Author: Cemil Nuray

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested a record €2.48 billion in Türkiye in 2023, boosted by the Bank’s swift response to the country’s recovery and reconstruction needs following February’s earthquakes. Türkiye also received the highest volume of investment of all the Bank’s investee economies in 2023. In 2022, the EBRD had invested €1.63 billion in the country, while in 2021, it invested €2 billion. In a challenging year for Türkiye, the EBRD remained committed to supporting the development of the country’s private sector and its green transition, particularly in the aftermath of the February earthquakes that hit the south-eastern…

MOSCOW, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign intelligence chief told the United States on Thursday that Western support for Ukraine would turn the conflict into a “second Vietnam” haunting Washington for years to come. Putin sent troops into Ukraine early last year, triggering a war that has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands and led to the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West in six decades. The West has given Ukraine more than $246 billion in aid and weapons, but a Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed and Russia remains in control of just under a fifth of…

ANKARA, Dec 6 (Reuters) – Turkey rejects plans to establish a post-war buffer zone in Gaza because it would be disrespectful to Palestinians, President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Reuters reported last week that Israel had conveyed plans for the buffer zone to several Arab states and Turkey. Speaking to reporters on a flight from Doha, Erdogan said Gaza’s governance and future after the war would be decided by Palestinians alone. “I consider even the debating of this (buffer-zone) plan as disrespectful to my Palestinian siblings. For us, this is not a plan that can be debated, considered, or discussed,” Erdogan’s…

As the European Union gains momentum on the path towards the European Green Deal, we must not forget the important role of the Western Balkans in reaching our shared goals, write Viola von Cramon-Taubadel and Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield. Viola von Cramon-Taubadel and Gwendoline Delbos Corfield are members of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA. The EU’s commitment to climate neutrality is a monumental task that demands unity, vision, and cooperation – but to work more effectively to achieve this vision, we must also cooperate with our southeastern neighbours. To fully achieve our shared climate goals, we should look at the Western Balkans as…

ANKARA, Nov 16 (Reuters) – A Turkish parliament commission put off a vote on Sweden’s NATO membership bid on Thursday, again holding up expansion of the Western bloc after 18 months of delays that frustrated some allies and extracted some concessions. In May of last year, President Tayyip Erdogan raised objections to both Swedish and Finnish requests to join the military alliance. The Nordic states made the bids in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Turkey ratified Finland’s bid in April but, along with NATO member Hungary, has kept Sweden waiting, demanding that Stockholm take more steps to crack down on what it sees as…

There is a visible risk of a lack of buses for 60 routes serving areas of eastern and western Attica which since 2020 have been carried out by private vehicles (KTEL) under the contract signed with OASA. The Court of Auditors has rejected the request to extend the contract from December 7 to April 7, 2024, until the ongoing tender process for the award of the above services to a private individual is completed. The court ruled that OASA did not act as a diligent procuring entity and in essence this is not a contract extension, but a new, independent…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 25 tore up two years’ worth of efforts put into mending relations between Turkey and Israel by declaring that Palestinian militant group Hamas is not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands. Indicating the attempt at a rapprochement between Turkey and Israel had reached a dead end and that relations were once more heading for the deep freeze, Erdogan accused Israel of taking advantage of Turkey’s “good intentions” and said that he had scrapped a planned visit to Israel. “I shook the hand of this man named Netanyahu…

Türkiye has launched discussions to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from European states after it saw that its request for F-16 jets from the United States may not work out, a Turkish Defense Ministry source said Thursday. Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said last week that Türkiye was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets, though Germany objected to the idea. Güler was holding talks on the issue with his British counterpart Grant Shapps in Ankara on Thursday, the source said. Türkiye wants to buy the most advanced, newly built version of the Eurofighter, he added. NATO…

New evidence has emerged in the investigation into the murder of AEK F.C. fan Michalis Katsouris during clashes with Croatian football hooligans in Athens last August, police sources revealed on Monday. Citing the police sources, state-run news agency amna reported that the DNA of a 35-year-old Greek football supporter has been found on one of the knives police collected from the scene of the deadly attack, that also had traces of the victim’s blood on it. The 35-year-old has been detained and questioned on the issue. In his testimony last Friday, he claimed he had a knife on him when…

Extensive road traffic restrictions will come into effect ahead of the 50th Athens Polytechnic Uprising anniversary, to be commemorated with a mass rally across the city center on Friday, November 17, 2023. Road traffic will gradually be restricted until it is closed off entirely on the day, starting at 06:00 on Wednesday morning through 06:00 on Saturday morning, Νοωεμβερ 15-18, along all the central Athens roads. Some 5,000 policemen will be deployed in downtown Athens during the November 17 Commemoration March. Restrictions include: all streets, squares and pedestrian walkways around the Athens Polythechnic on Patission Avnue, the streets at and…