Ahmet Davutoğlu

Answering a question from a journalist about reports claiming U.S. President Barack Obama has changed his strategy on Syria to prioritize the removal of Bashar al-Assad, to aid in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Nov.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called for a more inclusive Group of 20 forum on Nov. 14, saying it would give lower-income nations a stronger voice when Turkey takes over the presidency for 2015.

Senior U.S. officials have denied that the Obama administration is reviewing its Syria policy to include the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the program, reiterating that Iraq remains the current focus.

Turkey’s energy and natural resources minister has given some heed to insistent calls by opposition lawmakers to resign from his post in the aftermath of several deadly accidents at coal mines, refusing to rule out the possibility.

Turkey will strive to implement a heavy agenda aimed at narrowing the disparity between the most and least developed countries during its G-20 presidency, its prime minister vowed ahead of this weekend’s G-20 leaders’ summit hosted by outgoing president Australia in Brisbane.

“I was there, watching the parade in the Red Square, and everything was the same as the year before,” said Ali Reza Bigdeli, the Iranian ambassador to Ankara, speaking about the Soviet Union’s traditional October Revolution celebrations in 1990. “Yes, there was some unrest around, but the parade was no different to the one in 1989, or in 1979.

Despite the government’s solemn promises, labor accidents continue to claim lives in Turkey, with one worker killed and three others injured after a portion of a tunnel under construction in the Black Sea province of Rize collapsed late on Nov. 12.

Is something happening within the Turkish government?

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has accused the three opposition parties of acting as they are favoring one oppressor over the other.

“We call an oppressor by name, we call him ‘the oppressor’ and we side with the oppressed without any discrimination,” he said.

The headline may sound disturbing, but it is just a version of the latest remarks by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader that reveal the ruling party’s mentality and its approach to religious freedom.