Turkey

Erdogan Says May Invite Assad, a Sign of Reconciliation

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he might invite his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to Turkey "at any moment," in a sign of reconciliation after the 2011 war broke ties between Ankara and Damascus. "We may send an invitation (to Assad) at any moment," Erdogan told journalists aboard a plane from Berlin, where he watched Euro ...

New Qatar-Financed Village Opens For Displaced in Syria

More than 1,000 new homes for displaced people in northern Syria were inaugurated on Tuesday by Qatar's Red Crescent and Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, the Qatari organization said. Mohammad Salah Ibrahim of the Red Crescent said the Qatari-financed village of 1,136 new homes was "the largest village opened to date in ...

Pro-Turkey Syrian Mercenaries Found a Haven in Niger

Like hundreds of other pro-Turkish fighters, Omar left northern Syria for mineral-rich Niger last year, joining Syrian mercenaries sent to the West African nation by a private Turkish military company. "The main reason I left is because life is hard in Syria," fighter Omar, 24, told AFP on message app WhatsApp from Niger. In northern Syria, ...

Erdogan Warns of Israeli Threats Against Turkey If Hamas Defeated

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday claimed that Israel would "set its sights" on Turkey if it succeeded in defeating Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel's war in the Palestinian territory following Hamas's attack on October 7, has often expressed support for the Palestinian group as defenders of their ...

Greek PM Visits Erdogan in Ankara for Better Relations

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be received in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, a meeting which both leaders say they expect to see continue the improvement between their countries. Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be received Monday in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in ...

Istanbul Police Detain 210 May Day Protesters

Turkish police on Wednesday fired tear gas and rubber bullets and detained more than 200 protesters, after authorities banned May 1 rallies at Istanbul's historic Taksim Square. More than 40,000 police were deployed across Istanbul, blocking even small side streets with metal barriers in an attempt to prevent protesters gathering. Police clashed ...

Security, Water, and Oil Dominate Erdogan's Talks in Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, embarked on his first state visit to neighboring Iraq in years, with discussions centered around water, oil, and regional security matters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in neighboring Iraq on Monday for his first state visit there in years, with water, oil, and regional security ...

Turkey and Iran: No to Regional War

  Some are putting forward the fact that both Iran and Turkey are wary of any escalation in the Gaza conflict that could spiral into a full-blown regional war, given its potential international fallouts. Despite their divergent interests, these key regional stakeholders are on the same page regarding preventing such an escalation. As Turkey ...

Historic Victory for the Opposition in Turkey’s Municipal Elections

The Turkish opposition won a historic victory in Sunday's municipal elections, ending two decades of domination by President Erdogan's AKP, with notable successes for the CHP in Istanbul and Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded defeat on Sunday in the country's local elections, saying the vote was a "turning point" for his ...

Turkey Poll Counts: Opposition Edges Ahead in Key Cities

According to early partial results, Turkey's opposition appears to be ahead for now in the key cities of Istanbul and Ankara, state media said on Sunday. With 20 percent of the votes counted, the current mayor of Istanbul was leading with 49.6 percent of the vote, compared with 41.6 percent of his main rival, who was backed by President Recep ...

The Turks Head to the Polls in Local Elections

Turkish voters headed to the polls on Sunday in municipal elections, with all eyes on Istanbul, the national "jewel" that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to pry away from the opposition. As soon as he clinched re-election as president last May -- he has been head of state since 2014 -- Erdogan launched the campaign to reclaim the city of 16 ...

Municipal Elections in Turkey: A Fierce Political Battle

  An estimated 64 million Turkish voters will head to the polls on Sunday (March 31) to elect municipal and local councils across 81 provinces. These elections are fraught with political calculations, particularly for the ruling party, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who seeks a decisive victory to solidify his popular legitimacy. In the ...