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Susan Frazer| Associated Press

Few signs of progress in high-level Ukraine talks

Few signs of progress were reported as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres met with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in a high-powered bid to ratchet down the war with Russia. (Aug. 19)

AP

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking a third consecutive term in officein elections in May, marked 20 years in power in March.

The 69-year-old, who served as prime minister from 2003-2014 and as president thereafter, started as a reformist who expanded rights and freedoms, allowing his majority-Muslim country to start European Union membership negotiations.

He later reversed course, cracking down on dissent, stifling the media and passing measures that eroded democracy.

The presidential and parliamentary elections set for May 14 could be Erdogansmost challenging yet. They will be held amid economic turmoil and high inflation, just three months after a devastating earthquake thatkilled tens of thousands.

Heres a look at some of the key dates during Erdogans rule:

March 27, 1994: Erdogan is elected mayor of Istanbul, running on the pro-Islamic Welfare Party ticket.

Dec. 12, 1997: Erdogan is convicted of inciting hatred for reading a poem that the courts deem to be in violation of Turkeys secular principles, and sentenced to four months in prison.

Aug. 14, 2001: Erdogan, who broke away from the Welfare Party with other members of its reformist wing, forms the conservative Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

Nov. 3, 2002: A year after it is founded, AKP wins a parliamentary majority in general elections. Erdogan however, is barred from running due to his conviction.

March 9, 2003: Erdogan is elected to parliament in a by-election after his political ban is lifted.

March 14, 2003: Erdogan replaces his AKP colleague Abdullah Gul as prime minister.

Oct. 3, 2005: Turkey begins accession talks with the European Union after Erdogans government introduces a series of reforms.

July 22, 2007: Erdogan wins 46.6% of the votes in general elections.

March 31, 2008: Constitutional Court accepts an indictment seeking the AKPs closure for acts allegedly in violation of secularism. The court eventually rules not to shutter the party but cuts treasury financing for political parties.

October 20, 2008: The first of a series of trials against military officers, lawmakers and public figures begins. The suspects are accused of plotting to overthrow the government, in what turn out to be sham trials based on faked evidence and designed to eliminate Erdogans opponents. The trials were later blamed on the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen has lived in the Pocono Mountains in self-imposed exile since 1999.

Local opinion: This notable Pocono resident has been living here in exile since 1999. | Moving Mountains

Sept. 12, 2010: Erdogan wins a referendum on constitutional changes that allow the government to appoint high court judges, curb the powers of the military and ensure presidents are elected by a national vote rather than by parliament.

June 12, 2011: Erdogan wins general elections with a landslide 49.8% of the vote.

May 28, 2013: Nationwide anti-government protests erupt over plans to cut down trees in Istanbuls central Gezi Park. Turkeys largest ever protests result in eight deaths, while the government is accused of using excessive force against protesters.

Aug. 10, 2014: Erdogan wins Turkeys first presidential election held by direct popular vote. Although the post is largely ceremonial, he is accused of exceeding his powers and meddling in the running of the country.

June 7, 2015: The AKP, headed by Ahmet Davutoglu after Erdogan became president, loses its majority in parliamentary elections, and is forced to seek a coalition.

Nov. 1, 2015: AKP regains a parliamentary majority in re-run elections following months of insecurity, including suicide bombings by the Islamic State group and reignition of a decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants.

July 15, 2016: Erdogans government survives a military coup attempt blamed on followers of Poconos-based cleric Gulen, a former ally. The failed coup results in nearly 290 deaths. The government then embarks on a large-scale crackdown on Gulens network, arresting tens of thousands and purging more than 130,000 from government jobs. Many media and nongovernmental organizations are closed down and the crackdown then expands to critics, including Kurdish lawmakers and journalists. The EU accession talks, which had made slow progress, are frozen amid the democratic backtracking.

From 2020: Chestnut Retreat Center offers a look inside their Saylorsburg facility and its mission

April 16, 2017: Voters in a referendum narrowly approve switching the countrys political system from a parliamentary democracy to an executive presidential system, abolishing the post of prime minister and concentrating a vast amount of power in the hands of the president. Critics call the system a one-man rule.

June 24, 2018: Erdogan wins presidential elections with 52.59% of the vote, becoming Turkeys first president with executive powers, while his partys alliance with a nationalist party secures a majority in parliament.

June 22, 2019: Erdogans party loses re-run election for Istanbul mayor by a landslide after it contests March elections which the main opposition partys candidate had narrowly won. Its the first time since Erdogans mayoral win in 1994 that his party and its predecessors lose Turkeys most important city.

Feb. 6, 2023: A powerful earthquakedevastates parts of Turkey and Syria, killing more than 48,000 people in Turkey. Erdogans government is criticized for its poor response to the disaster and for failing to prepare the country for a large-scale quake.

Associated Press writer Zeynep Bilginsoy contributed from Istanbul.

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Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a third term in May - Pocono Record

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Trkiye will erase traces of the destruction caused by the powerful earthquakes on February 6, and be more prepared for possible disasters in the future.

Erdogan spoke at a ground-breaking ceremony in quake-hit Elazig, one of the 11 Turkish provinces impacted by the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes. ( AA )

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild the country's southern region that was struck by powerful earthquakes on February 6, claiming the lives of more than 50,000 people.

"Our aim is to restore our cities in the earthquake zone by handing over 319,000 residences and village houses to owners within a year," Erdogan said on Saturday at a ground-breaking ceremony in quake-hit Elazig province.

Erdogan said Trkiye will erase the traces of the destruction caused by the disaster and be more prepared for possible disasters in the future.

Magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

More than 13.5 million people in Trkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

READ MORE:Erdogan vows to rebuild Trkiye's quake-hit southern region

READ MORE:Erdogan lauds int'l solidarity as $7B pledged for quake-hit Trkiye, Syria

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Erdogan pledges Trkiye will restore quake-hit southern region - TRT World

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that repeated talks of a potential destructive earthquake in Istanbul are spreading fear among the citys residents.

Erdogan spoke during his interview with several Turkish TV channels Wednesday evening about the challenges that faced the government in convincing Istanbul residents living in houses built before the Marmara destructive earthquake in 1999 to demolish and reconstruct their houses.

Despite the challenges, the authority succeeded in changing the face of urbanism in many regions, and people started to apply for the demolition and reconstruction of their houses in other areas, added Erdogan.

Persisting talks about an expected destructive quake in Istanbul spread fear among citizens, with some starting to move from the city to other areas, said the President.

He added that up to 27,949 houses are under construction in several states - such as Adiyaman, Kahraman, Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Hatay, and Malatya - damaged by the Feb. 6 quakes. Construction of some rural houses is almost completed, and they would be handed out to their owners by summer.

Erdogan mentioned that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change is carrying out the debris removal works, and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority is installing tents and establishing field hospitals.

The scope of the destruction is unprecedented, UNDP Trkiye Resident Representative Louisa Vinton told Anadolu Agency.

This is why we expect equally unprecedented commitments from global donors.

Reconstruction is not just about bricks and mortar but also lives and livelihoods. People need secure employment to ensure a steady income, they need public services such as health care and education, and they need to be able to shop, relax and socialize with other people, said Vinton.

In short, they need to get back to normal life as soon as possible.

The UNDP has proposed 31 projects that will contribute to the sustainable recovery of Trkiye's quake-hit southern region, she added.

The UNDP's 12 projects include ensuring sustainable management of debris, restoring waste management and water treatment plants, restoring cultural heritage, rehabilitation and restoration of natural assets and livelihoods, and building back better with near-zero emission structures.

The rest of the projects focus on supporting livelihoods and socio-economic recovery, leaving no one behind through targeted support to vulnerable groups, rehabilitating infrastructure, reintegrating the displaced workers into business, accelerating activity in the damaged areas, and boosting the economy.

The proposed projects also focus on strengthening legal protection and social support for persons with disabilities, increasing the psychological and social resilience of quake survivors and affected communities, and improving community resilience.

The organization is seeking $550 million in funding to implement the projects.

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Erdogan Warns of Repeated Talks about Possible Destructive Quake in Istanbul - Asharq Al-awsat - English

Trade, military, economic and cultural relations, were on the agenda of the two leaders during a meeting held in Ankara.

President Erdogan hailed the "helping hand" Hungary extended Trkiye after twin earthquakes devastated the south of the country and President Novak hailed Trkiye's role in the Black Sea grain initiative. ( AA )

Trkiye has said it was ready to assist Hungary on natural gas delivery via the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP).

"We, (Trkiye) together with Azerbaijan, are ready to provide all means of support in the delivery of natural gas to Hungary via TANAP," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint press conference on Wednesday with his visiting Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

Hailing the longstanding ties between the two countries, Erdogan said the "helping hand" Hungary extended Trkiye after twin devastating earthquakes in February was the "solid example" of these strong relations.

The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes struck 11 Turkish provinces Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa, claiming more than 50,000 lives.

Over 13.5 million people in Trkiye have been affected by the quakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.

"We discussed various aspects of Trkiye-Hungary relations at the meetings we held today," he added.

Trade, military, economic and cultural relations, were also on the agenda in the meeting between the two leaders, during which they watched footage from the earthquake, Erdogan noted.

They also affirmed their common will to further strengthen ties based on an enhanced strategic partnership, Erdogan said, adding that the two countries agreed to hold a sixth meeting of their High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in the Hungarian capital Budapest in December.

READ MORE:'Race against time': How Hungarian team saved 17 people from Trkiye quakes

Expanding defence co-operation

Erdogan said that he and Novak emphasised the importance of developing co-operation between the two NATO allies in the defence industry.

Asked about Russia's war on Ukraine, President Erdogan said Ankara wanted to bring Moscow and Kiev to start negotiations and "end the war with peace at the table."

For her part, President Novak hailed Trkiye's role in the Black Sea grain initiative and urged an immediate cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine.

She further noted that Trkiye was "indispensable for Hungary's energy security" and noted that her country needed the Turkish Stream.

On NATO, Novak said her country favored enlargement of the alliance and called for steps to be taken in this direction.

Pointing to the Hungarian parliament's recent approval of Finland's bid to join NATO, Novak said: "A positive decision has been made in Hungary regarding Finland joining (the alliance), and the issue of Swedish accession is on the agenda and discussions are ongoing in the Hungarian parliament."

Abandoning decades of military non-alignment, Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO last May.

But Trkiye, a longstanding NATO member, asked the two Nordic countries to take concrete action against terrorist groups like the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

In June, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum with Trkiye to address Ankaras security concerns, and senior diplomats and officials from the three countries have held various meetings since then to discuss the implementation of the trilateral agreement.

Sweden passed an anti-terror law last November, hoping that Ankara would approve Stockholms bid to join NATO. The new law, which will go into force on June 1, will allow Swedish authorities to prosecute individuals who support terrorist organisations. Trkiye says the adopted laws were not sufficient enough, and nothing much had been done to stop the activities of the terror groups.

Trkiye said earlier this month that it would approve the process of Finland's NATO membership protocol in parliament.

READ MORE:Only Trkiye has successfully mediated between Russia, Ukraine: Hungary

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Erdogan meets Hungarian counterpart to discuss strategic co-operation - TRT World

ANKARA Turkey's main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is on a mission to unify ranks among several candidates in his bid to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Wednesday, he met candidateMuharrem Inceas negotiations started between the two to broaden support for the opposition.

Kilicdaroglu is looking to boost the electoral chances of the country's six-party opposition bloc, also known as the table of six, against Erdogan.

Flanked by Ince, Kilicdaroglu struck an auspicious tone after the one-hour meeting, saying they were working to enlarge the table.

We are trying to be together. Mr. Ince is, certainly, as sensitive as Im when it comes to Turkeys problems Kilicdaroglu said.

Ince refused to announce his withdrawal from the race, but did not completely rule out a potential alliance. Erdogan has to go, he said. We can get this country back on its feet.

With less than two months until the tightly contested May 14 elections, the countrys main rival electoral blocs, led by Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, are scrambling to expand their alliances.

Last week's tacit support from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has been a major boost to the CHP-led opposition bloc, as the Kurds stand to be the top kingmaker. The move, however, also risks alienating nationalist supporters of the table of six. Known for his nationalist tendencies, Inces involvement in the alliance could fend off such risks as well.

Inces support would increase Kilicdaroglu's chances to win the race in the first round.

The majority of his votes come from the opposition's voter base, Ulas Tol, director of research at Istanbul-based Social Impact Research Center, told Al-Monitor.

As a former veteran of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), Ince ran against Erdogan in the 2018 presidential race, winning more than 25% of the vote. On the night of that election, he conceded his defeat to a journalist via text message, frustrating many of his supporters and party activists who were still counting ballots at the time. Ince, who repeatedly apologized, later resigned from the CHP and set up his own Memleket or Homeland Party.

According to Tol and many other pundits, particularly young voters who will cast their first ballots in May revere Ince.

The division of votes in the four-candidate presidential race which also includes Sinan Ogan, a former member of Erdogan-allied Nationalist Movement Party increases the possibility of a runoff poll, which the six-party alliance has been seeking to avoid.

The second round will be held after the parliamentary race is concluded. Thus, the side that has secured the parliamentary majority will have a psychological advantage in the second round, Tol opined.

Some 15 percent of disgruntled voters are indignant with both main electoral blocs, he added, and some can support the bloc that won the parliamentary majority for the sake of stability.

Turkey is grappling with breakneck inflation, and the twin earthquakes on Feb. 6 that killed more than 50,000 across 11 Turkish provinces have further exacerbated the countrys woes.

The government critics deem the upcoming polls as a last chance to reverse the country's democratic backsliding and institutional degeneration under Erdogans executive presidency. However, polls show Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party still maintain a plenty of heft.

Berk Esen, associate professor of political science at Istanbul's Sabanci University, warns against the demonizing rhetoric between the rival opposition camps.

There is a large anti-Erdogan front. Yet it is still a struggle to rally this front around a joint candidate, Esen told Al-Monitor, adding that mutual vilifications between rival opposition camps can further obstruct these efforts.

According to Esen, the negotiations between Ince and Kilicdaroglu over a potential election alliance will go on.

A source familiar with Ince seconds that, arguing that the former CHP veteran was close to rescinding his candidacy in return for some political gains from the six-party alliance.

Excerpt from:
Can Turkey's Kemal Kilicdaroglu win over key rival to defeat Erdogan? - Al-Monitor