Turkish officials have condemned the treatment its national soccer team endured upon arrival in Iceland ahead of a European Championship qualifying game. The Türkiye players were kept at passport control for more than two hours at Keflavik Airport on Sunday while their bags were repeatedly searched. A man held a toilet cleaning brush like a microphone while team captain Emre Belezoglu spoke to Turkish journalists. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter the team's treatment in Iceland was "unacceptable from the point of diplomatic and humane practices." Türkiye moved to the top of its Euro 2020 qualifying group...
Türkiye in International Media
Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Monday he hoped Türkiye would post a current account surplus in June for the first time since President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party came to power nearly 17 years ago. "God willing, we will post the first current account surplus of the AK Party government era in June and start a new era," Albayrak said on Twitter. "We will strengthen our production and export-led economic model with steps in every area, and put the current account issue out of our agenda." Earlier this month, Türkiye's central bank said the country's current account deficit...
The delivery schedule for Russia's S-400 missile defence systems to Türkiye is continuing as planned, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said on Friday, dismissing reports that Ankara was evaluating a delay in response to U.S. concerns. Türkiye's purchase of the Russian systems has strained its already tense ties with the United States, a NATO ally, which says the S-400s are not compatible with the alliance's defence network and pose a threat to F-35 stealth fighter jets which Türkiye is due to receive. Ankara has since proposed forming a working group to assess the U...
President Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the ceasefire in Syria's Idlib must be implemented to prevent more civilian deaths and an influx of refugees to Türkiye, a statement from Erdogan's office said. Erdogan told Putin over the phone on Thursday that Syria needed a political solution, the statement added. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay Editing by Andrew Heavens) No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission of the publisher.
President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call on Wednesday to meet on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting set for June 28-29 in Japan, the Turkish Presidency's communications director said. Ties between the NATO allies have recently been shaky over Ankara's decision to purchase the Russian S-400 missile system, which Washington says could compromise its F-35 fighter jets. Türkiye has offered that the two countries form a working group that would asses the potential impact of the S-400s on the aircraft but has yet to hear back from the United...
Türkiye's military launched an operation with commandos, backed by artillery and air strikes, against Kurdish militants in a mountainous area of northern Iraq, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The military action began with artillery and air strikes on Monday afternoon and the operation by commando brigades began at 8 pm (1700 GMT) to "neutralise terrorists and destroy their shelters", according to a ministry statement. It said the operation targeted Iraq's Hakurk region, just across the border from Türkiye's southeastern tip, which also borders Iran. PKK militant group is based in northern Iraq, notably in the Qandil region to...
The Defence Minister of Türkiye Hulusi Akar joined Georgian leaders in celebration on Independence Day on May 26. After attending the oath-taking ceremony on Freedom Square in central Tbilisi, Akar held meetings with President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze and Defence Minister Levan Izoria. At the meetings with the Georgian leaders, Minister Akar reiterated his country’s support for Georgia's territorial integrity as well as its aspirations to join NATO. Today Georgians mark Independence Day, commemorating May 26, 1918 – the day when the Act of Independence was adopted, establishing the First Democratic Republic of...
Türkiye’s state banks will provide a 30-billion lira ($4.9 billion) financing package to help bail out some exporting sectors such as manufacturing that were hit hard by last year’s currency crisis, Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said on Thursday. Three big state banks will provide the funding by year end, Albayrak said as he announced the second state-backed package in less than two months meant to revive an economy plagued by bad debt, recession, and high inflation. The first package announced on April 10, also worth about $4.9 billion, targeted banks. The second package focuses on Türkiye’s automotive and...
Türkiye's defense minister says its military personnel are receiving training to operate the S-400 missile defense system despite U.S. and NATO objections to Ankara's decision to purchase the Russian technology. Hulusi Akar also told a group of reporters late Tuesday that Türkiye was "making preparations" and "considering all options" against possible U.S. sanctions on Türkiye over the purchase. Türkiye's S-400 deal with Russia has deepened a rift with the U.S., which says the Russian system is not compatible with NATO systems and could put at risk the U.S. F-35 fighter jet program,...