Turkey

Syrian jihadist group HTS blocks civilians from reaching Turkish border

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham used violence to break up a caravan that was heading toward Syria’s Bab al-Hawa border to cross into Turkey. Security officers affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) assaulted several journalists who were covering a gathering of civilians near Bab al-Hawa crossing with Turkey in the north. According …

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Turkey braces for fresh influx of Russians after Putin announces mobilization

Prices of international flights from Russia to countries where Russians can visa-free travel skyrocketed within hours following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization announcement. Prices of flights to Istanbul from Moscow and other major Russian cities jumped by more than 100% today due to high demand following Russian President Vladimir …

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Russian Expert: Armenia Should Stay Away From Falling ‘Russia’ Empire

Russian political scientist and sociologist Greg Yudin believes that Armenia should stay away from a “falling building”, that falling building being Russia. Yudin said in a thread on Twitter on Friday, September 16 that Azerbaijan’s recent attack on Armenia provides evidence of a catastrophic collapse of Russian foreign policy in …

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Turkey renews veto threat on Sweden, Finland NATO bids

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week. The top Turkish diplomat has reiterated Ankara’s threat to block Sweden and Finland’s accession into NATO. Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks came as political observers set their sights …

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Small jihadist group in Idlib accuses HTS of defending Turkey

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib has recently arrested several members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in what the group says is a crackdown against those criticizing HTS’ position on the Turkish plan to normalize relations with the Assad government. In the first week of September, the town of Atarib in the western …

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Erdogan looks to Putin to ease foreign currency woes

An extraordinary uptick in capital flows of unknown origin to Turkey has left many wondering whether Russian money could be involved. Turkey’s energy import bill — standing at $83.5 billion over 12 months in July — is a major factor behind its gaping current account deficit. And with Russia being …

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Why Russia’s Vladimir Putin is rooting for Turkey’s Erdogan

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “pro-Russian tilt” has grown louder in recent weeks, as Vladimir Putin clearly looks for Erdogan to stay in power. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the biggest challenge to his nearly two decades of uninterrupted rule as galloping inflation, a wilting national currency and resentment toward Syrian …

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Turkey backs Azerbaijan in deadly attacks against Armenia

While Turkey has prided itself for mediating between Russia and Ukraine, Ankara has shown no such impartiality in the recent fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with Turkish leaders airing their support for Baku. Turkish killer drones were back in action Wednesday as its ally Azerbaijan kept up attacks against Armenia …

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NATO gaffe sign of bigger strife between Turkey, Greece

The recent Turkish-Greek row over Twitter might be a taste of things to come Rising tensions between Greece and Turkey over a simple goodwill tweet indicates how alarmingly volatile the relations between two NATO allies are becoming. Allegations that Greece’s Russian-made S-300 air defense batteries locked on Turkish jet fighters …

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US Navy and allies begin exercise near Turkey as NATO monitors Russian ships

A multinational naval exercise focused on crisis response started this week in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, bringing warships from 12 NATO countries into an area with a sizable Russian naval presence. The Dynamic Mariner exercise led by NATO Allied Maritime Command, or MARCOM, began Sunday near Turkey’s Aksaz Naval Base …

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