American Hellenic Institute

2017bookcover

Facebook Image
New York Times Publishes AHI Comment to Opinion Piece on Erdogan, ISIS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Georgea Polizos
July 1, 2016—No. 28 (202) 785-8430

New York Times Publishes AHI Comment to Opinion Piece on Erdogan, ISIS

WASHINGTON, DC — The New York Times published a submission from Nicholas G. Karambelas, Esq., American Hellenic Institute’s legal counsel and member of AHI’s board of directors, to an opinion piece authored by Roger Cohen titled, “Erdogan in His Labyrinth,” June 30, 2016.

Cohen opines Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has played a “double game” when it comes to ISIS, writing, “For a long time he allowed ISIS recruits to move across Turkey and over the border to the Islamic State’s Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. Given a choice between the terrorists of the Islamic State in northern Syria and what, for him, are the Syrian-Kurdish terrorists of the P.K.K.-affiliated Democratic Union Party, or P.Y.D (and its associated militia, the Y.P.G.), the Turkish president has no doubt who is more menacing.”

Karambelas wrote in his commentary, which the New York Times made as its “pick:”  

The author misses an essential point as to why Erdogan played the "double game" with ISIS. Truckloads of ISIS oil have passed over the Turkish border. These trucks did not "sneak" across the border but had to take main highways which are manned with Turkish border guards. The trucks were allowed to pass. Clearly, Turkish interests were receiving cash or other items of value in exchange for allowing the trucks to pass. The cash has stopped flowing so ISIS attacks Turkey. Turkey is unreliable. It regularly violates Greek airspace, a NATO ally and EU member state, with its US made military aircraft. These incursions are illegal under US law as US supplied military items can be used only for defensive purposes. Erdogan is also the main impediment to a Cyprus settlement. If the Turkish Cypriots were left alone, they could settle the issues with the Republic of Cyprus.

Thus far, Karambelas’ comment received 57 “likes” from readers.

 

The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.

###

For additional information, please contact Georgea Polizos at (202) 785-8430 or atpr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at https://www.ahiworld.org and follow us on Twitter @TheAHIinDC.