The Taliban do not want to battle government forces inside Afghanistan‘s cities and would rather see them surrender, a senior insurgent leader said Tuesday, as the militants also warned Turkey against extending its troop presence. The hardline Islamist group has swept through much of the north as foreign troops complete their withdrawal, and the government … Read more
Biden continues European trip with summit in Brussels Leaders of US and Turkey have somewhat strained relationship Nato summit: leaders agree that China presents security risks 4.55pm BST As Joe Biden prepares for his meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Brussels, Kamala Harris has just arrived in South Carolina for an event to … Read more
ANKARA, TURKEY: Turkish authorities gave the go-ahead for the emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotch Ltd. on Wednesday, paving the way for the rollout for Turkey’s vaccination program starting with health care workers and other high-risk groups. The country’s health minister and members of the country’s scientific advisory council received … Read more
ISTANBUL—Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed the central bank governor as the country is beset by its second currency crisis in two years. In a decree published in the early hours of Saturday, Mr. Erdogan ended the mandate of Murat Uysal, who had led the institution since the summer of 2019, replacing him with Naci … Read more
A powerful earthquake hit Greece and Turkey on Friday, causing buildings to collapse and a sea surge that flooded streets in the Turkish resort city of Izmir. Greek public television said the quake also caused a mini-tsunami on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Samos, damaging buildings. The US Geological Survey said the 7.0 magnitude … Read more
NEW DELHI: Usanas Foundation (one of India’s emerging think tank on security related matters) recently hosted a webinar on Armenia- Azerbaijan conflict and the role of Turkey and Pakistan in provoking warfare in Caucasus. The panel comprised Anil Trigunayat, Former Indian Envoy to Libya, Malta and Jordan, Abdullah Bozkurt, Sweden based Investigative Journalist, Turkey expert … Read more
Turkey’s role in the growing clash between Armenia and Azerbaijan—two countries Moscow regards as within its sphere of influence—is adding a new element to a string of proxy fights pitting Turkey and Russia against each other and challenging Russia’s longstanding policy of neutrality over the simmering conflict. Roughly the size of Delaware, the province of … Read more
International concern is growing over rapidly escalating turmoil in the South Caucasus as fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to spiral, threatening to draw in regional powers and destabilize an area that serves as an important energy corridor for global markets. Why are Armenia and Azerbaijan fighting now? Both sides have traded accusations of blame … Read more
Fighting erupted Sunday between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics that have clashed over control of a disputed territory for three decades, raising fear of a new full-blown war in the South Caucasus. Armenia declared martial law and military mobilization after accusing Azerbaijan of launching a missile and artillery attack on the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan … Read more
ISTANBUL—The Turkish economy, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, contracted sharply in the second quarter, jeopardizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s central political pledge of rapidly reviving the nation’s economic prosperity. Turkey’s output shrank 9.9% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, and 11% compared with the first quarter of 2020, … Read more