Turkey

Why Turkey looks to make another deal with the EU

BRUSSELS ­– Despite domestic political turmoil, Ankara’s timing to pitch closer ties with the EU and win access to the bloc’s defence funds couldn’t be better. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has chosen his moment well. Faced with mass protests over the jailing of popular opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu, he …

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Turkey arrests 37 more as protests continue over Imamoglu’s detention

As Turkey’s opposition parties rally in solidarity with Istanbul’s mayor, Turkish authorities have moved forward with more detentions. ANKARA — As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan broke his silence on the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, tens of thousands of supporters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) …

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Israel and Turkey: The showdown that could shape Syria’s future

Analysis: Turkey and Israel are the two main players to fill power vacuums in post-Assad Syria, and friction between Ankara and Tel Aviv is intensifying. For many years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used powerful rhetoric to condemn Israel. As the then-prime minister of Turkey, Erdogan captured much international …

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Iran Rift Widens Following Assad’s Collapse

Iran’s strategic setbacks have enabled Türkiye to expand its influence in the Middle East, aggravating tensions between Ankara and Tehran. Their rivalry has escalated even though they agree on major regional issues, such as the Gaza conflict and the broader Palestinian-Israeli dispute. Türkiye’s leaders have warned their Iranian counterparts to …

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Ocalan’s call for peace: The end of the PKK-Turkey conflict?

Analysis: While PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s historic call raises hopes of ending 40 years of conflict with Turkey, peace is by no means guaranteed. After four decades of fighting the Turkish state, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan has urged the group that he founded to abandon its armed …

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What’s behind Erdoğan’s calculated shift on Kurds and its potential consequences

On March 1, the start of the holy month of Ramadan — observed by most of Turkey’s Sunni population — the imprisoned leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Öcalan, made a historic call for the party to disarm and end its 40-year-long armed struggle against the Turkish state. …

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Turkey Wants The PKK To Disarm, But Will It Actually Leave Iraq? – OpEd

In the rugged mountains of northern Iraq, a potential peace breakthrough hangs in the balance. Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), recently issued an unexpected call for disarmament—a move that could end one of the Middle East’s longest-running conflicts. But in the shadow of Turkish …

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Ocalan’s Call Is A Golden Opportunity For Turks – OpEd

Abdullah Ocalan, founder leader of The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) made a historic call from İmralı prison where he is being held in near total isolation since 1999 to his party to lay down its arms, dissolve itself and end its decades-long conflict with the Turkish state. PKK responded very …

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Öcalan Calls For Peace, But Turkey Continues Its Attacks On Syrian Kurds

Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has called for a ceasefire and an eventual end to the armed struggle.[1] Mazloum Abdi, the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), welcomed Öcalan’s appeal, viewing it as a crucial opportunity for peace. Abdi stated that the …

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PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after 40 years of armed struggle

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) declared a ceasefire with Turkey after jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the group’s dissolution and disarmament. Outlawed Kurdish militants on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a landmark call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan asking the group to disband. It was the …

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