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A high-profile corruption trial that began last month in New York is ruffling increasing numbers of feathers in the palace of Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan.

Big names are being dropped during the hearings with Erdogan himself topping the list. All stand accused, in varying degrees, of fraud, money laundering, and violating US sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Of the nine Turkish suspects, two are presently in US custody: Reza Zarrab, 34, and Mehmet Hakan Atilla, 47.

The first is a jet-set playboy and gold trader who ownsprivate yachts and planes, a stable of Arabian horses, and a US$10 million art collection. So wealthy is Iranian-born Zarrab, in fact, that his driver was arrested in 2011 carrying US$150 million in cash while traveling from Turkey to Russia. His father was a friend of the former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, with whom Zarrab corresponded and complained about American world-devouring imperialism.

Zarrab was also close to President Erdogan, who granted him exceptional citizenship back in 2007, reportedly against a bribe of US$1.5 million USD paid to the Turkish Cabinet of Ministers. He was arrested for the first time in Turkey back in December 2013, accused of bribing three ministers in the Erdogan government: Interior Minister Muammer Guler (US$10 million); Minister for EU Affairs Egemen Bagis (US$1.5 million), and Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan (US$52 million).

They were charged with helping sell Iranian oil in exchange for gold, and then channeling the goods back to Iran through front companies in China, Turkey, and the Gulf. The case was sent to the Turkish Parliament, with recommendations to lift their immunity, but the move was blocked by Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP). At the time, Zarrab was the darling of the Erdogan entourage: he had even donated US$4.5 million to a charity led by the then-Prime Ministers wife. The investigations were subsequently dropped, although all three ministerswere either retired or asked to resign.

Zarrab himself was released in February 2014, only to land in a US jail when visiting Miami in March 2016 on the very same charges. If convicted by New Yorks Federal Court, he could face up to 75 years in jail.

Reza Zarrab is pictured being escorted to police headquarters in Istanbul in 2013. Photo: Anadolu Agency

Zarrab was due to stand as the main defendant in the case but struck a deal with the prosecutor that has turned him into a star witness against the more recently arrested Atilla, the Executive Vice-President of the state run Halkbank. He was jailed during a business trip to the US in March, and many believe that he will be scapegoated and convicted and that, due to his enormous wealth and political connections, Zarrab will be set free after a short jail term.

In October, Zarrab acknowledged that he had masterminded the sanctions evasion scheme, but claimedAtilla was the man who carried it out. No footage has been produced of Atilla taking bribes or engaging in illegal conduct. Zarrab, however, is being defended by two of the best lawyers money can buy in the United States: Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, and Michael B. Bukassey, former Attorney General under President George W. Bush.

In court, Atilla has denied conspiring with Zarrab to channel Iranian oil money through US banks. Zarrab claims that he witnessed Suleyman Aslan, the General Manager of Halkbank, call Atilla in April 2013, with orders to make an illegal transaction. Atilla denies this, saying that he was on a plane headed for Barcelona on the day in question and did not have phone access onboard. Documents presented by Turkish Airlinesconfirm his story, rather than Zarrabs.

Two additional developments have added spice to the whole ordeal. One is a new charge in the US, from a former cellmate in jail who claims that Zarrab raped him once with a cucumber. Second is the testimony of Korkmaz

Atilla also denies that his is the voice in a recording presented in court as being a conversation between him and Zarrab.

The case has already strained ties between the US and Turkey, whose president is inching closer, day-by-day, to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. A spokesman for the Turkish government has said the entire case is a plot against Turkey.

According to Turkish sources, Erdogan personally lobbied the previous US administration of Barack Obamafor the release of Zarrab, fearing that he would tell all in court, but that he was rebuffed by Vice President Joe Biden in September 2016. The following month, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag met US Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, also to lobby for Zarrabs release. And on Friday of last week, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul sent a letter to US Justice Secretary Jeff Sessions, demanding the extradition of Huseyin Korkmaz, the former Turkish police investigator who was tasked with leading the probe into Zarrabs misconduct back in 2013, and branding him a terror suspect facing serious allegations.

Erdogan has seized all of Zarrabs assets in Turkey and rounded up at least 17 of his associates and family members. So eager is he to have Zarrab back in Turkey, in fact, that he has offered to swap him for Andrew Brunson, an American evangelical pastor who was arrested in the witch-hunt that followed last years failed coup attempt.

Two additional developments have added spice to the whole ordeal. One is a new charge in the US, from a former cellmate in jail who claims that Zarrab raped him once with a cucumber. Second is the testimony of Korkmaz, who, when he was in the verge of implicating Erdogan back in 2014 quickly found himselftransferred from his job as a crime investigator to a new post guarding bridges, before being moved to a faraway province, then laterarrested and jailed for more than a year.

When released on bail, Korkmaz fled Turkey and moved to the US. His testimony is damning for both Zarrab and Erdogan whose supporters in Ankara are now saying, of course, that he is another coup conspirator and terrorist.

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Plenty of spice in New York trial Erdogan wishes would go ...

Africa can be said to be a favorite destination for Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At least from the look of the foreign trips the Turkish President has made in the last years. In 2015 he visited Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti, in 2016 it was Uganda and Kenya on the line. He stopped by six African countries in 2017.

Read more:Turkey to expand business ties with Africa

It is less surprising that Erdogan is once again in Africa since the beginning of the week. This time, the Turkish president is visiting Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal and Mali with a large business delegation and a diplomatic entourage. On Erdogan's trips it's mainlyabout one thing, political and economical influence.

This was seen in his quick stop in Algiers. There he praised the good relations between Algeria and Turkey, but put pressure on the topic of investment protection. Erdogan said that with the help of a bilateral agreement that secures investments in Algeria, trade between the two countries could increase to more than double in the coming years.

Erdogan as leader of the Muslim world?

The striking thing about this year's itinerary is that in all the four host countries, 90 percent of the population is Muslim. It's not a coincidence, according to Cagri zdemir, an editor withDW's Turkish service. "It's easier to engage if a country that Turkey is dealing with has this kind of common ground."

Despite signs of slowing growth, the scope and scale of emerging donor activity has increased markedly over the past few years. According to a study conducted by global development platform Devex, emerging donors could contribute close to 20 percent of total foreign aid by 2020, up from an estimated 7-10 percent in 2012.

With a 2013 foreign aid budget of $7.1 billion (5.93 billion euros), China is not only by far the biggest emerging donor, it's also the sixth-largest in the world. Reaching 121 countries, Beijings program has a clear Africa focus and is a key element of its diplomatic and economic push into the continent. Almost half of Chinas overall foreign aid goes towards infrastructure projects.

The Devex report, which surveyed nearly 1,000 development executives, says emerging donors will continue to boost their foreign aid spending over the next decade. "We are taking efforts to increase steadily the size of our ODA [Official Development Assistance] for several years," the deputy government director for ODA South Korea said in the report.

In 2013, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recorded the largest jump in its development assistance among all donor governments a staggering 435 percent increase. The bulk of UAE's foreign aid goes to majority-Muslim countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The Gulf State is also a major donor to humanitarian crises as far as the Philippines and the Central African Republic.

Russia's re-emerging foreign aid program focuses on health and education and is considered a by-product of its familiarity with the medical and school systems of its development partners in the former Soviet Union. However, Western sanctions over Ukraine begin to take their toll. In Turkey, things look brighter: Ankara's ODA rose more than threefold to $3.4 billion between 2010 and 2014 alone.

The Devex report looked at funding strategies and priorities of eight emerging donors: the BRICS economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as well as South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. At the 2017 BRICS meeting last month in China, the emerging donors urged "developed countries to honor their Official Development Assistance commitments in time and in full."

Even as they contend that their foreign aid programs have global ambitions, emerging donors generally direct the vast majority of their funding toward neighboring regions. India, UAE and South Africa have a particularly sharp focus on their home regions. China, Russia and South Korea are the exceptions to this trend.

Albeit having considerably lower aid flows than its peers, South Africa has been aggressively positioning itself as an emerging donor over the past decade, directing nearly all its budget to the continent 70 percent alone goes towards the Southern part of Africa. According to the Devex report, priorities are peace building, democracy and governance as well as humanitarian assistance.

Author: Benjamin Bathke

Erdogan has been trying for a long time to position Turkey as a protecting power for Muslims in the whole world. A good example is Turkey's strong commitment to the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

Erdogan had also called for an emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Decemberto denounce the United State's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital. According to Turkey's state-owned television TRT, Erdogan wants to use his current trip to thankAfrican leaders, who voted against the USin the UN Jerusalem vote.

Turkey's role on security

Erdogan describes his current trip as "historical," referring tohis visit in Mauritania and Mali. This is because no Turkish president has ever visited the two West African countries. According to media reports, Erdogan wants to talk about security among other things. Mauritania and Mali have both had to deal with attacks and abduction from Islamic terror groups for years.

Read more:Turkey targets Gulen schools in Africa

Observers are therefore rating his trip also as a sign of Turkey's stronger security policy agreementin Africa. This is because Ankara has long been trying to cement its influence in Africa, not only through development aid and economic cooperation.

The meeting with Algeria's President Bouteflika was about economic cooperation

Cagri zdemir refers to the example of Somalia. "Turkey started engaging with Somalia which is a war-torn country decades ago and started with economic cooperation, with small steps. And over time it started engaging in reconstruction efforts, like a new airport, and some hospitals. It came to a point over the past summer that Turkey opened a military base and deployed a couple of hundred soldiers to trainSomali troops," zdemir said.

Economy is still top on the list

According to zdemir economic cooperation still takes the highest priority for Turkey. "Turkey, when it comes to raw materials, is a poor country," said the journalist. In Algeria it was mainly about stronger cooperation in the oil and liquid gas sector.

Since 2005, Turkey has been aiming for closer ties with African countries. Currently, Ankarahas diplomatic representation in 41 countries on the continent, increasing from 12 missions in 2009. Turkey's foreign trade volume with African countries has increased sixfold in the past fifteen years to more than 14 billioneuros in 2017.

Continue reading here:
Turkey's Erdogan seeks more influence in Africa

Her Turkish flag is in her pocket, Mr. Erdogan proclaimed after calling Amine onstage. If she becomes a martyr, God willing, she will be wrapped with it, he said. She is ready for everything, arent you?

Mr. Erdogan has dispatched Turkish forces to the border area of Syria to battle Kurdish militias he considers Turkeys enemies, and has been rallying his country for the fight including in daily public speeches.

The girl, according to Turkish news agency reports, had been attending the provincial congress of Mr. Erdogans Justice and Development Party in a military-style uniform on Saturday.

The Maroon Berets are fighting in Afrin, a Syrian enclave the Turks are trying to take from the Kurds, and when the president noticed the girls beret, he called her to the stage.

Look, look, look, what is there? Girl, what are you doing there? he called out. She held her salute, but her face began to crumple in anxiety as she was lifted out of the crowd to meet the president. Here are our Maroon Berets. Look, we have our own Maroon Berets, Mr. Erdogan said as she crossed the stage.

Mr. Erdogan kissed her on both cheeks, but by then she was in tears.

But Maroon Berets dont cry, the president said.

Amid the applause, supporters in the audience chanted: Chief, take us to Afrin, news agencies reported. Mr. Erdogan thanked the volunteers but said the Turkish Army had professional soldiers to do the job.

Turkey has a longstanding culture of nationalist militarism, with popular slogans such as Every Turk born a soldier. Since the Afrin operation began last month, the government has mounted a national campaign in support of the war, with billboards and banners praising the armed forces and saluting those fallen in battle, who are accorded the honor of martyrs.

Mr. Erdogan recently made an alliance with the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party to bolster his chances for coming elections and has used the military campaign to improve his stance with nationalists.

He makes public speeches every day and sometimes several times a day, peppering his speeches with nationalist and anti-Western jibes as well as poetry and religious sayings, conjuring glories of Turkish history. He vows to protect Turkeys borders and to fight terrorism, and rallies popular support for the war, listing the number of enemies killed and commending the nations martyrs.

Mr. Erdogans remarks to the girl on Saturday drew criticism from some on social media, who felt that the talk of martyrdom was inappropriate for a child so young. Oh my God, I am shocked. Could Erdogan have said the same thing for his grandchild? one user wrote on Twitter.

The mainstream press, which has been increasingly under the thumb of the government, did not focus on the girls tears. Many newspapers showed images of Mr. Erdogan with Amine under his arm. One had the headline, She is ready for anything. Other news agencies reported that Mr. Erdogan had consoled the girl as she cried.

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the status of a 6-year-old girl who appeared onstage with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. She wore a military-style uniform, but is not a cadet.

Read more:
Erdogan Tells a Weeping Girl, 6, Shed Receive Honors if ...

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump as they give statements to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, US May 16, 2017. .(photo credit: REUTERS)

ISTANBUL - Turkey told US President Donald Trump on Thursday he could not buy its support in a United Nations vote on Jerusalem, and said the world should teach the United States a "very good lesson" by resisting US pressure.

Trump has threatened to cut aid to countries that support a draft UN resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara UN member states should not let their decision in Thursday's vote at the UN General Assembly be dictated by money.

"Mr. Trump, you cannot buy Turkey's democratic will with your dollars," he said. "The dollars will come back, but your will won't once it's sold. That is why your stance is important."

Trump's announcement two weeks ago that he was recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital broke with decades of US policy and international consensus that the city's status must be left to Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Last week, Erdogan hosted a special meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, which condemned Trump's decision and called on the world to respond by recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Jerusalem, revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, has been at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades. Israel captured Arab East Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed it in an action not recognized internationally.

Trump's Jerusalem move led to harsh criticisms from Muslim countries and Israel's closest European allies, who have also rejected the move.

A draft resolution calling for withdrawal of Trump's decision was vetoed at the United Nations Security Council by the United States on Monday. Following that vote, opponents of the US decision called for the vote in the General Assembly.

"I hope and expect the United States won't get the result it expects from there and the world will give a very good lesson to the United States," Erdogan said.

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Published time: 20 Feb, 2018 09:20 Edited time: 22 Feb, 2018 07:17

Turkish troops will encircle the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Afrin in the coming days, effectively starting its siege, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told ruling party MPs, local media reported.

Speaking to members of the ruling Justice and Development Partys (AKP) on Tuesday, Erdogan said the city center of Afrin will soon be besieged by advancing Turkish troops and allied Syrian militias, according to Hurriyet.

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Preparations in the field take some time. In the coming days, we will lay siege to Afrin city; its very important that everywhere we go should remain secure, Erdogan said, as cited by Hurriyet. He added: Thanks to the siege, the YPG will have no room for bargaining with the Syrian regime.

Erdogans statement comes as Turkish troops are advancing towards Afrin, liberating village after village. The offensive, codenamed Operation Olive Branch, was launched in January this year with the stated goal of driving the Kurdish YPG militia group deemed a terrorist organization in Turkey out of the area.

On Tuesday morning, the Turkish military said the troops had neutralized 74 Kurdish and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters, increasing the number of slain militants to 1,715.

The ground operation, supported by air- and ground-based fire support assets, continues successfully as planned, it added.

Earlier this week, media reports emerged suggesting an agreement has been reached between the local Kurdish administration and Damascus, under which Syrian pro-government forces would be allowed to enter the area. On Monday, Syrian media reported that government troops would arrive in Afrin within hours.

However, no official confirmation of the news has been announced, with Kurdish officials denying that such an agreement exists.There is no agreement; there is only a call from us for the Syrian army to come in and protect the borders, YPG spokesman Nouri Mahmoud told Reuters by phone on Monday.

Ankara has threatened to confront Syrian forces if they come to the aid of the Kurds, and also dismissed reports on the Kurdish-Syrian deal.

READ MORE:Erdogan: Turkeys Syria op will move to Idlib after mission completed in Afrin

If the regime enters [Afrin] to clear out the YPG, then there is no problem, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, as cited by state news agency Anadolu. However, he added: If they are entering [Afrin] to provide protection to the YPG, then no one can stop Turkey or Turkish soldiers.

Meanwhile, experts say Syrian leader Bashar Assad and his government are now playing a key role in stabilizing the situation in and around Afrin. It is ironic because both the Kurds and the Turks at different times stated their absolute condemnation of the Syrian government and unwillingness to deal with President Assad or his government, Danny Makki, Syria commentator, told RT.

Now both regional actors are looking at Assad as some sort of peacemaker, Makki said. While Turkey, which is losing soldiers and armor, is desperate to end the fighting, the Kurds would prefer to do a deal with Damascus rather than make one with the Turks on very weak terms, he suggested.

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Erdogan - rt.com