Lieberman dismissed a rift between the Jewish state and Washington over how to deal with Iran's nuclear programme, saying America is Israel's "best friend." Israel will not attend a conference on the creation of a nuclear-free Middle East scheduled to take place in Finland, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday. "This announcement was made on Wednesday in Vienna during a meeting of the International ...

A Turkish diplomatic official, speaking to Today's Zaman on condition of anonymity, has dismissed a report in the Turkish media that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director David Petraeus's visit to Turkey aims to mend ties between former allies Turkey and Israel, adding that mediation is not necessary.The Radikal daily reported on Thursday that the main goal of Petraeus's one-day surprise visit to Turke ...

The United Kingdom is stepping forward as a mediating force between Israel and Turkey, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. The reason behind the recent move is reportedly Turkey and Israel’s shared interests in Syria. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron is now acting as a third party between the leaders of the two powers in an attempt to find common ground between the former allies. Cameron reportedly att ...

Ankara has dismissed Israeli officials’ recent statements that Tel Aviv is ready to solve any outstanding disputes with Turkey but will not apologize for the deadly 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, according to Turkish officials. Turkey regards Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s latest remarks, as well as Israeli politicians’ similar statements delivered in the past, to be a tactical move attempting to avo ...

The large economies of the world are failing to help the poor countries, according to Turkish PM Erdoğan. The rapporteurs sent to undeveloped countries earn a lot but do not provide enough aid or assistance, he says The world’s developed countries are not doing enough to help poorer nations, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in his opening speech at a WEF meeting on the Middle East, North Afr ...

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 ...

EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said yesterday that the developing Turkey would rescue Europe as an EU member. Speaking in a session entitled "Turkey in the 21st century" as part of "Europe's Digital Life Design Conference" in Munich, Bagis said, "We are more determined than ever to become a member of the EU. My new slogan is ‘hold on tight Europe, Turkey is coming to rescue you'." Stating tha ...

Turkey will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) to be held in Davos after a break of three years, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan requested one minute from a moderator to finish his speech before his dramatic Jan. 29 walkout in Davos in protest of Israel's Gaza policies. EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis yesterday said on his flight from Montenegro to Lithuania that he would attend th ...

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Iran was ready to resume talks on its nuclear program today. "Iranian officials agreed to resume talks on nuclear program," Davutoğlu said in a press conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba in Ankara. Turkey hosted the last round of talks on Iran's nuclear  program last January, Davutoğlu said, and added that the process had been pursued only by ...

Although not known to many people, Turkish diplomats on duty around Europe saved hundreds of Jews during World War II by giving them Turkish passports, enabling them to travel to safety in Turkey. This little known episode is told in an independent documentary entitled "Turkish Passport", being promoted as finally revealing "a secret kept for 66 years". The film recounts memories known mainly to 19 diplomat ...

Iran will target NATO's missile defense installations in Turkey if the U.S. or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards' aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase in threats from the U.S. and Israel. Tensions have been r ...

Ankara could be forced to launch a cross-border operation against Syria if Damascus were to allow the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to attack Turkey from its territory, President Abdullah Gül has said during a state visit to Britain. “I don’t think the Syrian government would make that kind of mistake” in allowing the PKK to conduct attacks from the Arab republic’s territory, Gül told the daily Gu ...

An international group of pro-Palestinian activists has set sail from Turkey aboard two boats aiming to run an Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, organisers said on Wednesday.     The 27 activists on board the vessels are drawn from Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States, and included Palestinians. "The Canadian ship Tahrir and Irish ship Saoirse have successfully reached international waters, initia ...

On Sept. 23, Turkey dispatched its only research vessel, the Piri Reis, to the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey will send another vessel for gas and oil exploration off Cyprus tomorrow, the energy minister said today amid escalating tension over prospecting off the divided island. It will set sail from Turkey's southern Antalya port for the Mediterranean Monday morning, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız told the An ...

The conflict between Palestine and Israel has been on the agenda of the whole world for a long long time. Indeed there have been several wars in the region between the Jewish State and Arabs, to end with the victory of Israel. Turkey on the other hand has been facing terrorism for the last few decades that has cost the country tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billlion dollars. Neither of said conf ...

Turkey has been trying to play a significant role right at the center of incidents and political developments in the Mediterranen for a while.  It can be said that Turkey is also doing this at the cost of facing several threats to include direct confrontation with Israel and even Russia. The administration has been receiving much criticism from opposition in this regard although this does not seem to have m ...

Turkey does not need United States' mediation to solve a long-lasting crisis with Israel over a deadly 2010 flotilla raid, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Saturday. "We do not need mediation ... for Israel in any way," Davutoglu said during a televised press conference in the central province of Konya when asked to comment on the possibility of the US helping to resolve their differences. "The ...

Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip violates international law, a panel of human rights experts reporting to a UN body said on Tuesday, disputing a conclusion reached by a separate UN probe into Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship. The so-called Palmer Report on the Israeli raid of May 2010 that killed nine Turkish activists said earlier this month that Israel had used unreasonable force in last ye ...

An early warning radar that Turkey is planning to host as part of NATO’s missile defense system, will be deployed at a military base near Malatya in eastern Turkey, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday Tehran has criticized Ankara’s decision to participate, saying it would create tension and lead to 'complicated consequences.'Turkey and the United States have concluded a deal to station an early warning rada ...

PM Erdoğan begins a regional trip today, starting from Egypt. Israel feels more isolated after it is forced to pull its diplomats from Cairo Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will begin a four-day trip to North Africa on Monday amid his country’s game of diplomatic hardball with Israel that has made the Turkish leader immensely popular across the Arab world. The visits to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, countri ...

Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lieberman is considering collaborating with the PKK and Armenians in response to Turkey’s sanctions issued against Israel. Allegations have surfaced that Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman has decided to cooperate with the PKK and Armenians in a form of retaliation against Ankara's sanctions. An article in Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper entitled, 'Is ...

Turkey and Israel two partner countries in the Middle East for ages, have been going some real tough times for quite a while, and especially after Mavi Marmara raid undertaken by Israeli soldiers and cost the lives of several Turks on board. The crisis have climbed so badly that Turkey and Israel are just about to confront in the Mediterranean some experts think. On the other hand however, both countries ar ...

Turkey will see no damage from the suspension of its defense deals with Israel and it will rely on its own resources, Science, Industry and Technology Minister Nihat Ergun said yesterday. Turkey will continue to decry Israel’s failure to apologize for its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship last year, minister Ergun said yesterday, calling the raid a “piracy.” The recent suspension of defense industry cont ...