Author: Daily Sabah

Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin will pay a working visit to Türkiye on Thursday, the first top diplomat his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan will host in 2025. The two ministers are expected to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation in the economy, investments, energy and education. Turkish media outlets said that Ankara would highlight the urgency of holding a Joint Economic and Trade Council meeting. Türkiye will also ask Belgium for more efficient cooperation and concrete steps on counterterrorism, especially against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and PKK, which are active in the European country. Belgium hosts about 300,000 people of…

Thousands of people gathered at Galata Bridge at the heart of Istanbul on Wednesday for a rally in support of Palestinians facing genocide at the hands of Israel. Organized by the National Will Platform, which brings together some 400 civic society organizations, the demonstration was led by the Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA). Authorities have closed major roads heading to the bridge ahead of the rally. Demonstrators took boats to ports near the bridge and others preferred walking. Groups gathered outside Istanbul’s iconic mosques near the bridge, from Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque to Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) in the early hours of…

Thousands of people gathered at Galata Bridge at the heart of Istanbul on Wednesday for a rally in support of Palestinians facing genocide at the hands of Israel. Organized by the National Will Platform, which brings together some 400 civic society organizations, the demonstration was led by the Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA). Authorities have closed major roads heading to the bridge ahead of the rally. Demonstrators took boats to ports near the bridge and others preferred walking. Groups gathered outside Istanbul’s iconic mosques near the bridge, from Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque to Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) in the early hours of…

Thousands of people gathered at Galata Bridge at the heart of Istanbul on Wednesday for a rally in support of Palestinians facing genocide at the hands of Israel. Organized by the National Will Platform, which brings together some 400 civic society organizations, the demonstration was led by the Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA). Authorities have closed major roads heading to the bridge ahead of the rally. Demonstrators took boats to ports near the bridge and others preferred walking. Groups gathered outside Istanbul’s iconic mosques near the bridge, from Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque to Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) in the early hours of…

Türkiye is determined to maintain and strengthen its diplomatic approach, which seeks permanent cooperation and creating solutions to global problems, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday, as he bid farewell to 2024. Noting that Türkiye was able to reap the benefits of its efforts to facilitate peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond, Fidan said Ankara, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visionary foreign policy, will continue to work towards regional stability in 2025. He continued by saying that Türkiye is determined to maintain its solutions-oriented diplomatic approach. “We will continue to defend our country’s interests with a…

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan discussed Türkiye-Armenia relations and global developments in a phone call on Tuesday, diplomatic sources said. No further information was provided about the phone call. Türkiye and Armenia had little ties in the past, and relations were entirely cut off in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union as Armenia engaged in a conflict with Azerbaijan and occupied the territory of Karabakh. Türkiye is the closest ally of Azerbaijan. Türkiye and Armenia have also been at odds over their shared history. Armenia accuses Türkiye of “genocide” of hundreds of thousands…

Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who is the architect of a call to the terrorist group PKK to lay down its arms, said the latest meeting between the group’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan and a political party would give momentum to a good beginning. Bahçeli, who has been a fierce proponent of counterterrorism efforts against PKK and other terrorist groups, issued a stern warning to the group, though, in his New Year message. “Under new circumstances, changing balance of power and against gamechanger Türkiye, PKK can only dream gaining a stronghold in northern Iraq,…

Speaking to French broadcaster France 24 in an interview released on Monday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged the European Union to return to the “pre-Sarkozy” era for his country’s membership process. Fidan noted that before French President Nicolas Sarkozy took office (in 2007), the EU had a strategic view of Türkiye, but after Sarkozy, relations between the bloc and Türkiye fell victim to “domestic policies” of the bloc’s members and identity politics. “There are two tendencies in Europe now: should Europe be a geostrategic thinker, including Türkiye into the club and create its own center of gravity in its own…

Türkiye will not shy away from using an iron fist to realize its terror-free vision, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday. “We will take determined steps to turn our terror-free Türkiye and terror-free region vision into a reality,” Erdoğan vowed in a video message to mark the new year. “We are making every effort for this process, which will open up a new path for our country, to work in peace, mutual goodwill and understanding,” Erdoğan said, referring to a recent push by his government to end four decades of terrorism in Türkiye. “But we will not shy away from…

The year 2024 was a rollercoaster for the sports fandom, packed with unforgettable moments that kept them on the edge of their seats. Turkish giants Galatasaray capped the year with flair, defending their Süper Lig title and asserting their dominance in the Europa League. The Crescent-Stars defied expectations at Euro 2024, rising to the occasion when it mattered most. Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç captured the spotlight at the Paris Olympics with his poised brilliance, while Melissa Vargas led the Sultans of the Net to a year of remarkable triumphs. Lions’ roar Galatasaray, reigning Süper Lig champions for two consecutive seasons,…