Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Hopes for special talks on Cyprus between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a multiparty summit on the issue of the divided Mediterranean island scheduled to take place in Geneva on January 12 are being frustrated by the apparent reluctance of Turkish authorities to have bilateral talks with Greece about Cyprus and some difference of opinion on ce

Turkish-Russian relations are back to "normal" after the downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015, Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov said on Dec. 16.

Speaking in a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan late Dec 15, U.S. President Barack Obama praised the role Turkey played in brokering a truce deal in Aleppo that paved the way for the evacuation of thousands of civilians from the besieged city. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 16 that he had agreed with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan to hold peace talks on Syria in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.

Speaking at a news conference during a visit to Japan, Putin also said Russia would now be pursuing talks on a "nationwide" ceasefire in Syria.

Germany's ambassador to Turkey, Martin Erdmann, expressed his sorrow to Ayşenur Bahçekapılı, the deputy parliament speaker of the Turkish parliament, for the mistreatment she received by German police at Cologne airport, which fueled a diplomatic tension between the two countries.
 
Erdmann paid a courtesy visit to Bahçekapılı on Dec. 15 in parliament.
 

On Nov. 24, 2015, two Turkish F-16 fighter jets won the title of shooting down, from NATO's side, the first ever Soviet-Russian military warplane since the end of World War II, saying it violated Turkish airspace along the country's border with Syria. The Russian pilot of the fighter jet was killed.

Seven academics from Yıldız Technical University were arrested on Dec. 15 over alleged links to the U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of masterminding the failed July 15 coup in Turkey, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Dec. 15 accused Turkey of "silencing" independent media after the failed July 15 coup attempt.

In a report, the U.S.-based rights watchdog said Turkey's assault on critical journalism began several years ago and had steadily sharpened since 2014, accelerating further since the attempted takeover.

Human Rights Watch accused Turkey of suppressing free media in a bid to stem scrutiny of its widespread crackdown following the failed July coup.

Turkish top civilian and security officials came together Dec. 15 under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to review measures against potential terror incidents following twin suicide attacks in Istanbul over the weekend.

It also followed Erdoğan's statement that a national mobilization against terror should be launched.