Efforts to fight terrorism and extremists in Syria cannot succeed without a political solution supported by its people, the UN Secretary-General said on Saturday. António Guterres met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an during his very first bilateral visit since assuming his position in January. Turkey is the first leg of a trip that will … Read more
Fadime Günay, who gave birth to a baby boy late on Sunday, was detained by police on Monday, the T24 news website reported. A group of police officers waited outside Antalya’s Alanya Başkent Hospital in order to detain Günay, whose husband was recently taken into custody over alleged links to the Gülen movement, said a … Read more
Turkey and Britain discussed steps towards defense industry cooperation on Saturday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said after a meeting with visiting UK Prime Minister Theresa May. In a statement to reporters, Erdogan said he hoped to boost annual trade with Britain to $20 billion from $15.6 billion now. Erdogan also said an important step between … Read more
Turkey has reacted with anger after a Greek court ruled against extraditing eight Turkish soldiers accused of involvement in an attempted coup. Turkey accused Greece of failing in the “fight against terrorism” and said the decision was “politically motivated”. The eight men fled in a helicopter to Greece after last July’s coup attempt but say … Read more
The soldiers say they would not receive a fair trial in Turkey Greece’s Supreme Court has ruled against extraditing eight Turkish soldiers whom the Turkish government accuses of being involved in last July’s attempted coup. The eight men fled in a helicopter to Greece after the coup attempt but say they were not involved. Turkey … Read more
Greece’s Supreme Court has ruled against extraditing eight Turkish soldiers whom the Turkish government accuses of being involved in last July’s attempted coup. The eight men fled in a helicopter to Greece after the coup attempt but say they were not involved. Turkey has demanded they return to stand trial. The soldiers say their lives … Read more
Turkey’s parliament has approved a new draft constitution paving the way for a presidential system of government. The reforms – which would significantly increase the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – received the required three-fifth majority in the assembly. The bill will be put to a referendum, probably in April, and will become law … Read more
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he believed Turkey’s dialogue with the United States will gain pace after President-elect Donald Trump takes office and they will reach a consensus on regional issues. “I believe we will accelerate dialogue when Mr Trump takes office. I believe we will reach a consensus with Mr Trump, particularly on … Read more
A woman walks under snow-covered trees during a snowfall in Istanbul, Turkey Turkey may hold a referendum in the first week of April on a new constitution which would create an executive presidential system, handing incumbent President Tayyip Erdogan greater powers, Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Monday. Parliament’s general assembly is due to … Read more
The Turkish government immediately blamed Erdoğan’s former ally-turned-rival Fethullah Gülen for being behind the plot, the genesis of which remains unclear, but the simple fact is that none of the material Turkish officials have given to their US counterparts has yet risen to the standard of proof — let alone credible evidence — to support … Read more
Ş.A., a former private school teacher and mother of a week-old premature infant, was taken into police custody over links to the faith-based Gülen movement, while she was on her way to the hospital to feed the baby. As part of an investigation carried out by Aksaray Public Prosecutor Ayhan Demir, Ş.A. was detained by … Read more
So-called Islamic State says it was behind the new year attack on a Turkish nightclub that killed 39 people. The group said in a statement it was carried out by “a heroic soldier”. At least 600 revellers were celebrating in the early hours of Sunday at Istanbul’s Reina nightclub when the gunman began firing indiscriminately. … Read more
Twenty-nine police officers have gone on trial in a Turkish prison accused of trying to overthrow the government in the failed July coup. It is the first trial of alleged plotters to take place in Istanbul since the abortive coup. Turkey has arrested some 40,000 people and sacked even more after parts of the army … Read more
The boss of a cafeteria at a Turkish opposition newspaper has been detained after saying he would refuse to serve tea to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Senol Buran, cafeteria head at Cumhuriyet, was remanded accused of insulting the president. He denies the refusal was an insult, his lawyer said. Turkey has cracked down on dissent … Read more
Turkey is investigating 10,000 people on suspicion of using social media to support terrorism, its interior ministry has said. They are accused of insulting government officials online, or what the ministry called “terror-related activity” on the internet. The ministry said the fight against terrorism was being carried out “with determination” on social media. The authorities … Read more
Fethullah Gülen, a renowned Turkish Islamic scholar, preacher and social advocate, has condemned the assassination of Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, in Ankara. The gunman – an off-duty policeman – opened fire at an art gallery in Ankara as Andrei Karlov was making a speech, then stood triumphantly over his body shouting “revenge for … Read more
Russia’s intelligence services are to develop extra security measures for its embassies following the killing of its ambassador to Turkey. Andrei Karlov was shot dead as he gave a speech on Monday in Ankara. The gunman, Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, an Ankara policeman, was apparently protesting at Russia’s involvement in Syria’s Aleppo. He was later … Read more
Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said, who was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting “Don’t forget Aleppo” and “Allahu Akbar”. The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday the attacker’s mother, father, sister … Read more
No doubt that Turkey’s Schindler’s List today involves members of the Gülen movement who have done nothing wrong other than volunteering their time, money and expertise to improve the lives of people around themselves with a special focus on science education, eradication of poverty and reconciliation efforts. They are viciously being demonized and vilified by … Read more
Turkey’s ruling AK Party on Saturday submitted to parliament a package of constitutional reform proposals that would expand the president’s powers, party officials said, in a move that could potentially see President Tayyip Erdogan rule until 2029. Erdogan and his supporters have long argued that the country needs the strong leadership of an executive presidency, … Read more