Turkey-Netherlands row: Dutch warn citizens after Erdogan threat
The Netherlands has warned its citizens over travel to Turkey as a row between the countries shows no sign of abating. Germany, Austria and the Netherlands blocked Turkish attempts to hold rallies in those countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed retaliation, saying: “Nazism is still widespread in the West”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected […]
Erdogan calls for sanctions on the Netherlands
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday called on international organizations to impose sanctions on the Netherlands amid a diplomatic row between the countries, Reuters reported. Speaking at an event in Kocaeli province, near Istanbul, Erdogan said the Netherlands was acting like a “banana republic”, and criticized European countries for failing to voice criticism for […]
Analysis: Europe challenges Turkey’s Erdogan, why now?
The Netherlands is a “Nazi remnant,” according Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Saturday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was banned from flying to Rotterdam to give a speech, and Family and Social Policy Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was deported to Germany. She tweeted: “democracy, fundamental rights, human rights and freedoms… all forgotten in […]
Turkish battle over ‘executive presidency’ prompts tensions with the Netherlands and divisions at home
So far in a rancorous campaign season, the Turkish government or its opponents have invoked Nazi Germany, terrorist groups, fifth columnists and a Latin American dictator. And that was in the campaign’s first two weeks. There is more than a month to go before a referendum in April that will allow Turks to vote on constitutional […]
In push to reclaim Raqqa, Trump’s choices range from bad to worse
U.S. President Donald Trump’s push against Islamic State in Syria could present him with an unenviable choice: Alienate NATO ally Turkey by relying on Kurdish fighters or adopt a plan that may slow the assault and require many more U.S. combat forces. The objective of the coming U.S.-backed offensive is the city of Raqqa, Islamic […]
Turkey dismisses 4,400 public servants in latest post-coup attempt purge
The Turkish government has dismissed more than 4,400 public employees, including hundreds of academics, in a fresh round of purges that have in the past elicited criticism from the country’s western allies. The dismissals, which spanned the education ministry, gendarmerie, security services, as well as the ministries of the interior, economy and foreign affairs, came […]
Israel and Turkey to resume diplomatic dialogue after six years
Yuval Rotem, Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, will travel to Turkey on Tuesday where he will hold a diplomatic dialogue with local officials, for the first time in over six years. Rotem’s visit to Ankara will continue until Thursday and will include, in addition to meeting with his Turkish counterpart, meetings with government officials, […]
Strange bedfellows: The Russian-Turkish-Iranian axis
Sixty years have lapsed since the Baghdad Pact which grouped together Turkey, Iran, Iraq and the West in an alliance against the Soviet Union and the concomitant Communist danger. Nowadays this Middle Eastern architecture has shifted 180 degrees to where Russia, Turkey and Iran are in an ad hoc alliance against Islamic State but which […]
Press Conference After Syrian Peace Talks in Astana
An international meeting on the Syrian settlement began in the capital of Kazakhstan on January 23 with the participation of a number of delegations, including armed opposition, Damascus, Russia, Iran and Turkey. Russia, Iran and Turkey reiterated that there is no military solution to the Syrian war and that only a political process can resolve the crisis. The states reaffirmed their committment to independence […]
Turkey to continue operation in Syria
Turkey will continue with its military operation in Syria despite the deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub that was a “message” against the campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday. “This was a message for our cross-border operations, above all the Euphrates Shield,” he said, using the mission name of Turkey’s campaign inside […]