TURKEY

SPRINGFIELD (IL), United States — The state of Illinois has officially included the 1915 Sayfo Genocide—committed by Turks and Kurds against the Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans), Armenians, and Greeks during the final years of the Ottoman Empire —in its high school curriculum for 2025-2026 as part of a dedicated broader instructional unit on…

MERDE, Turkey — The Syriac Orthodox Saffron Monastery, Dayro d’Zahfaran in Syriac, one of the most ancient monastic sites in the world, has been made an honorary member of the Iter Vitis Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. This recognition celebrates the monastery’s profound cultural, religious, and agricultural contributions…

ISTANBUL — The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, DEM Party) issued its final statement following the conclusion of a major social initiative titled Paving the Way to Peace, held in the EYÜP SULTAN district of Istanbul. The event was attended by senior party leaders and…

ISTANBUL — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Istanbul on Friday evening. The visit follows an official invitation from Erdogan and is intended to smooth relations between Turkey and Armenia. Erdoğan officially welcomed Pashinyan at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Palace. The official ceremony was…

ANKARA — Amid ongoing discussions about peace efforts in Turkey, Bar Associations from 16 provinces in Turkey’s east-southeastern provinces – where the Syriac Tur Abdin is located within a majority Kurdish area – presented a detailed roadmap to Turkish Parliament. The Bar associations call on the government to adopt a 17-point…

MARMARA, Turkey — A delegation from Turkey’s opposition Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, DEM Party) met with nine detained politicians in Silivri Prison on Sunday, including prominent figures such as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu (Republican People’s Party, CHP), former Van Mayor Bekir Kaya (Democratic Regions…

ANKARA — In a speech yesterday before Turkish Parliament, Syriac MP for the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (Halkların Eşitlik ve Demokrasi Partisi, DEM Party) George Aryo called for the erection of a memorial for Christians who were brutally murdered and exiled and whose property was usurped by the Ottoman Empire…

ANKARA — In the wake of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan’s renewed peace initiative, President of the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF) Evgil Türker urged the Turkish government to take concrete steps toward resolving the country’s long-standing conflicts. In an interview with the Yeni Özgür Politika,…

BATMAN, Turkey — After centuries of neglect, the historic Mor Quryaqos (St. Cyriacus) Monastery in the Bishiri Quarter of Batman, Turkey, reopened to the public on 15 June following a five-year restoration funded by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The reopening was marked by a dedication service led by…

ISTANBUL — Two of Turkey’s pro-democracy and leftist political movements, the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (Turkish: Halkların Demokratik Kongresi, HDK) and the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (Ezilenlerin Sosyalist Partisi, ESP), issued statements this week commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo genocide, a series of mass killings carried out by…