[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1468]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 TURKEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my grave concern for 
Turkey's actions, or should I say lack thereof, vis-a-vis regional 
security in the Middle East.
   As ISIS sweeps across Iraq and Syria, we know many foreign fighters 
have joined their ranks. But what I find incredibly disturbing is that 
Turkey, a NATO ally, is one of the most active recruitment sources for 
ISIS. According to reports, as many as 1,000 Turks have joined the 
ranks of ISIS.
   Turkey must do more to stop its citizens from joining ISIS, and a 
good starting point would be to shut down the recruitment operation 
that has thus far been ignored.
   Also problematic are the dozens of oil fields and refineries that 
ISIS now controls across Iraq and Syria. Control of this oil has given 
ISIS a steady flow of funds placed around $1-$2 million per day on the 
black market. Turkey again needs to step up and do more to curb the 
flow of this oil through its territory and put a stop to ISIS's 
smuggling network.
   I would also like to express my concern for the erosion of civil 
liberties and rule of law in Turkey. Intimidation of the press, private 
businesses, and other civil society actors has been reported. This, 
along with abuses of religious freedom and surface-level reforms, has 
made clear that Turkey's democracy is not moving in the right 
direction.
   It's time for the Turkish government to take a stand. It's time to 
lift restrictions on the media and religion, among other key sectors of 
society. And it's time to put a stop to ISIS's financial and personnel 
networks that flow through Turkey.

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