Page 23 - Turkey

Massive earthquake kills over 2,400 in Turkey, Syria; rescue ops underway

A 7.8 magnitude quake has knocked down multiple buildings in southeast Turkey and Syria and many casualties are feared. At least five deaths were reported initially in Turkey. In northwest Syria, the opposition's Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the rebel-held region as disastrous adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under the rubble. The civil defense urged people to evacuate buildings to gather in open areas. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was felt in several provinces The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.

India ready to provide help to earthquake-affected in Turkey: PM Modi

'India is ready to provide all possible help to the earthquake-affected people'

Sweden can't join NATO if Quran-burning is allowed: Turkey Prez Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Wednesday that Turkey won't allow Sweden to join the NATO military alliance as long as the Scandinavian country permits protests desecrating Islam's holy book to take place. Turkey, which had already been holding off approving Sweden and Finland's membership in the Western military alliance, has been infuriated by a series of separate demonstrations in Stockholm. In one case a solitary anti-Islam activist burned the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy, while in an unconnected protest an effigy of Erdogan was hanged. Even before that, Ankara had been pressing Sweden and Finland to crack down on exiled members of Kurdish and other groups it sees as terrorists, and to allow arms sales to Turkey. Turkey has indefinitely postponed a key meeting in Brussels that would have discussed the two Nordic countries' NATO entry. Sweden, don't even bother! As long as you allow my holy book, the Quran, to be burned and torn, and you do so together with

Meaningless to hold meet with Sweden, Finland over NATO accession: Turkey

It is "meaningless" to hold a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland to discuss their NATO accession process after recent protests in Stockholm, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said

Turkish President Erdogan tells Sweden: Don't expect support for Nato bid

Those who allow such disgraceful acts in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm can't expect good news from us on NATO membership: Erdogan

Erdogan announces Turkey's parliamentary, prez polls to be held on May 14

Turkey's president has announced May 14 as the date for the country's next parliamentary and presidential elections. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who plans to seek reelection, made the announcement during a Saturday youth conference in northwestern Bursa province. A video of the event was released Sunday. I thank God that we are destined to share our path with you, our valued youth, who will vote for the first time in the elections that will be held on May 14, said Erdogan, who had hinted at the date last week. He said in Bursa he would make the formal call on March 10, after which Turkey's Supreme Election Council would prepare for the elections. If no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round of voting would be held on May 28. Erdogan, who has been in office since 2003 first as prime minister and as president since 2014 faces his most difficult election yet as Turkey's troubled economy struggles with soaring inflation. A six-party opposition allia

Sweden braces for anti-Turkey demonstrations amid NATO accession bid

Sweden is bracing for demonstrations Saturday that could complicate its efforts to persuade Turkey to approve its NATO accession, which has already drawn Turkey's ire

Time for Turkey to ratify Finland, Sweden's NATO applications: US

The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken had affirmed resolute support for Finland and Sweden in phone calls with their foreign ministers

Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey says peace summit likely on Feb 24

Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said that a summit to discuss the peace plan for Ukraine may take place on February 24

Turkey's annual inflation fell to 64.27% in Dec 2022 due to base effect

Turkey's annual inflation fell sharply to 64.27 per cent in December 2022 due to a base effect, official data has revealed

7 killed, 5 injured in restaurant explosion in Turkey's Aydin: Guv

At least seven people were killed and five others injured in an explosion at a restaurant in Turkey's western province of Aydin, the provincial governor said

Turkey discovers new natural gas reserve of 58 billion bcm in Black Sea

Turkey has discovered a new natural gas reserve of 58 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the Black Sea, as the country's total reserve in the sea has reached 710 bcm, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said

Turkish President Erdogan vows to sharply ease inflation next year

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to sharply slow the inflation in the coming months and relieve Turkish citizens of the burden of a high cost of living.

Turkey's Erdogan calls on Russian prez Putin to establish Syrian corridor

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a 30-kilometer security corridor on Turkey's border with Syria in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Erdogan's office said Sunday. Referring to Kurdish militants that Ankara considers terrorists, Erdogan reiterated the importance and urgency of creating the corridor in northern Syria in accordance with a 2019 agreement between Turkey and Russia, the statement added. The call came three weeks after Turkey launched air and artillery strikes in Syria and Iraq in response to a bomb attack in Istanbul on Nov. 13 that killed six people and wounded dozens. The Turkish government has blamed the bombing on the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and its Syrian affiliate the People's Protection Units, or YPG. Both groups have denied involvement in the attack. The PKK has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkey that has led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives. It is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the Uni

US hits prominent Turkish biz executive with Iranian oil sanctions

The Biden administration is imposing sanctions on a prominent Turkish businessman reportedly close to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for violations of US restrictions on the sales of Iranian oil. The Treasury Department announced Thursday it was penalizing Sitki Ayan and a number of companies he and his family and associates control for facilitating the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars of Iranian oil for Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Ayan and his firms have also laundered the proceeds of those sales for both the Guard and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, both of which are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US, Treasury said. The sanctions include a freeze on any assets Ayan or the targeted companies may have in US jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing any business with them. Ayan's companies have established international sales contracts for Iranian oil with foreign purchasers, arranged shipments of oil, and helped launder the proceeds, obscuring t

India faces no immediate impact of oil tanker pileup in Turkey: Officials

Situation could change if jam in Bosphorus Strait continues as a result of sanctions on Russian seaborne crude, they say

Finland must end arms embargo to join NATO: Turkish foreign minister

Finland must publicly declare that it's lifting an arms embargo on Turkey to win Ankara's approval for its membership to NATO, the Turkish foreign minister said Tuesday. Mevlut Cavusoglu made the comments ahead of visit by Finland's Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen, who will be discussing his nation's bid to join the military alliance with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on Thursday. The Finnish defense minister's visit to Turkey is important because we have not yet heard a statement from Finland saying they've lifted their arms embargo against us, Cavusoglu told reporters. We're expecting such a statement from there. Sweden and Finland abandoned their longstanding policies of military nonalignment and applied for membership in the alliance after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February, amid concerns that Russia might target them next. But NATO-member Turkey has been holding up Sweden and Finland's bids to join the military alliance, accusing the two Nordic countries of ...

European sanctions on Russian oil lead to a traffic jam on Turkey's coast

The government in Ankara is insisting the ships have a letter from their insurer guaranteeing cover while in Turkish waters -- something that's yet to happen

Russian army chief in Syria meets Kurdish commander amid threats by Turkey

The chief of Russian forces in Syria has met with a Kurdish commander over threats by Turkey to launch a new incursion into northern Syria, a Kurdish spokesman and an Arab TV station said Monday. Siamand Ali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, confirmed to The Associated Press that Lt. Gen. Alexander Chaiko met Sunday with Kurdish commander Mazloum Abdi in northeast Syria, adding that he has no details about what they discussed. Chaiko's trip to the northeast came days after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to order a land invasion of northern Syria targeting Kurdish groups following the Nov. 3, explosion in Istanbul that killed six people and wounded dozens. Russia has called for de-escalation along the Turkey-Syria border. Turkey has launched a barrage of airstrikes on suspected militant targets in northern Syria and Iraq over the past week, in retaliation for the Istanbul bombing that Ankara blames on the Kurdish groups. The groups have denied

US official urges 'de-escalation' as Turkey conducts airstrikes on Syria

A US. official in Syria on Friday called for an immediate de-escalation following days of deadly airstrikes and shelling along the Syria-Turkey border, saying the actions destabilise the region and undermine the fight against the Islamic State group. Turkey this week launched a wave of airstrikes on suspected Kurdish rebels hiding in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, in retaliation for a deadly Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul that Ankara blames on the Kurdish groups. The groups have denied involvement in the bombing and say the Turkish strikes have killed civilians and threatened the anti-IS fight. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that 67 civilians, gunmen and soldiers, have been killed in Turkish attacks in northern Syria since the airstrikes began. Nikolas Granger, the U.S. senior representative to northeastern Syria, said Washington strongly opposes military action that further destabilizes the lives of communities and families in Syr