On 17 April, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Türkiye stated, ''Freedom of navigation must be guaranteed in accordance with established rules, and the Strait of Hormuz should be opened to commercial vessels.'' According to the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, President Erdoğan made the statement during his opening speech at the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) held on the same day, saying, "On one side of the strait is Iran, and on the other is Oman; the Gulf countries’ right of access to the open sea must not be restricted.'' This...
Türkiye in International Media
The Presidency's Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye issued a statement detailing the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the Republic of Georgia. According to the statement by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye, the two leaders addressed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Georgia, as well as regional and global issues. The statement issued by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye is as follows: "President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgia on the...
In his speech at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, President Erdoğan of Türkiye voiced his hope that the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum would lead to auspicious results, particularly for our region and the world. Erdoğan said that the mechanisms tasked with protecting human rights and global security remain ineffective in the face of the most severe attacks. President Erdoğan of Türkiye said, "I hope that the discussions, assessments and exchanges of views to be made as part of the Diplomacy Forum, as well as the side events and bilateral meetings planned throughout the forum, will prove...
A 5th-century marble sculpture head from the ancient city of Smyrna has been repatriated to Türkiye from the United States, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said on Wednesday. The artifact, dating back to the Theodosius period, was returned from the Denver Art Museum's collection following scientific verification that it originated from the Smyrna Agora excavations in modern-day Izmir, a major province on Türkiye's western Aegean coast, said Ersoy on X. Smyrna, one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean basin, was a prominent Greek and later Roman city. Ersoy said that archival records from 1934 proved the...
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Ankara was working to extend a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, ease tensions, and ensure the continuation of talks, and added Türkiye was hopeful of negotiations despite stumbling blocks. Türkiye, a neighbour of Iran, has been in close touch with the U.S., Iran, and mediator Pakistan. It has repeatedly called for an end to the war that it says is unjustified. Speaking to lawmakers in parliament, Erdoğan said Israel's attacks in Lebanon were harming hopes for peace, and added the window of opportunity...
Presidency's Head of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye, Burhanettin Duran, said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had targeted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan out of desperation. Duran made the remarks in a post shared on the Turkish platform NSosyal in response to Netanyahu’s statements targeting President Erdoğan. Duran stated that Netanyahu, who is committing genocide in Gaza and has attacked seven countries in the region, had dared to target President Erdoğan out of desperation. He also stressed that Netanyahu is a criminal against whom arrest warrants have been issued and who no...
In a statement released on Saturday, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye announced that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Emmanuel Macron of France held a telephone call focusing on enhancing bilateral cooperation and addressing regional and international developments. During the conversation, Erdoğan emphasised the importance of advancing cooperation between Ankara and Paris across all areas, especially in the defence industry, which would benefit both countries. The leaders also discussed the repercussions of the escalation triggered by attacks on Iran, with President Erdoğan noting that these developments have adversely affected the global...
Turkish and Somali officials announced that a Turkish drilling vessel docked at the port of Mogadishu on Friday ahead of the launch of the first-ever oil drilling operations off the coast of Somalia, a country long devastated by decades of conflict. Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, who arrived in Mogadishu on Friday, attended a ceremony held at the port together with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to mark the arrival of the vessel, which will be the first Turkish ship to conduct drilling operations outside Turkish waters. “The seismic surveys carried out by the...
The Turkish Defence Minister said Türkiye expects a reaffirmation of Article 5 commitments at the Ankara NATO Summit. The Turkish Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler, said that Türkiye expects Allies to reaffirm solidarity and unity within the Alliance, as well as their commitment to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, at the 2026 NATO Summit to be held in Ankara on 7 and 8 July 2026. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty stipulates that an armed attack against one or more member states shall be considered an attack against all Allies. “Our objective at this Summit will be to underline the...