Turkey

Erdogan: ‘Without Turkiye, NATO is weak’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Friday that “without Turkiye, NATO is weak,” Turkish media reported. As Erdogan spoke to journalists following Friday prayer in Istanbul, he commented on NATO’s removal of a tweet about Turkish Victory Day (marked on 30 August) following a Greek complaint. “Greece’s negative approach …

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Turkish court arrests senior Islamic State figure -Anadolu

A Turkish court decided to arrest senior Islamic State figure Bashar Hattab Ghazal Al Sumaidai, who wascaptured by the police, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Friday. The militant, code-named Abu Zeyd, was captured in Istanbul in an operation carried out by police and Turkey’s intelligence agency, Anadolu said.

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Turkey Briefing

Latest Turkish-Greek war of words linked to electoral campaigns Turkish Greek bickering continued apace this week with Erdogan repeating his stock threats about descending on Turkey’s foes “unexpectedly in the night,” spurring further overwrought takes on how the two NATO allies might slip into war.

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Conflict Trends Update

TÜRKIYE-GREECE President Erdoğan accused Athens of militarising what should be demilitarised Eastern Aegean islands, threatened to “do what was necessary”, and warned of a “heavy price” should Greece harass Turkish F-16 fighter jets. The latter warning follows Ankara’s accusation that Greece in August used the Russian-supplied S300 air defence system …

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Turkey, Greece escalate war of words as they drag in EU, NATO

The Turkish and Greek foreign ministers write dueling letters to key international actors as leaders exchange barbs after Erdogan’s one-liner that Turkey “can come suddenly one night.” The volatile waters of the Aegean Sea heated up again as Athens and Ankara sent dueling letters to the United Nations, the European …

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Turkey: What Is the Real Terrorist Threat?

Erdoğan said that Turkey would freeze Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bids if the Nordic countries do not come into line with Turkey’s “fight against terrorist organizations.” That might be a tough task for Finland and Sweden. In 2019, Erdoğan notoriously called half of Turks (those who do not vote …

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Turkey supports Libya’s Tripoli forces amid deadly battles

Turkey hosted two rival Libyan premiers in Istanbul in bid to strike a conciliation between the clashing parties. A fresh round of deadly clashes has forced Turkey to step into fray and host high-level meetings with two rival Libyan leaders in a bid to de-escalate the tensions, Al-Monitor has learned. …

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Passport Privilege: Turkish Fraudster’s Route To Honorary Greek Citizenship – Analysis

In September last year, when the mother and younger brother of Greek-Nigerian NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo were granted honorary Greek citizenship in a special ceremony in Athens, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was in attendance. When historian Mark Mazower received the honour in January, Interior Minister Makis Voridis was present, while …

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Turkish Attempt To Reconcile With Assad Resembles Pulling A Rabbit Out Of A Hat – Analysis

At first glance, there is little that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an Islamist and nationalist, has in common with Dogu Perincek, a maverick socialist, Eurasianist, and militant secularist and Kemalist. Yet it is Mr. Perincek, a man with a world of contacts in Russia, China, Iran, and Syria whose …

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« Manipulation », « passé colonial » : nouvelle passe d’armes entre Paris et Ankara

Dans un communiqué du 27 août, le ministère des Affaires étrangères turc a vivement réagi aux propos tenus la veille par Emmanuel Macron sur l’influence de la Turquie en Afrique, lors du second jour de sa visite officielle en Algérie. « Extrêmement regrettable ». C’est l’expression utilisée par le porte-parole …

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