Persecution of Christians

The United States April 14 called for a "full, frank" acknowledgement of the facts surrounding the mass killing of Armenians in World War I, but shied away from calling it "a genocide."       

Ankara has hit out at Pope Francis for his use of the word in a weekend address, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an saying "I condemn this mistake."       

As a long-time diplomatic correspondent, I have closely followed Turkey?s diplomatic struggle against world-wide efforts for the recognition of the Armenian genocide. An overall analysis would openly put that Turkey failed in its efforts to take an efficient stand against very well-orchestrated campaigns of the Armenian diaspora and the state of Armenia. 

The European Parliament is set to discuss and vote on a resolution April 15 on the claims of genocide about the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottomans a century ago, turning up the heat on the debates before a ceremony in Armenia on April 24.  

The reason for the growing international tendency to recognize the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide is the Sunni Islamist policy pursued by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), a senior main opposition party leader has claimed. 

Turkey on April 14 deported nine Britons, including the son of a local councillor, two weeks after arresting them for attempting to cross into Syria to join jihadists, the official news agency said.
 

Turkey on April 14 deported nine Britons, including the son of a local councillor, two weeks after arresting them for attempting to cross into Syria to join jihadists, the official news agency said.
 

Turkish-Armenian relations are back under the spotlight ahead of the centenary commemorations of 1915 on April 24. The date will be especially strained this year, after Turkey opted to rearrange the international Gallipoli campaign remembrance service to compete with genocide commemorations in Yerevan on the same day.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on April 13 that he will use a visit to the United States to seek increased air support and arms deliveries to aid Baghdad's battle against jihadists.

The United States and European powers pressed Libya's rival factions to set an "unconditional" ceasefire at talks restarting on April 13, as two attacks on foreign embassies were linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

The number of Europeans fighting with jihadist groups in Syria could exceed 6,000, a top EU official told a French newspaper April 13.