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Turkey and the Levant

Stories under this heading cover Turkey as well as the Levant – a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia, consisting of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Palestine.

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Netanyahu delays controversial judicial reform after protests and strikes

The Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu announced on Monday night (27 March) that he would delay a key part of controversial plans to overhaul the justice system, saying that he would pause the legislation to prevent a "rupture among our people".

The announcement came after mass protests across Israel on the night of 26-27 March when Prime Minister Netanyahu fired his defence minister after he spoke out against controversial judicial reform plans. 

patrickn97 Tue, 03/28/2023 - 12:20
Armenia and Turkey to open land border "before the start of the tourist season"

The Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced on Friday (24 March) that Armenia and Turkey have agreed to open their land border, closed for some three decades, "before the start of this year's tourist season".

Speaking at a session of the Foreign Relations Committee of the National Assembly of Armenia, Mirzoyan said, "we reaffirmed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey the readiness to open the Armenian-Turkish border for citizens of third countries and persons with diplomatic passports before the start of this year's tourist season."

patrickn97 Mon, 03/27/2023 - 09:12

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Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: There is still a chance Russia will be a spoiler in the Armenia-Turkey normalisation process
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Opinion: There is still a chance Russia will be a spoiler in the Armenia-Turkey normalisation process

22 March 2022
As long as Turkey maintains a fairly neutral stance on the Ukraine issue, Russia will not interfere in the current efforts to normalise Armenian-Turkish relations, says Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed. "However, if Turkey changes its policy towards Russia, and joins the anti-Russian sanctions the situation may change. In such case, this may break the Russian – Turkish understanding for the post-2020 South Caucasus. Russia may assume the role of spoiler in the Armenia – Turkey normalization process, significantly slowing down the movement towards establishing diplomatic relations and opening up borders." 
Benyamin Poghosyan
Editor's choice
News
Erdogan in Ukraine hopeful of a peaceful exit from the current impasse with Russia
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Erdogan in Ukraine hopeful of a peaceful exit from the current impasse with Russia

3 February 2022
Turkish president, Recip Tayip Erdogan, arrived in Kyiv on Thursday (3 February) with a message of support and solidarity for Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, but also urging all sides in the current stand-off with Russia to exercise restraint. "As a country in the Black Sea vicinity, Turkey invites all parties to exercise restraint and use dialogue to bring peace to the region", Erdogan said at the start of the visit.
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Opinion
Opinion: Elections in Turkey next year may bring the Erdogan era to an end
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Opinion: Elections in Turkey next year may bring the Erdogan era to an end

24 January 2022
2023 will be a crucial elections year in Turkey, and their is no certainty that president Erdogan and his AK Party can maintain there hold on power, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed. The stakes are high and political turmoil will have implications way beyond Turkey itself.
Benyamin Poghosyan
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News
Turkish exports leap to unprecedented heights despite other economic woes
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Turkish exports leap to unprecedented heights despite other economic woes

4 January 2022
Exports to the European Union, were almost half of Turkey's exports, and surged 33% year-over-year to $93.1 billion, enabling Turkey to post a surplus of around $7.7 billion in trade with the bloc. Germany remained the top market, having received $19.3 billion worth of Turkish products throughout the year, followed by the United States with $14.7 billion and the United Kingdom with $13.7 billion. Sales to all the three markets marked the highest annual figures ever.
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Event
The editorial team at commonspace.eu wish all our readers and subscribers a very happy new year 2022
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The editorial team at commonspace.eu wish all our readers and subscribers a very happy new year 2022

31 December 2021
We wish health, peace, and prosperity to all our readers and subscribers in Europe and Eurasia, the Caucasus Region, the Middle East and world wide. Happy New Year!
commonspace.eu editorial team
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News
First meeting between Turkish and Armenian special envoys will be held in Moscow
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First meeting between Turkish and Armenian special envoys will be held in Moscow

27 December 2021
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday (27 December) that the first meeting of Turkish and Armenian special envoys is expected to be held in Moscow to discuss the way forward in the normalization of relations between the two countries Speaking in a televised press conference, the top Turkish diplomat noted that the meeting's location was in accordance with Armenia's request.
Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: Armenian-Turkish relations are haunted by a spectre of failure
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Opinion: Armenian-Turkish relations are haunted by a spectre of failure

20 December 2021
"Armenian-Turkish rapprochement attempts are welcome. Dialogue is better than everlasting antagonism. However, the realistic perception of the situation leads one to inevitably conclude that the process would be very difficult and  will need time", argues Alexander Petrosyan in this op-ed.
Alexander Petrosyan
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