Turkey

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has invited Jan. 13 the leaders of opposition parties in Parliament for separate meetings at the presidential palace in Ankara, amid an ongoing political crisis fueled by a government bill increasing its control of the judiciary. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on January 10 that Bashar al-Assad is the source of evil in Syria. Turkey’s position on Syria remains unchanged, according to the minister.

New Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has called on EU not to make “unilateral and impatient statements via media” and urged calm over the events following a major graft probe.

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili will make an official visit to Turkey on January 20. Official meetings are planned in Ankara with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has expressed his strong support for the separation of powers in his country. He delivered a speach on Thursday during a visit to a military academy in Istanbul.

The Turkish government removed police chiefs in 16 provinces, including the capital of Ankara overnight amid a corruption probe that has shaken the country, local media reported on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan’s Defence Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov received a delegation of the Turkish Armed Forces, headed by the chief of the Turkish Air Forces Logistics Department, Colonel General Atilla Gulan on Jan. 8. The Azerbaijani defence minister said at the meeting that

Around 350 Turkish police officers were removed from their posts in Ankara overnight, in the biggest single reported police shakeup since a corruption probe rocked the government last month.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Angel Naydenov revealed Monday that the country’s plans to build a fence on part of its border with Turkey have been hit by a serious delay.

The Turkish authorities have detained a truck loaded with weapons which was heading to Syria, in the province of Hatay, Turkey.