Turkey

Turkey’s chief negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bagis, has rejected Germany’s idea of privileged partnership for Turkey, instead of full membership. After talks with EU officials in Brussels on Friday (March 26th), he told reporters that there is no such term in the EU acquis. “The privileged partnership just does …

The European Union-backed gas pipeline Nabucco is likely to begin operations in 2018, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said, a statement which was later denied by the consortium behind the project. “I hope we will make the final decision in 2010 to build the pipeline,” he said. The odds of …

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will pay a formal visit to Macedonia on Wednesday upon an invitation of his Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki.

Greek Cypriot Archbishop Chrysostomos II arrived in the Turkish dominated northern part of Cyprus on Monday (March 22nd), the first such visit since 1974, when the island was separated into Turkish-dominated north and Greek-dominated south. Chrysostomos II is trying to gain support for the restoration of an ancient monastery

Turkey’s government said on Monday it would table several changes to the Constitution to make it more democratic and to boost the chance for its entry into the European Union. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said the constitutional amendments must be adopted and

UN envoy to Cyprus Alexander Downer rejected media speculation Monday (March 15th) about an upcoming international conference on Cyprus. According to the reports, the meeting would discuss the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, which regulates

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged the EU on Monday (March 15th) to end visa requirements for Turkish citizens. The request came during a meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, who was visiting Ankara for the first time since being elected to the post. The EU lifted visa requirements …

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili arrived in İstanbul for a short visit on Monday. İstanbul Deputy Governor Ahmet Aydın greeted Saakashvili at İstanbul Atatürk Airport. According to the report, Saakashvili is expected to meet with a group of businessmen before leaving Turkey.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed conviction on Saturday that Turkey will overcome the crisis caused by an investigation into a suspected army plot to topple the government. The statement made to Hurriyet came a day after an Istanbul court charged two generals in the case. Dubbed the “Sledgehammer”, the plot …

Greek CypriotPresident Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met on Wednesday (February 24th) to continue intensified talks on reunifying the divided island, focusing this time on the economy. Alexander Downer, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’ special adviser for Cyprus, says they will meet again on Friday.