Latest News from Turkey
Chancellor Merkel: We won’t leave Greece alone to cope with refugee crisis
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday that the EU cannot allow Greece to plunge into “chaos” by shutting European borders to refugees.
Heavy fog halts maritime traffic in Istanbul
Heavy fog blanketed Istanbul on Feb. 29 affecting transportation in the metropolis, including the cancelations of most ferry lines as well as disruptions in air traffic.
Many city ferry lines were canceled due to the fog, which began to show its effects early in the morning.
However, ferry lines bound for the Prince Islands and the Golden Horn continued without disruption.
Bulgarian MPs to Dissolve Ad Hoc Committee on Alleged Russian, Turkish Interference
The Bulgarian parliament is expected to dissolve the recently established ad hoc committee of inquiry on allegations of Russian and Turkish interference in the internal affairs of Bulgaria.
This was stated by high-level sources within the main ruling party GERB for Standart daily.
Merkel calls Davuto?lu ahead of EU summit to discuss Syria, illegal migration
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu spoke Feb. 28 to discuss the current state of cooperation between Berlin and Ankara, as well as Brussels and Ankara, amid increasing rancor from European countries trying to cope with an influx of refugees.
Turkey extends condolences to Russia over deadly coal mine accident
Ankara has extended condolences to Russia over a deadly coal mine accident which killed dozens of people in Russia's far north over the weekend.
Turkish government seeks to mend ties with Israel, Egypt
A nine-hour-long Turkish cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an on Feb. 22 focused on foreign policy, with the future of Ankara's bilateral relations Israel and Egypt as well as its position regarding the Syrian conflict reviewed in a bid to update its roadmap on these thorny issues.
Stews & stories
Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey was recently added to the UNESCO World Creative Cities Network in the category of gastronomy. This is a city with a deep history of cuisine with countless stories and legends attached to its numerous dishes. Here is one, and more:
NATO's Aegean deal only half the battle, as Turkey, Greece set for thorny talks
Despite the promising tone of messages sent last week from NATO leaders in Brussels, the bulk of negotiations in overcoming territorial sensitivities between Greece and Turkey on how their ships will help counter the criminal networks smuggling refugees into Europe across the Aegean Sea still lies ahead, with essential questions to be solved according to Turkish officials.
Construction again the hope of the economy in 2016
Turkey's growth rate for last year will be disclosed at the end of March by the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜ?K).
Turkey's data protection draft law open to abuse: Expert
The government's new draft personal data protection law is highly problematic and open to abuse, according to Ak?n Ünver, an assistant professor at Kadir Has University and an executive and supervisory board member of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM).
Erdo?an's fury at the Constitutional Court and the Ankara beltway
Turkish President Tayyip Erdo?an reacted harshly against the release of two journalists, Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, on Feb. 28.
The narrowing scope for democratic politics in Turkey
The scope for democratic politics has always been limited in Turkey, but apart from during military coup eras it has never been as narrow as it is today.
Not all urban issues can be solved with money
In many countries urban administrators prioritize transportation, housing and the fight against crime. As a matter of fact, a person might die of unhappiness, even in a city without any traffic. When you are unable to provide social development, how many roads, bridges and metros you have built is vain. Can you ever mention "growth" in a city where social and cultural tension is everywhere?
The Caucasus: The next battleground for Russia and Turkey?
Russia's deployment last week of a new fleet of MIG-29 fighter jets and MI-8MT helicopters to the Erebuni Airbase in Armenia has raised concerns about Moscow's growing military presence in the region. This could have far-reaching consequences, beyond the strategic encirclement of Turkey, for the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as broader regional security and stability.
The right to disagree
Turkey's almighty president declared that he would neither accept nor respect the Constitutional Court's verdict which paved the way for the "controlled release" (pending trial) of daily Cumhuriyet editor-in-chief Can Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül last week by a lower court, ending their 92-day imprisonment.