Turkey

By Murat Paksoy and Hanife Sevinc

ISTANBUL

31 July 2018; AA; Representatives of minority communities on Tuesday said they were free to follow their faith in Turkey, denying allegations that they were being victimized.

In a joint declaration, Turkey's minority community representatives -- including followers of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches -- said that people of different faiths live "freely".

By Yilmaz Kazandioglu

31 July 2018; AA; HAKKARI, Turkey

A roadside bombing by the PKK terrorist organization killed the wife and baby of a Turkish soldier in the southeastern province of Hakkari, the local governor’s office said Tuesday. 

The bomb exploded when a car carrying the civilians passed through the Yuksekova district.

The mother died on the spot, while the 11-month-old child succumbed to his wounds at the Yuksekova Public Hospital. 

An operation to nab the terrorists is under way in the region.

31 July 2018; AFP; A Turkish court on Tuesday rejected an appeal to release from house arrest a US pastor whose detention on terror-related charges has strained relations between NATO allies Ankara and Washington, state media reported.

The court in the Aegean region of Izmir rejected an appeal by the lawyer for Andrew Brunson, who ran a Protestant church, to have him released from house arrest and have his travel ban removed, state-run Anadolu news agency said.

29 July 2018; AFP; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the US in comments published Sunday that sanctions would not force Ankara to "step back" after Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed.

"You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions," Erdogan said in his first comments since relations soured after Trump threatened the measures on Thursday if Pastor Andrew Brunson was not released.

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said here on Thursday that the United States will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases a detained U.S. pastor.

Pence said Turkey should take immediate action to free Andrew Brunson or "be prepared to face the consequences."

U.S. President Donald Trump also tweeted earlier that Ankara should release Brunson, calling the cleric's detention "a total disgrace."

ANKARA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will never tolerate threats from anybody, Turkish Foreign Minister said on Thursday in response to warnings of sanctions from the United States leadership.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that the United States will slap "significant economic sanctions" on Turkey unless it immediately releases detained U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson.

"No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone, no exception," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a Twitter message.

ANKARA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The state of emergency in Turkey has ended Wednesday midnight after it went into effect two years ago in the wake of the botched military coup in July 2016.

It will be replaced by a new set of security laws aiming to crack down on terrorist activities.

The termination of the emergency rule was promised by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his presidential campaign before his victory in the general elections in June.

June 25, 2018; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won the Turkey’s presidential election with an absolute majority with 90% of 59 million eligible voters participation.

Erdogan  brought forward the elections from November 2019.

Opposition parties and NGOs had deployed up to half a million monitors at ballot boxes to try to prevent possible electoral fraud.

Erdogan will start a new five-year term with new powers that was won in a referendum last year.