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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001812 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958:  N/A 
TAGS: MASS MARR PREL CH RO UK KS RS GM GR TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: POL-MIL ROUND-UP, June 2007 
 
(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 
-------- 
 
-- Anatolian Eagle Exercise-2006/2 Takes Place in Konya 
-- Government-Military Focus on Terrorism 
-- Turkish Media Reacts to Hudson Institute's "Turkey Scenarios" 
-- Turkey's Security Relations with Other Countries 
-- Defense Industry Activity 
 
Anatolian Eagle Exercise-2006/2 Takes Place in Konya 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶1. The joint air force Anatolian Eagle Exercise-2007/2 (second 
exercise of the year) took place in Konya June 11-22.  United 
States, Britain, Pakistan, Jordan and NATO attended the exercise. 
The first Anatolian Eagle Exercise was held in 2001. 
 
Government-Military Focus on Terrorism 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. Intensive civil-military talks were held in Ankara in June. 
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul met with Deputy CHOD GEN Ergin 
Saygun on June 8 to discuss developments in Iraq and the fight 
against terrorism. 
 
PM Erdogan hosted FM Gul, Land Forces Commander GEN Ilker Basbug, 
Interior Minister Osman Gunes and Jandarma Forces Commander GEN Isik 
Kosaner at a June 12 security meeting.  The Prime Ministry released 
a statement after the meeting noting that fight against terrorism 
has the highest priority for the country.  Political analysts 
interpreted the meeting as an attempt to show unity between the 
Turkish General Staff (TGS) and the government.  The National 
Security Council convened under President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on June 
¶20.  Various aspects of fight against terrorism as well as recent 
developments on the Cyprus issue were discussed.  PM Erdogan was 
briefed on June 21 by CHOD GEN Buyukanit on terrorist camps in 
northern Iraq and along the Iran-Iraq border. 
 
Turkish Media Reacts to Hudson Institute's "Turkey Scenarios" 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶3. Turkish media reacted to the meeting held by the Hudson Institute 
in Washington on June 13 in which possible "crisis scenarios" were 
discussed.  The scenarios reportedly included an assassination of 
head of the Constitutional Court and a PKK suicide attack in which 
50 people were killed.  Participants reportedly included Turkish 
military officers.  Reacting to reports of the meeting, FM Abdullah 
Gul said Turkish officers attending the meeting should have walked 
out when the disaster scenarios were raised.  PM Tayyip Erdogan 
commented that the meeting was "utter nonsense."   The TGS released 
a statement condemning efforts to link Turkish military to Hudson 
Institute crisis scenarios for Turkey.  The statement denounced the 
media reports and noted that military officers attended the meeting 
for only a brief period and that the alleged scenarios were not 
discussed in their presence.  Commentary on the Hudson Institute 
meeting was featured in the Ankara press for a number of days and 
caused controversy.  Several newspapers criticized the TGS for its 
allegedly untruthful denial statement. 
 
Turkey's Security Relations with Other Countries 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4. China: Turkish Land Forces Commander Ilker Basbug visited Chinese 
National Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan on June 3.  Noting China's 
growing military and economic power, GEN Basbug said, "Turkey and 
China have similar viewpoints on world matters.  There are 
similarities in threats faced by the two countries."  GEN Basbug 
left Beijing on June 8 after visiting Chinese National Defense 
University. (ANA) 
 
¶5. Romania: The Turkish-Romanian Joint Airborne Commando Exercise, 
an annual exercise since 2003, took place in central Anatolian 
province of Kayseri on June 5.  115 Turkish and 30 Romanian 
 
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commandoes took part in the exercise (ANA). 
 
¶6. Britain: Turkish-British Joint Exercise (Ex Tunuk Warrior) was 
carried out by the 3rd Armored Brigade on June 4-14 in Cerkezkoy. 
3rd Battalion Headquarters and one mechanized company from Turkey 
along with one mechanized company from the UK participated in the 
exercise, which aims at enhancing the relations and the 
interoperability of the land forces of both countries. 
 
¶7. South Korea: Turkish Deputy CHOD GEN Ergin Saygun received his 
Korean counterpart, ADM Park, on June 12.  ADM Park was decorated 
with the Medal of Honor by Turkish CHOD GEN Buyukanit on June 13. 
No other information about the purpose of the visit was made public. 
 
¶8. Russia: Reciprocating the visit of his Russian counterpart in 
2004, Turkish Air Forces Commander Gen Faruk Comert visited Gen 
Alexander Zelin on June 13.  Gen Comert visited 6th Air Force and 
Air Defense Army Headquarters in St. Petersburg during his official 
visit.  Upon his return to Ankara, Gen Comert announced a decision 
to set up a "hot line" between the two countries' air force 
commanders, as reported by the moderate pro-Islamic Zaman daily. 
 
¶9. Germany:  Six warplanes of Turkish Air Forces participated in the 
Elite-2007 military exercise in Germany on June 28.  The exercise 
had the participation of Austria, Belgium, France, Netherlands, 
Britain, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary, 
Norway, Romania, Greece and Turkey (ANA). 
 
¶10. Greece: TGS reported 64 interceptions Turkish aircraft by Greek 
jets in international airspace over the Aegean Sea during the month 
of June. 
 
Defense Industry Activity 
------------------------- 
 
¶11. A Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Undersecretary of SSM 
(Defense Industry Uudersecretariat) Faruk Ozlu, visited Islamabad on 
26-27 June to discuss opportunities for cooperation for naval 
platform projects. 
 
¶12. Turkish Naval Forces will purchase 51 advanced Block-II Tactical 
Harpoon anti-ship missiles worth $159 million from the US, according 
to the moderate pro-Islamic Cihan news agency. 
 
¶13. Aksa (Turkey), Aselsan (Turkey), Cpmiec (People's Republic of 
China), C-Tech (Turkey), Denel (South Africa), Diehl-BGT (Germany), 
Doosan (South Korea), Fnss (Turkey), Gate (Turkey ), Kongsberg 
(Norway), Meteksan (Turkey ), Milsoft (Turkey), Oerlikon 
(Switzerland), Rafael-(Israel), Raytheon (USA), Roketsan (Turkey), 
Saab Bofors (Sweden) and Thales (France) requested information form 
for SSM's tender to purchase Law Altitude Air Defense Missile 
Systems for Turkish Armed Forces (ANA). 
 
¶14. Turkish Armed Forces announced the lease an Israeli-made UAV 
(unmanned aerial vehicle) for a period of one year.  The UAV, which 
is manufactured by the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) is to be 
stationed in the southeast Turkish city of Batman due to the 
increasing terror attacks in that region, as reported by the 
English-language centrist Turkish Daily News.  Turkey announced 
plans to buy 10 UAVs from Israel. 
WILSON