Türkiye’s Erdogan Criticizes Syria Over Normalization 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to address media after the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 21, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to address media after the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 21, 2023. (AFP)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan Criticizes Syria Over Normalization 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to address media after the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 21, 2023. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to address media after the cabinet meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 21, 2023. (AFP)

President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said Syria was not taking a positive approach towards normalization with Türkiye, with President Bashar al-Assad watching from afar and not taking a role, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on his plane returning from talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin, Erdogan was cited as saying normalization was possible if there was progress on the fight against terrorism, on the safe and voluntary return of refugees and on the political process.



Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
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Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)
A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)

Twenty countries denounced in a joint statement the escalating tensions in the Middle East caused by what they term Israel’s aggression against Iran and called for diplomacy and dialogue to restore stability in the region.

“There’s an imperative need to halt Israeli hostilities against Iran, which come during a time of increasing tension in the Middle East, and to work towards de-escalation, to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire and restoration of calm,” read the statement.

Foreign ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Brunei, Chad, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, and Mauritania rejected finding resolution through military campaigns. Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia, Sudan, Türkiye, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the escalation.

They also highlighted the importance of clearing the region of nuclear and mass destruction weapons and called for refraining from targeting nuclear facilities and protecting maritime navigation in international waters.