Ties That Bind: Turkey, TTIP and Transatlantic Partnership
by Baris Ornarli & Audrey Stevens Late last month, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström met with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman for nearly five hours in an effort to provide momentum to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. Negotiations are progressing slowly, however both sides are reportedly looking to accelerate the process in order to finalize TTIP before President Barack Obama leaves office in January 2017. During this critical phase of negotiations, it is important to reiterate the true potential of TTIP and…
US Ambassador John Bass indirectly joins presidential system debate in Turkey
The American administrative system, composed of three separate but co-equal branches of government, is the result of 238 years of experimentation and refinement, with a rigorous set of checks and balances so power is distributed across all three branches, the U.S. envoy to Ankara has said, indirectly joining an intense local debate launched by the ruling party over how the Turkish presidential system should be. “Our president is our head of state and our head of government, but he does not exercise full power to…
US Senate confirms John Bass as ambassador to Turkey
Hurriyet Daily News The U.S. Senate has finally confirmed John Bass as the ambassador to Ankara. Bass, who was nominated in June but had his nomination held up by the Senate until after the August recess, was approved Sept. 17 by a vote of 98 – 0. Read more from Hurriyet Daily News here.
Turkey, US pledge joint struggle against terror
US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Çankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara, Sept. 12. (AA Photo) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held talks in Ankara on Sept. 12 to shape the strategy in the fight against jihadists in Iraq and Syria, as Turkey reiterated its readiness for “merely humanitarian assistance” in the region, instead of getting involved in combat operations. Read more coverage from Hurriyet Daily News here.
U.S. Secretary of Defense in Turkey, meeting on ISIL
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, left, met Monday with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, to gauge Turkey’s willingness to participate in an American-led coalition against the militant group ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. (Reuters) The Obama administration on Monday began the work of trying to determine exactly what roles the members of its fledgling coalition of countries to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria will play, with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel huddled with the leaders of the one country the…