Latest Articles about Turkey

Circassian Repatriates From Turkey Call for Resumed Russian-Turkish Cooperation
With Russian-Turkish tensions spiraling downward, many Circassian immigrants of Turkish origin in the North Caucasus have renounced their Turkish citizenship in favor of Russian citizenship. Circassian immigrants from Turkey in Kabardino-Balkaria signed a statement calling on the Turkish authorities to resume cooperation with Russia. Reciting... MORE

Importance of Syrian Turkmen to Turkey
War-torn Syria is days away from the start of a negotiated partial ceasefire, which is supposed to temporarily end fighting between rebel groups and government forces supported by Russian supplies and bombing sorties. The ceasefire, agreed to by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his... MORE

Kazakhstan’s Delicate Balancing Act Between Turkey and Russia
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu visited Kazakhstan, on February 6, where he and his host government discussed bilateral cooperation on large-scale transit corridor projects (Akorda, February 6). As a “new Silk Road” of transportation infrastructure slowly emerges across Eurasia, Turkey and Kazakhstan are becoming important... MORE

The Battle for the Euphrates: Turkey’s Response to Kurdish Expansion
In an unexpected move on December 26, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), captured the Tishreen Dam close to Manbijin, Syria (YPGrojava, December 30, 2015). This operation, conducted with support of the U.S.-led coalition against the... MORE

Moscow Once Again Trying to Put the Kurds in Play Against Turkey
The Kremlin is once again seeking to use the Kurds, the largest stateless national group in the world, for Moscow’s own purposes. In particular, Russia has opened a quasi-diplomatic representation office in Moscow for Syria’s Kurds. Moreover, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the outspoken leader of the fringe... MORE

Moscow’s Confrontational Policy Turns Russia From an Ally to a Threat for Armenia
On February 8, a number of units of Russia’s Southern Military District as well as the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla were put on a high alert, and massive snap exercises followed. According to Russian officials, this and similar such snap exercises would... MORE

Sudden Massive Snap Exercise and Mobilization of Russian Forces in Black Sea and Caspian Region Appears Aimed at Turkey
On Monday, February 8, Russia’s defense minister, Army-General Sergei Shoigu, announced that the military forces of the Southern and Central Military districts, the Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno Kosmicheskikh Sil—VKS) the airborne troops (Vozdushno Desantnye Voyska—VDV), the military transport air force (Voenno Transportnaya Aviatsiya—VTA), the Black Sea... MORE

Restoration of Aziz Mosque in Adjara Reignites Debate Over Ottoman Legacy in Georgia
Hundreds of Muslim Georgians who live in the autonomous republic of Adjara, in southwestern Georgia, held a protest rally, on February 5, in the regional capital of Batumi. The protesters demanded that Georgian authorities give them permission to construct a new, large mosque in the... MORE

Uyghur Militants in Syria: The Turkish Connection
The Chinese authorities have claimed that since 2013, “hundreds” of Uyghurs have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State and other jihadist organizations; such claims have been used as justification for new counter-terrorism policies (Xinhua, July 29. 2014). Alleged linkages between rising... MORE
Turkey’s Dance with the Islamic State
Turkey’s relationship with terrorism is entrenched with history. The country fell victim to the actions of different terrorist groups with different motivations. The most popular terrorist organization in Turkey’s history is the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been active for almost 40 years. Another... MORE