Tag: Turkey

Turkish Parliament resumes voting on Erdogan’s powers

Turkey's parliament on Wednesday embarked on a second round of deliberations on a contentious package of constitutional amendments that would give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office executive powers. Legislators are set to vote separately on 18 proposed amendments before holding a final vote on the whole package by the end of the week. Debate on...

January 18, 2017

Russia, Turkey agree to coordinate strikes in Syria

Russia and Turkey have signed an agreement spelling out mechanisms to "coordinate" their air forces in Syria when conducting strikes "on terrorist targets", the Russian defence ministry said on Friday. Delegations from the two countries, which last month brokered a ceasefire in war-torn Syria, met in Moscow on Friday for consultations on cooperating while fighting...

January 13, 2017

Russia, Turkey agree to coordinate strikes in Syria

Russia and Turkey have signed an agreement spelling out mechanisms to "coordinate" their air forces in Syria when conducting strikes "on terrorist targets", the Russian defence ministry said on Friday. Delegations from the two countries, which last month brokered a ceasefire in war-torn Syria, met in Moscow on Friday for consultations on cooperating while fighting...

January 13, 2017

Turkey to begin debating new Erdogan powers

Turkey's parliament on Monday begins debating a controversial new draft constitution aimed at expanding the powers of the presidency under Recep Tayyip Erdogan that is expected to be put to a referendum by the spring. The new constitution, which would replace the basic law drawn up after Turkey's 1980 military coup, seeks to set up for...

January 9, 2017

Turkish PM Binali Yildirim visits Baghdad

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim arrived in Baghdad on Saturday to meet Iraqi officials in an attempt to improve bilateral relations, officials said. According to sources, Yildirim arrived on an official visit to Iraq, Efe news reported. The Prime Minister is due to meet his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi and other officials from the Iraqi...

January 7, 2017

Present blighted, future uncertain

The heinous bloodbath at a swanky nightclub on the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul brought what had already been a terrible year for Turkey to an exceptionally brutal conclusion. It was a year peppered with terrorist attacks, but its centrepiece was arguably a coup attempt in July that apparently came close to succeeding, followed...

January 4, 2017

Present blighted, future uncertain

The heinous bloodbath at a swanky nightclub on the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul brought what had already been a terrible year for Turkey to an exceptionally brutal conclusion. It was a year peppered with terrorist attacks, but its centrepiece was arguably a coup attempt in July that apparently came close to succeeding, followed...

January 4, 2017

Turkey warns Syria talks at risk over truce violations

Turkey on Wednesday warned that planned Syrian peace talks co-sponsored by Russia were at risk, calling on the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad to halt violations of a ceasefire. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Iran, the main backer of Assad along with Russia, must put pressure on allied Shiite militias to abide by the...

January 4, 2017

Turkey extends its NATO mission in Afghanistan

Turkish Parliament approved a motion to extend Turkish armed forces troops' stay in Afghanistan as part of NATOs support mission, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. According to the report, Parliament on Tuesday empowered the government to continue Turkish troops' presence in Afghanistan for two more years under the NATO mission starting on January 6. A...

January 4, 2017

Russia to dominate world stage in 2017

Russia annexed Crimea in March2014 and commenced supporting pro-Russian rebels in the Ukrainian civil war. In its aftermath, the US and EU imposed sanctions. Thisinitially had its effect and Russia began to hurt, butVladimir Putin refused to back down. He continued with his actions, irrespective of western criticism. Russia was supporting the Syrian regime of...

January 2, 2017

Roast Turkey

It has been a hideous start to the New Year. Turkey, which has suffered a turbulent year, has been convulsed yet again as 2017 unfolded. The outrage at a nightclub in Istanbul was but a symptom of the times — a failed military coup, purges within the army, setbacks in foreign policy, and bouts of...

January 2, 2017

Turkey to press on with Syria operation despite Istanbul attack

Turkey will press on with its military operation in Syria despite the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub that was a "message" against the campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday. "This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield," he said, using the mission name of Turkey's campaign...

January 2, 2017

UN Security Council condemns terrorist attack in Istanbul

The UN Security Council on Sunday condemned the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey, during which at least 39 people were killed and 69 others were injured. The terrorist attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1.15 a.m. before entering and firing on people...

January 2, 2017

UN Security Council condemns terrorist attack in Istanbul

The UN Security Council on Sunday condemned the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Turkey, during which at least 39 people were killed and 69 others were injured. The terrorist attacker, armed with a long-barrelled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside the popular Reina club at around 1.15 a.m. before entering and firing on people...

January 2, 2017

Butchery in Turkey

Turkey and its beleaguered government have been convulsed again with Saturday night’s twin bomb attack outside a football stadium that has killed 38 people and injured at least 160. The fact that no group has as yet claimed responsibility serves to deepen suspicions that it was perpetrated by Kurdish separatists. On closer reflection, the government...

December 13, 2016