Turkey

Turkish court merges Ergenekon, Council of State attack cases

ANKARA, Turkey A court decided on Monday (April 20th) to merge the case involving a deadly 2006 attack on judges from the country’s top administrative court with the ongoing Ergenekon investigation. On May 17th 2006, a gunman stormed into the Council of State in Ankara, killing a senior judge and …

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Turk Cypriot Vote Looks To Complicate Peace Bid

Turkish Cypriots held general elections on Sunday in a vote likely to boost hardliners and complicate efforts to resolve the long-running division of Cyprus, a threat to Turkey’s European Union accession bid. Just under 162,000 people are voting in parliamentary elections in breakaway northern Cyprus, a sliver of territory only …

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Erdogan says Turkey’s membership would strengthen EU’s internal market

BERLIN, Germany Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday (April 19th) that his country would strengthen the EU’s internal market if it joins the bloc. Erdogan was speaking in Hanover, a day after attending a birthday party for former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who turned 65 on April …

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Arrests of intellectuals sparks protest in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Ankara mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, founder of the secular Turkish state, on Sunday (April 19th) to protest arrests stemming from an alleged plot to topple the country’s Islamic-rooted government.

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US president visits Ankara, backs Turkey’s EU bid

ANKARA, Turkey – US President Barack Obama arrived in Ankara late on Sunday (April 5th) on his first official visit to Turkey since taking office in January. During his two-day stay, Obama is meeting with counterpart Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other government officials. They will focus …

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Christofias rejects possible UN arbitration on Cyprus issue

NICOSIA, Cyprus – President Demetris Christofias said on Saturday (April 4th) that Greek Cypriots will not accept any change to the ongoing negotiation process aimed at reunifying the divided island. This includes setting deadlines for completing talks or possible UN arbitration. “These principles have been accepted by the international community, …

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