Turkey

Source : Anadolu Agency | Bandar Seri Begawan | 10 Apr 2012

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Tuesday Brunei has extensive investments in many countries in the world, adding that Turkey would like to draw investments from the country too.

"Brunei Investment Agency has strong investments in many countries. We believe that they will also include Turkey on their list to make investments," Gul told a joint press conference with visiting Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

By Reuters | Dubai | 06 Apr 2012

Iran said on Friday it had a strategic relationship with Turkey that should not be damaged by officials’ remarks, a day after Turkey’s prime minister said Tehran was insincere about proposing nuclear talks with world powers in Syria or Iraq.

Tensions between Turkey and Iran have risen after Turkey’s vocal opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has close ties with Iran, and Istanbul hosting the Syrian opposition and international meetings of nations opposed to the Damascus government.

By Reuters | Ankara | 05 Apr 2012

Retired General Kenan Evren, symbol of an era when the military dominated Turkish politics, went on trial on Wednesday for leading a 1980 coup that shaped the country for three decades until reforms cut back the power of the "Pashas".

Fifty people were executed and half a million arrested, hundreds died in jail, and many more disappeared in three years of military rule after the coup, Turkey's third in 20 years.

By Reuters | Ankara | 03 Apr 2012

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused the UN Security Council on Tuesday of indirectly supporting the “oppression” of the Syrian people by failing to adopt a united stance on Syria.

Once a friend of Damascus, Turkey has become a fierce critic of President Bashar Assad over his year-long crackdown on his opponents and has called for the Syrian leader to step down.

By Reuters | Istanbul | 01 Apr 2012

Turkey's ruling party pushed through a school reform act yesterday that provoked brawls among parliamentarians and mass protests by secular Turks and teachers, who said the law was pushing an Islamist agenda and would lower education standards.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sent shudders through the secular opposition earlier this year when he said his goal was to raise a “religious youth.” Earlier this month, his AK Party sprang the surprise proposal to overhaul the education system.

Source : Anadolu Agency | Ankara | 20 Mar 2012

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday expressed his country's willingness to increase trade between Turkey and Bulgaria, saying the bilateral trade volume was 4 billion USD 2011-end.

"We do not consider that figure a sufficient one. And we will exert efforts to improve that further," Erdogan told a joint press appearance with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov after a meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Source : Anadolu Agency | Ankara | 18 Mar 2012

The Hamas leader said on Sunday that the Arab Spring was a milestone in Muslim's history.

Khaled Meshal said the Arab Spring was closely concerning the Palestinians, and expressed belief that Arab Spring was a turning point in the history of the Muslims.

"Arab Spring closely concerns us. We, the Palestinians, are a part of this community, not a stranger," Meshal told an exclusive interview with A.A correspondents in Istanbul.

Source : Cihan | Ankara | 16 Mar 2012

The opposition parties have upped their pressure on the government over Turkey’s decision to host a NATO early warning radar system installed in Malatya province.

Several members of Parliament from the opposition in recent weeks submitted written questions about the radar system, calling on the government to bring the matter before Parliament and get the consent of the legislative body.

Source : Anadolu Agency | Nakhchivan | 08 Mar 2012

Turkish foreign minister has called for joint effort to make South Caucasus "a region of peace and prosperity," saying Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran had taken initial steps to that end.

Source : Daily Mail/UK | Ankara | 24 Feb 2012

A secret Bible in which Jesus is believed to predict the coming of the Prophet Muhammad to Earth has sparked serious interest from the Vatican.

Pope Benedict XVI is claimed to want to see the 1,500-year-old book, which many say is the Gospel of Barnabas, that has been hidden by the Turkish state for the last 12 years.

The £14million handwritten gold lettered tome, penned in Jesus' native Aramaic language, is said to contain his early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet's coming.