Latest Articles about Turkey
AKP OPTS FOR CONFRONTATION, NAMES GUL AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
On August 13, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) opted for confrontation rather than conciliation by announcing that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will be its candidate in Turkey’s forthcoming presidential election (NTV, CNNTurk, August 13). The announcement put an end to weeks of speculation... MORE
TURKEY REFUSES TO BACK DOWN ON IRAN ENERGY DEAL
The Turkish government has reiterated its determination to press ahead with massive investment in the Iranian energy sector, despite U.S. opposition. On August 12 Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler announced that Turkey was determined to implement the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed with... MORE
AK PARTY APPOINTS MODERATE AS SPEAKER AS TENSIONS INSIDE PARTY MOUNT OVER PRESIDENCY
Following the election of a known moderate to the post of Turkish parliamentary speaker, attention has now switched to the forthcoming vote for the presidency, amid signs of an intensifying power struggle within the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). In the election in... MORE
IRAQI DIPLOMACY LIKELY TO FORESTALL TURKISH INCURSION
On Tuesday, August 7, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) between Iraq and Turkey. The memorandum does not commit Baghdad to take many of the concrete actions against the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) forces that Turkey wanted (Today’s Zaman,... MORE
TURKISH MEDIA TARGET BARZANI AFTER AL-MALIKI FAILS TO AGREE TO CONCRETE MEASURES AGAINST PKK
The Turkish media have targeted Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani following the failure of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel al-Maliki to agree to take concrete measures against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during his August 7 visit to Ankara. Prior to al-Maliki’s arrival in Turkey, the... MORE
TURKEY’S KURDS OPT FOR ISLAM OVER THE PKK
The results of the Turkish general election of July 22 suggest that Turkey’s Kurdish minority is looking increasingly to Islam rather than the secular nationalism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) is generally regarded by both its opponents and... MORE
TURKISH MILITARY EXPELS OFFICERS FOR ALLEGED ISLAMIC ACTIVITY
On August 4, the Turkish military officially announced the expulsion of ten serving officers for alleged Islamic fundamentalist activities. The announcement came one day after the end of a three-day meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS), which traditionally meets at the beginning of August... MORE
NEW GAS PIPELINE TO LINK AZERBAIJAN AND ITALY, VIA TURKEY
Since the 1991 collapse of the USSR, resource-poor but strategically vital Turkey has sought to position itself as a major transit hub for burgeoning Caspian energy exports. For 15 years Ankara looked on helplessly as Russia, invoking its rights under the 1936 Montreaux Convention, turned... MORE
TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TRIGGERS POWER STRUGGLE WITHIN AK PARTY
Debates over its candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections appear to have triggered a power struggle within Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Under Turkish law, the president is elected by parliament. With 341 seats in Turkey’s 550 member unicameral assembly, the AK... MORE
REELECTED TURKISH PM SEEKS NEW, “EUROPEAN STYLE” CONSTITUTION
Fresh from his July 22 electoral victory, returning Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced plans to draw up a new, “more democratic and civilian constitution” (Today’s Zaman, August 1). The planned changes for the new constitution include more limited presidential powers, judicial review... MORE