Turkey

Iran and Turkey Agree to Build Key Trade Rail Link

Iran and Turkey have agreed to begin constructing a new joint rail link to serve as a strategic gateway between Asia and Europe, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday. The planned route, known in Iran as the Marand–Cheshmeh Soraya railway transit line and running towards Turkey's Aralik border region, will cover around 200 ...

After Call for Christian Unity, Pope Leaves Turkey for Lebanon

Pope Leo XIV headed to Lebanon on Sunday with a message of peace for the crisis-hit nation after wrapping up a four-day trip to Turkey's tiny Christian community that focused on unity within the Church. Ending the first part of his maiden overseas tour since being elected leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, Leo boarded the papal ...

81 Journalists Travel with Pope Leo XIV on Historic Journey

81 international journalists are traveling with Pope Leo XIV on his apostolic journey from Turkey to Lebanon. The group includes cameramen and photographers representing around twenty media outlets from 15 countries. Major American networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and CNN are part of the pool, highlighting the global attention given to this ...

Pope Visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque

Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque early on Saturday on the third day of his trip to Turkey. It was the first time the American pope, elected in May as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, visited a Muslim place of worship since taking over from his late predecessor Francis. The Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul's main ...

Pope Leo XIV in Turkey: A Historic Moment

On the second day of his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in Istanbul before joining Orthodox leaders for a historic prayer in Iznik. In a country where Christians make up only 0.1% of the population, his visit is seen by many as “a blessing.” The Pope emphasizes the importance of supporting refugees and the most ...

Pope Leo XIV and Bartholomew Mark 1,700 Years Since Nicaea in Turkey

Pope Leo XIV will join the leader of the world's Orthodox Christians Friday to celebrate 1,700 years since one of the early Church's most important gatherings, on the second day of his visit to Turkey. The American pope began his four-day visit on Thursday in Ankara, where he urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to embrace Turkey's role as a ...

Negotiations Under Way on Hamas Fighters Trapped in Gaza Tunnels: Sources Close to Talks

Negotiations are under way to ensure safe passage for dozens of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza, multiple sources close to the talks told AFP on Thursday. Israeli media has reported that for weeks, between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah, in an area of the Gaza ...

Pope Urges Turkey to Embrace Mediator Role on First Overseas Trip

Pope Leo XIV began a four-day visit to Turkey on Thursday, urging Ankara to embrace its role as a mediator in a world gripped by conflict, he said after talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Mr President, may Turkey be a source of stability and rapprochement between peoples, in service of a just and lasting peace," he said in the capital as ...

Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Turkey on First Foreign Mission of His Papacy

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday for a four-day visit, where he will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and meet Christian leaders on the first overseas trip of his papacy. The trip, which includes a second leg to Lebanon, begins in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where the first American pope landed shortly after ...

Lebanon–Cyprus Agreement: Strategic Breakthrough or Maritime Concession?

As the debate over border demarcation in Lebanon reopened widely following the maritime agreement with Israel and ongoing efforts to define both land and sea borders with Syria, Lebanon has reached a final agreement with Cyprus on the maritime boundary. The move comes after the government approved the draft agreement and referred it to the ...

Turkish Lawmakers Meet Kurdish Leader Öcalan

Turkish lawmakers who are members of a parliamentary commission overseeing the peace process with the Kurdish guerrilla visited Abdullah Öcalan, the historic leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in prison for the first time on Monday. The meeting between the parliamentary delegation and the imprisoned Kurdish leader on Imrali Island, ...

Iznik: The Sunken Basilica Rising Again

At the bottom of Lake Iznik, the basilica lay hidden like a buried secret. Rediscovered in 2014, it now reveals one of the most sacred sites in Christianity, where Pope Leo XIV is preparing to speak for the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea.