On July 6 Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan announced that Istanbul had been chosen as the site for the permanent secretariat of the Developing Eight (D-8) organization. Speaking after the Eleventh D-8 Foreign Ministers’ Council Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Babacan declared, “Until now there was... MORE

In the wake of the detentions on July 1 of outspoken opponents of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on suspicion of links to a shadowy ultranationalist organization known as Ergenekon, the pro-AKP media have stepped up their disinformation campaign in an attempt to... MORE

On July 2 General Ilker Basbug, the commander of the Turkish Land Forces, issued a public statement calling for calm in the wake of the unprecedented wave of detentions of hard-line secularists on July 1, in which a number of high-ranking retired military personnel were... MORE

The United States has maintained various sanctions against Iran since 1979, implemented in aftermath of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. As relations worsen between the U.S. and Iran, Washington is seeking to have the United Nations Security Council impose additional sanctions on... MORE

Early on the morning of July 1, the Turkish police detained 24 hard-line secularists during a series of raids in Ankara and Istanbul. Those taken into custody included retired General Sener Eruygur, the former commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie; retired General Hursit Tolon, the former... MORE

Despite increasing doubts about its longevity, popular support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) remains firm, according to a recent opinion poll by the A & G research company, which was published in the daily Milliyet (June 30). On June 14 and 15,... MORE

Turkey’s long-delayed goal of developing a national helicopter is finally seeing daylight. On September 7, 2007, Turkey’s Under-Secretariat for the Defense Industries (SSM) signed a contract with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI/ TUSAS), ASELSAN and the Italian-British rotorcraft company AgustaWestland to produce optional- attack/tactical-reconnaissance helicopters (T129... MORE

One of the most dramatic stories in a world facing record-high energy prices has been the relentless rise of Azeri, Kazakh and Russian Caspian oil exports from southern Russia since the collapse of the USSR 17 years ago. Since 1991 Turkey has watched with growing... MORE

Along with five other nations, Turkey’s Turkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortakligi (Turkish Petroleum Corporation--TPAO) has been included among state-owned countries that will be granted the right to extract oil in Iraq, according to Iraqi oil ministry official Asim Jihad. “We chose 35 companies of international standard,... MORE

On June 23 the European Union approved new sanctions against Iran, including freezing the assets of the country's biggest bank, Bank Melli, which is suspected of providing services to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and was blacklisted by the United States last year. The... MORE