For quite a while now Turkey has been debating whether the “Presidential System” would be suitable for the country. Opinion leaders have expressed that PM Erdoğan has made it clear he would be in favor of such a system switch in the Turkish democracy whereas many believe this would make the number one politician of Turkey even more authoritarian. The members of the ruling party have already started to talk ...

Turkey has been going through some major political and legal changes recently during which the government in office has not refrained from taking the most radical steps on the way to resolving the long dealt with conflicts. It is indisputable that the AK Parti government has managed to get through many “mission impossible” challenges with success, some claim. Looking at the picture from one point of view th ...

It seems that the government is very determined to put an end to the terror issue which has cost tens of thousands of lives (of both Kurdish and Turkish origin) in Turkey during the few decades. In fact, the ruling AKP and the BDP often express they are committed to the ongoing process of finding a peaceful resolution to the issue. A peaceful solution has never been closer as some experts have stated and bo ...

Turkish PM’s bodyguard team being replaced to maintain security Five chiefs of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s security detail have been removed from their posts in an effort to avoid any security weakness, daily Hürriyet reported today. Four police commissioners were also appointed to different police departments as a part of the security operation. Four bodyguard teams in Ankara and one in Istanbul ...

Turkey and Israel share common interests and would benefit from resuming “a fruitful dialogue,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently during an interview with Jerusalem Post. “We both have a border with Syria, and I am sure we both want to see a stable and peaceful Syria,” Netanyahu told the Jerusalem Post. “That is a common interest. There are other common interests that come to mind. I t ...

Turkey strong enough to bring PKK's puppet masters into line, Erdoğan says Turkey is powerful enough to bring the "enemy countries" that hold the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) strings into line, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today. Erdoğan sent a written message to offer his condolences to the Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel in the wake of yesterday night's PKK attack on a mil ...

President Gül is expected to make a public statement to end the argument regarding a debate over the presidential elections, set to take place in 2014. Turkey’s head of state and head of government are seeking to leave a recent row over the future of the Turkish presidency behind them, with President Abdullah Gül expected to soon make a public statement to end the argument. Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayy ...

Turkey has a natural right to intervene in Syria if terrorist formations pose a threat in the area" Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday after groups affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) gained control of Syrian towns along Turkey’s border. "If there are formations that are being set up right now that results in a certain terrorist act, then it is ou most natural ...

Noting that there are 97 billion dollars in the Central Bank’s reserves, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, “We will have 100 billion dollars by the end of the year”. Prime Minister Erdoğan was speaking at an opening ceremony at the Iğdır Airport when he explained that when the AK Party came to power there was only 27 billion dollars in the Central Bank's reserves. Noting that that figure is now at ...

Prime Minister Erdoğan has drawn the line against S&P which unjustifiably dropped Turkey’s rating, by stating “If necessary, we will one-sidedly cancel our contract with the institution. The Prime Minister also delivered the good news of Turkey’s plans to establish its own rating institution. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has laid the stakes against credit rating institution Standard&Poor's (S ...

Top leaders accused of crimes against humanity for Uludere A lawmaker of the main oppostion Republican People’s Party (CHP) files a criminal complaint against the president, prime minister and the top commander over a botched air raid that resulted in 34 civilian deaths Main opposition deputy Mahmut Tanal has filed a criminal complaint against President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and ...

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Turkey can start discussing a possible switch to a presidential system while preparing its new constitution. “As you know we are now in the process of writing a new constitution. This can be discussed during this process. It may be discussed whether Turkey can adopt a presidential system or a semi-presidential system. If Parliament says in the end that the countr ...

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard arrived in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday in order to discuss the preparations for the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Canakkale Campaign in 2015. ANKARA- Gillard will be received by President Abdullah Gul and meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and will discuss preparations for the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Canakkale Campaign in ...

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 ...

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 ...

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced yesterday a new incentive scheme to prop up local and foreign investments in the country, while supporting underdeveloped regions. The new incentive system names almost the entire Southeast and East underdeveloped, offering eases for investors. The plan also aims to fight current account gap. Erdoğan said "The updated scheme is aimed at reducing dependen ...

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to pay a visit to neighboring Iran to discuss the results of an international nuclear security summit set to take place in South Korea in late March, which will focus on Iran's disputed nuclear enrichment program. Erdogan will meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran during the week following the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on March 26 ...

A new incentive package that is expected to substantially help reduce Turkey’s current account deficit (CAD) is to be presented to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his review of its content and coverage on Wednesday, Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan has said. Speaking at the International Investors Association’s (YASED) general congress meeting Tuesday in İstanbul, Çağlayan said the package will be an ...

PM Erdoğan breaks his health-imposed silence yesterday, denying there is a crisis within the state and hailing ‘harmony’ among institutions Delegates of the AK Party’s Istanbul youth organization listen to PM Erdoğan addressing them live through teleconference. AA PhotoTurkey’s top institutions are not in a crisis but are instead working together in harmony, the prime minister said yesterday in his first co ...

Emine Erdoğan, wife of Prime Minister Erdoğan who had a second operation over the weekend, says he is ‘better than ever,’ while the Prime Ministry says Erdoğan will be back in action later this week Emine Erdoğan said the prime minister is ‘better than ever’ following a second surgery on his digestive system. Hürriyet photoPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to return to work in Ankara later thi ...

Prime Minister Mr. Erdoğan has made a very interesting remark recently saying "Government's goal was to raise religious generations". This certainly drew much criticism from many opinion leaders as well as journalists who say in a democracy it is not within the responsibilities of the authority of a government to interfere in the religious affairs of a generation. Hasan Cemal, one of the most prominent jour ...

Turkey is ashamed of the verdict announced by the court which has sentenced one of the suspects to aggravated life imprisonment for “instigating” Hrant Dink’s (Turkish journalist of Armenian origin) murder. Another suspect was not sentenced in the case, however he was charged with ten years and six months in “the Mc Donald’s explosion” case. The court also ruled that all suspects in the case be exonerated f ...

Mehmet Ali Birand, the Turkish journalist had an interview with Mr. Tayyip Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of Turkey. Birand forwarded some interesting and important questions details of which you can read below. Editor, BTT INTERVIEW WITH PM ERDOĞAN Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan: I don’t have cancer MEHMET ALİ BİRAND Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. DHA photoI am sure you too were curious about th ...