Latest News from Turkey
Turkey dismisses Russia's charges over breaking aviation treaty
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has dismissed accusations from the Russian Defense Ministry, which accused Ankara of breaching the Open Skies Treaty by refusing to allow a reconnaissance plane to fly over Turkish territory near Syria.
Statkraft suspends Turkey hydropower project over security worries
Statkraft, Europe's largest producer of hydropower, is suspending the development of a hydropower project in Turkey due to security concerns, the utility said on Feb. 4.
The proposed 517-megawatt (MW) Cetin power plant on Botan River, a tributary of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey, was to be Statkraft's largest hydropower plant outside Norway.
EBRD plans 900-million-euro package for Turkey, Jordan
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) President Sir Suma Chakrabarti has announced plans for a financing package worth 900 million euros for Turkey and Jordan, two of the EBRD countries which have been most seriously affected by the exodus of Syrians escaping from the violence in their home country.
Top court reverses judgement in Gezi victim case
Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals has reversed the judgement of a local court in the case of Gezi victim Ali ?smail Korkmaz, who was beaten to death during the Gezi Park demonstrations in 2013.
Gülen's lawyers want US suit backed by Turkey tossed
Attorneys for U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen asked a U.S. federal judge late Feb. 3 to dismiss a Turkish government-backed lawsuit which claims he orchestrated human rights abuses in his native Turkey, the Associated Press has reported.
Walls and watchtowers rise as Turkey tries to seal border against ISIL
Slabs of concrete wall have sprung up and military patrols have intensified, but local people say this stretch of Turkey's border facing Syrian territory under Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) control is still far from water-tight.
US drone strike kills top Qaeda chief in south Yemen: Family
An air strike believed to have been carried out by a US drone in south Yemen on Feb. 4 killed a prominent chief of Al-Qaeda's branch in the war-torn country, a family member said.
Turkey to send back envoy to Vatican after 'rewording' on 1915 incidents
Turkey has announced a decision to return its ambassador to the Vatican, Mehmet Paçac?, nearly 10 months after withdrawing him in protest at Pope Francis' description of the killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I as "the first genocide of the 20th century."
Bulgaria to Contribute EUR 5.9 M to EU Grant for Refugees in Turkey
Bulgaria will contribute EUR 5.9 M to the EU package of EUR 3 B due to be disbursed to Turkey as part of its commitment to keep migrants from entering Europe.
This comes after EU governments agreed on Wednesday evening on the mechanism to provide the funding.
Turkey to impose visas for Russian journalists
Ongoing tension between Turkey and Russia will soon be reflected in the sphere of journalism, as Ankara will begin imposing visas for Russian journalists starting from Feb. 15, the Hürriyet Daily News has learned from diplomatic sources.
Turkey may double trade with EU with new customs deal: Minister
The mutual trade between the European Union and Turkey may double to $300 billion thanks to coming updates to the Customs Union deal, Turkey's EU Minister and the chief negotiator with the bloc has said.
"We have a Customs Union relation [with the EU]," Minister Volkan Bozk?r told journalists on the sidelines of official meetings in Paris on Feb. 3.
When will the AKP provide the stability it promised?
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November promising stability for Turkey. So far there is not even a semblance of that stability, as tensions rise domestically and Turkey's foreign relations are beset with serious problems.
Constitutional guarantees more important than presidential system
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an told us "Turkey should freely debate the new constitution."
And then he told the world "Oppressive regimes do not only threaten our region but the whole world."
He voiced the first sentence many times to us in Turkey.
He voiced the second sentence while addressing the world the other day in Chile at a United Nations conference.
All we need is money in the Cyprus love song
Ever since I started covering the Cyprus issue in 1990, I have heard two main things from Turkish officials, whom I considered to have the most rational and realistic approaches:
1 - The parameters of the solution are known to both sides, there's no need to discover America over and over again. What is needed is for the actors to take the bitter pill and go that last extra mile.
The Boys are Dead: The Roboski massacre and Turkey's Kurdish question
'The Boys are Dead: The Roboski Massacre and the Kurdish Question in Turkey' by Frederike Geerdink (Gomidas Institute, $22, 196 pages)