Turkey

TURKEY An increasing number of Anatolian cities have been included on itineraries of visiting politicians and diplomats, contributing to the global promotion of Turkey through “political tourism,” according to tourism officials. “It contributes a lot when world leaders visit beautiful places in our country and they are broadcast on or …

Ahead of a planned official visit to Turkey, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has stressed common points between his country and Turkey, while declaring the other “a strategic partner” for his country. Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, speaking at a cabinet meeting held on Saturday, informed cabinet members of Berdymukhamedov’s upcoming …

TURKEY Turkey has begun restoring names of Kurdish villages and is considering allowing religious sermons to be made in Kurdish as part of reforms to answer the grievances of the ethnic minority and advance its EU candidacy. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has said his government will push democratic reforms to …

TURKEY While Turkey’s top security board convened to discuss government-led efforts to solve the Kurdish issue, the leader of the ultra-nationalist party strongly reacted to the process, calling it “destruction of the unitary state.” “What the government is trying to do is to place martyrs and butchers, our soldiers and …

SOFIA, Bulgaria I have not understood new government’s position on energy projects, said former Prime Minister (PM) Sergey Stanishev in the Parliament, FOCUS News Agency reporter informed. “I read carefully statements of different ministers-they contradict. Thus we asked for clear government’s position on all key energy projects for Bulgaria. The …

TURKEY Thousands swarmed the streets of cities and towns of the northwestern Marmara region early Monday morning to commemorate the memories of those who died in the Aug. 17, 1999 Marmara earthquake. The earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale hit Turkey’s northwest, its epicenter in the Gölcük region in …

TURKEY Interior Minister Beşir Atalay has said the government’s new Kurdish initiative — a general term to refer to new Kurdish policies announced in late July and based on a model unique to the country’s own history and current conditions — is a long-term state project. During a meeting with …

TURKEY Former Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Özkök ruled out any negotiations with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in an interview with daily Milliyet published on Monday. “There cannot be any negotiation with the terror organization. I agree on that. You cannot talk with a person who took …

The European Union must exert its pressure on Turkey, in the light of its EU accession course and its European aspirations, to change Ankara’s stance and cooperate toward reaching a settlement, the Greek Cypriot president said. “Turkey should get rid of its expansionist policy and must give [Turkish Cypriot President …

TURKEY The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) plans to make major progress in the completion of the main aspects of the Kurdish initiative before the European Union — which Turkey aspires to join — releases a progress report on Turkey’s membership efforts in autumn. The ruling party wants …