Erdoğan

Ankara reacted angrily on Nov. 9 to a harsh progress report by the European Commission on Turkey, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urging the European Union to make up its mind on Turkey's accession bid immediately.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu confirmed the speculation on Nov. 8 about his refusal to twice take the call of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. "They think Germany is a superior country and expect us to be ready to take the phone whenever they are ready for that. We are not loafing around here, we also have things to do," Çavuşoğlu said.

Photo: Xinhua/Marios Lolos

BELGRADE - Austria said on Monday it will meet with its Balkan neighbours to discuss what action they might take if a deal with Turkey aimed at restricting the flow of illegal migrants into the European Union collapses, EurActiv.com reports.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered a personal warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Nov. 8 saying that he would be held responsible if Ankara fails to meet EU criteria for granting Turks visa-free travel. 

The Turkish Lira hit another all-time record low against the U.S. dollar at 3.185 early on Nov. 8, as concerns about pressure on opposition circles rise, despite an optimistic mood in global markets ahead of the U.S. presidential election. 

The Turkish economy is also a cause of concern due to its heavy reliance on external financing.

Activists of the international environmentalist group Greenpeace have always been trouble in Black Sea, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, suggesting that they were only supposedly enlightened.

One of the most significant benchmarks on the road to the presidential system was the recent meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli. It is reported they both had positive impressions from the meeting. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has defied EU criticism over the arrests of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers and journalists, saying that Turkey is "no longer subject to orders."

"I don't care if they call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out the other," Erdoğan said on Nov. 6 in Istanbul during a ceremony to receive an honorary doctorate. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met his Northern Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akıncı in Istanbul on Nov. 5 ahead of peace talks scheduled between Nov. 7 and Nov. 11 in Switzerland.

Erdoğan and Akıncı agreed to stay determined to resolve issues through negotiations in the upcoming talks in Mont Pelerin.        

Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan is increasingly seen as a threat to the stability of the region. His government continues its domestic crackdown in the wake of the failed putsch while issuing indirect as well as direct threats against other states, international organizations and regional institutions. The Turkish president sees enemies lurking in every corner: The West is an enemy.