Title: Condemning Turkey's attacks on United States forces and allies and Turkey's continued support for terrorist organizations.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
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)]

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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.
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