Turkey

Macedonia’s president visits Turkey

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov is paying an official visit to Turkey, media reported. Ivanov will meet today in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ivanov today will lay a wreath at the mausoleum of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

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Armenian leader to visit Turkey

Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan said Monday he would visit Turkey to attend a football match this week between the two neighbors who have signed a peace accord after a century of hostility. Sarksyan said he had accepted an invitation by his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to watch Turkey play Armenia …

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Bulgaria supports ongoing efforts to reunify Cyprus

Bulgaria voiced it support on Friday to the ongoing efforts aimed at reunifying divided Cyprus in a joint declaration signed here during Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov’s visit. “The Republic of Bulgaria expresses its support to the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation …

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Turkey, Armenia eye peace after century-old enmity

Turkey and Armenia plan to sign a deal to end a century of hostility stemming from the World War One mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces although it could fall prey to nationalists further down the line. An accord would boost U.S. ally Turkey’s diplomatic clout in the volatile …

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European Commission appoints envoy for Cyprus talks

The European Commission said Friday it has appointed an envoy to assist in the U.N.-brokered Cyprus reunification talks aimed at ending 35 years of division on the island. “The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has decided to detach Leopold Maurer as his personal representative to the Good …

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Balkan leaders and Greek prime minister to arrive in Istanbul

The informal meeting of foreign ministers of South-East European Cooperation Process will begin in Istanbul on Friday. The informal meeting of foreign ministers of South-East European Cooperation Process will begin in Istanbul on Friday. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will host the two-day meeting. Foreign Ministers and deputy prime ministers …

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Greece’s new PM arrives in Turkey to attend SEECP meeting

Leader of Greek socialist party PASOK, Georgios Papandreou, who is the new Prime Minister of the country after winning the October 4 general elections, is to arrive Friday in Istanbul to take part in the informal meeting of the foreign ministers in the South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP).

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Papandreou’s victory sparks optimism for Turkey ties

Optimism is on the rise around the Aegean Sea after Greece’s main opposition party, PASOK, takes victory in elections, according to experts and observers. The man most likely to become prime minister, George Papandreou, is known for his friendly stance toward Turkey and a historic rapprochement he worked on with …

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Turkey rides on Irish ‘yes’ to promote EU entry

An Irish ‘yes’ to the Lisbon Treaty would create the legal conditions for future European Union enlargement, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Friday at a meeting in Brussels. Turkey can help Europe become a major player on the international stage if Turkey is admitted to the union, EurActiv quoted Davutoğlu …

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Russia extends credits to Bulgaria, Serbia, but will not give Ukraine, Belarus loan

Russia is ready to extend a credit to Serbia and considers giving a loan to Bulgaria, Russian Deputy PM and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told journalists after a meeting with the finance ministers of the two countries in Istanbul where the IMF and World Bank hold an annual session.

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