Muqtada al-Sadr, the young Iraqi Shi’a cleric who has been studying to become an Ayatollah in the Iranian city of Qom since 2007, recently visited Turkey in a trip whose purpose is reported to have been a series of talks on Iraqi-Turkish security issues (al-Jazeera,... MORE

On May 20-23 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Turkey. Bilateral economic ties were an important element on da Silva's agenda, who was accompanied by government ministers and leading businessmen. The visit highlighted the prospects for improving cooperation between the two emerging economies,... MORE

The latest hurdle to emerge between Israel and Turkey over the persistent technical problems in developing the former's Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), has highlighted not only the weakness of the Turkish defense industry infrastructure, but also Israel's customary failure to fulfil its commitments. "It... MORE

The Turkish parliament began debating a controversial bill last week to clear and destroy mines along the border with Syria. A private contractor plans to carry out the de-mining and secure the allocation of the cleared area for its agricultural use. The bill once again... MORE

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has long been at loggerheads with the secularist establishment, including army generals, judges and academics. Since 2007 the judiciary has led the opposition against the AKP. The constitutional court attempted to shut down the AKP and ban the... MORE

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul sparked another debate on the Kurdish question, following his recent statement that he is hopeful that a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem might be imminent. Yet, Gul's call to address the Kurdish question within the context of improving the country's... MORE

On May 16 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Moscow and met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as part of Ankara's ongoing efforts to normalize its relations with Armenia. Reportedly Putin and Erdogan discussed finding a sustainable solution to the Karabakh issue as... MORE

According to a senior EU official a new deal has been struck between Turkey and the EU paving the way to sign the intergovernmental agreement for the Nabucco project in Ankara on June 25. The breakthrough was reportedly made possible by Turkey dropping its uncompromising... MORE

On April 23 it was revealed that Turkey and Armenia signed a roadmap outlining the rapprochement process between the two countries. According to the roadmap, Armenia must accept the Kars agreement signed between Turkey and the USSR in 1921 marking the border between Turkey and... MORE

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy reignited the debate on Turkey's place within Europe by questioning the wisdom of Turkey seeking full membership of the European Union. Attending a meeting in Berlin, the two leaders emphasized their objection to the EU's enlargement... MORE