This resolution condemns Turkey's attacks on U.S. forces and allies and demands the end of Turkey's support of terrorist groups. The resolution also calls on the President to work with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to remove Turkey from NATO.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1195 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1195
Condemning Turkey's attacks on United States forces and allies and
Turkey's continued support for terrorist organizations.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 16, 2020
Ms. Gabbard submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning Turkey's attacks on United States forces and allies and
Turkey's continued support for terrorist organizations.
Whereas Turkey has been a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member since
1952 and as such Turkey is obligated to adhere to the principles and
mission of the North Atlantic Treaty;
Whereas under the nearly two-decade long authoritarian rule of Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, Turkey has eroded that relationship by--
(1) implementing domestic policies that violate the founding principles
of NATO to live in peace with all peoples and governments, and safeguard
the freedom, common heritage, and civilization of their peoples, founded on
the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law; and
(2) taking deliberate hostile actions against NATO allies as well as
aggressive actions that threaten regional stability, undermine United
States security interests, and risk drawing NATO into a larger conflict of
Turkey's own creation;
Whereas Turkey's use of the S-400 air defense system on United States-made F-16
fighter jets returning from the Eunomia exercise conducted by France,
Italy, Greece, and Cyprus in August of 2020 was an act of unwarranted
aggression on a NATO ally;
Whereas, in June 2020, the Turkish Navy was found to be escorting a vessel
suspected of shipping arms to Libya in violation of an arms embargo and
that the Turkish Navy acted to prevent a French naval vessel from
investigating the suspected vessel, prompting a NATO investigation;
Whereas Turkey has threatened other allies in NATO and disregarded international
law by sending a research vessel and naval ships into Greek waters
around the island of Kastellorizo on an oil exploration mission in
waters that the United Nations, the European Union, and international
law maintain are within the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ);
Whereas the buildup of Turkish tanks in the Province of Erdine on the border
between Greece and Turkey, and Turkey's threatening rhetoric against
Greece on state-run media, has further increased tensions between the
European Union and Turkey;
Whereas Turkey has provided indirect and direct military, economic, and
political support to known terrorist organizations such as the Islamic
State and Al Qaeda-linked jihadist groups such as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
(HTS) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in northern Syria;
Whereas, on October 11, 2019, Turkey deliberately attacked Kurdish forces with
indirect fire, with full knowledge that United States special forces
were co-located with them and that their artillery rounds could hit
United States forces;
Whereas this attack forced the withdrawal of United States troops from their
observation post, whose exact location was known to the Turkish
military;
Whereas General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that
because Turkey knew the exact location of United States troops, this was
a deliberate show of force against the United States and its Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) partners, as all artillery operated by the
Turkish military would have United States locations programmed as No
Fire Areas (NFAs);
Whereas former American envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk released
statements supporting General Milley's assertions;
Whereas Turkey has continually undermined the efforts of the United States-
supported Syrian Kurds by taking military action against them,
including--
(1) heavy artillery attacks on Kurdish SDF in the Abu Rasin region of
Al-Hasakah on September 23, 2019;
(2) a bombardment of a Kurdish SDF outpost on October 8, 2019; and
(3) an attempted assassination of a Kurdish SDF defense official near
Ain al-Issa by an armed Turkish drone in August of 2020;
Whereas continued aggression by Turkey and its proxies against the SDF in
northern Syria has led to a resurgence of ISIS and Al Qaeda, and further
destabilization of the region;
Whereas Turkey has sent between 3,500 and 3,800 paid Syrian fighters with links
to Al Qaeda and ISIS along with Turkish soldiers to Libya to fight in
its civil war, undermining the peace and reconciliation process there
and providing a haven for terrorist organizations;
Whereas Turkey has escalated its involvement in the conflict between Azerbaijan
and Nagorno Karabakh, previously offering political support for
Azerbaijan's position, but now providing direct military support;
Whereas Turkey maintains a closed border with the Republic of Armenia, a country
with friendly relations with the United States, and has repeatedly
issued threats against the Republic of Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, and
Armenian communities in other parts of the world, at times thinly
veiling its threats with references to the genocide of Armenians in
Turkey that took place in the early 20th century;
Whereas reports indicate that Turkey has sent Syrian fighters, many of whom have
been associated with Al Qaeda and ISIS, to fight against the Armenians
of Nagorno Karabakh;
Whereas it has been reported that Turkey has participated in or taken outright
control of Azerbaijan's air command and military offensive against
Nagorno Karabakh and that its F-16 fighters have been engaged in attacks
against both Nagorno Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia;
Whereas NATO has called for the immediate cease-fire to hostilities in Nagorno
Karabakh in response to Azerbaijan's military attack on Nagorno Karabakh
while Turkey has contradicted NATO's position by publicly supporting and
assisting with Azerbaijan's continued military aggression;
Whereas in response to Canada's decision to suspend arms exports to Turkey in
response to its involvement in Azerbaijan's military offensive, Turkey
cited the NATO relationship as the reason for its disappointment in
Canada's decision, associating NATO with its actions in the Caucasus;
and
Whereas this conflict threatens to draw Russia into the conflict, as they have a
mutual defense agreement with Armenia, therefore heightening the
possibility of NATO involvement should Turkey invoke Article 5 of the
North Atlantic Treaty: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) strongly condemns Turkey's attacks on United States
forces, allies, and partners including the Kurdish Syrian
Democratic Forces;
(2) demands the end of Turkey's support of terrorist groups
such as ISIS, Al Qaeda, and others; and
(3) calls on the President to work with NATO to create the
necessary process to remove Turkey from NATO.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment.
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