“Together, we all need to do more than we currently do for the Black Sea, which always gives us more than it takes from us,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a call for stronger ties between Black Sea Economic Co-operation (BSEC) group member states on Monday. Speaking at BSEC’s 25th anniversary summit […]
In January 1877, the Constantinople ‘Tersane’ Conference, attended by the Great Powers including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Austria-Hungary, came to an end. The Conference had started in December 1876, and was intended to address the Ottoman Empire’s problems, commonly referred to by European politicians and diplomats as the “Eastern Question”. The year 1876 had […]
Rewind to the beginning of 2016. Ankara was at odds with many of the key actors in the Syrian conflict, including Washington and Tehran. And, after shooting down a Russian jet in November 2015, the temperature with Moscow was certainly below zero. Turkey became estranged from Iran and Russia because of its insistence on the […]
Dear T-VINE, An open letter to His Excellency the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the United Kingdom, Dr Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko. The Turkish community in Britain are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the assassination of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Turkey, His Excellency Mr Andrei Karlov, in Ankara. We […]
Ambassador Andrei Karlov has died after being shot as he was making a speech at a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital earlier this evening. The Russian envoy was rushed to hospital in a critical state, but despite desperate attempts it was not possible to save him. The news of his death was confirmed by the […]
Today, 2nd Dec., marks the centenary of an historical event significant to both Britain and Turkey. On this day in 1916, the Russian Parliament publicly announced a secret agreement with Britain that would hand Istanbul to the Russians after the conclusion of the First World War. This deal is typical of wartime attitudes various European […]
As Eurovisions go, it appeared that Australia (yes, we know it’s not in Europe) had it sown up this year. Way out in front with votes from the juries of the participating countries, we were looking at a comprehensive Aussie win. Though Ukraine was picking up a few 12 points, Australia was more consistent with […]
Now it’s getting tasty! The line-up for Eurovision 2016 is complete with the second semi-final revealing which countries are now locked in for the final this Saturday. I wonder how Russia (the favourites, remember), feel about Ukraine getting through with ‘1944’? This controversial song references the Tatar deportation by Stalin in 1944 and the song […]
