Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Erdogan skips Kashmir mention at UNGA as Turkey eyes Brics membership

The next Brics summit is scheduled to take place in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to attend

Turkish prez vows to 'purge' military graduates who took pro-secular oath

The Turkish president has hit out at military graduates who took a pro-secular oath during their graduation ceremony, promising that those behind it would be purged from the military. Speaking at a conference for Islamic schools in the northwestern city of Kocaeli on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described those involved as opportunists. He added that an investigation was underway and vowed that the few impertinent individuals responsible will be purged. Whoever they are, it is not possible for them to be part of our military, Erdogan said. Erdogan was present at the graduation ceremony at the Turkish Military Academy in Ankara on August 30. Valedictorian Ebru Eroglu led the 960-strong graduating class in reciting the official military oath about defending Turkiye. But video footage from about an hour later shows about 400 of the graduates gathered in a field, raising their swords and chanting We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal a reference to the secular founder of ..

Turkiye's Prez meets Palestinian leader Abbas ahead of speech to parliament

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for talks that focused on the conflict in Gaza, Erdogan's office said, ahead of a planned address to parliament Thursday. Erdogan's office said late Wednesday that the two discussed the massacres committed by Israel in Palestinian territories and the steps that need to be taken for a permanent cease-fire and peace at the presidential palace in Ankara. The statement, released on the social media platform X, said Erdogan pledged continued support to Palestine's just cause and to work to increase the pressure on Israel by the international community especially the Islamic world to deliver humanitarian aid and bring peace. Abbas arrived Wednesday for a visit that comes as the threat of Iranian retaliation against Israel over the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh fueled concerns of the war spreading across the Middle East. Erdogan, a prominent supporter of Hamas and the wider Palestinian cause, .

Turkey blocks access to Instagram over 'censorship', mentions no duration

Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun, has slammed the Meta-owned platform for 'blocking condolence posts on the killing of Ismail Haniyeh'

Turkish prez accuses opposition of fueling racism amid anti-Syrian riot

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused opposition parties of stoking xenophobia and racism on Monday, a day after residents in a neighbourhood in central Turkiye set Syrian-owned shops on fire. The rioting erupted in the Melikgazi region of central Kayseri province late on Sunday, following reports that a Syrian refugee there had allegedly sexually harassed a 7-year-old Syrian girl. Outraged residents overturned cars and set shops ablaze, calling on Syrians to leave. At least 67 people suspected of involvement in the violence were detained, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X. In a televised address on Monday, Erdogan accused opposition parties, which have advocated for the repatriation of refugees, of inciting violence. Nothing can be achieved by fuelling xenophobia and hatred of refugees in society, Erdogan said and accused the opposition of poisonous discourse. When neighbouring Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, Turkiye received hundre

Turkey carried out new airstrikes against Kurdish militants in north Iraq

Turkiye has carried out a new round of airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighbouring Iraq, the Turkish defence ministry said Monday. Warplanes struck suspected positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the regions of Hakurk, Metina and Gara in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to the statement. The airstrikes reportedly killed 16 militants, including some commanders, the ministry said. There was no immediate comment from the PKK, a banned separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkiye since the 1980s. The ministry said it was determined to rescue Turkiye from this problem. The latest airstrikes came weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid his first visit to Iraq in 12 years, seeking greater cooperation from Baghdad in the fight against the militants. Erdogan had previously announced a major operation against the PKK for this summer with the aim of permanently eradicating the threat it poses. The PKK, labelled a ...

Kurdish separatists, water issues loom large in Erdogan's visit to Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to make his first official visit to Iraq in more than a decade on Monday as his country seeks greater cooperation from Baghdad in its fight against a Kurdish militant group that has a foothold in northern Iraq. Other issues also loom large between the two countries, including water supply issues and exports of oil and gas from northern Iraq to Turkiye, which have been halted for more than a year. Erdogan's last visit to Iraq was in 2011, when he was Turkiye's prime minister. Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that Erdogan's visit will be a major starting point in Iraqi-Turkish relations and will include the signing of a deal on a joint approach to security challenges and a strategic agreement on the water file, among other issues. Erdogan has said his country plans to launch a major operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist movement banned in Turkiye and with operations

In setback to Erdogan, Turkey's Oppn makes huge gains in local election

Turkiye's main opposition party retained its control over key cities and made huge gains elsewhere in Sunday's local elections, preliminary results showed, in a major upset to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had set his sights on retaking control of those urban areas. With nearly 60 per cent of the ballot boxes counted, incumbent Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, was leading in Istanbul, Turkiye's largest city and economic hub, according to state broadcaster TRT. Mansur Yavas, the mayor of the capital Ankara, retained his seat with a large margin, the results indicated. The CHP was leading in 36 of Turkiye's 81 provinces, according to the results reported by TRT. The vote was seen as a barometer of President Erdogan's popularity as he sought to win back control of key urban areas he lost to the opposition in elections five years ago. The CHP's victory in Ankara and Istanbul in 2019, had shattered Erdogan's aura of invincibility. The main battlegrou

Turkey holds elections to test Erdogan's popularity, race on for key cities

Turkiye is holding local elections Sunday that will decide who gets to control Istanbul and other key cities. The vote is also a barometer of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's popularity as he seeks to win back control of key urban areas he lost to the opposition five years ago. The main battlegrounds are the country's economic hub of Istanbul and the capital of Ankara, both of which Erdogan lost in 2019, shattering his aura of invincibility. The 70-year-old Turkish president has set his sights on wresting back Istanbul, a city of 16 million people, where he was born and raised, and where he began his political career as mayor in 1994. A strong showing for Erdogan's ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or AKP, would likely harden his resolve to usher in a new constitution one that would reflect his conservative values and allow him to rule beyond 2028, when his current term ends, analysts say. For the opposition divided and demoralized after a defeat in l

Erdogan offers to host peace summit with Russia during Zelenskyy visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose NATO-member country has sought to balance its close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, offered during a visit Friday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to host a peace summit between the two countries. Erdogan, who has repeatedly discussed brokering a peace deal, said at a news conference in Istanbul following his meeting with Zelenskyy that he hoped Russia would be on board with Turkey's offer. Since the beginning, we have contributed as much as we could toward ending the war through negotiations," Erdogan said. "We are also ready to host a peace summit in which Russia will also be included. Ukraine remains firm on not engaging directly with Russia on peace talks, and Zelenskyy has said multiple times the initiative in peace negotiations must belong to the country which has been invaded. Zelenskyy said any peace negotiations must align with a 10-point plan he has previously suggested, which includes food security, ...

Turkey detains Israeli footballer for showing support for hostages

Turkish authorities have detained soccer club Antalyaspor's Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel for questioning after he displayed solidarity with people held hostage by the Hamas militant organisation during a top-flight league game. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Sunday the Israeli is under investigation over possible charges of openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility. Tunc maintained in a statement posted on X that Jehezkel had engaged in an ugly gesture in support of the Israeli massacre in Gaza. After scoring an equalizer against Trabzonspor during a home game, the 28-year-old Israeli player displayed a bandage around his wrist with an inscription marking the 100 days since the hostages were abducted on Oct. 7. The gesture was deemed to be provocative in Turkiye where there is widespread public opposition to Israel's military actions in Gaza and overwhelming support for the Palestinians. Antalyaspor suspended Jehezkel from the team and announced that it was speak

Turkey committed to a positive role in postwar Gaza, says Antony Blinken

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that Turkey is committed to playing a positive, productive role for postwar Gaza and prepared to use its influence in the region to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from broadening even more. The latest Mideast mission by America's top diplomat opened with talks in Turkey and Greece before shifting to the region for not necessarily easy conversations with allies and partners about what they are willing to do to build durable peace and security. Blinken's fourth visit in three months comes as developments in Lebanon, northern Israel, the Red Sea and Iraq have put intense strains on what had been a modestly successful U.S. push to prevent a regional conflagration since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and as international criticism of Israel's military operation mounts. Blinken held meetings with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul about what Turkey and others can do to exert

Turkey delivers 500 tonne aid for Herat earthquake victims in Afghanistan

The provided assistance includes essential items such as food, clothing, spices, hygiene products, blankets, and tents, Khaama Press reported

Turkey ready for any kind of mediation: Erdogan on Israel-Hamas conflict

Erdogan said, "I would like to state that Turkey is ready for any kind of mediation, including prisoner exchanges, if the parties request it"

Turkey's Erdogan says he trusts Russia as much as he trusts the West

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he trusts Russia as much he trusts the West. Explaining his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan said he had failed to get him to resume the Black Sea grain deal the Kremlin withdrew from in July but had elicited a pledge for Russia to supply 1 million tons of grain to Africa. I have no reason not to trust them, Erdogan said during an interview late Monday with US broadcaster PBS in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly. To the extent the West is reliable, Russia is equally reliable. For the last 50 years, we have been waiting at the doorstep of the EU and, at this moment in time, I trust Russia just as much as I trust the West. Ankara has maintained close ties with both Russia and Ukraine during the 19-month war. In July last year, Turkiye and the UN engineered a deal to allow Ukrainian grain to be safely shipped from its Black Sea ports, helping alleviate a global food crisis. Moscow pull

Erdogan and Elon Musk discuss establishing a Tesla car factory in Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Elon Musk, the head of electric carmaker Tesla, to establish a factory in Turkiye during a meeting in New York, Erdogan's office said on Monday. Erdogan, who is in the US to attend the UN General Assembly, also discussed potential cooperation between Musk's space exploration firm SpaceX and Turkiye's space programme, the Turkish president's office said. The statement said Erdogan told Musk that Turkiye would welcome cooperation on artificial intelligence and Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service. Musk said SpaceX wanted to secure the necessary license to offer Starlink in Turkiye. Images of the meeting showed Musk holding one of his sons as he talked to Erdogan. Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, who attended the meeting, said Musk described Turkiye as among the most important candidates for Tesla investment. He added that Musk and Erdogan also discussed Turkiye's armed aerial drone programme.

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Turkey may part ways with EU, says Erdogan, implying end of membership bid

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey may part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc. "The EU is making efforts to sever ties with Turkey," he told reporters before departing for the 78th UN General Assembly in New York. "We will evaluate the situation, and if needed we will part ways with the EU." He was responding to a question about a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated "the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore a parallel and realistic framework' for EU-Trkiye relations." Turkey applied to join the European Union in 1999, and accession talks began in 2005. Accession negotiations were frozen in 2018 because of "democratic backsliding," according to the European Parliament. Erdogan's statement on Saturday came more than a week after Turkey's foreign minister affirmed his country's resolve to join the EU

G20 Summit: Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Delhi

Erdogan was received by Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways of India

Putin says there will be no new grain deal until West meets his demands

Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began on Monday with the Turkish leader seeking to persuade Russia to revive an agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain and other commodities from three Black Sea ports. Putin in July refused to extend the agreement, which was brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations a year earlier. Russia complained that a parallel deal promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn't been honoured. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade even though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year. Opening the talks, Putin said he was open to discussing the grain deal, among other issues. The two leaders met in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday, where the Russian president has a residence.