Turkey

NICOSIA, Cyprus Leaders of the two communities on the divided island have made significant progress in reunification talks but no pressure should be exerted to strike an agreement, UN special envoy for Cyprus Alexander Downer told AP on Wednesday (August 5th). “We haven’t set a timeline,” Downer said.

Talks expected to boost Ankara’s energy hub ambitions began on Thursday as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. The talks are expected to focus on Turkish support for a major Russian natural gas pipeline project that Moscow wants to build ahead of a rival …

ANKARA, Turkey The army announced on Tuesday (August 4th) that it has appointed new commanders of its air and naval forces. In a statement, the General Staff said the Air Force will be commanded by General Hasan Aksay, who will replace retiring General Aydogan Babaoglu. Admiral Esref Ugur Yigit will …

The European Union imposed five-year tariffs on wire rod from China to help EU producers such as ArcelorMittal, Corus Group and Feralpi Siderurgica SpA compete against cheaper imports. Turkey and Moldova were spared. The duties, as high as 24 percent, punish Chinese exporters for selling wire rod in the EU …

BRUSSELS Greek FM Dora Bakoyannis has informed Brussels about Turkey’s “provocative policy” of violating Greek airspace in the past weeks. The comments came as EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday.

ANKARA, Turkey Iraqi, Turkish and US officials will meet in Ankara on Tuesday (July 28th) to discuss joint measures to combat terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members in northern Iraq, a Turkish government source said on Saturday. “Talks will be focused on co-operation in the fight against terrorism and ways …

BELGRADE, Serbia Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic in Novi Pazar on Friday (July 24th) and said Ankara will invest in construction of a highway through Sandzak. The Turkish diplomat called the Sandzak region “a green light” for further co-operation between the two countries. Jeremic …

NICOSIA, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met on Thursday (July 23rd) in another round of talks aimed at reunifying the divided island. The negotiations focused on immigration, asylum and citizenship issues. UN Secretary-General Special Representative Taye-Brook Zerihoun says they will meet again in a …

Greece over the past few years has become a source country concerning the entrance of an unspecified amount of illegal immigrants, mostly from Asian and African states, that enter mainly through the Greek-Turkish borders and with the complicity or indifference of the authorities of the neighboring country, despite the bilateral …

NICOSIA, Cyprus Greek Cypriots are refusing to speed up negotiations to reunify the island and won’t until the international community exerts pressure on them, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat told a press conference Saturday (July 18th). While Turkey is actively supporting ongoing efforts to find a solution to the …