Tag Archives: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

While Ankara claims the project will ease traffic in the Bosphorus, critics warn of dire environmental effects.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday Turkey was further relaxing restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus after the number of daily cases fell to around 5,000. Following a cabinet meeting, Erdogan announced the lifting from July 1 of lockdowns that had been imposed on Sundays and curfews after …

After meeting US president, the Turkish leader says no Turkey-US issue cannot be resolved, despite months of animosity. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he held a “fruitful and sincere” meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. “We believe …

A huge mass of marine mucilage has bloomed in Turkey’s Marmara, as well as in the adjoining Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. Turkey’s president has promised to rescue the Marmara Sea from an outbreak of “sea snot” that is alarming marine biologists and environmentalists. A huge mass of marine …

Turkey’s lira plunged to fresh record lows against the dollar after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said interest rates must be lowered in July or August. Erdoğan, who has sacked three central bank governors in less than three years, says that higher interest rates are inflationary, a view that jars with …

President Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated an imposing new mosque in Istanbul on Friday, fulfilling a decades-old goal and stamping a religious identity on the landmark Taksim Square in the heart of Turkey’s largest city. The Taksim mosque and its 30-metre high dome loom symbolically over a monument to the foundation of …

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflicts in Libya and Syria with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement. The Kremlin said the call’s main focus was on the crisis in Libya, highlighting the need to make real steps towards …

Pope Francis said on Sunday that he is “deeply pained” over the decision by Turkey to change the status of Hagia Sophia — which was originally built in Istanbul as a Christian cathedral — from a museum to a mosque. In a very brief, improvised remark, Francis, speaking from his …

From a symbol of Christendom after its establishment by Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the sixth century, to an emblem of the Muslim Ottoman Empire’s sprawling influence, the Hagia Sophia has been at the heart of a centuries-old ideological and political battle. After Fatih Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in …

A Turkish court on Friday handed down life sentences to 121 people for taking part in the 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media reported. The court in Ankara sentenced 86 suspects to “aggravated” life imprisonment for “attempting to violate the constitution” while 35 individuals were given …

Turkey fiercely criticised Twitter on Friday for suspending more than 7,000 accounts that supported President Tayyip Erdogan, saying the company was smearing the government and trying to redesign Turkish politics. Twitter said it was taking down 7,340 accounts from a network detected early in 2020 that it said was being …

Turkish police used pepper spray to disperse a group of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers in capital Ankara protesting on Friday the stripping of parliament seats of three opposition MPs, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported. Ankara riot police intervened in the group in a bid to stop the deputies making their …

Turkey on Friday resumed some mass prayers at a limited number of mosques after a break of more than two months, as Ankara continued to ease restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Turkey had suspended prayers, limited travel, and closed shops and restaurants. However, the government has started to …

Iraqi President Barham Salih held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Friday. The two leaders exchanged greetings for Sunday’s Ramadan Bayram, also known as Eid al-Fitr while discussing bilateral ties, regional developments, and cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Iraqi-Turkish border was …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that a four-day lockdown starting on May 23 would be imposed nationwide as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan also said schools would not re-open this …

Turkey will start easing coronavirus containment measures from Monday, President Tayyip Erdogan said, lifting inter-city travel restrictions in seven provinces and easing a curfew imposed on senior and youth citizens. Turkey has about 130,000 confirmed coronavirus cases – the highest total outside Western Europe, the United States and Russia – …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will hold talks this week in Moscow amid mounting tensions in Syria, Turkey’s presidency said March 2. Turkey confirmed on March 2 that it had launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following increasing clashes in the …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to target Syrian forces “everywhere” and “by any means” if Turkish troops in Syria are harmed. Erdogan issued the threat during a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party at the parliament in Ankara on Wednesday. The Syrian army and allied …

At least 33 people were killed in eastern Turkey Wednesday by a second avalanche which buried a team of rescuers searching for people hit by the first the day before. The bodies of 33 rescue workers and civilians were discovered in Van province, where they had been helping dig out …

A Turkish court on Friday handed down jail sentences to seven journalists and other staffers at opposition newspaper Sozcu over aiding a network that Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in 2016, the paper said. Sozcu, long a pillar of Turkey’s secularist establishment, described the verdict as a black mark …