The governments of Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria issued a joint deceleration and announced that they agreed to set up a free trade zone. Visa requirements for the citizens of the four countries will also be lifted. The free trade agreement was announced at a time when there are heated discussions on whether Turkey is turning its face to the East. The Turkish government, however, says its priority is still EU membership and there is no shift in its policies. On a separate note, US undersecretary of state William Burns expressed the US administration's disappointment over Turkey's no vote at the UN Security Council. Earlier this week, only Turkey and Brazil, both are temporary members of the Council, voted against a fresh resolution which imposes sanctions on Iran. The Turkish government said that it voted no because it still believes diplomatic efforts can succeed. |
The jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, called for a ceasefire on Thursday, ordering armed PKK militants to withdraw from Turkey. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the city of ... more
The Syrian government said the rebel groups foreign supporters, Turkey and Qatar, were responsible for a chemical attack in Aleppo. The countries that back and support the rebels, including ... more
US secretary of state John Kerry was in Ankara on Friday for talks with the Turkish leaders, including PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, focused on the crisis in Syria, ... more