Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged all Muslims to visit and protect Jerusalem after violence broke out over metal detectors that Israel installed and later removed from a sensitive holy site in the city. “From here I make a call to all Muslims. …
Read More »Erdogan’s slams Israel for ‘disregard of law’ in Jerusalem crisis
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Israel of flouting international law in the crisis over security measures at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, saying the Jewish state was harming itself and the region. Israel installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif …
Read More »Erdogan to visit Qatar and Saudi amid Gulf crisis
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will this month visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are locked in a deep diplomatic crisis, his office announced Tuesday. Erdogan will also visit Kuwait, the main mediator in the Qatar crisis, during his July 23-24 tour. Turkish Prime Minister Binali …
Read More »Turkey extends post-coup state of emergency
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey’s parliament voted on Monday to renew a state of emergency in effect since last year’s failed coup attempt sparked the biggest crackdown in the country’s modern history. The state-run Anadolu news agency said lawmakers agreed to a three-month extension of the current emergency law, which …
Read More »Jerusalem holy site closure ‘crime against humanity’: Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey on Monday blasted Israel’s two-day closure of a Jerusalem holy site, following a deadly attack, as a “crime against humanity.” The Haram al-Sharif compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque. It is venerated …
Read More »Turkey celebrates defeat of anti-Erdogan putsch after new purge
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey on Saturday holds an intense series of events to celebrate the first anniversary of the defeat of last year’s attempted coup, showcasing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s grip on power on the heels of a new purge of state employees. The authorities have declared …
Read More »Coup bid ‘martyrs’ become new heroes of Erdogan’s Turkey
Çukurkuyu, Turkey | AFP | People have come from far and wide to this sleepy Anatolian village in central Turkey to recite prayers, take selfies or just think quietly. The purpose of their visit is simple — to pay their respects at the grave of Sergeant Omer Halisdemir, probably the most …
Read More »Turkey marks failed coup that changed country
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkey marks one year on July 15 since a coup attempt aiming to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that failed within hours but etched far-reaching consequences into its society and politics. The country is in the throes of the biggest purge in its history against …
Read More »Erdogan hosts Russia defence chief amid Syria border tensions
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday held talks with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Istanbul as tension soared on the Syrian border between Turkish troops and a Kurdish militia. Turkey and Russia were long at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with Ankara seeking …
Read More »Erdogan urges US to ‘immediately’ reverse decision on arming Syrian Kurds
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called on the United States to immediately reverse a decision on arming Syrian Kurdish fighters considered by Ankara to be a terror group. “I hope very much that this mistake will be reversed immediately,” Erdogan said after Washington …
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