Turkey

Iranian and Turkish Moves to Join Shanghai Cooperation Organization Raise Its Profile

Held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 16, the 2022 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Council demonstrated that the SCO was continuing to evolve into a viable international political congregation independent from the West. Beginning in the early 1800s, international organizations (IOs) began to …

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Rare clashes erupt between jihadist group, Turkey-backed faction in Syria’s Idlib

Clashes erupted between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Faylaq al-Sham, affiliated with the Turkish-backed FSA, due to differences over the alleged opening of a commercial crossing with the Syrian government-held areas in the eastern Idlib countryside. Clashes erupted Sept. 29 between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA)-affiliated …

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Turkey’s energy deal in Libya fans regional rivalries

Turkey is likely to face stronger headwinds in the eastern Mediterranean after signing a controversial energy exploration deal with Libya’s interim government. Turkey’s signing of a hydrocarbon exploration deal with the Tripoli government has crippled its recent efforts to balance its policy in Libya and fanned the internal and external …

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Turkish minister says deadly gun attack was ‘America-based’

Turkey’s interior minister on Saturday described a gun attack that killed a police officer in the country’s south as an “America-based” operation. Two suspected Kurdish militants opened fire on security force lodgings in the Mediterranean province of Mersin late Monday, killing one officer and wounding a second officer and a …

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Turkey says 23 Kurdish militants killed in Iraq airstrikes

Turkish warplanes “neutralized” 23 Kurdish militants in a raid 140 kilometers (90 miles) inside Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said Sunday. The ministry usually refers to killed militants as “neutralized.” It said the number of casualties in the mission in the Asos region of northern Iraq, which is controlled by …

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Turkey pledges to boost military presence in Cyprus

President Erdogan and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu say Turkey will send more troops and arms to northern Cyprus after the Biden administration lifts defense trade restrictions to Greek Cypriots. Turkey has vowed to reinforce its military presence in northern Cyprus, where it already has about 40,000 troops, adding to tensions with …

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Al-Bab residents demand houses back from Turkish-backed forces in Syria

Demonstrations were organized against the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army in the city of al-Bab, during which protesters demanded that the factions return their houses and farms that had been seized after the FSA took control of the city in 2017. The city of al-Bab, which is under the control of …

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Ankara to Opposition: Circumstances not Easy; If you Waste Time, We’ll Talk to Others

Russia is pushing Turkey in the direction of normalization with the Syrian government, according to Athr Press. Several members of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) have leaked documents in which Turkey warns SOC not to waste time in any talks between the opposition and the Syrian government. The documents note …

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Turkey protests US, Greece over ‘violating non-military status’ of Aegean Greek islands

Eastern Mediterranean conflict is steadily turning into a fresh strain in already-troubled US-Turkey ties, as Erdogan lashes out at Washington and Athens over the military buildup in the Dodecanese islands. The US and Greek ambassadors to Turkey have been summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara in a protest …

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