Belgium: No Turkish PM or President Will Apologise for Doing Duty - Davutoglu

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that protection of Turkish borders and airspace is "not only a right, but a duty for my government," and therefore "no Turkish Prime Minister, or President or authority will apologise because of doing our duty," following the downing of a Russian military jet by the Turkish airforce, ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, in Brussels, Monday.

Belgium: EU and Turkey Agree €3bn Package for Syrian Refugees, Confirms Tusk

President of the European Council Donald Tusk confirmed on Sunday that a “major step towards changing the rules of the game when it comes to stemming the migration flow that is coming to the EU via Turkey” is coming from a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker following the Heads of States of the European Union with Turkey meeting.

Turkish Election: AKP Returns to Power with Outright Majority

THE GUARDIAN: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tightens grip on power as party nears large enough majority to make constitutional changes


Turkey’s strongman president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, tightened his grip on power decisively on Sunday as his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) swept back to single-party government with a convincing win in national elections.

The high-stakes vote, Turkey’s second in five months, took place in a climate of mounting tension and violence following an inconclusive June poll in which the conservative, Islamic-leaning AKP failed to secure an outright majority for the first time since coming to power in 2002.

With almost 90% of the votes counted, the party was on 50.3%, according to state broadcaster TRT. That would give it about 325 seats in the 550-seat parliament, comfortably ahead of its three main rival parties and easily enough to form a government on its own.

The prime minister and AKP leader, Ahmet Davutoğlu tweeted simply: “Elhamdulillah”, or “Thanks be to God”. » | Jon Henley, Kareem Shaheen in Ankara and Constanze Letsch in Diyarbakir | Sunday, November 1, 2015

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Türkei: Absolute für "Sultan" Erdogan: Recep Tayyip Erdogan hat bei den Parlamentswahlen in der Türkei mit seiner islamisch-konservativen Regierungspartei AKP die absolute Mandatsmehrheit erreicht. Die Konfliktstrategie des "Sultans" ist damit voll aufgegangen - er hatte sich als einziger Garant von Stabilität dargestellt. Nun will Erdogan eine Verfassungsänderung für ein Präsidialsystem, in der alle Macht in seiner Hand gebündelt ist. Oppositionskreise sprechen von Wahlschwindel. » | Kronen Zeitung/AG/kal | Sonntag, 1. November 2015

Germany Ready to Support Turkey's EU Accession Process, Says Merkel

DEUTSCHE WELLE: During a visit aimed at securing Ankara's help in stemming a migrant influx to Europe, Chancellor Merkel has said Germany will support Turkey's EU membership bid. Turkish PM Davutoglu hailed Europe's "better approach."

Germany is ready to accelerate Turkey's EU accession process, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday at a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Merkel spoke of organizing the accession process "more dynamically."

"Germany is ready this year to open Chapter 17, and make preparations for (Chapters) 23 and 24. We can talk about the details," she said.

Merkel's statement came as she visited Turkish leaders on Sunday in a bid to secure Ankara's support in stemming the current migrant influx into the EU. » | ls/tj (Reuters, AFP, dpa) | Sunday, October 18, 2015

Turkey PM: Syria No-fly Zone Needed

BBC AMERICA: The Turkish prime minister has told the BBC that Turkey will push again for a no-fly zone over northern Syria to protect civilians fleeing both Islamic State and Syrian government forces.

Ahmet Davutoglu said he would work with the US to establish a "safe area" for people displaced by Syria's conflict.

Mr Davutoglu did not rule out sending Turkish troops in to protect the area.

Turkey is home to more Syrian refugees than any other country - more than 1.8 million according to recent UN figures.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Jeremy Bowen, Mr Davutoglu called on the international community to do more to resolve the four-year conflict in Syria and denied that Turkey had helped so-called Islamic State and other extremist groups.

He criticised the five permanent members of the UN Security Council for failing to make a "strong decision" to stop the atrocities in Syria. (+ BBC video) » | Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Merkel Says Islam 'Belongs to Germany' ahead of Dresden Rally

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday Islam "belongs to Germany", in a clear repudiation of anti-immigration protesters gathering in Dresden and other cities.

A day after walking arm-in-arm with French President Francois Hollande at the front of a massive march in Paris to honor the victims of killings by Islamic militants, Merkel received the Turkish prime minister and urged dialogue among religions.

The conservative chancellor pointed to comments made by former German president Christian Wulff, who said in 2010 that Islam was part of Germany, triggering a fierce debate.

"Former president Wulff said Islam belongs to Germany. That is true. I also hold this opinion," Merkel said at a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who also took part with other world leaders in the Paris march on Sunday.

She was speaking hours before marches by a movement dubbed PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, were due to begin in several German cities. » | Andreas Rinke | Monday, January 12, 2015

Merkel empfängt Davutoglu: "Der Islam gehört zu Deutschland"

TAGESCHAU.DE: Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel räumt dem Islam einen festen Platz in der deutschen Gesellschaft ein. Bei einem Besuch des türkischen Ministerpräsidenten Ahmet Davutoglu sagte sie: "Von meiner Seite möchte ich sagen, dass unser früherer Bundespräsident Christian Wulff gesagt hat, der Islam gehört zu Deutschland. Und das ist so, dieser Meinung bin ich auch." » | Montag, 12. Januar 2015

US and Turkey Plan for 'Worst Syria Scenario'
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has said her country is setting up a working group with Turkey to plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria, including a possible chemical weapons attack on the government's opponents. In a joint news conference in Istanbul with Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, Clinton said that the group will co-ordinate military, intelligence and political responses to any potential fallout in Syria. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from Istanbul, the Turkish capital.