Turkey

Turkey Urges 'Sanctions' Against Israel over Gaza Conflict

Turkey's foreign minister on Tuesday called for sanctions against Israel, urging the international community to cut support over the conflict in the Middle East. "We have reached the limit of words, diplomacy and international politics. We must start with sanctions," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told ruling party delegates at a meeting about the ...

Erdogan to Visit Balkans to Boost Ties

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to visit Albania and Serbia this week, where he is expected to boost his country's economic and diplomatic ties with the Balkans. Erdogan is due on Thursday in Albania to inaugurate the Great Mosque of Tirana. The largest mosque in the Balkans, its construction was financed by Turkey. When he ...

Erdogan Requests Meeting from Syria's Assad to Normalize Relations

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that he requested a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in a bid to "normalize" relations between their countries. The two countries severed all official relations in 2011, following the start of the Syrian ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Turkey and Qatar Call for Calm in Mideast Crisis

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived in Ankara on Friday for a working visit, according to a statement issued by the Amiri Diwan of Qatar. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Emir jointly appealed for greater international efforts to stop the Middle East conflict from escalating. The joint appeal came as the ...

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 ...