Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey Since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government announced a draft amending 20 articles of the constitution a few weeks ago, President Abdullah Gul has met with leaders of opposition parties, trying to convince them of the need for change.

NICOSIA, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed on Tuesday (May 5th) to intensify talks aimed at reunifying the divided island, UN Special Representative in Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun said. He explained the two leaders discussed progress achieved so far and decided to speed up the …

PARIS, France President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday (May 5th) the EU should create a common economic and security space with Turkey as an alternative to Turkey’s membership in the Union, media reported.

YEREVAN, Armenia Former president and opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian said on Friday (May 1st) that his Armenian National Congress Party will back reconciliation efforts towards Turkey.

ANKARA, Turkey Admiral Caner Bener, of the Turkish Navy, has assumed command of an international naval task force established to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. He succeeds US Rear Admiral Michelle Howard. Turkey is the second nation to command the UN-led Combined Task Force 151, …

ANKARA, Turkey/ATHENS, Greece Dozens of people were injured, including at least 21 police officers, and more than 100 were detained in clashes between demonstrators and police during Labour Day rallies across Turkey on Friday (May 1st), authorities said.

ANKARA, Turkey The foreign ministry announced on Wednesday (April 22nd) it is temporarily recalling its ambassador to Canada, Rafet Akgunay, for consultations. An unnamed government official says the presence of Canadian government officials at a recent memorial service for Armenians that were murdered during the time of the Ottoman Empire …

ANKARA, Turkey Police on Wednesday (April 22nd) detained ten more people, including four military officers, in another wave of arrests related to the so-called Ergenekon organisation that allegedly planned to topple the government. They found a new arms cache in Istanbul as part of Wednesday’s operation. Turkish media reported that …

BRUSSELS, Belgium The EU issued a statement Monday (April 20th) saying the hard-line National Unity Party’s (UBP) victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should not impact ongoing reunification talks with Greek Cypriots. “We do not think that the outcome of the elections …

ANKARA, Turkey A court decided on Monday (April 20th) to merge the case involving a deadly 2006 attack on judges from the country’s top administrative court with the ongoing Ergenekon investigation. On May 17th 2006, a gunman stormed into the Council of State in Ankara, killing a senior judge and …