Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerged from a nearly four-hour meeting Saturday, offering no indication that the U.S. and Turkey had bridged their differences about how to deal with Islamic State fighters or Syrian President Bashar Assad. Biden announced $135 million in new U.S. aid for Syrian civilians, including some […]
Biden discussed in Turkey ISIS and transition of power in Syria, away from Assad.
US vice-president Joe Biden on Saturday warned that a concentration of powers under a head of state was “corrosive” as he visited Turkey – which has been accused of increasing authoritarian tendencies. Biden made the remarks before meeting Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who in August became the Turkish president after more than a decade as prime […]
Turkey strikes back at Syria after Erdogan warning
Turkey returned fire after a mortar bomb shot from Syria landed in a field in southern Turkey on Saturday, the day after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned Damascus Turkey would not shy away from war if provoked.
Erdogan: Turkey cannot stay “spectator” over Aleppo
International steps must be taken to deal with President Bashar al-Assad’s military build-up around the Syrian city of Aleppo and his government’s threat to use chemical weapons, Turkish Prime Minster Recep Erdogan said on Friday. “There is a build-up in Aleppo and the recent statements, with respect to the use of weapons of mass destruction, […]
Iraqi PM says Turkey is becoming an enemy state
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said Turkey is becoming an enemy state in the region in a sign of growing tensions between Turkey and Iraq. Maliki’s harshest remarks so far came at a time when Turkey was hosting two senior Iraqi politicians who are at odds with his government.
Turkish PM urges Assad to step down
Turkey’s prime minister said Tuesday that Syria’s president must step down over the country’s crackdown on dissent, ratcheting up the pressure on the increasingly isolated Bashar Assad. Turkey’s call came as Syrian activists reported that five people — including four children — were killed Tuesday.
Syria dismisses criticism from Turkey and Gulf states
Syria on Sunday dismissed Turkish and Gulf Arab criticism of its crackdown on a five-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, saying such rebukes ignored violence by armed groups against the state. In sharp rebuff to Ankara, presidential adviser Bouthaina Shaaban said Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu could expect tough words during a visit to Damascus […]
For Turkish military, a telling change of tactics
ISTANBUL — Turkey awoke to a new era Saturday, one in which military generals irked by their government’s behavior don’t stage a coup or throw a tantrum — they seek early retirement.
Erdogan set for comfortable win as Turks vote
Turks vote in an election on Sunday that is expected to see Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan win a third consecutive term in office and could give him a mandate to rewrite the constitution. A Muslim democracy and aspirant to join the European Union, Turkey has become an economic powerhouse and
Turkish PM watching Syrian unrest with concern, report
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed concern over unrest in neighboring Syria, saying he plans to have further talks with President Bashar al-Assad after he dismissed protests against his 11-year rule as the result of a “foreign plot.”