Turkey

TURKEY Turkey’s opposition parties on Tuesday criticized the government’s move to start talks on establishing diplomatic ties with the country’s long-time foe Armenia for making unilateral concession. Armenia has not changed its policy enough or implemented necessary preconditions to allow a reconciliation with Turkey, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News …

TURKEY Relations between hostile neighbours Turkey and Armenia have taken a turn for the better with the two countries’ agreeing to hold talks on establishing diplomatic ties. It was last year’s unprecedented meeting between their leaders in the Armenian capital which began the slow improvement after almost a century of …

TURKEY In the wake of the second round of talks between Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus that are due to resume on Sept. 3, Turkish Cyprus President Mehmet Ali Talat said the possibility of the division on the island to be permanent was getting stronger. “The talks cannot go on …

TURKEY U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler has met with Turkish officials to discuss all aspects of bilateral ties, regional developments and Turkey’s European Union bid. Wexler held meetings with President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Şahin late Wednesday and met with Foreign Minister Ahmet …

TURKEY Turkey’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Turkey and Romania, the two most important countries in Black Sea region, were determined to turn the region into one of the most powerful and developed economic basins in the world. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu …

GREECE Greece is ready to cooperate with Turkey in the framework of NATO, the Spokesperson for the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs Grigoris Delavekuras said. Greek authorities will state their position to the Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen , who arrived yesterday in Athens and will visit Turkey as …

TURKEY An increasing number of Anatolian cities have been included on itineraries of visiting politicians and diplomats, contributing to the global promotion of Turkey through “political tourism,” according to tourism officials. “It contributes a lot when world leaders visit beautiful places in our country and they are broadcast on or …

Ahead of a planned official visit to Turkey, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has stressed common points between his country and Turkey, while declaring the other “a strategic partner” for his country. Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, speaking at a cabinet meeting held on Saturday, informed cabinet members of Berdymukhamedov’s upcoming …

TURKEY Turkey has begun restoring names of Kurdish villages and is considering allowing religious sermons to be made in Kurdish as part of reforms to answer the grievances of the ethnic minority and advance its EU candidacy. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said his government will push democratic reforms to …

TURKEY While Turkey’s top security board convened to discuss government-led efforts to solve the Kurdish issue, the leader of the ultra-nationalist party strongly reacted to the process, calling it “destruction of the unitary state.” “What the government is trying to do is to place martyrs and butchers, our soldiers and …