Several weeks after Turkish forces shot down a Russian warplane, tensions remain high between the two countries.
Most recently, a Russian warship fired on a Turkish vessel in the Aegean Sea Sunday morning. The Turkish government has prohibited the country's soldiers to vacation in Russia.
Meanwhile, thousands of Shiite militiamen took to Tahrir Square in central Baghdad to protest Turkey's incursion into Iraq. Turkish officials say the troops are helping to contain Daesh in Mosul, and that the Iraqi government granted permission for the movement.
Whether Turkey is justified in these most recent foreign skirmishes is up for debate, one that Kerim Kalci says is not happening in his country.
Balci is the “self-exiled” Editor-in-Chief of the Turkish review. Blacklisted by the ruling Justice and Development Party, Balci is touring the U.S. to bring attention to the Turkish political situation.
Critical of the Turkish government’s actions, Balci appeared at the World Affairs Council of Oregon for a speech about the growing crisis in his country and the region.
He spoke to OPB’s John Sepulvado for this week’s Sunday Conversation.
