Turkey's prime minister said on Thursday that his visit to Qatar would contribute to bilateral relations with that country. Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he believed his visit to Qatar would also contribute to political change and transformation process in the region. "Turkey and Qatar are exerting concerted efforts to contribute to regional and global peace, security and stability in parallel to i ...

Turkish businesswoman appointed to UN's highest-level advisory body UN Secretary-General Ban has appointed 14 new members to the Global Compact Board, the UN's highest-level advisory body involving business, civil society, labour and employers organizations, a statement by UN Global Compact said. Sabanci Holding executive board chairperson Sabanci is among these new members. The statement said, "the new app ...

Turkey blocks the participation of Israel in a NATO summit in May despite calls from NATO allies including the US. ‘There will be no Israeli presence unless they issue a formal apology’ for Mavi Marmara attack, says an official Turkey has blocked the participation of Israel in a key NATO summit that will take place in Chicago on May 20 and 21, despite calls from influential allies including the United State ...

As Ankara pushes Moscow to press on Damascus to adhere to the tenuous cease-fire, Khartoum solicits Turkey’s help on its recently erupt crisis. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has asked Russia to put more pressure on Syria to implement the cease-fire that was to have gone into effect April 12 in accordance with a plan by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. Davutoğlu met with Russian Foreign Ministe ...

The meeting of Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan today, April 19, might hold key importance regarding the future of the Kurdish problem as a problem involving not only those two countries, but Iran and Syria as well. Barzani is on his way back from the United States where he had a series of talks, topped by one with U.S. Pres ...

Turkey lacks staff and fund for regional role Turkey may have significantly boosted its profile in the Middle East over the past decade, but it still has a gap to close between its expectations and capabilities to become a ‘regional power,’ a recent study says Over the past decade Turkey may have significantly boosted its profile in the Middle East, but it still has a large gap to close between its expectat ...

Gülen charter schools in US lawmakers' crosshairs The U.S. state of Tennessee has passed a new law limiting the number of foreign teachers at charter schools in an apparent reaction to educational institutions owned by Turkish religious leader Fethullah Gülen, daily Milliyet reported today. A nongovernmental organization called for the law after one of its members, Phyllis Schlafly, wrote an article drawing ...

Should the Cyprus issue fail to be resolved by July 1st, the day the Greek Cypriots take over the EU term presidency, Ankara’s Plan B may go into effect. The plan includes changing the name of northern Cyprus into the Turkish Republic of Cyprus and international recognition.If a solution is not reached on the Cyprus issue by the July 1st deadline, which corresponds to the day the Greek Cypriots take over th ...

President Abdullah Gul will pay an official visit to the Netherlands on April 16-19 on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As part of Gul's visit, a delegation of approximately 100 persons from private sector to be chaired by Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) and Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) Chairman Rifat Hi ...

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu returned from China to Ankara yesterday, hours before UN-brokered ceasefire is expected to take effect. Davutoglu was firstly briefed by Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay on the contacts held by UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan in Turkey's southeastern province of Hatay. Afterwards, Davutoglu conducted a coordination meeting on Syria which was held at Turkish Foreig ...

Qualifying the recent fire by Assad’s troops on Syrian refugees trying to cross into Turkey as a "Clear violation of the border", Prime Minister Erdoğan responded to the question of whether a buffer zone will be established by stating, “We don’t want to consider it and Syria should not force us to.” Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on the recent firing at refugees along the Syrian border, by stating, "Th ...

The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS), which was established in 2009 with the overarching aim of promoting cooperation among Turkic speaking states, has sought more concrete steps to strengthen collaboration and solidarity between Turkic states. The CCTS was established as result of the Nakhchivan Agreement, which was signed between Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in Azerbai ...

Ankara increased diplomatic pressure on U.N. Security Council members, urging for further action against Syria as the crisis becomes a “border security issue” for Turkey. Syrian forces fired shots across the Turkish border into a refugee camp April 9, wounding six people in the first case of Syrian bullets crossing into Turkish territory since the crisis began. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu skipped the S ...

Turkey steps up its rhetoric against the Syran regime as the clashes spill over Turkey’s border for the first time ahead of today’s truce deadline. Ankara warns of dire consequences for any repeat of such violence.. The Turkish Foreign Ministry yesterday delivered a stern warning to the top Syrian diplomat in Ankara, pressing for an immediate halt to shooting at the border. A senior official also said U.N.- ...

In recognition of Turkey's growing diplomatic and economic clout in global affairs, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei paid a four-day visit to Turkey accompanied by a high-level delegation in an effort to further improve bilateral ties, especially in economic relations. In Turkey at the invitation of President Abdullah Gul, Bolkiah met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Istanbul on Saturda ...

Turkey's Prime Minister discussed the Syrian crisis with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing today after an unprecedented stopover in the Asian nation's ethnically-tense Xinjiang region. Ankara has in the past heavily criticised Beijing's actions in Xinjiang -- home to mainly Muslim Uighurs who complain of repression under Chinese rule -- but the two nations have nevertheless forged closer ties in recent yea ...

Tension escalated on Monday between Turkey and Syria after shots from the Syrian side into Turkey injured three people, angering Ankara a day before a visit by international envoy Kofi Annan. Two Syrians and a Turkish translator were wounded near a refugee camp in southeastern province of Kilis along the Syrian border, diplomatic sources told AFP. The incident marked the first time Syrian fire from across t ...

Turkey's prime minister says the country will wait "patiently" to see if Syria abides by a cease-fire deadline, but may take certain "steps" if the violence does not stop after that. Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not specify today what measures Turkey would take, but Ankara has in the past floated the idea of creating a buffer zone inside Syria if refugee flows become overwhelming. Officials say nearly 700 Syria ...

Istanbul to host Iran nuke talks: Press TVReuters Istanbul has been confirmed as the host city for nuclear talks between Iran and world powers. Iran's Press TV confirmed that Istanbul would host the talks. Turkey was still ready to host nuclear talks between Iran and Western countries, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had told Iran’s chief negotiator in a phone conversation late April 5. Tensions b ...

Erdoğan's first stop in China will be to Xinjiang, the autonomous province with a high population of Uyghur Turks. Later, the prime minister heads to Beijing followed by Shanghai where he will be signing three agreements on funds, nuclear energy and coal. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan heads to China tomorrow in order to develop further momentum in bilateral relations. Sources from the Prime Ministry q ...

More than 2,800 Syrians fled across the border to Turkey from the region of Idlib today, a Turkish official said, more than double the highest previous one-day total. The refugees all crossed close to the Turkish village of Bükülmez and more were waiting on the other side of the border, the official said. Forty-four minibuses ferried the arrivals from the border to a refugee camp at Reyhanli. "The army is d ...

Crucial nuclear talks due to take place next week between Iran and world powers have run into disagreement over the host city, with Tehran on Wednesday saying it no longer wants Istanbul as the venue. Instead, according to Iraq's foreign ministry, Iran has formally requested Baghdad hold the April 13-14 negotiations. That contradicts a declaration by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last weekend that t ...

Turkey officially called on the European Union to issue visa-free travel rights to Turkish citizens, in line with a number of European courts’ verdicts and bilateral agreements between Turkey and the EU. EU Minister Egemen Bağış has sent letters to Stefan Füle, the EU’s commissioner responsible for enlargement, Cecilia Malström, the EU’s commissioner responsible for internal affairs, Martin Schulz, the head ...