Latest Articles about Turkey
VERDICT IN CLOSURE CASE TO INCREASE PRESSURE ON AKP TO IMPLEMENT EU REFORMS
On July 31, one day after Turkey’s Constitutional Court narrowly ruled to allow the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to remain open (see EDM, July 31), the country’s parliament finally went into recess for the summer. It is not expected to reconvene until October 1... MORE
RELIEF BUT NO VICTORY FOR AKP IN CLOSURE CASE
On July 30, Turkey’s Constitutional Court narrowly voted to allow the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to remain open in the case filed for its closure by Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya on March 14 on the grounds that the party had become a focus... MORE
ERGENEKON INDICTMENT DASHES HOPES OF FINAL RECKONING WITH TURKEY’S “DEEP STATE”
On July 25, the 13th Serious Crimes Court in Istanbul formally accepted the indictment in the 13-month investigation into the shadowy ultranationalist group known to the Turkish media as Ergenekon (see EDM, July 24) and set a date of October 20, 2008, for the first... MORE
ISTANBUL BOMBINGS RAISE FEARS OF NEW WAVE OF TERRORIST ATTACKS
On the evening of July 27, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated in Menderes Caddesi, a street in the Istanbul working class neighborhood of Gungoren. By midday local time on July 28 the death toll stood at 17, all of them civilians. Another 154... MORE
TURKEY AND ARMENIA: FROM SECRET TALKS TO “SOCCER DIPLOMACY”?
On July 24, the presidents of Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan formally inaugurated the Turkish section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, which will eventually provide the first ever rail link between the three countries. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Turkish President Abdullah Gul declared, in an unmistakable... MORE
THE AKP AND THE TURKISH MILITARY BOTH PREPARE FOR NEW ERAS
On July 22, the Turkish Constitutional Court announced that it would meet on July 28 to begin considering its final verdict in the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). In a statement to the Turkish media issued after the decision, Constitutional... MORE
TURKEY PONDERS RUSSIAN MISSILE OFFER
As Turkey moves to upgrade its weapons systems, Ankara is considering all options and possible suppliers, including Moscow. The value of such runs into billions of dollars, generating intense competition, particularly over contracts to supply Turkey with an advanced surface-to-air missile system, with potential capabilities... MORE
A HAWK AND A DOVE SHARE THE DTP LEADERSHIP
On July 20, the embattled pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) elected Ahmet Turk (born 1944) and Emine Ayna (born 1968) as its co-chairs during a party congress in Ankara. As the Turkish Political Parties law does not provide for the sharing of the leadership of... MORE
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER HOSTS HEADS OF MISSION CONFERENCE IN ANKARA
From July 15 to 18 more than 200 Turkish diplomats, including 103 of the country’s ambassadors and heads of missions serving in different countries around the world, met in Ankara to discuss Turkey’s short and long-term foreign policy goals. The unprecedented gathering of virtually all... MORE
ERGENEKON INDICTMENT DEEPENS DIVISIONS IN TURKISH POLITICS
Turkish prosecutors investigating the Ergenekon network finally submitted their indictment to the court on July 14. The indictment was presented a year after the network was first discovered and many influential figures including retired army generals, journalists, businessmen and academics were arrested or interrogated as... MORE