Turkey
At UN, Erdogan demands Iraqi Kurds call off referendum, warns of ‘consequences’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday (19 September) demanded that Iraqi Kurds call off a referendum on independence, hinting at consequences if they go ahead.
Migration and Europe: The view from Turkey
European governments seem to be treating Turkey like a game on a football pitch, pushing the ball of inclusion around, but never really having the intention of allowing it to become an equal player on their field, writes Egemen Bağış.
Iraq, Turkey step up pressure over Kurdish independence vote
Iraq and Turkey yesterday (14 September) stepped up the pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan over its planned independence referendum, as the governor of oil-rich Kirkuk province that decided to take part in the vote was sacked.
Estonian Presidency passes Turkey decision to Bulgaria
Estonia, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, made it clear that no decision would be made following Angela Merkel's call to end Turkey’s membership talks this year, passing the responsibility to the next presidency – Turkey’s neighbour, Bulgaria.
France’s Macron urges continued EU ties with Turkey
French President Emmanuel Macron said Turkey remained a vital partner of the European Union and ties should be maintained even if the country had strayed from the EU path, according to a newspaper interview published on Thursday (7 September).
Turkey and Hungary find common ground after Germany’s election debate
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Hungary supported each other in exposing what they called “populism” and “hypocrisy” in Germany's televised pre-election debate, in which their countries were singled out.
Merkel and Schulz butt heads over Turkey and migration in only TV debate
Turkey's place in Europe was in the spotlight during the only televised debate between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger Martin Schulz on Sunday evening (3 September), which featured few other questions relating to the EU.
Kazakh minister: Two ‘revolutionary’ stories are happening in Central Asia
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roman Vassilenko, sheds light on important new developments in Central Asia, little known in the EU, and on the role of his country in major international issues.
Juncker says Erdogan’s Turkey taking giant steps away from EU
Turkey is taking "giant steps" away from Europe and it is entirely the fault of the "Erdoğan system", European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday (29 August) in his strongest comments to date against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rule.
Gabriel: Turkey will never be EU member under Erdogan
Turkey will never be a member of the European Union as long as it is governed by Tayyip Erdoğan, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday (24 August), accusing the Turkish president of failing to take accession talks with the bloc seriously.
Europe’s reliance on gas imports in spotlight as coal’s decline continues
Electricity produced from natural gas has matched power generated from coal in OECD countries. But Europe’s gas self-sufficiency dropped below 50% for the very first time as well.
Merkel attacks Turkey’s ‘misuse’ of Interpol warrants
German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised Turkey's use of an Interpol arrest warrant to detain a German writer in Spain, telling an election town hall event yesterday (20 August) that this amounted to abuse of the international police agency.
Expert: Modernisation is a genuine goal for Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is boosting its role in international and regional affairs by providing a platform for negotiations and being intermediary between the superpowers. Astana’s ambitions to modernise the country are genuine, said Danila Bochkarev.
Erdogan tells Turks in Germany to vote against Merkel
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday (18 August) said German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats were enemies of Turkey and called on Turks in Germany to vote against major parties in next month's elections.
Turkey proposes free movement of workers with Kazakhstan
Central Asian countries are exploring forms of integration resembling those of the European Union, the latest one being the establishment of free movement of people and workers between Turkey and Kazakhstan.
Turkey criticises Merkel, says Germany can’t dictate EU policy
Turkey's EU minister said on Thursday (17 August) that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments about halting the expansion of a customs union between Ankara and the European Union harmed the credibility of the bloc.
Foreign minister: Turkey asks Germany to extradite coup suspect
Turkey has asked Germany to extradite a theology lecturer suspected of playing a major role in last year's failed coup, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday (16 August).
Cyprus president: Turkish side acting ‘outside UN parameters’ in reunification talks
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades expressed his willingness to return to the negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus problem after the failure of the talks last month.
Turkey promises to stamp out anti-China media reports
Turkey regards China's security as akin to its own and will move to stamp out any anti-China reports in its media, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Thursday (3 August), after meeting his Chinese counterpart.
Berlin wants more EU pressure on Turkey, asks to freeze customs union talks
Berlin is pushing the European Commission to halt talks with Turkey over updating the customs union, claiming that a continuation would send the “wrong signal” to Ankara.
Italy joins France in warning Ankara about Cyprus gas drilling
Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti is paying a “symbolic” visit today (31 July) to Cyprus in light of oil and gas drilling that a consortium of France's Total and Italy's Eni is now carrying out in the region.
Weber: Turkish EU membership ‘makes no sense’
European Peoples’ Party group leader Manfred Weber told EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel that hard-hitting action must be taken against the Turkish government, while reiterating his call for EU membership talks to be scrapped.
Germany says EU aid to Turkey could be halted over arrests
Germany raised the possibility on Wednesday (19 July) of suspending European Union aid payments to Turkey after summoning Ankara's ambassador to Berlin to protest over the arrest of six human rights activists including a German citizen.
Bulgaria warns EU is becoming over-dependent on gas transited via Turkey
The European Commission is expected to approve the second thread of the Turkish Stream pipeline stretching to Bulgaria's Black Sea shore, according to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borrisov who warned that the EU is becoming over-dependent on gas transited via Turkey.