is just as deadly a proposition," the report adds.

NATO says conflict in Syria needs political solution

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday urged for a political solution to the conflict in Syria.Stoltenberg, who is on a visit to Croatia's capital Zagreb, called on the Syrian regime and Russia to respect international law."NATO's deployment in the Aegean Sea remains important. But the international community needs to address the root causes of the crisis. We need to see a political solution to the conflict in Syria. So the Assad regime and Russia must end their offensive. Respect international law. And support UN efforts for a peaceful solution," said Stoltenberg.Speaking about the influx of asylum seekers from Turkey to Greece, he said Greece is faced with a tough situation."Greece is also severely impacted by the current situation. Greece carries a heavy burden. And the challenges of migration are shared challenges that require shared solutions," said Stoltenberg.Meanwhile, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that irregular migration had to be prevented."We will try to prevent the new migrant influx in cooperation with the EU and NATO," said Plenkovic.More than 135,000 asylum seekers have crossed to Europe after Turkey opened its borders, accusing the EU of not fulfilling the promises it made as part of a 2015 agreement reached on the refugee crisis.Turkey, which already hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any country in the world, says it cannot absorb another wave of migration.An escalation in Syria's Idlib has sent a fresh wave of migrants toward Turkey's border.

Erdoğan seeking urgent Idlib cease-fire on Russia visit

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Russia aims to reach an immediate cease-fire in Syria's restive province of Idlib, Turkey's presidential spokesman said Wednesday."On the way to Moscow, our main aim is immediate cease-fire within the framework of the Idlib agreement we signed with the Russian Federation,” Ibrahim Kalin told a press conference following a Cabinet meeting in capital Ankara.Noting that Ankara has comprehensive relations with Russia, Kalin said that Turkey wishes to reach an agreement under a common understanding especially on Idlib, however, Turkey’s position is “absolutely clear” on the issue.Netherlands calls for no-fly-zone over IdlibErdoğan, Macron discuss Idlib on phoneErdoğan is due in Moscow on Thursday.Kalin reiterated that Turkey is not in Syria for territorial gains, but to pave the way for a political process and to protect the civilians.Kalin went on to say that for the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees the condition on ground has to be favorable.Turkey recently launched Operation Spring Shield in Idlib after an attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime martyred 34 Turkish soldiers.- Migrant crisisCriticizing the European Union for its double standards, he noted that urgent aid was sent to 100,000 asylum-seekers in Greece, while ignoring nearly four million refugees in Turkey.“Actually, this crisis did not break out the last week or the last month. Our president has repeatedly stated in recent years that the crisis has reached a point that cannot be handled anymore,” Kalin said.He noted that despite Erdoğan’s statements, the European countries ignored the situation as the refugees were not at their door and they are in panic situation after Turkey opened its border gates.“If there is no share of burden, everybody’s burden will increase,” he said.EU to allocate additional €170 million in aid for SyriaUS senator urges NATO to back Turkey in SyriaKalin said Turkey’s efforts so far have prevented irregular migration to Europe, however, the country also has a limit to its capacity.Idlib has been a stronghold of the opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. In September 2018, Ankara and Moscow reached an agreement in Sochi, Russia, to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. But more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by the Syrian regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12. Erdoğan recently condemned the regime attacks on civilians and Turkish troops in Idlib. Last week, Turkey opened its borders sending a wave of asylum-seekers to Europe, saying the EU has failed to keep its side of a 2016 refugee deal.

Netherlands calls for no-fly-zone over Idlib

Netherlands on Wednesday called for a no-fly zone over Idlib, the last opposition stronghold in Syria, which has seen a recent escalation.Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said: “Let us all take a step back and at least ensure that attacks from the air over Idlib are brought to a halt. This means no more Syrian fighter aircraft or helicopters. In other words: a no-fly zone for Assad over Idlib.“The EU needs to consult with Russia and Turkey, so that Assad has no choice but to keep his air force on the ground,” he added.Blok said he will raise this issue on Friday at the meeting of the country's Foreign Affairs Council.Erdoğan, Macron discuss Idlib on phone“The closure of the airspace over Idlib must then be monitored internationally, and if an airstrike should then occur in Idlib, we will at least know who is responsible,” said Blok.He called for de-escalation to prevent armed conflict between Russia and Turkey and provide emergency aid to civilians fleeing violence in Syria.He pledged additional humanitarian aid to civilians in Idlib and urged the international community to understand Turkey's "legitimate security concerns".Idlib has been a stronghold of the opposition and anti-government armed groups since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.EU to allocate additional €170 million in aid for SyriaIn September 2018, Ankara and Moscow reached an agreement to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.But more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in attacks by the Syrian regime and Russian forces since then, flouting both the 2018 cease-fire and a new one that started on Jan. 12.Last week, at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in a regime strike, raising tensions between Ankara and Moscow, an ally of the Assad regime.The recent escalation has also sent a fresh wave of Syrian migrants toward Turkey's border.Turkey, which already hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any country in the world, says it cannot absorb another wave of migration and has responded by opening its border to Europe for asylum-seekers, sending the EU into panic mode.US senator urges NATO to back Turkey in Syria

Erdoğan, Macron discuss Idlib on phone

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone conversation with his French counterpart on Wednesday.According to a statement by Turkey's Communications Directorate, Erdoğan and Emmanuel Macron discussed the issues of Idlib and migrants.Syria’s northwestern Idlib province is home to four million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.In recent months, nearly 1.7 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks by forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies. Turkey, which already hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any country in the world, says it cannot absorb another wave of migration and has responded by opening its border to Europe for asylum-seekers, sending the EU into panic mode.In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression were expressly prohibited.But since then, more than 1,800 civilians have been killed in airstrikes and shelling by the regime and its allies.On Sunday, Turkey announced a new offensive, Operation Spring Shield, in northwestern Syria to protect civilians from regime attacks.It came after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred and dozens injured in an Assad regime airstrike in the de-escalation zone just across Turkey’s southern border on Feb. 27.* Writing by Sena Guler

US senator urges NATO to back Turkey in Syria

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio urged NATO on Wednesday to back Turkey with air defense support in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province.The Florida Republican said on Twitter that the situation in the war-torn country is getting more dangerous.“NATO should provide Turkey with Air Defense Intelligence support financial aid to NGOs dealing with refugees inside Syria,” Rubio tweeted.He also called on Moscow to withdraw its troops surrounding Turkish military observation posts in Idlib.His remarks came days after Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield to repel forces of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Idlib.The Syrian regime backed by Russia embarked on a new offensive in the conflict-hit province in December, displacing more than 900,000 Syrians.In recent weeks, regime attacks have left up to 60 Turkish troops martyred and retaliation by Turkish forces resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Syrian regime forces.

Death toll in China from coronavirus rises to 3,014

The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 3,014 Thursday, according to the National Health Commission.The commission said 31 more people died in the last 24 hours while 139 new cases were detected by authorities, with the total number of confirmed cases reaching 80,270.The deaths occurred in the epicenter of the outbreak, Hubei province.At least 32,870 people are currently under medical care, while the number of discharged patients totals 52,045.It was announced that 16 makeshift hospitals established in Hubei province due to insufficient capacity will be gradually closed.The coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to more than 30 other countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.The World Health Organization, which already declared the outbreak an international health emergency Friday, has raised the global coronavirus alert level from high to "very high."*Writing by Burak Dag

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan