October, 2013

• 23 October

  Turkish PM rebukes NATO over China missile deal criticism

  Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rebuffed intensified international criticism over Turkey’s choice to engage a missile defense deal with China, a day after NATO wanted a say in the decision-making process.

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• 23 October

  Barosso says all balkan countries will join EU

  All Balkan countries will join the union when they meet EU criteria for accession, says European Commission President. All Balkan countries that have applied for EU membership should join the union when they are ready, said EC President, Jose Barosso, during his visit to Berlin.

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• 23 October

  Bulgarian President to call Security Council over refugee influx

  Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has announced that he would schedule a sitting of the Consultative Council of National Security over the ongoing refugee crisis in the country. Plevneliev told reporters on Tuesday that he would announce the date for the sitting “within days,” noting that the budget of Bulgaria’s security services will be …

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• 22 October

  Kurdish rebels threaten new fight in Turkey as Syria clashes intensify

  Kurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group’s political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process soon. Accusing Turkey of waging a proxy war against Kurds in Syria by backing Islamist rebels fighting …

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• 22 October

  EU Ambassador in Ankara says Turkey and EU have the same goal in Egypt

  EU Ambassador to Turkey Jean-Maurice Ripert has said that the European Union and Turkey share the same goal in Egypt, which is establishing peace and democracy in the Middle Eastern country, even if they do not use the same language.

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• 22 October

  Lebanese President thanks Turkish counterpart for hostages release

  Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has called Turkish President Abdullah Gül to thank Turkey for its efforts in saving nine Lebanese pilgrims who were being held hostage by the Syrian opposition and getting them home safely.

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• 22 October

  Pakistan rejects Indian Minister’s statement on Kashmir

  Pakistan has stated that the Kashmir dispute is the core issue that remains unresolved between India and Pakistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry expressed disappointment over the comments made by India’s External Affairs Minister on the status of Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian media.

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• 22 October

  US to release $1.6B aid to Pakistan

  The U.S. has quietly decided to release more than $1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan that was suspended when relations between the two countries disintegrated over the covert raid that killed Osama bin Laden and deadly U.S. airstrikes against Pakistani soldiers.

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• 22 October

  Suicide bomber kills 6 in southern Russia

  A female suicide bomber blew herself up on a city bus in southern Russia on Monday, killing six people and injuring about 30, officials said. The attack in Volgograd added to security fears ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

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• 22 October

  EU confirms start of new chapter with Turkey

  The European Union’s General Affairs Council has confirmed the opening of Chapter 22, on regional policies, with Turkey, in a move welcomed by the EU’s commissioner for enlargement Stefan Füle. 

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