Wikileaks - DLXII
90303 12/20/2006 13:08 06ANKARA6703 Embassy Ankara UNCLASSIFIED VZCZCXRO9987 RR RUEHDA DE RUEHAK #6703/01 3541308 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 201308Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0361 INFO RUEUITH/ODC ANKARA TU RHMFIUU/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE//ECJ4/ECJ5// RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//ISA-EUR/DSCA// RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-5// RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1449 RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1824 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 5334 RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 7675 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0107 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 5506 RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0226 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 0230 RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 3081 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 0942 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 1112 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0957 RUEHAK/USDAO ANKARA TU RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 5356 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006703
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MASS, MARR, PREL, FR, GR, IS, RS, FI, PL, GG, RO, BU, PK, TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: POL-MIL ROUND-UP, November 2006
(Note: This is one of a regular series of unclassified reports on significant Turkish defense and national security issues in the press and other open sources. End note.)
Contents
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-- Supreme Military Council Convenes -- Turkey Freezes Military Ties with France -- Turkey's Security Relations with Other Countries -- Defense Industry Activity
National Security Council Convenes
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1. The second annual meeting of Turkey's Supreme Military Council (YAS) convened under PM Tayyip Erdogan on November 30 to assess external threats, recent developments in the region, the ongoing fight against the PKK terrorist organization, military policies and modernization needs of the military. At this meeting the YAS also expelled 37 military personnel, two of them for engaging in fundamentalist activities, the remainder for misconduct. As they have during past meetings, PM Erdogan and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul noted their reservations to the expulsions and stated that the expulsion decision should be made by a court of law. This practice has become routine with the AKP government.
Turkey Freezes Military Ties with France
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2. Turkish Land Forces Commander GEN Ilker Basbug announced on November 15 that Turkey's military relations with France have been suspended in response to the French National Assembly approval of a bill criminalizing denial of a 1915 Armenian Genocide. The Turkish General Staff issued a written announcement to cancel bilateral military activities with France in 2006 and 2007. As a result, joint exercises planned for 2006 and the planned visit of Air Forces Commander Gen Faruk Comert to France have been cancelled. During the November 16 kick-off meeting of the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) to take place in Turkey in May 2007, DefenseMinister Vecdi Gonul announced that France woul not be invited to participate (Semi-official Anatolian News Agency (ANA).
Turkey's Security Relations with Other Countries
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3. Greece: Turkish General Staff (TGS) Chief General Yasar Buyukanit visited Athens on November 1-4 as an official guest of his Greek counterpart Admiral Panagiotis Chinofotis. Gen Buyukanit is the first Turkish CHOD to visit Athens in 36 years. Discussions included the following topics: Safety improvements for military maritime and air navigation in the Aegean; creation of a joint committee at the Chiefs of Defense level for promotion of regional security in the Balkans; creation of a joint operational unit under NATO; creation of a common land force unit to participate in NATO Response Force operations; creation of combined-joint disaster relief/humanitarian aid task force; and exchange visits.
4. Israel: National Security Council (NSC) Secretary General Yigit Alpogan received his Israeli counterpart Ilan Mizrahi in Ankara on November 2. Alpogan and his counterpart discussed Turkish-Israeli relations as well as regional and international issues affecting both countries (ANA).
5. Russia: Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Yener Karahanoglu met his Russian counterpart Admiral Vladimir Masorin on November 6 in Moscow. The Commanders signed an agreement for Russia's accession to the Turkish-led Black Sea naval maritime surveillance construct, Operation Black Sea Harmony (ANA).
6. Finland: Turkish CHOD Gen Yasar Buyukanit received Finnish Chief of Staff Admiral Juhani Kasleala on November 7 in Ankara. No information about the meeting was made public (ANA).
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7. Poland: NSC Secretary General Yigit Alpogan paid a formal visit to Poland on November 8 to meet with his counterpart Wladyslaw Satsiak. This visit was one of a series of regular contacts between the two National Security Councils (ANA).
8. Georgia: NSC Secretary General Alpogan met with his Georgian counterpart in Tbilisi on November 19. Bilateral relations, regional and international issues were discussed in the meeting. Alpogan was also received by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili (ANA).
9. Romania: Air Forces Commander Gen Faruk Comert received his Romanian counterpart Gen Gheorghe Catrina on November 22. No information about the subject of the meeting was made public (ANA).
10. Bulgaria: CHOD Gen Yasar Buyukanit received Bulgarian Chief of Staff General Zlatan Stoykov on November 22 in Ankara. No information about the meeting was made public.
Defense Industry Activity
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11. Turkish TAI-TUSAS completed production of forward-center fuselage component of A400M transport aircraft and delivered to it to Germany for assembly. A400M program worth 20 billion Euro (ANA).
12. Turkish Defense Ministry signed an agreement with Sikorsky for the purchase of 17 S70B Seahawk helicopters for the Turkish Naval Forces Command. This is the second lot of Sikorsky Seahawks purchased by the Turkish Navy. The first delivery is scheduled for 2009 (ANA).
13. Turkish TAI-TUSAS will manufacture fuselage of the F-35 aircrafts. Delivery of the first fuselage expected in 2010 (ANA).
14. Sixteen Turkish defense companies (TUSAS, Aselsan, BMC, Gate Elektronik, Girsan, Global, Havelsan, Kalekalip Kaletron, Koc System, Likom, Milsoft, MKE, Roketsan, TAI, TIBAS, Yonca-Onuk JV and Yuksel Technology) and the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) participated in the November 21 IDEAS 2006 Defense Industry Fair in Karachi, Pakistan. Attending a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart in Karachi, Defense Minister Gonul said that Turkey and Pakistan are working on a command control and combat system worth 30 million USD. Undersecretary for Defense Industries Murad Bayar said during his visit to the defense fair that Pakistan, Jordan and Malaysia were interested in Turkey's Assault and Tactical Reconnaissance (ATAK) helicopter project (ANA).
15. TAI-TUSAS and the Pakistani Air Force signed a protocol on November 22 at the IDEAS Defense Fair to modernize 25-35 F-16 jets of Pakistani Air Force (ANA).
WILSON
