Jan 29 WATCH: Blinken and NATO head Stoltenberg meet as Sweden moves closer to military alliance entry By Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Associated Press The brazen attack, which the Biden administration blames on Iranian-based proxies, adds another layer of complexity to an already tense Mideast situation as the Biden administration tries to keep the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a broader regional conflict. Continue reading
Jan 28 Gunmen kill 1 person in attack on a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul By Mehmet Guzel, Associated Press Two masked assailants attacked a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul during a Sunday Mass, killing one person, Turkish officials said. Continue reading
Jan 27 U.S. approves sale of fighter jets to Turkey and Greece after Turkey ratifies Sweden’s entry to NATO By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The Biden administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and F-35s to Greece following the Turkish government’s ratification this week of Sweden’s membership in NATO. Continue reading
Jan 25 Turkey formally ratifies Sweden’s NATO membership, leaving Hungary as only ally yet to endorse it By Associated Press Turkey has published a measure approving Sweden's membership in NATO in its official gazette. That finalizes the ratification, bringing the previously nonaligned country a step closer to joining the military alliance. Continue reading
Jan 24 Hungary is the last holdout for Sweden’s NATO membership. So when will Orbán follow Turkey’s lead? By Justin Spike, Associated Press After more than a year of delays, and consistent urging from its Western partners to move forward with Sweden's application, the Central European country and its conservative populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, are once again in the spotlight. Continue reading
Jan 23 Turkey approves Sweden’s membership bid to join NATO By Suzan Fraser, Associated Press Turkish legislators have started debating a long-delayed bill to approve Sweden's bid to join NATO, in a step that could remove a major hurdle for the previously nonaligned Nordic country's entry into the military alliance. Continue reading
Jan 13 Turkey strikes at Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria after deadly military base attack By Andrew Wilks, Associated Press Turkey carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria on Saturday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said, a day after an attack on a Turkish military base in Iraq killed nine Turkish soldiers. Continue reading
Jan 06 Blinken makes stops in Turkey, Greece as he tries to prevent expansion of Israel-Hamas war By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the leaders of Turkey and Greece on Saturday during the opening stops of his latest Mideast diplomatic mission as fears grow that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza may expand into a broader conflict. Continue reading
Jan 02 Turkey detains 33 people suspected of spying for Israel By Associated Press The report comes weeks after the head of Israel's domestic security agency said his organization was prepared to destroy Hamas "in every place," including in Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar. Continue reading
Dec 26 Here’s what to know about Turkey’s decision to move forward with Sweden’s bid to join NATO By Suzan Fraser, Associated Press NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the alliance’s summit meeting in July that Sweden had agreed “to support actively the efforts to reinvigorate Turkey’s EU accession process.”… Continue reading