 Turkey allows German MPs to visit base after Armenia genocide row Berlin (AFP) Sept 8, 2016 - Turkey on Thursday lifted a months-long ban on German lawmakers visiting a NATO airbase near Syria, easing a bitter row sparked by a Bundestag vote labelling the Ottomans' World War I-era massacre of Armenians a "genocide". The foreign ministers of both countries confirmed German lawmakers would be allowed next month to visit their nation's troops, who are stationed at the Incirlik base as part of the multinational coalition fighting the Islamic State group. But Turkey's top diplomat made clear Ankara had only given the green light after Chancellor Angela Merkel's government last week met its demand and publicly clarified that the Armenia resolution from June was "not legally binding". "To give these visas, we made it obvious to Germany what the requirements were," said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. "Germany fulfilled these conditions... by explaining it was not legally binding," he said, in comments embarrassing to Merkel amid domestic criticism she is kowtowing to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As the EU's top destination for refugees last year, Germany has relied on an EU-Turkey agreement designed to stop the massive influx of people fleeing war and poverty. "They understand that they cannot treat Turkey as they wish," added Cavusoglu, speaking in Ankara. In Berlin, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he welcomed as a "a step forward" the go-ahead for the October 4-6 visit by the parliament's defence committee. The defence expert of the far-left Linke party, Alexander Neu, however, said he wasn't sure he would join the trip. It was "a difficult decision because the government bought this travel permit by distancing itself from the Armenia resolution," he told AFP. - Sources of discord - Germany has around 240 troops stationed at the base in southern Turkey, from where it flies Tornado surveillance missions over Syria and refuelling flights as part of the campaign against IS. Germany hopes to invest 58 million euros ($65 million) in mobile barracks and other facilities in Incirlik, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday. The bitter row over the visit started when the German parliament in June joined more than 20 countries in recognising the massacre of Armenians as a genocide. Armenians say up to 1.5 million were killed between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart. Turkey rejects the claims, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops. After the German vote, a furious Erdogan accused German lawmakers of Turkish origin of having "tainted blood". Last week, Merkel said that the Armenia resolution was a political statement and not legally binding, in what was widely read as an attempt to soothe Turkey's anger -- a claim her government strongly denied. Merkel then met Erdogan at a G20 summit in China and afterwards said she hoped for progress in "coming days" on the base visit. Other sources of discord, however, remain -- including German criticism of the Erdogan government's treatment of local and foreign journalists, of its Kurdish minority and of many of the alleged plotters detained in sweeping arrests after the failed coup in July. Germany is home to a three-million-strong ethnic Turkish population, the legacy of a massive "guest worker" programme in the 1960s and 1970s.
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NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday hailed the Turkish people's courage in defeating the July 15 putsch, which he called an "attack on democracy", saying a strong Turkey was "essential" for European and regional security.
"Any attack on democracy, in any of our countries, is an attack on the very foundation of our alliance," he said in a statement after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara.
"A strong and democratic Turkey is essential for the stability and security of Europe and the region," he said.
The NATO head was one of the top Western officials to visit Turkey in the wake of the attempted coup aimed at bringing down the Turkish government.
Erdogan has blamed the military action on a rouge group within the army loyal to US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has denied the charges from his compound in Pennyslvania.
The Turkish strongman has however criticised what he said was a lack of Western support for his government after the bloody coup attempt, accusing Europe of backing coup plotters who sought his ouster.
Erdogan's massive crackdown on suspects in the wake of the botched coup has raised alarm bells in Europe, which has warned Ankara not to compromise on democratic norms.
NATO has condemned the coup in solidarity with the Turkish government but remained cautious on the purge of tens of thousands of people in the putsch's aftermath.
On Friday, Stoltenberg is due to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, as well as the country's defence and foreign ministers.
Turkish court arrests pastry magnate in coup probe
Istanbul (AFP) Sept 8, 2016 -
A Turkish court Thursday ordered the arrest of the chairman of a famed pastry manufacturer and the CEO of a clothing company as well two dozen other businessmen for alleged links to the failed July 15 coup.
Faruk Gullu, the chairman of the Faruk Gulluoglu chain of sweet shops and restaurants, was remanded in custody by an Istanbul court on charges of being a member of the group of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen which is blamed for the failed coup, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Faruk Gulluoglu is one of Turkey's best known suppliers of baklava, the traditional sweet pastry that rounds off meals, and its main shop is a magnet for tourists in Istanbul.
Nejat Gullu, Faruk's brother and the chairman of the similarly-named but rival Gulluoglu baklava firm, had also been detained but was ordered to be released by the court, the agency added.
But the court also remanded in custody Omer Faruk Kavurmaci, CEO of the Aydinli Group clothing retailer, one of the most prominent business figures detained after the coup.
Kavurmaci is the son-in-law of Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbas, a ruling party member and close associate of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The company owns the rights to the brands US Polo Assn, Cacharel and Pierre Cardin in Turkey and across the region. Kavurmaci is charged with "membership of a terror group", Anadolu said.
Twenty-five other suspects linked to the business world were also placed under arrest ahead of trial, the agency said, without giving their names. Thirty-seven suspects were released under judicial control.
All had been detained in raids in mid-August with their detention periods prolonged in line with the three-month state of emergency imposed after the coup.
Turkey has pressed a relentless crackdown after the coup, with some 20,000 people from all professions including the military, education and journalism detained.
In a separate development, Istanbul prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 92 more people, including six generals, on suspicion of links to Gulen and the coup, Turkish media said.
Gulen has ridiculed the accusations that he masterminded the coup bid aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But Ankara is pressing Washington for his extradition, accusing Gulen of leading a "terror" group.
Meanwhile two fugitive Turkish admirals were detained late on Wednesday after almost two months on the run, the Dogan news agency said.
Admirals Nazmi Ekici and Hayrettin Imren, who were posted at bases in western Turkey, were detained in Tuzla outside Istanbul.
They will in the next days appear before a judge to decide if to remand them in custody. Newspaper reports said they had been preparing to flee to Greece.
The coup investigation has so far seen the arrest of over 150 admirals and generals, half of Turkey's entire contingent of top-ranking military, forcing a massive shake-up in the armed forces.
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