News

Turkey to present action plan to EU for opening of new chapter

Feb 18 2013
Turkey
Source: 
Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey has fulfilled the benchmarks for the opening of an EU membership negotiation chapter that is planned to be opened shortly and will present a draft action plan concerning this chapter to the EU Commission Feb. 19, EU Minister Egemen Bağış has said.

France announced Feb. 12 that it would assist Turkey in opening one of the five chapters once blocked byParis for Ankara’s long-stalled EU membership talks, Chapter 22, “Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments.”

Intra-party crisis in opposition deepens

Jan 26 2013
Turkey
Source: 
Hurriyet Daily News

A party crisis in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is deepening as CHPAdıyaman deputy Salih Fırat announced Jan. 25 that he would resign despite calls from the party administration to withdraw his resignation.

“I assure everybody that my resignation is not connected with single statement or person. There has been a long process that led me to resign,” Fırat said in a written statement. 

Draft law seeks to expel military members for political involvement

Dec 20 2012
Turkey
Source: 
Today's Zaman
The draft of a law on the disciplinary rules of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) makes involvement by members of the military in political or ideologically motivated activities grounds for their expulsion from the military, the Yeni Şafak daily reported on Thursday.
 
According to the bill, which has been submitted to the Parliament Speaker's Office, military members who are involved in political or ideologically motivated activities will be expelled from the military.

Deputy PM expects no group decision on BDP deputies' immunity

Dec 03 2012
Turkey
Source: 
Todays Zaman
Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said he doesn't expect his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will take a group decision on the issue of lifting the immunity of several pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputies.
 
 “Every deputy will give his or her own decision,” Arınç said on Sunday, commenting on a recent statement by AK Party deputy Galip Ensarioğlu, who said 60 AK Party deputies would vote against removing the immunity of the BDP deputies.

AKP offers to delay presidential system

Nov 30 2012
Turkey
Source: 
Hurriyet Daily News

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has offered to postpone discussions at Parliament’s Constitution Reconciliation Commission on its proposal for a presidential system to avoid obstructing the body’s work after the three opposition parties backed the continuation of the parliamentary system. 

The AKP has also suggested that their presidential system proposal for Turkey’s new Constitution could eventually be drafted with red lines from opposition parties, in other words, with reservations and parentheses.

Turkish PM slams anti-Muslim film, violent reactions

Sep 14 2012
Turkey
Source: 
Hurriyet Daily NEws

Insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad cannot be considered freedom of speech, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today in relation to protests that are sweeping the world in response to an anti-Islam film. At the same time, however, such insults do not provide people with the right to attack others, Erdoğan said in the Ukrainian city of Yalta. “Those who made this movie should be condemned in the harshest terms. But insulting religion cannot be an excuse to attack people,” Erdoğan said, according to daily Hürriyet.

Pages