Turkey
Latest stories
Erdogan Lashes Out at Assad, Says he ‘Lost his Legitimacy’

Turkish Prime Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a blistering attack on the Syrian regime, saying President Bashar Assad had lost his legitimacy and could lose power over his bloody crackdown on dissent.

Syria's crackdown has infuriated world powers, some of which imposed sanctions on the Damascus regime, with fresh pressure piled on Assad from neighboring Turkey.

W140 Full Story
Turkish Lawyer Submits List of Israeli Flotilla Raiders

A lawyer for a Turkish Islamic group said Friday he had submitted to prosecutors a list of Israeli soldiers involved in a deadly raid on a flotilla sent by the group to break the Gaza blockade.

"We have presented a list of Israeli soldiers who gave the order for and who were involved in the attack on the Turkish flotilla to the Istanbul prosecutor's office," Ramazan Ariturk, the lawyer for the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) which organized the ill-fated flotilla, told Agence France Presse.

W140 Full Story
Israel Says Turkey Warships to Gaza Threat 'Grave'

Israeli Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor on Friday described as "grave and serious" a threat by the Turkish prime minister to send warships to escort any aid vessels trying to reach the Gaza Strip.

"These remarks are grave and serious, but we have no wish to add to the polemic," Meridor said on army radio.

W140 Full Story
Iran Ups Criticism of Turkey over NATO Missile Shield

Iran toughened Thursday its criticism of Turkey over its plan to host early-warning radar as part of NATO's missile defense system, saying it will create tension and lead to "complicated consequences."

"We expect friendly countries and neighbors ... not to promote policies that create tension, which will definitely have complicated consequences," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in remarks carried by the state television website.

W140 Full Story
Barak Stresses Crisis with Turkey 'Will Pass'

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak played down the diplomatic crisis with Ankara on Thursday, saying the current dispute over a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish-led flotilla "will pass."

But he reiterated his government's line that Israel not apologize for the May 2010 operation which targeted a flotilla of ships trying to break Israel's naval blockade on Gaza, and cost the lives of nine Turkish nationals.

W140 Full Story
Turkey PM to Embark on Arab Spring Tour Next Week

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning to embark on a tour of Arab Spring countries next week including Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, a government official said.

"The prime minister had already planned a visit to Egypt but negotiations and preparations are under way for this trip to include Tunisia and Libya as well," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Agence France Presse on Wednesday.

W140 Full Story
Israel Says No Turkey apology, lifting of Gaza Blockade

Israel will not apologize to Turkey for a deadly May 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla and will not lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip, an Israeli minister insisted on Wednesday, as ties with Ankara sank to new lows.

"Israel defends its interests and its government will not apologize," said Israel Katz, Israel's transport minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.

W140 Full Story
Turkey Freezes All Ties with Israel

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a total freeze on military and trade ties with Israel and threatened Tuesday to visit Gaza as the one-time allies' diplomatic spat intensified.

Only hours after Israel said the continued presence of its defense attache at the embassy in Ankara indicated there was no definitive break with Turkey, Erdogan declared a suspension to all military and commercial relations.

W140 Full Story
Jumblat: Turkey’s Position on Israel to Alter Regional Balance of Power

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat praised on Monday Turkey’s expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador to Ankara, saying that this step reasserts Turkey’s support for the Palestinian cause.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa magazine: “This is a positive step that will help the regional balance of power and the changes being made to it.”

W140 Full Story
40 Israelis Held for Questioning at Turkish Airport

Forty Israeli passengers on a Turkish flight to Istanbul were held for an hour and a half upon arrival and questioned before being released, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Monday.

The incident came as tensions between the former allies reached new heights over a deadly May 2010 Israeli raid on a flotilla of ships that left nine Turkish citizens dead.

W140 Full Story