International Report

Iran's Foreign Minister visited the Turkish capital this week amid growing regional rivalry as Ankara seeks to expand its influence from the Caucasus to Central Asia. But the conflict in the Middle East is, for now, providing some common ground. At a press conference in Ankara on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, jointly condemned Israel for its ongoing assault on Gaza. They also called for a regional conference to end the fighting.The Israel-Hamas conflict provides a shared interest as Ankara increasingly challenges Iran's regional influence."Turkey is trying to connect itself with Central Asia ... it's not a secret. So there is a simmering tension between Turkey and Iran," explains Ilhan Uzgel, an international relations analyst for the Kisa Dalga news portal."It's kind of postponed because the attention moved to the Middle East again. But we are going to see it more and more in the years ahead."Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is wo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on a collision course with its Western and Middle Eastern allies after vigorously defending Hamas, declaring it to be a "liberation movement" rather than a terrorist organisation. The statement also appears to have ended more than a year of rapprochement efforts with Israel. To the rapturous applause of his parliamentary deputies, Erdogan delivered an impassioned defence of Hamas despite the group killing more than 1,400 Israelis earlier this month."Hamas Is not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group, a group of Mujahideen that is fighting to protect its soil and its citizens," bellowed Erdogan to a standing ovation from his deputies.Erdogan went on to accuse Israel of suffering from "mental illness" for its ongoing bombardment of Gaza, which has claimed over 7,000 lives, accusing the West of ignoring human rights in Gaza because its "Muslim blood being spilled".Erdogan's use of the Islamic phrase "mujahideen," meaning spiritual resistance, is seen as unprece

Fears are growing of a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia as Baku ratchets up its rhetoric against Yerevan, reiterating calls for a corridor through Armenian territory. The move comes as Azerbaijani forces prepare joint military exercises with Turkey, which backs the idea of the passage. Turkish and Azerbaijani forces are to hold three days of military exercises next week across Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, an Azeri enclave that borders Turkey.Baku and Ankara are calling for a 40km corridor through Armenia to connect the Azeri territories. The passage, dubbed the Zangezur corridor, would also create a land route between Turkey and Azerbaijan, a long-term goal of the two allies."God willing, we will implement the Zangezur corridor as soon as possible and thereby make our land road and railroad connection with friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan uninterrupted over Nakhchivan," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a ceremony with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilhan Aliyev in Nakhchivan last month.Yereva

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's links to Hamas are under growing scrutiny following the group's deadly assault on Israel. Erdogan has positioned himself as a mediator in securing the release of Israeli civilians, but his connections to the Palestinian militant group are now casting a shadow over ongoing Turkish-Israeli rapprochement efforts.  On Monday, thousands of people gathered outside one of Istanbul's most important mosques to chant in support of Hamas while condemning Israel.Much of Erdogan's support base is religious and anti-Israel, but last Saturday's Hamas attack is putting the Turkish leader in a difficult position.For more than a year Erdogan has been engaged in repairing relations with Israel. In a groundbreaking event last month, the Turkish leader met for the first time with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.Erdogan is now performing an increasingly difficult balancing act, trying to keep the Israeli rapproche