President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan's election victory this month has left Turkey's opposition party riven by a revolt over its future with little prospect of a radical change in strategy.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) proudly boasts its heritage as the party of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk but has shown little of the historic leader's vision in recent years. 

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who will be Turkey's next prime minister, is a loyal ally of incoming president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the chief architect of an assertive but increasingly controversial foreign policy.

Turkey's president-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday named Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to succeed him as ruling party leader and prime minister, promoting an ally who is expected to show unstinting loyalty to the new head of state.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Thursday angrily denied a newspaper report that Ankara was in talks with Islamic militants to hand over a historic tomb it controls in Syria in exchange for dozens of nationals held hostage in Iraq.

Turkey's ruling party meets on Thursday to choose a new leader and premier to succeed Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he takes the presidency, with all signs pointing to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as the most likely choice.

The executive committee of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) will meet in Ankara to agree a successor for Erdogan, who has transformed Turkey since first becoming prime minister in 2003.

One Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in a suspected attack by Kurdish rebels in eastern Turkey where tensions have soared in the last few days, local media reported Wednesday.

Militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) set up an ambush late Tuesday against a patrol unit in the eastern province of Van near the Iranian border.

The wife of Turkey's outgoing President Abdullah Gul has launched an angry and highly unusual attack on his critics, complaining he was subjected to "falsehoods and disrespect" while in power, media reported Wednesday.

As president, Abdullah Gul was known for choosing his words with extreme care, but his wife Hayrunnisa showed now such caution at a farewell reception late Tuesday.

Turkey's spy chief assured the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a secret meeting last week that the state will press ahead with the peace process to end 30 years of conflict, media reports said Wednesday.

The head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Hakan Fidan, met on Friday with PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan in his island prison, media quoted Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay as saying.

A Kurdish demonstrator was shot dead and at least two others wounded Tuesday when Turkish security forces opened fire on Kurds protesting at the dismantling of a controversial new statue of a slain PKK commander.

The clashes erupted when protesters gathered at a cemetery outside the town of Lice in the Diyarbakir region of southeastern Turkey to prevent soldiers from removing the statue of Mahsum Korkmaz, a founder of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkish authorities on Tuesday arrested at least 25 police officers in the latest nationwide swoop to detain suspects alleged to have illegally wiretapped key government figures including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reports said.

Police conducted raids in 12 cities across Turkey, including Istanbul as well as the western province of Izmir, as part of the investigation into the allegations of espionage and illegal wiretapping, the private Dogan news agency reported.