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☆ Winning City Halls, Turkish Opposition Strikes Blow to Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last May, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey handily secured another term as head of state, shattering the morale of the political opposition and raising fears among his critics that his hold on the government would enable him to further edge Turkey toward autocracy. This weekend, the opposition struck back. Mr. Erdogan’s opponents secured a surprising string of victories in local elections across Turkey on Sunday, increasing the share of the country’s cities under their control and further ensconcing them in most of the major metropolises. Those opposition victories could serve as a check on Mr. Erdogan’s power at home, analysts said, while enabling rising opposition stars to wield the large budgets of major cities to build their profiles before the next presidential election, expected in 2028. The results were a blow to Mr. Erdogan, 70, who has been Turkey’s predominant politician for more than two decades.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan’s, Erdogan Organizations: NATO Locations: Turkey, United States

☆ Turkey’s main opposition party wins major cities in elections blow to Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Scott Mclean | Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Istanbul CNN —Turkey’s local elections on Sunday marked a major defeat for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, as the main opposition party claimed victory in key cities including Istanbul and Ankara. After his presidential victory, Erdogan had his sights on reclaiming cities lost to the opposition in 2019. Preliminary official results showed the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had won 49 out of 81 municipalities including 14 out of 30 urban areas in the country, Turkey’s High Electoral Council said. The AK Party lost 10 Istanbul districts to rivals in the latest election. “Unfortunately, we could not get the result we wanted and hoped for in the local election test,” Erdogan said in a speech delivered Monday at AK Party headquarters in Ankara.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Ekrem, Mansur Yavas, Tugay, ” Imamoglu, ”, Beyoglu, ” Erdogan Organizations: Istanbul CNN —, Development, Party, Republican People’s Party, Electoral, CHP, TRT, Nationwide, “, Erdogan, Welfare Party, AK Party –, AK Party Locations: Istanbul, Ankara, Turkey, Izmir, “ Istanbul, Sunday’s

She lost her mother and brother when the building collapsed in the earthquake. Damage from the earthquake is still visible in Antakya, Hatay province. Scott McLean/CNNSearch for the missingLast year’s earthquake killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey, and thousands more in neighboring Syria. “If I can’t find his body, then I will be waiting for him my whole life.”Smoke billows from the scene of collapsed buildings on February 7, 2023 in Hatay, Turkey. Smoke billows from the Iskenderun Port as rescue workers work at the scene of a collapsed building on February 7, 2023 in Iskenderun, Turkey.

Persons: Karabas, Sengul, Rukiye, Mehmet, “, ” Karabas, Scott McLean, Guray Ervin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ismail Demir, ”, Sema Gulec, DEMAK, Gulec, Weeks, Batuhan, –, can’t, Burak Kara, Nur, She’s, Khaled Kassar, Kassar, Anwar, Jamal, ” Kassar, Mustafa Kara Ali, Erdogan, Yasin Akgul, Ekrem Imamoglu, Imamoglu, “ Banks Organizations: Southern, Southern Turkey CNN —, CNN, Hatay, Gulec’s, Interior Ministry, CHP, Getty, Development Party Locations: Southern Turkey, Turkey, Syria, Gaziantep province, Islahiye, Antakya, Hatay province, Iskenderun, Hatay, morgues, Syrian, Homs, Gaziantep, Turkish, AFP, Turkey’s, Istanbul, Istanbul’s, Kocaeli

☆ Istanbul church shooting victim was a Muslim, says local official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Scott Mclean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The lone victim of Sunday’s ISIS-claimed shooting at the Santa Maria Catholic Church in Istanbul was a Muslim, according to a local official. “During the attack, a citizen from Bayburt at the entrance, a Muslim citizen, lost his life,” said the mayor. A funeral ceremony for Tuncer Murat Cihan, the victim of the shooting, is held on Monday. Dilara Senkaya/Reuters“According to the priest, he was constantly going to church and the priest knew this person and referred to him as ‘a good person,’” added Genc. ISIS has claimed responsibility for a shooting, according to a statement from the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency, citing a security source from the terror group.

Persons: Sukru Genc, ”, Ali Yerlikaya, Tuncer Murat Cihan, Dilara Senkaya, ” Genc, BirGün, Genc, Witold Lesniak, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s, “, ” Erdogan, Davut Gul, Anadalou Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Santa Maria Catholic Church, Turkish, Reuters, Polish Locations: Istanbul, Sariyer, Bayburt, Turkish, Tajikistan, Russia, Turkey

☆ Biden administration tells Congress it intends to sell Turkey F-16s after Erdogan approved Sweden’s NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The State Department also sent Congress a formal notification of its intent to sell $8.6 billion worth of F-35s to Greece. Blinken, in turn, told the Turkish president multiple times that members of Congress would not approve the sale of jets until Turkey allowed Sweden to join NATO. The Turkish Parliament finally voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession Tuesday, and Erdogan signed off on the instruments of ratification Thursday. The US official said this was to assure Congress there was no way for Turkey to back out of the deal. Hungary still must approve Sweden’s NATO bid for the nation to finally become a member.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Robert Menendez –, Turkey –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Menendez, Sen, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, NATO, The State Department, Turkish, Foreign, The New, Greek, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department Locations: Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Lithuania, London, The New Jersey, Turkish, Hungary

CNN —The Turkish parliament voted Tuesday to approve Sweden’s NATO membership bid. Of the 346 members of parliament who voted, 287 were in favor of Sweden’s accession and 55 voted to reject it. However, on Tuesday, Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban said he had invited his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, to visit Hungary to negotiate the terms of Sweden’s accession. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. Erdogan initially objected to Sweden’s membership bid, accusing Swedish officials of being too lenient on military groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Victor Orban, Ulf Kristersson, Erdogan, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, Turkish, NATO, Foreign Affairs Commission, Hungary’s, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Foreign Locations: Turkish, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, United States

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank delivered another huge interest rate hike on Thursday as it tries to curb double-digit inflation that has left households struggling to afford food and other basic goods. The bank pushed its policy rate up by 5 percentage points, to 40%, marking its sixth big interest rate hike in a row focused on beating down inflation that hit an eye-watering 61.36% last month. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been a proponent of an unorthodox policy of cutting interest rates to fight inflation and had fired central bank governors who resisted his rate-slashing policies. Other central banks around the world have raised interest rates rapidly to target spikes in consumer prices tied to the rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and then Russia's war in Ukraine. Under Erkan’s tenure, the central bank has hiked its main interest rate from 8.5% to 40%.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Merrill Lynch, Mehmet Simsek, Hafize Gaye Erkan Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Ukraine, U.S

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s highest court on Wednesday upheld a controversial media law that mandates prison terms for people deemed to be spreading “disinformation,” rejecting the main opposition party’s request for its annulment. It was approved in parliament a year ago with the votes of legislators from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party and its nationalist allies, heightening concerns over media freedoms and free speech in the country. The main opposition party had petitioned the Constitutional Court seeking its annulment, arguing that the law would be used to further silence government critics by cracking down on social media and independent reporting. Freedom of expression and media freedoms have declined dramatically in Turkey over the years. Currently, 19 journalists or media sector workers are behind bars, according to the Journalists’ Union of Turkey.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s, Tolga Sardan, Erdogan Organizations: —, Anadolu Agency, Borders, Journalists ’ Union of Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Journalists ’ Union of Turkey

☆ Fact Check: Turkish ships from centenary parade shared as response to Israel-Hamas conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Turkish navy parade with 100 ships marked the country’s centenary as a republic on Oct. 29, but posts on social media are falsely saying these ships are nearing Israel and Gaza in response to the ongoing conflict. Other posts claim the Turkish navy is responding to the Israel-Hamas conflict or that 100 warships were sent to “help Palestine to attack Israel.”The presence of 100 Turkish ships was part of celebrations for the centenary of the country’s secular republic, however, not a response to the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. Turkish state broadcaster TRT also shared footage of the navy parade passing through the strait and covered the centenary celebration on Oct. 29. Reuters previously addressed miscaptioned footage of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers shared as Turkish warships moving toward Gaza. The presence of 100 ships refers to the Turkish navy’s parade on Oct. 29 celebrating the country’s 100 years as a republic.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, ”, Israel, Read Organizations: Turkish Navy, TRT, Getty Images, Reuters, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Israel, Gaza, Istanbul, Palestine, Istanbul’s Bosphorus

☆ Turkey is celebrating 100 years as a republic. But today’s nation is a long way from 1923’s secular state
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Zara Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Today’s Turkey, however, is starkly different from the secular, Westernized state envisioned by Ataturk 100 years ago. The Turkish republic as imagined by Ataturk was firmly rooted in the West and a quick succession of reforms sought to modernize a population decimated by war. People often express such justification through religion, Murat Somer, a professor of political science at Ozyegin University in Istanbul, told CNN. What Ataturk may have been most proud of in today’s Turkey, however, is its growing influence on the world stage, analysts say. In 1926, after an assassination plot against him was discovered, Ataturk told his new nation: “One day my mortal body will turn to dust, but the Turkish republic will stand forever.”

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ataturk, Hagia Sofia, Ataturk’s, weren’t, Ozel, Murat Somer, ”, Somer, “, Ayse, Ismet Inonu, Power, Ataturk “, ” Somer, Adem Altan, “ I’m, ” Zarakol, ” Ozel Organizations: CNN, Turks, Ataturk, Hagia, Ottomans, Hulton, International Relations, Kadir Has University, Ozyegin University, Republican People’s Party, University of Cambridge, Anitkabir, Sunday, Getty, NATO, East, Central Asia Locations: Istanbul, Turkish, Ottoman, Today’s Turkey, Ottoman Empire, Europe, Russia, Anatolia, Ankara, The Turkish, West, fez, Hagia Sofia, Turkey, Hagia, Kasimpasa, “, Ataturk, Turkish Republic, AFP, today’s Turkey, Ukraine, Central

☆ Fact Check: Decade-old US Navy videos shared as Turkish warship nearing Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Footage of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers dating back 10 years has been miscaptioned online as showing Turkish warships moving toward Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in October. THEY MADE IT CLEAR THEY WILL DEFEND GAZA AS TENSIONS RISE IN MIDDLE EAST.”The video shows two clips of moving aircraft carriers with a CNN logo seen in the lower right corner. The video shows an unmanned X-47B stealth drone launching off the USS George H. W. Bush near Virginia on May 14, 2013. All three camera angles of the aircraft carrier are shown in the U.S. Navy’s video. The clips in the circulating video dates to 2012 and 2013 and show U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, not a Turkish warship.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Gerald R, Ford, Emily Khun, George H, Bush, Harry S, Truman, Read Organizations: U.S . Navy, Twitter, CNN, Turkish, Directorate of Communications, YouTube, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, TURKEY, GAZA, Turkish, Palestine, Virginia, U.S

Speaking in Parliament to lawmakers from his Justice and Development Party, Mr. Erdogan accused Israel of deliberately attacking civilians in Gaza and killing large numbers of children, women and older people. Mr. Erdogan also criticized Western countries for their strong backing of Israel and for branding Hamas, the armed Palestinian group that controls Gaza, as a terrorist organization. But recently, Mr. Erdogan made steps at rapprochement with the Jewish state. On Wednesday, Mr. Erdogan said all plans to visit Israel had been scrapped. “We clearly mentioned that we never excuse any acts targeting civilians, including Israeli civilians, regardless of the perpetrator,” he said.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Israel, ”, Mr, mujahedeen, Erdogan’s, Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Ergodan’s, Lior, Russia’s, Vladimir V, Putin, ” Mr, Nadav Gavrielov Organizations: NATO, Development Party, Hamas, European Union, Ministry, Israel’s, Turkish, Turkish Presidency Press, Agence France, United Nations General Assembly, ISIS Locations: Turkey, Israel, United States, Gaza, Ankara, Israeli, New York, Turkish, Russia, Ukraine, “, Seoul

CNN —Sweden inched a step closer to joining NATO on Monday after Turkey’s president sent accession protocols to parliament. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted both Sweden and Finland to seek NATO membership but the former’s entry had been stymied by Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s sign off on the accession protocols comes after months of delays but it is unclear how long the process will take. Since applying for membership, Sweden has tightened its anti-terror legislation and agreed to work more closely with Turkey on its security concerns. The United States welcomed the news that Erdogan had signed and sent Sweden’s NATO accession protocols to the Turkish parliament on Monday.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s, Erdogan, Jens Stoltenberg, Matt Miller, ” Organizations: CNN, NATO, Turkish, Sweden’s, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, European Union, The United, ”, Hungary’s, Reuters Locations: Sweden, Russia’s, Ukraine, Finland, Turkey, Turkish, The United States, NATO, Hungary

☆ Markets in Q3: Gains, pains and oil reigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The chimneys of the Total Grandpuits oil refinery are seen just after sunset, southeast of Paris, France, March 1, 2021. Gold has lost its shine too meaning that only oil and gas, cash and the dollar have proved reliably profitable. “If you are going above $100 a barrel and staying there you are starting to create that inflation narrative again”. Athens’ main stock market is up 26.5% this year, even if it is down 11% since July. “The comforting news for Q4 though is that we should be close to peak (global) interest rates,” Metcalfe said.

Persons: Christian Hartmann, It’s, Salman Ahmed, Japan’s, ”, Robert Alster, El Salvador’s, Tayyip Erdogan’s, Argentina’s, Michael Metcalfe, ” Metcalfe Organizations: REUTERS, Christian, Federal Reserve &, Macro, Deutsche Bank, Management, Russia, U.S, Athens ’, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, Meta, Street Global Markets, Indicators Locations: Paris, France, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Athens, Pakistan, Britain’s, Turkey, Nigeria, Colombia, Mexico, U.S, Poland, Ecuador, Japan

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate by 5 percentage points Thursday, another large but expected hike that signals a continued push toward more traditional economic policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish central bank started cutting rates in late 2021 under pressure from Erdogan. Before their appointments, the central bank had cut its key interest rate from around 19% in 2021 to 8.5% earlier this year. Erdogan has fired three central bank governors who resisted pressure to cut rates before appointing Erkan’s predecessor in 2021. Following Erkan’s appointment, the bank has raised its key rate a series fo time: by an aggressive 7.5 percentage points in August, 2.5 percentage points in July and 6.5 percentage points in June.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Merrill Lynch, Mehmet Simsek, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan’s Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of England, U.S Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Turkish, Erdogan, Central, Ukraine

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Elon Musk, the head of electric carmaker Tesla, to establish a factory in Turkey during a meeting in New York, Erdogan’s office said Monday. Erdogan, who is in the U.S. to attend the U.N. General Assembly, also discussed potential cooperation between Musk’s space exploration firm SpaceX and Turkey’s space program, the Turkish president's office said. The statement said Erdogan told Musk that Turkey 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 Turkey. Images of the meeting showed Musk holding one of his sons as he talked to Erdogan.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Elon Musk, Erdogan, Musk, Mehmet Fatih Kacir Organizations: Elon, General Assembly, SpaceX, Turkish Industry and Technology Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, New York, U.S, Turkish, Starlink

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, long a proponent of cutting interest rates, now supports his advisers’ economic plan that includes raising rates, a member of his economic team said Thursday. In a theory that runs contrary to traditional economic thinking, Erdogan has long pressured Turkey's central bank governors to lower rates. After winning reelection in May, however, Erdogan appointed a new economic team, including two accomplished bankers, signaling a turn to more conventional policies. Political Cartoons View All 1146 ImagesIn recent years, Erdogan fired three central bank governors for failing to fall in line with his rate-cutting policies. "We will continue with the tightening process with all our means until we reach a significant improvement in inflation," Erkan said.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, ”, Mehmet Simsek, Merrill Lynch, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Erkan, “ Organizations: Bank Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Turkish, San Francisco

In remarks ahead of their talks, Putin told Erdogan that Russia is “open to negotiations” on the grain deal. Shifting power balanceErdogan and Putin last met face-to-face in October on the sidelines of an Asia summit in the Kazakh capital Astana. Ahead of his re-election, Erdogan hailed his “special” relationship with Putin as Western states pressured Ankara to join sanctions against Moscow. “(Erdogan) has not really gotten in the direction of trying to please Putin,” Ulgen told CNN. The reconfigured power balance between the two leaders could yet yield positive results with the efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal, experts say.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Erdogan, Monday’s, ” Putin, ”, Sinan Ulgen, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, “, ” Erdogan, CNN’s Becky Anderson, Asli Aydintasbas, ” Aydintasbas, ” Ulgen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ulgen, Turkey’s, “ Putin, ” “ Erdogan Organizations: CNN, TASS, Astana, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Brookings Institution, “ Locations: Russia’s, Sochi, Moscow, Black, Russia, Turkey, Qatar, Russian, Turkish, Asia, Kazakh, Ukraine, Ankara, Istanbul, Washington , DC, United States, ”, Finland, Sweden, East

☆ Ukraine’s defense reshuffle, rare protests in Syria and Erdogan’s Russia push
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

President Volodymyr Zelensky replaces his defense minister – will the move change things on the battlefront? Russia attacks Ukrainian ports near the border with NATO member Romania. The attacks come hours before Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to push for the restoration of a grains deal. Anger over economic hardship in Syria triggers protests against President Bashar al-Assad. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, –, Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, NATO, Thomson Locations: Romania, Syria, Nevada

☆ Turkey shocks with big rate hike to 25% to cool raging inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey’s central bank hiked its key interest rate by a surprisingly large 7.5 percentage points to 25% Thursday, signaling a new determination to address rebounding inflation as part of a broader policy U-turn. The poll, conducted last week, showed that interest rates were not expected to rise to 25% until the end of the year. The rate hike “sends a very strong signal that the [bank] is determined to rein in inflation and the initial market response is very positive,” said Piotr Matys, senior FX analyst at In Touch Capital Markets. Erdogan’s past drive to slash interest rates sparked a currency crisis in late 2021 and sent inflation above 85% last year. The currency is down about 68% in two years largely due to Erdogan’s previously outspoken opposition to high rates and influence over the central bank.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, ”, Piotr Matys, “, Erdogan, ” Erdogan, Hafize Gaye Erkan, — Osman Cevdet Akcay, Fatih Karahan, — Organizations: Analysts, Touch, Wall Street

☆ Opinion: As NATO shows unity, Putin has himself to thank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

One was taking control of Ukraine, which he claimed has no right to exist; the other was weakening NATO. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor strengthened Ukrainians’ sense of nationhood and led to the expansion of NATO on Russia’s border. Putin can still take some solace in the intense disagreements inside NATO prior to the summit over whether or not Ukraine should be granted membership. There’s a strong case to be made that if Ukraine joins while Russia’s invasion continues, NATO allies could be required to enter the war. The argument that Ukraine should not be allowed into NATO because it would provoke Putin holds little sway.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin, Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine “, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, “ We’re, Joe Biden, ”, Zelensky, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Biden, That’s, outlast Putin, “ Putin, Erdogan’s, Erdogan, Turkey’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, NATO, Frida Ghitis CNN, Nordic, European, Kremlin, Kyiv, US, Zelensky, Twitter, Azov Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Turkish, Sweden, Ukraine, Finland, Russia, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Russian, Kyiv, Moscow, Central Europe, Kremlin, Istanbul, Turkey, Mariupol

☆ Turkey eyes recalibration with the West as Russia’s isolation grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Zeena Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

His delicate balancing act has given Turkey a unique position of being the only NATO nation whose ear Russia has. “By backing Sweden’s NATO bid…Ankara is signaling a recalibration in ties with the West, which have been strained for a while now,” said Memet Celik, editorial coordinator for the pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper. “In a larger sense, Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine reminded the West of the importance of geography, hard military power, and alliance commitments – and thus the value of Turkey,” he said. Turkey, however, is likely to continue to be relevant to both Russia and the West. “Due to proximity, power, and relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, Turkey will be a key player in conflict resolution and whatever peace deal ultimately emerges,” said Outzen.

Persons: CNN —, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, ”, Memet Celik, Joe Biden, Washington, Biden, Tuesday’s, ” Erdogan, Rich Outzen, –, “, ” Viktor Bondarev, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia’s ‘, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Putin’s, Outzen, Russia’s “, Ukraine ”, Sinan Ulgen, Erdogan’s, Russia aren’t Organizations: CNN, Nordic, European Union, NATO, …, Daily, West, White House, Atlantic Council, Ukraine, “, Ankara, Russia’s Federation, Committee, Defense, Security, Putin, Kyiv Locations: NATO, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, Turkish, … Ankara, Daily Sabah, Vilnius, Lithuania, Ankara, “, “ Ankara, Istanbul, “ Turkey, Celik

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Wednesday tempered the expectation that his expression of support this week for Sweden joining NATO meant that he would swiftly push the approval through the Turkish parliament. In his first public comments on the issue since NATO announced his support for the proposal on Monday, Mr. Erdogan said that the final decision rested with the parliament and that Sweden needed to take more steps to win parliamentary support, without giving specifics. He also said parliament would not take up the matter until October, even though it is in session until July 27. Mr. Erdogan also said that Sweden needed to continue working to address Turkey’s security concerns, suggesting that he was not yet ready to give up his leverage. “The parliament is not in session for the next two months,” Mr. Erdogan told reporters in Vilnius, Lithuania, near the end of the annual NATO summit.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan of, Erdogan, Erdogan’s, ” Mr Organizations: NATO Locations: Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Sweden, Turkey, Vilnius, Lithuania

☆ Analysis: President Joe Biden just secured a big win from his Europe trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —President Joe Biden has already secured a powerful deliverable from his Europe trip – one that will weaken Russia’s strategic position in another detrimental consequence of its invasion of Ukraine. Once Sweden finally joins NATO, it will bolster Biden’s reputation as a US leader who reinvigorated and expanded the bloc. Biden had said before leaving the US that Ukraine was not ready to join. Erdogan’s move was also a severe blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “This really isn’t about Sweden, this is about the United States and Turkey and Turkey’s role,” she told Jake Tapper.

Persons: Joe Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland –, Ukraine –, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Biden, Erdogan’s, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Erdogan –, –, Russia’s, Erdogan, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Jake Sullivan, Ulf Kristersson, “, ” Sullivan, Chuck Schumer, ”, Stoltenberg, Sen, Bob Menendez, Menendez, National Intelligence Beth Sanner, Jake Tapper, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: CNN, NATO, European Union, Kremlin, West, East, NATO “, Swedish, New, New York Democrat, America, EU, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, Senate Foreign Relations, The New, The New Jersey Democrat, “, National Intelligence Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Lithuania, Sweden, Turkey, Finland, George H.W ., Germany, Russia, United States, Washington, Syria, Madrid, Vilnius, ”, New York, Ankara, Eurasia, Turkish, Stockholm, Greece, The, The New Jersey, “ Turkey, Mariupol

☆ Erdogan’s U-turn on Sweden could signal a warming of ties with the West.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Ben Hubbard | More About Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL — Over the past year, the leaders of many NATO countries have viewed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey as an in-house spoiler. While they were trying to isolate President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for his invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Erdogan referred to Mr. Putin as “my friend.” While other leaders worked to enlarge the alliance, Mr. Erdogan held up the process by seeking concessions for Turkey. Then on Monday, suddenly, Mr. Erdogan flipped, dropping his objections to Sweden joining NATO and allowing the alliance’s summit to convene on Tuesday with a new sense of strength and unity. Mr. Erdogan’s about-face is consistent with his political style: He often doubles down on policies he expects to strengthen him, and then unapologetically throws them out once their worth has diminished, analysts said.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir V, Putin, Russia, Erdogan, Mr, ”, Erdogan’s Organizations: NATO Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Ukraine, Sweden

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