Turkey

Bulgarian politician dumped for siding with Turkey
Est. 3minThe leader of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party has been ousted from his post and expelled from the party yesterday (24 December), officially for declaring support for Turkey in its row with Moscow over the downing of a Russian warplane.

Dutch Presidency to take over task of shaping EU’s border force
Est. 5minUnable to decide on establishing a “European Border and Coast Guard”, EU leaders on Thursday (18 December) tasked the incoming Dutch Presidency to move forward with the divisive issue.

Fearing escalation, NATO reins in Turkey
Est. 6minNATO plans to send air defence support to Turkey partly to minimise the risk of Ankara shooting down another Russian warplane, while assuaging its fears of a spillover from the conflict in Syria, senior alliance sources say.

‘Like-minded countries’ hold mini-summit with Turkey
Est. 4minGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel will explore new possible ways to admit Syrian refugees to Europe at a mini-summit with Turkey, and several EU leaders of the ‘like-minded countries’ today (17 December), as she struggles to control a migrant crisis that has split the 28-nation bloc.

Brussels unveils controversial plan for EU border force
Est. 6minThe European Commission unveiled plans Tuesday (15 December) for a new border and coastguard force that can intervene even without the host country's consent, saying it had to restore security threatened by the migration crisis.

Frontex cannot say if Turkey stemmed refugee flow
Est. 3minEU leaders will meet tomorrow (17 December) for a 2-day summit with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, and make further overtures to his country. However, at this stage it is impossible to say if Turkey’s commitment to halt the influx of refugees has made a difference.

Journalists criticise the EU’s rapprochement with Turkey
Est. 8minIn their effort to stem the refugee crisis, the EU has betrayed Turkish journalists and ordinary citizens, who have courageously stood up to the authoritarian plans of the government, journalistic organisations said yesterday (15 December).

EU warms to Turkey, Serbia membership bids
Est. 4minThe European Union revived Turkey's membership bid on Monday (14 Dcember) and opened accession talks with Serbia, showing how a migration crisis and Russia's presence in the Balkans has prompted the EU to rethink plans to stop expanding.

Russia warns Turkey following Aegean incident
Est. 2minRussia on Sunday (13 December) warned Turkey to stop staging what it called provocations against its forces in or near Syria, after one of its warships fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to avoid a collision.

Davutoglu accuses Russia of attempting ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Syria
Est. 4minTurkey's premier accused Russia yesterday (9 December) of "ethnic cleansing" in northern Syria, saying Moscow was trying to drive out the local Turkmen and Sunni Muslim populations for military purposes.

Kerry optimistic about Cyprus reunification
Est. 3minPeace is within reach in Cyprus, US Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday (3 December) as he watched children from both sides of the divided island play basketball together.

Russia shelves Turkish Stream pipeline project
Est. 3minMoscow has suspended the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project in response to Turkey shooting down a Russian jet in Syria, according to Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

Greece told it could be kicked out of Schengen
Est. 5minGreece hit back yesterday (2 December) at threats from some EU states to suspend it from the Schengen zone of open border travel because of its failure to prevent large numbers of refugees from entering Europe.

Commission considers flying refugees to Europe
Est. 4minThe European Union executive is drafting a plan to fly limited numbers of refugees from Turkey direct to Europe, EU officials said yesterday (1 December), following a weekend deal under which Ankara promised to help cut chaotic mass inflows.

Merkel accused of pandering to Erdogan
Est. 2minThe European People's Party (EPP) has reiterated its opposition to EU membership for Turkey, despite the agreement that was reached on Sunday (29 November). EURACTIV Germany reports.

Putin and Erdogan in war of words at Paris conference
Est. 3minTurkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said on Monday (30 November) that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, should resign if he is unable to prove accusations that Islamic State sells oil to Turkey.

Turkey stops refugees en route to Greek islands
Est. 2minTurkish authorities rounded 1,300 asylum seekers yesterday (30 November) that they said were planning to sail to Greece from hideouts near secluded Aegean beaches and forests.

EU and Turkey agree on €3 billion refugee deal
Est. 5minThe leaders of the 28 EU member states, and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davuto?lu, agreed on Sunday (29 November) on a deal to stem the flow of refugees to Europe, coupled with an unfreezing of accession negotiations, and an initial €3 billion assistance package.

Detained journalists urge EU not to compromise with Turkey over human rights
Est. 2minTwo Turkish journalists arrested this week for their coverage of arms trafficking to Islamist rebels in Syria urged the European Union not to compromise on human rights, as it seeks an agreement with Ankara to help stem refugee flows to Europe.

Turkey arrests two journalists on terrorism charges
Est. 2minTwo prominent Turkish journalists were arrested yesterday (26 November) on charges of assisting terrorists, CNN Turk said, after they published footage that purported to show the state intelligence agency helping send weapons to Syria.

Putin and Hollande step up common efforts against Islamic State
Est. 4minNo broad coalition to fight Islamic State has emerged after talks between Russian President Putin and his French counterpart, François Hollande. But the two agreed to step up their cooperation as the basis for a possible alliance.

Erdogan fumes at Russia’s ‘restrictive measures’ after jet downing
Est. 5minTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an on Thursday (26 November) dismissed "emotional" and "unfitting" suggestions that projects with Russia could be cancelled following Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border.

Unpublished: Turkish intelligence chief: Islamic State is popular, West should accept it
Est. 1minEURACTIV unpublished this article after the Anadolou Agency's Serhat Sayat confirmed that statements made by Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (M?T), attributed to Anadolou, were fabricated.

Russia and Turkey refuse to back down in row over jet downing
Est. 6minRussia sent an advanced missile system to Syria yesterday (25 November) to protect its jets operating there and pledged its air force would keep flying missions near Turkish air space, sounding a defiant note after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet.