In this March 5, 2017 file-pool photo, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks in Istanbul. On a mission to rehabilitate its image, Turkey is instead inching closer to being an outcast among Western nations that seem to understand their NATO ally less and less each day.

Germany’s foreign minister says he hopes a meeting with his Turkish counterpart will help bring relations between the two countries back to normal after tempers flared in the past week. Diplomatic relations have taken a dive since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany of “Nazi practices” after several German municipalities canceled events where Turkish government ministers were to address rallies in support of a national referendum that would give Erdogan more powers.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s visit to Turkey was greeted with some fanfare, as it occurred just two days after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and was the CIA director’s first official foreign visit. While the White House readout of the Trump-Erdogan call was vague, Turkish official sources claimed that Trump and Erdogan had agreed on joint action in the campaigns against IS in Raqqa and al-Bab.

News selected on topics and regions – oil and gas, business, politics, IT, the South Caucasus, the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia Ranking of the Azerbaijani banking sector The Turkish Supreme Board of Election has announced that a constitutional referendum will be held on April 16, Reuters reported. The referendum will propose an 18-article amendment to the Turkish Constitution that has been long sought by the ruling Justice and Development Party and its founder, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish officials say U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo will visit Turkey on Thursday to discuss security issues, including Turkey’s fight against a movement led by a U.S.-based cleric accused of orchestrating the failed military coup. According to officials from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office who cannot be named because of government regulations, the visit was decided during a 45-minute telephone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Erdogan late on Tuesday, The officials said Pompeo would also discuss the issue of Syrian Kurdish fighters which Ankara considers to be terrorists because of their affiliation with outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey.

As the British PM touched down in Ankara this morning, Downing Street made a surprise announcement that the UK and Turkey have agreed terms on what could eventually become a groundbreaking deal. The two countries have agreed to set up a new joint working group to carry out the groundwork for a trade deal when the UK eventually leaves the EU .

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has started campaigning for constitutional reforms that would greatly expand the powers of his office. Speaking in Istanbul on Saturday, he hailed the assembly’s early-morning decision and said “God willing the people will give the true decision, the final decision” that he says would catapult Turkey to a stronger position.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has started campaigning for constitutional reforms that would greatly expand the powers of his office, hours after a vote in parliament cleared the way for a national referendum on the issue. Speaking in Istanbul on Saturday, he hailed the assembly’s early-morning decision and said “God willing the people will give the true decision, the final decision” that he says would catapult Turkey to a stronger position.

Turkey moved closer to adopting a new constitutional bill extending President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers that supporters welcome as a guarantor of stability at a time of turmoil and opponents see as a step towards an authoritarian state. Parliament ratified the first seven of 18 articles in a second round of voting, putting the assembly on track to approve the package as a whole by Friday night.

The government-supported constitutional amendments will be presented to the public “despite opposition efforts to delay the process,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed, claiming that the main opposition Republican People’s Party “guards the status quo” by protesting against the draft during parliamentary debates. “Blocking or prolonging the work of parliament does nothing.

There is no difference between an armed terrorist and a terrorist holding dollars, euros and interest, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Jan. 12, describing the goal of the latter to take over the country. “Everyone already sees and knows the attacks that Turkey has been subjected to also have an economic aspect.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a rally in Sanliurfa, Turkey, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017. Turkey’s justice minister Bekir Bozdag says police have detained 18 people in connection with a foiled attack at courthouse in the western city of Izmir that nevertheless killed a policeman and a courthouse employee.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has big ambitions. He wants to become an Imam Ataturk, a leader who replaces Turkey’s national secularism with autocratic political Islam.But this week, by claiming the United States supports ISIS, Erdogan crossed a line.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul on Tuesday, the latest project in his plan of transforming Turkey’s infrastructure. The opening ceremony — which brought together Turkey’s entire ruling elite — went ahead as planned despite the shock assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by a Turkish policeman a day earlier.

Trabzon: HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed today the latest developments in the region and particularly in Syria, in light of the tragic events in Aleppo as all international efforts to stop the genocide by the Syrian regime and its allies continue to stumble.