Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
December 4th, Syria refused to engage Israel in peace talks until it feels it has received sufficient answers to the six specific questions it has regarding the Golan Heights. This report comes after Turkey asked both sides to layout six questions on security and the border integrity pertaining to both countries. Syria has reportedly presented [...]
On Friday, December 5, 2008, the leaders of both Afghanistan and Pakistan arrived to Istanbul for Turkish-sponsored talks, in hopes that the meeting will strengthen trust and cooperation between the two neighbors. The meeting will be attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. [...]
Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, and Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan, were awarded the Peace and Sport Award for their historic meeting which took place in September. The International Peace and Sport Organization boasts on their website that “Thanks to football, this moment marked the end of nearly two decades of diplomatic silence.”
The awards ceremony took [...]
New York-based, Human Rights Watch, said in a report released today that the failure of Turkey’s government to prosecute police officers has resulted in an increase of police violence. There have been at least 28 reported cases of such violence since 2007, including excessive force and even shootings of demonstrators. While reforms aimed at gaining [...]
It is not unusual to read about, at least once a week, the turmoil going on in the South East region of Turkey. I also do not think it is unusual for many other places. The SE region has been a place of major conflict since the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the intentions [...]
“Although the national curriculum has changed since 2004, a militaristic and ultra-nationalist mindset still exists in elementary school textbooks, according to research by the History Foundation.”
This summarizes all of the problems that Turkey has, and will have for more than a decade, unless there is change and development. The reason is simple enough: the educational system [...]
The leader of the Democratic Society Party, a pro-Kurdish nationalistic party, Ahmet Turk, has just announced that he will have bilateral meetings with the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Manuel Zapatero in Madrid. Turk is currently in Madrid in order to attend the Congress of European Socialists. “On the final day of the congress a declaration [...]
“Turkey has decided to open new embassies in 10 African countries as part of its policy of opening up to the African continent.”
The new embassies, which are expected to open their doors in 2009, will be in the capitals of Tanzania, Ghana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, Cameroon, Angola, Mali, Niger, Niamey and Chad. This is a [...]
We all know about the ongoing accession process that Turkey has been dealing with in order to be a part of the European Union. We also know that the EU is not as eager to have Turkey as a member state, and is working consistently to find new hoops for Turkey to jump through. While [...]
“Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government is used to being praised by foreign observers, media and international bodies, but the situation seems to be changing. An article in the latest issue of the weekly Economist, which labels Erdoğan as ’autocratic’ triggers a debate, as the PM criticizes foreign media.”
It was always a shock [...]