Claims suggesting Israel can make use of Nato member Turkey’s Kurecik Radar Station in its war with Iran are incorrect, Turkey’s Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation (DMM, @dmmiletisim) said on June 14.

The radar facility in Turkey’s Eastern Anatolian province of Malatya, was established in line with the country’s national security interests and also serves to protect the Ankara’s Nato allies, according to the DMM.

For Nato's eyes only

The data obtained from the radar site is exclusively shared with Nato allies within a specific framework in accordance with the defence bloc’s procedures, the DMM also stated.

The US, of course, is a Nato member and at the same time has well-established intelligence sharing mechanisms with Israel.

Why was Kurecik built?

If we’re not in the business of fooling people, perhaps we may note that the Kurecik base was established in 2012 for the security of Israel.

It quickly detects Iranian missile launches, meaning its operation can provide Israel with vital extra minutes to prepare for the arrival of missiles.

Not so sovereign

Turkey, a sovereign state, at least on paper, does not have access to the soil on which the facility stands. It is operated by Nato.

Nato, very unserious

If mainstream information sources are to be believed, Nato is simply a club of ignorant second-rate politicians, who get together a few times a year and have no guarantee that they will hold on to their posts from one meeting to the next.

The military organisation definitely does not amount to a highly standardised and highly integrated single set of armed forces commanded by career soldiers from Brussels under the ultimate control of the Pentagon. Perish the thought.

Clandestine Operation Gladio, made up of “stay-behind” operations that aimed to manipulate and engineer events in Nato member countries to protect Western and Nato interests during the Cold War, was, meanwhile, a one-time structure. It performed its purpose and was scrapped. Naturally. Why would you believe anything else?

Fifth column

Sharing the radar base’s data with non-Nato countries such as US ally Israel is absolutely out of the question, the DMM also stated, adding that black propaganda emerging on the matter can only be taken as resulting from fifth column activity. 

A fifth column is a group of people who undermine a nation from within, usually in favour of an enemy group or another nation. It is the very definition of treason.

What’s more, publicly disseminating misleading information on the internal and external security of Turkey constitutes a criminal offence pursuant to the Turkish penal code, the DMM helpfully reminded us.

Look where we stand

Turkey stands with those against Israel's operations aimed at destabilising the Middle East and it will never support such Israeli actions, the DMM also said.

Turkey adopts this approach within Nato and opposes any Israeli participation in Nato exercises, it added.

Calling Donald

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has, meanwhile, been busy again on the phone. He held two calls with Donald Trump, one on June 14 and a second on June 15, according to his communications directorate.

The US has yet to release information on the calls. The Trump administration’s PR departments are mainly focused on Trump activities that will make America great again through billions of dollars worth of investments.

Since Trump returned to the White House in late January, Erdogan has not managed to secure a visit there for a photocall. He’s had to content himself with phone calls. Now, thanks to the war in the Middle East, he’s able to get Trump to come to the phone that much more often.

It's hard to fathom how the efforts of two peacemakers of the calibre of Trump and Erdogan have not been enough to end the Ukraine War. In fact, it’s been boom-time for clashes between Russia and Ukraine. Can the duo do any better with the conflict between Israel and Iran?

Erdogan has also held phone calls with almost any counterpart you can name in the region, including leaders in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Pakistan, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

No Iranians queuing at border, no diverted Israeli aircraft at Turkish airports

The DMM has also issued some other interesting denials. One of them is that Iranians have not been queuing up on the border with Turkey to escape Israeli. Another is that no Israeli civilian aircraft landed in Turkey after swathes of airspace in the region became no-fly zones as the missiles, fighter jets and drones flew.

If the war is prolonged, Turkey, which already hosts more than 10mn irregular migrants, can expect plenty of new arrivals.

Calming markets

On the fourth day of the war as of the morning of June 16, Turkey’s financial markets remained calm and calming. The USD/Turkish lira (TRY) pair hovered in the 39s. The Borsa Istanbul and oil prices were flat.