Turkish version of Mavi Marmara report is released and tension likely to continue. U.S. ambassador to Turkey Francis Riccardione’s statements on Oda.Tv arrests were not welcome by the ruling government. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and his counterpart Irsen Kucuk of Northern Cyprus shake hands prior to a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, … Read more
photo source here. WikiLeaks cables: Turkey let US use airbase for rendition flights from World news: Turkey | guardian.co.uk by Mark Tran Turkey allowed use of Incirlik airbase as refuelling stop, US embassy cable reveals, after Turkish denials of involvement Turkey allowed the US to use its airbase at Incirlik in southern Turkey as part … Read more
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) shakes hands with European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton before their meeting in Istanbul January 13, 2011. Ashton is in Istanbul to meet with Turkish officials ahead of next week’s talks between Iran and major powers on the former’s nuclear programme.? Read more »REUTERS/Murad Sezer Real actors take … Read more
Interview with Dr. Armagan Emre Cakir on Turkey-EU Relations from Changing Turkey in a Changing World by Changing Turkey Dr Armağan Emre Çakır is assistant professor at the European Union Institute of Marmara University, Istanbul. He is the chairperson of the Department of Politics and International Relations of the European Union. His research focuses on … Read more
Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gaby Levy (C), pictured in June 2010. Turkey summoned the Israeli envoy to convey its unease over a deal between the Jewish state and Cyprus over economic rights in the Mediterranean, officials and media reports said on Sunday.? Read more »(AFP/File/Bulent Kilic) Obama says US-Turkish ties ‘more important than ever’ – … Read more
not much but a good sign for the moment… Israel Fire Leads to Calls for Help From Abroad from NYT > Turkey by By ETHAN BRONNER Israel is in the uncomfortable position of having to ask for foreign assistance to put out a forest fire that has already left 41 dead. Above the Fray: Why … Read more
Turkey?s judiciary: how much sense does the European Commission make? from istanbul notes There were few surprises in the European Commission?s 2010 progress report for Turkey, which was published on November 9th. On the issue that has most divided Turkey over the past year?the effect of September?s constitutional reforms on the judiciary?the Commission?s report formalises … Read more
[link only works with subscription though]: Turkey’s challenge to Old Europe from FT.com – World, Europe Ankara no longer sees why it should accept the role of supplicant or cipher. Logic says that Europe has everything to gain and nothing to lose from Turkey’s embrace of modernity, writes Philip Stephens Bagis: the Turkish negotiator is … Read more
Turkey sets five priorities for Council of Europe from Hurriyet Dailynews As Turkey takes the reins of one of Europe?s top institutions, the Council of Europe, for a six-month term, representatives outline five main focus areas for their work: reform, reducing workloads, fighting discrimination, empowering institutions and facilitating the EU?s decision to join the European … Read more
EU progress report criticizes pressure on Turkish press from Hurriyet Dailynews Even though there is increasing open and free debate over sensitive issues such as minority rights, press freedom is still a problem in Turkey, according to an advance copy of the European Commission?s annual report about the country. Other areas of concern in the … Read more
Kölner Express Headline “We are all little bit from Turkey” from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M “The appearance and dispersion of the first farmers in Europe has been the subject of heated debate among anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguists for over a century. While each discipline focused on different aspects of this grand topic, the central point … Read more
JOOST LAGENDIJK – Cypriot shrewdness and European shortsightedness They again managed to manipulate European decision making. As on many previous occasions, Greek Cypriot representatives were able to decisively influence the opinion of a European Union institution on a Cyprus-related issue. Last week the European Parliament (EP) was scene to yet another successful attempt to hijack … Read more
Today, White House denied that President Obama warned/gave an ultimatom to PM Erdoğan for Turkey’s foreign policy choices. But it is apparent that US does not like the new tendencies even if Obama does not explicitly castigates Erdoğan.. In the mean time, The Mavi Marmara inquiry continues slowly while Israel approaches needy Greece to start … Read more
Political Lobby or Hate speech? (Caution: Serious zone!) There was a sensational polemic, especially in Turkey, when Greek Cypriot people lobbied against Jennifer Lopez?s planned concert in Northern Cyprus where ?pre-dominantly? Turkish people reside. Why? Because they are Turkish and they* don?t show any ?reasonable? reason! A month or less ago, when Jennifer Lopez was … Read more
Brazil, Turkey, Iranian officials meet from Yahoo news ISTANBUL, Turkey, July 25 (UPI) — Foreign ministers from Iran, Brazil and Turkey met in Istanbul in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, officials said. Iran – Turkey – ISTANBUL – Middle East – Nuclear program of Iran Turkey, Brazil urge Iran to … Read more