Turkey

Five Ways Turkey Is Building Its Influence in Africa

Turkey is pushing for diplomatic and economic influence on the world stage – not least in Africa, where it announced plans this week to search for oil and gas off Somalia. Over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's two decades in power, Ankara has consolidated its foothold on the continent, quadrupling its number of embassies there. Here are five ...

Russia Frees US Reporter in Major Prisoner Swap with West

Jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich and a Russian intelligence colonel jailed for a Berlin murder were among two dozen prisoners freed Thursday in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. The prisoners were flown to Turkey's capital Ankara from Russia, the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus under the ...

Turkey Blocks Access to Instagram

Turkey on Friday blocked access to the Instagram social media network, the national communications authority said without explanation, following censorship accusations against the US company by a high-ranking Turkish official. The BTK communications authority said in a post on its website that "instagram.com has been blocked by a decision on the ...

Turkey Accuses Instagram of Censorship and Blocks Access

Instagram users in Turkey woke up Sunday to find the social media network blocked for the third consecutive day, following censorship accusations against the US company from a high-ranking Turkish official. The BTK communications authority announced on its website on Friday that the Meta-owned platform had been frozen, without giving any ...

Instagram: Erdogan Slams Social Media 'Fascism'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused social media networks of "fascism" and censorship on Monday as his government blocked Instagram for a fourth day. The United States-owned platform, which has an estimated 50-60 million subscribers in Turkey, has been accused by government officials of censorship and failing to remove posts the ...

Abbas Tells Turkish Parliament He Will Go to Gaza

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a special session of the Turkish parliament on Thursday that he would travel to Gaza. As he was speaking, Health Ministry officials in the Palestinian territory said the death toll from Israel's assault there had passed 40,000 people. "I have decided to go to Gaza with other brothers from the ...

Two Journalists Killed in Drone Strike in Iraqi Kurdistan

Two female journalists were killed and a man was injured on Friday in Iraqi Kurdistan in a drone strike targeting their vehicle, a bombing attributed to the Turkish military engaged against Turkish Kurdish fighters of the PKK, local officials told AFP. “It is not the Turkish military,” the Turkish Ministry of Defense in Ankara told AFP when ...

Turkey Submits Request to Join BRICS Nations

Turkey has submitted a request to join the BRICS group of major emerging market nations, the spokesman of the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. "Our president has many times stated that we want to become a BRICS member... The process is now underway," said Omer Celik, spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development ...

Turkey and Egypt Deepen Cooperation as They Mend Ties

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egypt's leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said they wanted to deepen their cooperation as they met in Ankara Wednesday to seal their mended ties. "We will strengthen our cooperation in all areas," said Erdogan, who visited Sisi in Cairo in mid-February when the two leaders said they had turned over a "new ...

The 'Myth' of Syrian-Turkish Normalization, Beyond Declarations

For several months, Syria and Turkey have been making statements in favor of normalizing their diplomatic relations. In July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he could invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "at any time" to begin talks to restore relations. At the end of August, in a speech before the People's Assembly, Assad ...

Turkey Claims It Destroyed 21 PKK Targets in Northern Iraq

Turkey said on Monday it had bombed Kurdish militant bases in the mountains of northern Iraq. The Defense Ministry said it had destroyed on Monday "21 targets" in Metina, Gara, Hakurk and Qandil believed to house senior members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies. The Turkish army, ...

Turkey Buries Activist Shot in West Bank

Mourners gathered in southwest Turkey on Saturday for the funeral of a US-Turkish activist, who was shot dead while protesting Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The killing last week of 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi has sparked international condemnation and infuriated Turkey, further escalating tensions over the war in Gaza that began with ...