Turkish Forum

Author: Ibrahim Kurtulus

  • Silence in the Face of Open Hostility

    Silence in the Face of Open Hostility

    A Failure of Diplomatic Duty in New York By Turkish Consul General Ahmet Yazal.

     / Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis. 

    Once again, we witness a troubling and unacceptable silence from the Turkish Consul General in New York, Mr. Ahmet Yazal this time in the face of an extraordinary and hostile declaration made publicly by Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis. Speaking live on a Tel Aviv nbased news channel, Mr. Akunis did not engage in routine diplomatic criticism or policy disagreement. He crossed a far more serious line by explicitly labeling the Republic of Türkiye  our  NATO ally and sovereign state as an “enemy,” declaring: “There is a growing Turkish threat in our region. To be frank, Ankara is our enemy. We must do everything in our power to prevent this enemy from harming us.”

    This was not rhetoric spoken in a moment of emotional excess. It was a calculated, on the record statement by a sitting foreign diplomat, made while holding an official post in New York. Such language is unprecedented, inflammatory, and deeply destabilizing particularly when directed at a NATO ally from the diplomatic capital of the world. Yet, once again, the Turkish Consulate in New York remained conspicuously silent.

    Silence in diplomacy is not neutrality. Silence in the face of open hostility is abdication.

    The role of a Consul General especially in a city as influential as New York is not ceremonial, nor is it limited to photo opportunities, receptions, and social appearances. It is a position of strategic responsibility. The Consul General is entrusted with defending the honor, sovereignty, and national interests of the Republic of Türkiye; countering smear campaigns; responding decisively to hostile narratives; and ensuring that Türkiye’s voice is heard clearly, firmly, and with dignity in international forums. Once again Mr Yazal , is Not heard from again.

    When a foreign diplomat openly threatens and labels Türkiye an “enemy” from New York, the absence of an immediate, firm, and public response is not merely disappointing it is damaging. It sends the wrong signal to allies, adversaries, and the Turkish American community alike. My Yazal once again has failed the Turkish Americans. It normalizes hostile rhetoric. It emboldens those who seek to portray Türkiye as a pariah rather than a key regional power and indispensable Western ally.

    Mr. Yazal’s continued silence follows a pattern, not an exception. Time and again, when Türkiye is targeted by coordinated disinformation campaigns, historical distortions, or outright diplomatic provocations, the Consulate General in New York appears absent from the battlefield where narratives are shaped and reputations are defended. Diplomacy is not passive observation; it is active engagement. Failing to respond is, in effect, allowing others to define Türkiye without challenge.

    Let me be clear,  defending Türkiye does not require aggression, nor does it mean abandoning diplomatic decorum. But it does require resolve, clarity, and courage- we have once again seen a weak Mr. Yazal. A firm rebuttal, a formal protest, an official statement reaffirming Türkiye’s position and rejecting hostile language these are basic expectations, not extraordinary demands.

    Our NATO ally  the Republic of Türkiye is not a country that needs others to speak on its behalf. It is a strong, sovereign state with a deep diplomatic tradition and a proud history of standing its ground. When its senior representatives abroad fail to uphold that tradition, it raises serious questions about competence, judgment, and suitability for such a critical post.

    New York is not an ordinary assignment. It is one of the most important diplomatic theaters in the world. Representing Türkiye there requires intellectual rigor, strategic awareness, and the willingness to confront hostile narratives head on especially when they emanate from within the diplomatic corps itself.

    At this critical moment, silence is not prudence. Silence is weakness.

    And weakness has no place in the representation of the Republic of Türkiye.

    Ibrahim Kurtulus

    Community Activist 

  • Send Israeli Peacekeepers to Cyprus

    Send Israeli Peacekeepers to Cyprus

    National Security Journal
    Harry J. Kazianis – Editor-In-Chief and CEO
    800 N King Street Suite 304
    Wilmington, DE 19801

    November 1, 2025 

    Dear Mr. Kazianis,

     At the outset, I must note that the article in question repeatedly refers to the nation as “Turkey,” despite the fact that the country’s official and internationally recognized name is Türkiye. Respecting a nation’s chosen name is not symbolic—it is a matter of acknowledging the identity and will of its people. I am writing in direct response to Michael Rubin’s recent piece advocating for the deployment of Israeli forces in the sovereign territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and calling for Turkish peacekeeping forces to be barred from participating in the stabilization of Gaza. His assertions are not merely historically inaccurate they reflect a consistent posture of antagonism toward Türkiye’s sovereignty, diplomatic legitimacy, and historical truth.

     Let us be unequivocal: Türkiye did not “invade” Cyprus. The Turkish Peace Operation of 1974 was carried out under the legal authority of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, which empowered the three guarantor states Türkiye, Greece, and the United Kingdom to intervene should the constitutional order or the security of either community be endangered. It was Greece’s own extremist and illegal coup, orchestrated with the objective of Enosis the annexation of Cyprus by Greece that triggared Türkiye’s intervention.

     This was not speculation; it was confirmed by Greece itself. The Athens Court of Appeals Decision No. 2658/79 (March 21, 1979) acknowledged that the coup was engineered by Greek officers and was the direct cause of the events of 1974.

     In contrast to this unlawful coup, Türkiye’s action was a necessary humanitarian and legal measure to stop mass killings, village burnings, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement directed against Turkish Cypriots. The continued presence of the Turkish Peace Force in Northern Cyprus remains the sole guarantee that Turkish Cypriots may live in safety and dignity today. History is not something to be rewritten to fit modern editorial fashion.

     Furthermore, Rubin’s comparison of Gaza with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a deliberate distortion. Northern Cyprus is a functioning democracy with its own parliament, rule of law, civil institutions, and elected leadership. Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly supported a peaceful federal settlement during the 2004 Annan Plan referendum 65% voted “Yes” while the Greek Cypriot side rejected reunification with 85% voting “No,” following an emotional televised appeal urging rejection by their leader, Tassos Papadopoulos. If this region remains divided, it is not by the will of Turkish Cypriots.

     The proposal to replace UNFICYP with Israeli troops is not a diplomatic strategy; it is a provocation. It would escalate regional tensions and deliberately undermine delicate peace mechanisms. And the suggestion to remove the Turkish Cypriot flag from the mountainside is not political commentary it is cultural vandalism   .

    What compounds the tragedy is the silence of those who are entrusted to defend our community’s dignity. The absence of a clear, strong, and principled response from Consulate General Ambassador Ahmet Yazal Republic of Turkiye to New York leaves our community exposed to mischaracterization and distortion. At such a moment, silence is not neutrality it is abandonment by the worst Consulate General our community has seen in 40 years. If our history, sacrifices, and rights are challenged publicly, then they must also be defended publicly.

    As a citizen, a community activist, and someone who has always advocated for peace and dignity rooted in historical truth for what I call it the Turkish Republic of Cyprus, I cannot remain silent where others choose to do so.

    Our NATO ally Türkiye has never opposed peace, transparency, or negotiation grounded in fairness. But it will not accept erasure, revisionism, or the rewriting of the lived suffering of Turkish Cypriots. Rubin’s article is not a policy recommendation it is an attempt to delegitimize a people’s right to exist in security on their own land. It nothing but a smear campaigns across the world against 

    Türkiye. All I can do is  laugh at these ludicrous smear campaigns by the Hate Merchant Rubin, We will not allow smear campaigns to go unanswered.  We will not stay quiet.  

    Respectfully,

    Ibrahim Kurtulus
    Community Activist 

    An Israeli air force F-15I Ra’am taxis down the runway during Blue Flag 2019 at Uvda Air Base, Israel, November 4, 2019. The U.S. and Israel have a strong and enduring military-to-military partnership built on trust and developed over decades of cooperation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kyle Cope)

    Send Israeli Peacekeepers to Cyprus

  • Letter to Ambassador Sedat Onal / CC: Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

    Letter to Ambassador Sedat Onal / CC: Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

    Your Excellency Ambassador Sedat Onal
    Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye
    2525 Massachusetts Ave NW
    Washington, D.C. 20008

    October 31 2025

    Your Excellency,

    I write to you with profound disappointment and deep respect for the office you represent. For twenty-five years the Bowling Green Association  joined by New York City’s Mayor’s Office (represented at the highest levels), fellow Americans, professors, civic flag groups, many Turkish Americans, children who took time away from school, and visitors standing near the Charging Bull  has observed our annual Turkish Flag raising on Wall Street. This year also marked the fifty-seventh raising of the Turkish flag in the heart of the financial capital of the world. It was an occasion of shared civic pride and solemn remembrance: students, including Ms. Lara Çelik, a medical student at Harvard on full scholarship who travelled from Boston, came to honor those who sacrificed for our Republic and to celebrate the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

     This ceremony is not about any individual or a single organization. It is about the Republic of Türkiye, our history, and the collective respect we pay to those who gave their lives for our nation. It is in that spirit and with that gravity that I must register my astonishment and sorrow that, for the first time in a quarter century, the seated Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in New York did not attend this important commemoration. While Deputy Consul General Kemal Yüksektep attended and we appreciate his presence, his attendance cannot and should not be regarded as an adequate substitute for the Consul General’s absence on such a significant day.

     The absence of the Consul General  coming after a pattern of decreasing engagement reported privately by numerous community leaders and even by several foreign consuls in New York  has been interpreted by many in our community as a disengagement from the grassroots and from the very people the Consulate is entrusted to serve. I have heard, firsthand and from multiple respected quarters including community activists, clergy, educators, and members of the New York Police Department who work alongside us at civic events  a consistent note of concern about the tone and substance of the Consulate’s outreach since his appointment. These are not idle complaints; they are the considered observations of people who care deeply about Türkiye and its standing here. Ambassador Onal, the office of the Consul General carries institutional responsibilities that go beyond personal preference.

    The Consul General is the public face of Türkiye in one of the world’s most visible cities: to lead ceremonial observances, to sustain relationships with municipal partners, to support educational and cultural exchanges, and to foster the mutual respect that strengthens Türkiye’s soft power. When the senior representative of the Consulate is absent from an event of such symbolic and civic importance, it sends a message  intended or not that the ties between the Republic and its diaspora community are less than a priority. For many of us who have labored for decades to build bridges between our communities and Türkiye, that message is deeply hurtful.

     Let me be clear: my criticism is not personal; it is principled. I owe nothing to any political faction in Turkiye , and my sole obligation is to defending Turkiye as I have for 40 years and to the honor our Sehitler . We were honored to receive Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız at the ceremony just an outstanding person like you , and his attendance was warmly received; that very reception underlines how critical visible, respectful engagement is to our shared diplomatic and civic life here.

     Your Excellency, Türkiye’s presence in New York is measured not only by the activities that appear in official schedules, but by the relationships cultivated in parks, schools, houses of worship, and community halls. Where My Yazal is missing , but just collecting his $14,000 and seating in his office. I believe Türkiye deserves, and the community expects, steadfast, humble, and consistent representation. I hope you will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and help restore the confidence of those who felt overlooked on this most solemn of days.

     Thank you for your attention to this matter. I remain available to meet at your convenience and to work with the Embassy and Consulate to rebuild trust and to ensure that future commemorations reflect the dignity and unity our Republic merits.

    Respectfully,

    Ibrahim Kurtulus
    Community Activist

    CC:  Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan
    Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz.

  • Response to Michael Rubin’s Article: “Try Turkish Army Veterans for Human Rights Violations”

    Response to Michael Rubin’s Article: “Try Turkish Army Veterans for Human Rights Violations”

    President Robert Doar
    American Enterprise Institute
    1789 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    Re: Response to Michael Rubin’s Article: “Try Turkish Army Veterans for Human Rights Violations”

               Silence of Consul General of Turkiye to New York Ahmet Yazal.

    November 25, 2025

    Dear President Doar,

    To begin with, a basic yet critical correction: the internationally recognized name of “Turkey” country is the Republic of Türkiye. Continued use of outdated terminology disregards the democratic will of the Turkish people and fails to meet the diplomatic standards.

     I am writing to express my unequivocal objection to the deeply flawed, politically motivated, and factually inaccurate assertions advanced in Michael Rubin’s recent article, “Try Turkish Army Veterans for Human Rights Violations.” The piece does not constitute reasoned analysis or human-rights advocacy; it is a partisan polemic designed to delegitimize the Republic of Türkiye, distort the historical record, and sanitize the violent extremism of a designated terrorist organization. It represents a troubling departure from the standards of rigor, objectivity, and scholarly integrity that institutions such as the American Enterprise Institute have historically upheld.

     Mr. Rubin’s central claim that Türkiye targets Kurds is a demonstrable falsehood. Türkiye is home to more than 15 million citizens of Kurdish heritage who have lived on the Anatolian peninsula in shared nationhood, intermarriage, and cultural coexistence for centuries. The Republic’s longstanding struggle is not against Kurds, but against the PKK, an internationally recognized Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization designated by the United States, the European Union, NATO allies, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and others. To conflate Kurdish identity with the PKK’s separatist violence is not only inaccurate but deeply insulting to the millions of Kurdish citizens who reject terror, coercion, and the Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization     PKK’s extremist ideology.

     Equally troubling is Mr. Rubin’s mischaracterizetion of Türkiye’s counter-terrorism operations in southeastern cities. During periods of heightened PKK aggression, militants turned residential neighborhoods into fortified combat zones, rigged homes with explosives, dug trenches to sever city access, and used civilians as human shields. Turkish security forces repeatedly implemented evacuation corridors, medical access routes, and civilian-protection protocols while confronting an armed group that weaponized hospitals, mosques, and schools. To portray these operations as “collective punishment” is not analysis it is propaganda by omission.

     The same selective amnesia appears in Mr. Rubin’s framing of Cyprus. The 1974 Turkish intervention was a lawful action under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and a direct response to a violent Athens-backed coup seeking Enosis. Even Archbishop Makarios, the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, stood before the United Nations Security Council on July 19, 1974, and declared: “The coup by the Greek junta is an invasion, and from its consequences all the people of Cyprus suffer, both Greeks and Turks.” This statement made one day before Türkiye intervened remains one of the clearest confirmations of the existential danger Turkish Cypriots faced after years of massacres, pogroms, and ethnic cleansing by extremist groups such as EOKA-B. Today, approximately 16,000 Greek Cypriot and mainland Greek troops remain stationed on the island, supported by nearly 70,000 reservists. The continued division of Cyprus persists not due to Türkiye’s actions, but because the Greek Cypriot administration rejected the Annan Plan, which Turkish Cypriots approved by 85 percent in a democratic referendum.

     Yet while Mr. Rubin speaks of alleged human-rights abuses, he conspicuously ignores the well documented and ongoing violations committed by Greece against refugees that if Ray Charles was alive could even read about, migrants, and its own Turkish Muslim minority. His silence is not scholarly oversight; it is ideological convenience and a clear smear campaign againt Turkiye and Turks.

     In the Aegean Sea, Greek military and coast guard units have repeatedly fired live ammunition near, around, and directly at unarmed refugee vessels many carrying women and children. Numerous documented incidents include Greek forces puncturing inflatable rafts, spearing life boats with metal poles, destroying engines, and leaving families adrift to drown. Independent investigations by the United Nations, Amnesty International, Lighthouse Reports, and global media outlets have confirmed Greek coast guard involvement in forced pushbacks that led to the deaths of infants and small children. Greek personnel have been recorded beating refugees on beaches, stripping men to their underwear, confiscating their belongings, and abandoning them on rafts without motors. On land,Greek police have engaged in arbitrary detention, forced expulsions, and violent assaults on asylum seekers, including shooting rubber bullets and even live rounds at unarmed civilians attempting to reach border crossings.

     Similarly, Greece continues to violate the human rights of its Turkish Muslim minority in Western Thrace and Athens denying them the right to self-identify, seizing community properties, interfering in religious leadership, restricting education, and maintaining Athens as the only European capital without a single functioning state-sanctioned mosque.

     Despite these realities, Mr. Rubin directs no criticism at Greece or other EU country that to have a blind eye to relious rights and expressions. Instead, he advances a narrative intended to isolate, stigmatize, and delegitimize Türkiye an indispensable NATO ally on the front lines of counter terrorism and regional stability.

     Most concerning is the silence of those who should defend our community against such blatant distortion like the AKP sided  Consul General of Turkiye to New York Ahmet Yazal. When our history, rights, and sacrifices are challenged publicly, they must be defended publicly. Silence is not neutrality it is abdication.

     Türkiye will continue to protect its sovereignty like another other Nation , safeguard all its citizens Kurdish and nonKurdish alike and confront terrorism with the full force of law. Those who attempt to weaponize misinformation will ultimately find themselves not aligned with human rights, but with destabilization, distortion, and extremism.

    Respectfully,

    Ibrahim Kurtulus

    Community Activist

  • New York Consul General Ahmet Yazal’s Silence

    New York Consul General Ahmet Yazal’s Silence

    New York Consul General Ahmet Yazal’s Silence as Congresswomen Nicole Malliotakis Engages With the terrorist’s Gulen-Affiliated Network

    In recent months, the Turkish American community on Staten Island has watched with deep concern as Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis has appeared at events linked to organizations widely understood to be affiliated with the Gulen movement known in the United States under names such as “Turkish Cultural Centers.” While these entities present themselves as benign, interfaith, and educational institutions, major international actors including the Republic of Türkiye, multiple governments across Eurasia, and sections of U.S. law enforcement have long raised alarms about the nature, structure, and intentions of this network.

     Fettuallh Gulen, who had resided in Pennsylvania since 1999, leaded what his supporters call the “Hizmet” movement. Public-facing messaging portrays him as a scholar advocating peace and intercultural dialogue. Yet Turkish court records, Former US Ambassadors , global investigations, including ICE Agents , and testimony from defectors describe an entirely different picture: a clandestine, hierarchically organized movement accused by the Turkish state of orchestrating the 2016 attempted coup and infiltrating state institutions for political and financial gain. Estimates based on U.S. legal filings place the global economic footprint of Gulen affiliated institutions between $40 billion and $50 billion. Reports by governments and independent analysts have even characterized the movement as operating through “white-collar” structures with covert objectives.

    What troubles Staten Island’s Turkish American community most is not simply the Congresswoman’s engagement with this network, but the complete silence of Türkiye’s Consul General in New York, Ahmet Yazal. At moments when elected officials amplify groups viewed by the Republic of Türkiye as dangerous, the Consulate General has a duty not merely a privilege to offer clarification, context, and defense of Türkiye’s positions. Instead, not a single public statement has been issued. This quietness is deeply felt.

    At a time when misinformation spreads rapidly and when extremist groups of all types seek influence in American civic life, silance is not diplomacy. Silence is negligence.

    The Turkish American community on Staten Island stands firmly for transparant cooperation, public safety, and the integrity of U.S. Türkiye relations. We urge our political leaders and diplomatic representatives to ensure they are not unknowingly lending legitimacy to organizations whose intentions remain widely questioned and internationally scrutinized.

    Ibrahim Kurtulus

    Community Activist 

  • Letter About  Michael Rubin  / Turkiye UN Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz

    Letter About  Michael Rubin  / Turkiye UN Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz

    President Robert Doar
    American Enterprise Institute
    1789 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20036

     Re: Response to Michael Rubin’s Article on UNHCR Leadership

    November 20,2025

     Dear Mr. Doar,

    To begin with, a basic yet critical correction: the internationally recognized name of “Turkey” country is the Republic of Türkiye. Continued use of outdated terminology disregards the democratic will of the Turkish people and fails to meet the diplomatic standards.

    I write to express my deep concern regarding Michael Rubin’s latest commentary on the selection of the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees an article that once again reflects a troubling pattern of rhetoric targeting the Republic of Türkiye and, most recently, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldiz. Mr. Rubin’s assertions are not only factually distorted but also part of a long-running and increasingly transparent campaign to delegitimize Turkish diplomacy and vilify Turkish officials at every opportunity. It is important to state at the outset that even the most casual reader can recognize the repetition of themes in Mr. Rubin’s writings: persistent Turkey-bashing, one-sided narratives, and broad accusations unsupported by evidence. If the late Ray Charles were alive, even he could see the unmistakable pattern. This is not analysis it is fixation.

     Mr. Rubin claims that Ambassador Ahmet Yıldiz “weaponized refugees,” yet he provides no substantive evidence. In reality, Mr. Yıldiz is a career diplomat with decades of honorable service, known widely for his integrity, professionalism, and authentic compassion. I have witnessed him personally embrace refugees, speak with families, and comfort individuals experiencing profound hardship. His character is not theoretical it is observable to anyone willing to approach the subject with honesty rather than hostility. Türkiye’s record on refugees stands in sharp contrast to the narrative Mr. Rubin attempts to manufacture. Türkiye has hosted nearly 3.5 million Syrian refugees, the largest refugee population in the world, for over a decade often with limited international assistance. It has spent billions of dollars from its own national budget to house, feed, educate, and protect these individuals. These are verifiable facts acknowledged repeatedly by the United Nations, the European Union, and international aid organizations.

     Mr. Rubin’s article conveniently ignores another set of facts: Greece has repeatedly been criticized by the European Parliament, human rights organizations, and even EU member states for the documented mistreatment of refugees and migrants in the Aegean and Mediterranean. Reports include the firing of live rounds near inflatable boats, unlawful pushbacks, and the abandonment of vulnerable people including women and children in open waters. These matters are not speculative; they are documented in official EU reports, UN investigations, and international press coverage. Yet Mr. Rubin elects not to mention even one of these incidents, preferring instead to portray Türkiye and Mr. Yıldiz as villains.

     The imbalance and selectivity speak for themselves. Furthermore, to suggest that Ambassador Yıldiz would carry political loyalty into the United Nations system is a baseless insinuation meant only to discredit a highly qualified candidate. Ambassador Yıldiz has served as Türkiye’s representative to the Council of Europe, a Deputy Foreign Minister, and an experienced envoy in multiple regions. His record reflects diplomacy, not ideology; service, not partisanship. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees requires not merely a manager but a leader with lived experience confronting refugee crises directly, with both administrative competence and human empathy. Ambassador Yıldiz embodies these qualities more than any candidate Mr. Rubin mentions. His decades of firsthand engagement with displaced people provide him with a depth of understanding matched by very few in today’s diplomatic circles.

     Demonizing Türkiye is neither constructive nor conducive to regional peace or international cooperation. Türkiye’s efforts to build a stable, cooperative neighborhood including its extensive refugee support infrastructure stand as a matter of public record. The attempt to smear Ambassador Yıldiz is not only unfair to an honorable diplomat but also harmful to the integrity of the global conversation on refugee policy.

     In closing, I strongly urge AEI to consider the objectivity, accuracy, and fairness of material published under its name. Criticism is one thing; targeted campaigns built on selective information and inflammatory language are another. Ambassador Ahmet Yıldiz deserves better, and the international community deserves better analysis.

    Respectfully,

    Ibrahim Kurtulus

    Community Activist

    Cc: Founder: Lewis H. Brown,   Republic of Turkiye UN Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz

          AEI  Board of Directors