Turkey

In an interview broadcast yesterday by Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the accusations that by signing agreements with Syria, Iraq and Russia he is actually seeking an alternative to the EU. 

Nothing will change in the South Caucasus region after opening borders between Turkey and Armenia, since the routes of energy supplies will not change without solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Georgia’s former minister of economy, a senior fellow at the Fund for Strategic and International Studies of Georgia, Professor …

Russia has been trying to create a new pressure lever to use upon Kiev by mimicking a wide international support to the South Stream pipeline project. This is what Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey Sergei Korsunsky said.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport proposed to extend the second international transport corridor within the CAREC from its passing through Georgia to Turkey and Europe at the eighth ministerial conference within the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC). 

State Minister and EU chief negotiator Egemen Bagis defined EU membership as the most important modernization project of Turkey since the foundation of the Republic.

The Turkish government on Wednesday submitted the recently signed protocols on establishing diplomatic ties with Armenia to Parliament for ratification. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu briefed Parliament on Wednesday afternoon on the protocols signed on Oct. 10 with Armenia, which among other things foresee opening the borders between the two …

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated his support for the Turkish government’s Kurdish initiative during a speech at the “Mothers against Terrorism” conference in Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon. While discussing the fight against terrorism he made positive remarks about the “democratic opening” in Turkey, calling it a “great …

Greece’s Prime Minister George Papandreou urged Turkey on Monday to withdraw its troops from Cyprus to help ongoing talks aimed at reunifying the divided island. The long-festering dispute on the eastern Mediterranean island has poisoned relations between Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, undermining alliance and European Union cooperation on …

In its efforts to normalize relations with Armenia, Turkey does not have in mind its European Union accession bid but peace in the region, said President Abdullah Gül in an interview with a French magazine. Peace in the region will bring development and prosperity in return, he believes In an …

Turkey, Italy and Russia are set to sign a MoU on Samsun-Ceyhan petroleum pipeline. Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız arrived Monday in Milano where he will be signing the MoU on behalf of Turkey. Yıldız was welcomed by Italian Economy Minister Claudio Scajola and Russian Deputy Premier Igor Ivanovich Sechin.