Category: Turkey

UN refugee chief opposes ‘safe zones’ in Syria

The U.N.’s top official on refugees pushed back against a proposed initiative that has gained recent traction to create “safe zones” in Syria for refugees, saying the country was “not the right place” for the initiative. “Let’s not waste time planning safe zones that will not be set up because they will not be safe for people to go back,” said Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees.

British PM May visits Turkey, reaches $125M fighter jet deal

Turkey and Britain signed a deal to jointly build fighter jets during Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to Ankara on Saturday, even as the British leader called on Turkey’s government to uphold democracy and abide by human rights standards. Britain’s BAE Systems and Turkish aerospace industries signed the nearly $125.5 million agreement for the development of Turkey’s fighter jet program after May met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials about boosting trade between the countries once Britain leaves the European Union.

May’s mission to woo Trump a success, but makes some uneasy

May left Washington after a 24-hour visit as Saturday’s British newspapers splashed front-page photos of the two leaders touching hands as they walked at the White House before a strikingly collegial news conference. May wanted her meeting, Trump’s first as president with a foreign leader, to revitalize the trans-Atlantic “special relationship.”

British PM Theresa May flies to Turkey ‘on trade mission’…

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 .

Turkey issues new extradition request for officers in Greece

” Turkey’s justice ministry has made a new extradition request after Greece’s Supreme Court ruled against sending back eight Turkish servicemen who fled their country by helicopter after a coup attempt. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported Friday that the justice ministry had sent a second extradition request for the eight Turkish officers.

The Latest: Jonson: Assad should run in vote to resolve war

Britain’s foreign minister says Syrian President Bashar Assad should be permitted to run for election as part of a “democratic resolution” of the civil war in the Mideast nation. Boris Johnson, speaking on Thursday to the international relations committee at the House of Lords, described Britain’s position on Syria has been “catastrophic.”

US warns over anti-American violence risk in Turkey

People walk by a military vehicle in a street of Silvan, Turkey during a curfew following clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants on Nov. 10, 2015. The United States embassy in Turkey on Thursday warned against the risk of attacks against its citizens in the country after a rise in anti-American rhetoric.

The Latest: First day of Syria talks concludes

The latest on Syria talks that are being held in Kazakhstan and developments on the ground in the war-torn country : A Syrian opposition spokesman says the first day of talks has concluded, after rebel representatives met Russia’s presidential envoy to the talks to discuss ways to reinforce a shaky cease-fire. Yahya al-Aridi, the spokesman for the rebel delegation to the talks, says the opposition also met Monday with the Russian and Turkish delegations in the presence of the U.N. envoy to Syria to discuss a nationwide cease-fire.

Turkish president starts powers of office campaigning

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: Erdogan advocates powerful presidency after key vote

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.

Museum gotta see – um

“EDITH HILLINGER: ABSTRACT COLLAGES,” AT THE PENINSULA MUSEUM OF ART IN BURLINGAME. The Peninsula Museum of Art presents “Edith Hillinger: Abstract Collages,” mixed-media works on canvas, whose influences range from Northern European Gothic to Middle Eastern ethnic patterns.

Turkish parliament nears approval of presidential system

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan addresses district governors at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, January 10, 2017. Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Palace/Handout via Turkey edged closer to adopting a constitutional bill extending President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers overnight, with parliament approving four more articles of a reform which opponents see as a step towards an authoritarian state.

With Little Room to Maneuver, Syria’s Rebels Head for Talks

Syrian rebels are sending more than a dozen representatives next week to the capital of Kazakhstan for talks with government representatives, the first such negotiations between the two sides in a year. But the loss of Aleppo, the election of Donald Trump and the pivot of Turkey toward Russia has left the opposition with very little room to maneuver.

Turkish Parliament Nears Approval of Presidential System Sought by Erdogan

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.

Turkey rounds up 27 with links to suspected nightclub gunman

Turkish police rounded up 27 people linked to the suspected gunman in Istanbul’s New Year’s Eve nightclub attack and the justice minister said Wednesday that the capture of the suspect will lead to a better understanding of the Islamic State group’s operations in Turkey. The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Abdulkadir Masharipov, was caught late Monday in a police operation in Istanbul.

Warrants issued for 243 more members of Turkey’s military

Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 243 members of the military in 54 provinces across the country, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday, in a probe following July’s failed coup. Anadolu said the suspects were being sought on suspicion they were using Bylock, an encrypted smartphone messaging app that the government says was used by the network of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating the attempted coup.

ISIS Attacker’s Istanbul Apartment Was A Terrorist Treasure Trove [VIDEO]

Turkish police stand guard outisde the Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked by a gunman, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir/File Photo The Islamic State shooter responsible for a mass shooting at a Turkish nightclub kept a veritable terrorist treasure trove in his Istanbul apartment, including massive amounts of cash, guns and cell phone SIM cards.

Kyrgyzstan: Cargo plane crash kills 37, destroys village

A Turkish cargo plane crashed Monday in a residential area just outside the main airport in Kyrgyzstan, destroying half of a village and killing at least 37 people in the plane and on the ground, the Emergency Situations Ministry said. The Boeing 747 crashed at 7:40 a.m. local time while approaching Manas airport, south of the capital, Bishkek, in this Central Asian nation.

Three big burdens on the Turkish police

I was talking to a ranking official about the escape of Abdulgadir Masharipov, the Tajik-origin Uzbek citizen who is wanted for killing 39 people on Jan. 1 in Istanbul’s Reina nightclub on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant , or DEASH in Arabic. “We have problems,” the official said with obvious embarrassment.

ISIS battle sees rebels injured near Syrian town of al-Bab

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Cyprus Talks Moving Toward Endgame

United Nations officials say negotiations aimed at wrapping up a reunification deal for the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus will resume next week. The adviser to the U.N. secretary general on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, described Thursday’s international conference on the island as a turning point for negotiations.

Maintenance stems clashes over Syrian capital water source

Maintenance workers arrived in Syria’s rebel-held valley near Damascus Friday to fix the water facility there, signalling an end to the violent standoff that has dried out the capital for weeks and threatened a fragile cease-fire, activists and the government said. For days, negotiations stalled, failing to restore the water flow to the capital restricted since Dec. 22 and to end a government offensive there to uproot rebels in control of the area for years.

Turkey expects change in US policy over Syrian Kurds: Defense Minister

Turkey hopes the new U.S. administration will change its policy of cooperation with the People’s Protection Units in Syria, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Is k said on Jan. 12. He reiterated that he believed the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party was a “terrorist organization.” “We will continue to say that cooperation with them is not legitimate.

‘That referendum will take place,’ vows President Erdogan

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.

Airstrikes kill 22 IS militants in northern Syria

Turkish warplanes killed 22 Islamic State terrorists in airstrikes on IS targets in Al-Bab, in northern Syria, in the last 24 hours, the Turkish General Staff said on Thursday. Targets in the air raids included 160 positions belonging to terrorists, including defense positions, shelters and command facilities, the military said in a statement.

Airstrikes kill 22 IS militants in northern Syria

Turkish warplanes killed 22 Islamic State terrorists in airstrikes on IS targets in Al-Bab, in northern Syria, in the last 24 hours, the Turkish General Staff said on Thursday. Targets in the air raids included 160 positions belonging to terrorists, including defense positions, shelters and command facilities, the military said in a statement.

Turkey moves to support currency after it hits record low

Turkey’s central bank has moved to support the currency after it hit another record low amid investor concerns that the country might concentrate political power under its president. The central bank effectively freed up $1.5 billion in foreign cash liquidity for the banks by allowing them to reduce the amount of foreign currency they have to hold in reserve.

Iraq says deal reached over Bashiqa, Turkey says issue will be solved

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over an Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from the Bashiqa camp near Mosul in the north of the country, Iraqi state TV reported. However, a joint communique issued after Abadi met his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in Baghdad did not refer to any such deal, but said both sides stressed that Bashiqa was an Iraqi camp.

Blast in Syrian town on Turkish border kills nearly 50

A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial district in a rebel-held Syrian town along the Turkish border Saturday, killing nearly 50 in a huge explosion that damaged buildings and left rescuers scrambling to find survivors amid the wreckage, opposition activists said. Rescuers and doctors said the explosion was so large there were nearly 100 wounded and burned.

Turkey dismisses more civil servants in post-coup purge

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.