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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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.
Read More »Turkey’s ruling AKP reiterates plans for constitutional amendments
ANKARA, Turkey The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) intends to hold talks with the opposition on possible constitutional amendments, Burhan Kuzu, the head of parliament’s Joint Constitution-Justice Commission, told Reuters on Wednesday (April 8th).
Read More »US president wraps up visit to Turkey
ISTANBUL, Turkey – US President Barack Obama wrapped up his visit to Turkey on Tuesday (April 7th) by meeting with a group of 100 university students in Istanbul.
Read More »Turkey’s Babacan announces progress in talks with Armenia
ANKARA, Turkey – Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Tuesday (April 7th) Turkey and Armenia have achieved some progress in ongoing talks to normalise bilateral relations.
Read More »New NATO chief vows to co-operate with Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey – Incoming NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark said on Monday (April 6th) he will maintain close co-operation with Turkey during his term of office.
Read More »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 …
Read More »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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