The Middle-East Observer
Turkey
Analysis: Syria faces neo-mujahideen struggle
The Assad government will have to face a full scale insurgency – foreign sponsored – , a “neo-mujahideen” struggle that looms over Syria according to Victor Kotsev. He argues that countries with the greatest stakes in Syria, namely: Turkey, United States and Russia and of course Syria itself are all using the failed ceasefire and … Continue reading
‘Enough is enough,’ Turkey’s FM Davutoğlu tells Israel
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, lashed out at Israel over it’s (in Davutoglu’s opinion) uncompromising stance on key issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ”Enough is enough. Longer the Palestinian-Israeli issue remained unresolved, greater the price peoples of the region including Turkey pay. Israelis should decide on they want,” Davutoglu told a Washington D.C.-based think thank. Davutoglu urged … Continue reading
No trouble in region: Turkey to Israel, Iran
Turkish officials are cautioning against the use of military force, wherever it originates, in the ongoing standoff between Iran and the West. Ankara’s worries that the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program becomes an armed one are rooted in a desire to stabilize the region. In recent weeks, the conflict has escalated, with stronger sanctions placed … Continue reading
Opinion: Mubarak shouldn’t be executed
A report says that deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has sent multiple letters to the leaders of countries that were friendly to his regime including the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. In the letters, Mubarak ask the leaders to save him from the death penalty which was proposed … Continue reading
Turkey denies aid to Hamas, leaves door open to its office in Turkey
As Hamas moved its headquarters out of Syria last Friday, speculations have started on which country will host the Palestinian organisation. Turkey, “one of the strongest advocates of the Palestinian case”, according to its president Abdullah Gul, is a potential candidate. International media reported that Turkey offered $300 million to Gazan Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in early … Continue reading
Analysis: Turkey challenges Iran in Somalia
Turkey’s newfound increased interest in Somalia, often regarded as a “failed state,” is not founded merely on the intense humanitarian disaster underway in the country; there are geopolitical aspirations, as well. Somalia’s strategic location on the Horn of Africa promises fantastic benefits for future trade deals. A more subtle cause of Turkey’s increased interest, though, is to counter Iran’s aggressive efforts … Continue reading
Interview: Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu discusses France’s decision to criminalize any public denial of the 1915 Armenian genocide, as well as the current violence in Syria and the EU’s embargo on Iranian oil. France24, France
Turkey’s Kurds could shun the PKK and rise up similar to Arab Spring, brother of jailed PKK leader says
Turkey’s Kurdish population, which makes up as much as 20% of the country’s more than 72 million people, are fed up of broken promises by Turkey’s government and by the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), which Turkey, along with the United States and Europe, considers a terrorist organization, according to the PKK’s jailed leader’s brother. The … Continue reading
Analysis: There is no ‘Turkish model’ for Egypt
Egypt’s young revolutionaries hold Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) as an example for Egypt in its democratic struggle. Their praise the AKP’s ability to cope with secular democracy in a mostly Muslim society. But the reason behind the Turkish islamists’ pragmatism and acceptance of secular democracy is clearly identifiable: it is those neoliberal reforms … Continue reading
Iranian Revolutionary Guard could be planning attack in Turkey
Intelligence sources are warning that the Qud’s Force, a special unit within Iran’s Revolutionary Guard that is known for its overseas operations, is planning a series of demonstrations and attacks within Turkey. It is believed that the U.S. consulate general and embassy are potential targets for a bomb attack. These reports, if true, could demonstrate … Continue reading
Israeli drones give intelligence to PKK, Turkish intelligence officers say
Turkish intelligence sources have reported that Israel has been providing intelligence assistance to the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. According to the sources, Israeli-made Heron unmanned drones have been providing aerial surveillance of Turkish military positions and passing the information over to … Continue reading
Turkey dropping Marmara lawsuits
According to sources in the US Department of State, Turkey will suspend all legal proceedings against the Israelis who were involved in the 2010 raid of the Gaza Flotilla’s Mavi Marmara – both those who actively raided the ship and those ordered the raid. The event led to the death of nine Turkish citizens and … Continue reading
Turkish Political Opinion in the Wake of 2011
As the year 2011 was drawing to an end, MetroPOLL, a renowned research institution, published the results of a public opinion survey on vital issues. Here are some of the findings: 71 percent of respondents endorse the official foreign policy, while only 25 percent find it unsuccessful. When these figures are compared with those of … Continue reading
Report: Armed groups trained in Jordan, Turkey infiltrate Syria
In the past two months, Syrian and Arab volunteers infiltrated Syria after completing their training on street fighting, mine and improvised explosive devices planting, storming military barracks and security centers. These fighters infiltrated Syrian territory from Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and the Kurdish and Sunni regions of Iraq. Al Bawaba, Jordan Click here for the full … Continue reading
Analysis: Is model Turkey sliding into authoritarianism?
The trial of prize-winning Turkish journalist Nedim Sener resumed today. His case, along with many others, are raising concerns about Turkey and its model democracy in the Middle East. The Christian Science Monitor, United States Click here for the full story
Gaza’s Hamas premier visits flotilla ship in Turkey
The Hamas premier of the Gaza Strip has visited a ship docked in Turkey that in 2010 was the target of a deadly raid by Israeli troops seeking to prevent an aid flotilla reaching the Palestinian territory. Agence France-Presse, France Click here for the full story
Haniyeh arrives in Turkey
Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Turkish city Istanbul on Sunday morning, as part of his first international tour since Israel tightened the seige on the coastal strip. He will meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss regional developemnets and the reconciliation deal between the premier’s Hamas party and Fatah. Ma’an News Agency, Palestine … Continue reading
Kurdish rebels call for an uprising in Turkey after dozens killed in an air strike
The rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Friday urged Kurds in Turkey to stage an “uprising” after an air force raid killed 35 villagers near the Iraq border. “We urge the people of Kurdistan… to react after this massacre and seek a settling of accounts through uprisings,” Bahoz Erdal from the armed wing of the PKK, … Continue reading
A local mayor says Turkish air strikes kill 30 Kurds near the Iraqi border
Turkish air strikes killed 30 Kurdish villagers in the southeast near the Iraqi border early Thursday, a local mayor said. Local security sources added the group was smuggling gas and sugar into Turkey from northern Iraq and may have been mistaken for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels. Al Arabiya, Saudi Arabia Click here for the full … Continue reading
Israeli MKs to discuss recognizing Turkey’s Armenian genocide
A Knesset committee Monday will consider setting a memorial day for the Armenian genocide, marking a first in Israeli history and stoking criticism that Israel is trying to incite Turkey. Haaretz, Israel Click here for the full story
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