Page 12 - Turkey

Over 3,000 migrants return to Afghanistan from Turkey in last 20 days

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has provided monetary support to 3,083 of these persons, with a total aid of 36,996,000 Afghanis, reported Khaama Press

Blinken arrives in Turkey for another key meeting amid Israel-Hamas war

Turkey happens to be his last stop in the region before heading to Asia

Turkey's president submits protocol for Sweden's admission into Nato

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has submitted a protocol for Sweden's admission into NATO to Turkiye's parliament for ratification, his office said on Monday, bringing the Nordic country a step closer to membership in the military alliance. Erdogan had been delaying ratification of Sweden's membership, accusing Stockholm of being too soft on Kurdish militants and other groups his country considers to be security threats. Turkiye also was angered by a series of Quran-burning protests in Sweden. All 31 NATO allies must endorse Sweden's membership. Turkiye and Hungary are the only two allies that have yet to ratify it. A brief statement from the presidential communications directorate said Erdogan had signed the protocol on Sweden's NATO accession, which was then submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. It was not immediately known when Sweden's membership would come to the floor. Sweden welcomed the move. Glad to hear that Turkish President Erdogan has now handed o

NATO chief presses Turkey to advance Sweden's membership application

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday pressed Turkey to quickly ratify Sweden's membership in the military organisation, three months after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would help hasten the process in the Turkish parliament. Many allies would like to see speedy progress on this ratification," Stoltenberg told The Associated Press after chairing a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. Sweden has delivered on what they promised, and now we need the ratification of Swedish membership. Sweden and its neighbor Finland turned their backs on decades of military non-alignment after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Their aim was to seek protection under NATO's security umbrella, and Finland joined in April. All 31 NATO allies must endorse Sweden's membership. Turkey and Hungary are dragging their feet. Erdogan spent months publicly saying he was withholding his country's approval because he believed that Swed

Turkey ready for any kind of mediation: Erdogan on Israel-Hamas conflict

Erdogan said, "I would like to state that Turkey is ready for any kind of mediation, including prisoner exchanges, if the parties request it"

Turkish warplanes hit US-backed Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria

Turkish warplanes have carried out airstrikes on sites believed to be used by US-backed Kurdish militant groups in northern Syria after the US military shot down an armed Turkish drone that came within 500 metres of American troops. A Turkish defence ministry statement said the Turkish jets targeted some 30 sites in the Tal Rifat, Jazeera and Derik regions, destroying caves, bunkers, shelters and warehouses used by Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People's Defence Units, or YPG. Turkiye has been carrying out strikes on Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following a suicide attack outside the Interior Ministry building in the Turkish capital earlier this week. The PKK claimed the attack in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police officers were wounded. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the two assailants had arrived from Syria, wher

Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist from 2024: What is at stake?

The self-declared republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist in 2024. President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree dissolving state institutions after a swift defeat by Azerbaijan >

Turkey strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq after warning for Ankara bombing

Turkish warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes against Kurdish militant targets in Iraq on Wednesday hours after the foreign minister warned that Turkiye would hit the militant group's positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Ankara earlier this week. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack outside the Interior Ministry in Ankara in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police were wounded in the attack. The Turkish jets targeted 22 suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves, shelters, and depots used by the militants, the Turkish defence ministry said. The PKK maintains bases in the region, where its leadership has a foothold. It was the Turkish air force's third airstrike against suspected Kurdish militant sites in northern Iraq following the attack, which came as parliament prepared to reopen after a lon

Suicide bomber detonates device in Turkey's capital, 2nd assailant killed

Turkiye's interior affairs minister said a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near his ministry on Sunday, while a second assailant was killed in a shootout with police. Ali Yerlikaya said two police officers were slightly injured during the attack in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The attack occurred hours before Parliament was scheduled to reopen following a summer recess. Television footage showed bomb squads working near a parked vehicle in the area.

Turkey's Erdogan says he trusts Russia as much as he trusts the West

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he trusts Russia as much he trusts the West. Explaining his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan said he had failed to get him to resume the Black Sea grain deal the Kremlin withdrew from in July but had elicited a pledge for Russia to supply 1 million tons of grain to Africa. I have no reason not to trust them, Erdogan said during an interview late Monday with US broadcaster PBS in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly. To the extent the West is reliable, Russia is equally reliable. For the last 50 years, we have been waiting at the doorstep of the EU and, at this moment in time, I trust Russia just as much as I trust the West. Ankara has maintained close ties with both Russia and Ukraine during the 19-month war. In July last year, Turkiye and the UN engineered a deal to allow Ukrainian grain to be safely shipped from its Black Sea ports, helping alleviate a global food crisis. Moscow pull

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Turkey may part ways with EU, says Erdogan, implying end of membership bid

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey may part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc. "The EU is making efforts to sever ties with Turkey," he told reporters before departing for the 78th UN General Assembly in New York. "We will evaluate the situation, and if needed we will part ways with the EU." He was responding to a question about a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated "the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore a parallel and realistic framework' for EU-Trkiye relations." Turkey applied to join the European Union in 1999, and accession talks began in 2005. Accession negotiations were frozen in 2018 because of "democratic backsliding," according to the European Parliament. Erdogan's statement on Saturday came more than a week after Turkey's foreign minister affirmed his country's resolve to join the EU

Turkiye may part ways with EU, could end membership bid, says Erdogan

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkiye may part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc. The EU is making efforts to sever ties with Turkiye, he told reporters before departing for the 78th UN General Assembly in New York. We will evaluate the situation, and if needed we will part ways with the EU. He was responding to a question about a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore a parallel and realistic framework' for EU-Trkiye relations. Turkiye applied to join the European Union in 1999, and accession talks began in 2005. Accession negotiations were frozen in 2018 because of democratic backsliding, according to the European Parliament. Erdogan's statement on Saturday came more than a week after Turkiye's foreign minister affirmed his country's resolve to join the EU and

Rescue teams frustrated that Morocco did not accept more international help

The text-message alert came in the middle of the night: A massive earthquake had hit Morocco. French volunteers scrambled to pull together a nine-person search-and-rescue team, listening devices and other gear to look for people buried under rubble. The only thing the French aid workers didn't have was a green light from Morocco to hop on a flight, which could have landed them in the North African country's disaster zone little more than 24 hours after the September 8 quake that killed more than 2,900 people and injured at least 5,530 others in flattened villages and townhouses. The green light never came, said Arnaud Fraisse, the team's coordinator and founder of aid group Rescuers Without Borders. All of our team members who train regularly year-round for this type of thing are miserable that they couldn't leave and put their skills to use. Aid groups in Europe are frustrated that Morocco did not throw open its doors to outside assistance as Turkey did for a devastating quake in .

Turkey will be proud if India becomes permanent member of UNSC: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said Turkey would be "proud" if a country like India becomes a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). At the same time, Erdogan said all non-P5 members should have an opportunity to become members of the Security Council by rotation. He was responding to question at a media briefing In a reference to the P5 or five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, Erdogan said the "world is bigger and larger than five". "We would be proud if a country like India became a permanent member of the UN Security Council. As you know, the world is bigger and larger than five," he said. "What we mean is that it's not only about the US, the UK, France, China and Russia. We don't want to have just these five countries in the Security Council," he said.

If we get requests like that, we consider them: UN official on 'Bharat' row

The United Nations considers requests from countries to change their names as and when the world body receives them, a top UN official has said, amid a row over President Droupadi Murmu's G20 dinner invites referring to her as 'President of Bharat' instead of 'President of India'. Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Farhan Haq on Wednesday cited the example of Turkey changing its name to Turkiye last year. Well, in the case of Turkiye, we responded to a formal request delivered to us by the Government. Obviously, if we get requests like that, we consider them as they come, he said in response to a question on reports that India's name could be changed to Bharat. A row erupted in India on Tuesday after invitations for a G20 dinner were sent out by President Murmu, describing her position as 'President of Bharat' instead of the customary 'President of India', with the opposition accusing the Narendra Modi government of planning to drop India and stay with jus

Vladimir Putin to meet Turkish counterpart Erdogan on September 4

Their talks come a week before Turkey and the United Nations seek to revive a Ukraine grain export deal that aided ease a global food crisis

Turkey's Erdogan slams peacekeepers for blocking road project in Cyprus

Turkey's president on Monday criticized U.N. peacekeepers for blocking the construction of a road in ethnically divided Cyprus, calling the action unacceptable and accusing the peacekeeping force of bias against Turkish Cypriots. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not allow any unlawful behavior toward ethnic Turks on Cyprus, where his country maintains more than 35,000 troops in the Mediterranean island nation 's breakaway northern third. Angry Turkish Cypriots last week punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers that blocked crews working on a road that would encroach on the island's U.N.-controlled buffer zone. The road is designed to connect the village of Arsos, located in the Turkish Cypriot north, with the multi-ethnic village of Pyla, which is located inside the buffer zone and abuts the Greek Cypriot south, where the island's internationally recognized government is seated. Preventing the Turkish Cypriots living

6 months after devastating quake, Turkey's preparedness still uncertain

Dust and rubble fill the street as an excavator tears off chunks of concrete from an old apartment building. Bystanders and former residents watch from afar as construction equipment tears down the structure. Among the bystanders is Ibrahim Ozaydin, 30, a former resident. He watches the demolition not with worry, but with relief, as his building was marked by officials as unsafe months ago. Ozaydin and his family were shocked to learn that the municipality deemed his building uninhabitable. We decided to build our own house, he told The Associated Press as he watched his former home being torn down. Instead of living in a poorly built house, let us take our own precautions. The sight of construction vehicles demolishing buildings became engrained in Turkish minds six months ago today, after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Kahramanmaras and 10 other provinces in southern Turkey on the morning of February 6. Over 50,000 people died, and hundreds of thousands were left ..

Prices begin to pinch Turkey again, inflation jumps to nearly 48%

The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists was 46.8 per cent Monthly inflation reached 9.5 per cent.