Mehveş Evin on Diken news site asks how willing Turkey is to take part in the global efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions. Turkey’s increase of emissions is cause for shame. Turkey ranks as the 14^th biggest emission source among the countries of the world. Among the fifty eight countries that are responsible for ninety percent of the emissions, Turkey occupies the 50^th place; it thus ranks among those who have the worst record when it comes to climate change performance. WVF predicts that if Turkey does not change course, its greenhouse emissions will increase two and a half times within the coming fifteen years, reaching nearly two billion tons. At the Paris summit, Turkey committed to limit its emissions to nine hundred and twenty nine tons. However, in that scenario, Turkey’s per capita emissions will be bigger than those of such countries as Japan, Germany and Great Britain. Unfortunately, as long as we don’t abandon energy policies that rely on coal for producing electricity, we are destined to face disasters and wars that will be caused by climate change…

Cem Küçük in Star writes, let me say right away that the arrest of Can Dündar was perfectly legitimate and in accordance with universal standards. If Can Dündar had committed this crime in the U.S. and in England he would have been arrested there as well. Indeed, they would not have waited this long, and he would have been thrown inside with the use of intelligence methods rather than with the use of judicial instruments. Barack Obama called Julian Assange a traitor and he was perfectly right. We are equally right about Dündar. Both Assange and Dündar have very openly committed the crime of treason and they have endangered the lives of millions of people. Even though Can Dündar is not a member of the Fethullah Terror Organization, he has knowingly and systematically aided this terror organization. Universal standards call for the arrest of those who violate the national security of a country by knowingly, willingly and systematically abetting a terror organization.

Orhan Bursalı in Cumhuriyet writes that the Russian planes are hitting the armed groups in Syria that Ankara support, and that the Russian offensive risks paving the way for a Kurdish advance, connecting the three Kurdish cantons. Ankara relies on the armed groups that Russia is hitting to defend the 98 kilometer long corridor that separates the Kurdish areas. Russia is in all probability aiming to create the conditions for the capture of this corridor by Syrian government forces. This is the main reason why Ankara shot down the Russian plane in this area. The loss of the forces that Turkey has built up during all these years means that its whole Syria policy is crumbling. The question is if this area might come under the control of PKK? Russia’s operation in the area creates the possibility that the corridor of 98 kilometers might be taken over by PKK/PYD. What happens if the U.S. and Russia were to come to an agreement on this? Would they do it? Let us here remind that Ankara has declared that it will certainly intervene if that were to come to pass. However, if the area comes under the control of the Assad forces that might perhaps prevent the realization of what Turkey fears – the establishment of a contiguous Kurdish corridor that reaches to the Mediterranean. Ankara ought to keep this in mind and make its plans accordingly. Otherwise it will lose everything. Peace with Assad is the solution!