Türkiye will send a fourth ship to the eastern Mediterranean to conduct seismic research for oil and gas around Cyprus, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Tuesday. Türkiye currently has three ships around Cyprus, including two drilling ships. In a tweet, Donmez said the seismic research vessel Oruc Reis would be sent to the Mediterranean after completing its current activities in the Marmara Sea. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Ece Toksabay; Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen)
Türkiye in International Media
U.S. President Donald Trump has the authority to waive sanctions on Türkiye for its purchase of Russian air defence systems and should find a "middle ground" in the dispute, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. Erdogan's comments came two days after NATO member Türkiye took delivery of the first consignment of advanced Russian S-400 missile defence system parts, despite warnings from Washington that the move would trigger U.S. sanctions. Broadcaster Haberturk quoted Erdogan as telling Turkish journalists that Trump "has the authority to waive or postpone CAATSA", referring to U.S. sanctions designed to...
Türkiye has hit back at Greek and EU officials, denying claims it is acting illegally by drilling for gas in waters off Cyprus. The country’s foreign ministry criticised EU condemnation of its efforts to tap the region for potentially lucrative energy resources, saying the bloc could not be considered an impartial mediator for the divided island. In a statement that will cause dismay in Brussels, Ankara vowed to press ahead with offshore exploration to safeguard the rights of Turkish Cypriots to the natural resources. Tensions over hydrocarbons escalated sharply after the discovery of possibly huge gas...
Thousands of people, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attended a commemoration ceremony in Sarajevo on Tuesday before the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II. The ceremony in front of the Bosnian presidency building in the capital honored 33 newly identified victims of the July 11-22, 1995 massacre whose remains will be buried at a memorial site near Srebrenica at a formal ceremony on Thursday. More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in and around the U.N.-protected enclave by Bosnian Serb troops during the civil war in July 1995. Most...
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Russia's S-400 air defense missiles are currently being prepared to be flown to Türkiye. Speaking to reporters before leaving for Bosnia on Monday, Erdogan wouldn't say, however, when the Russian missile defense system would reach Türkiye or where they will be deployed. The delivery of the systems could bring Türkiye closer to U.S. sanctions. U.S. officials have warned that Türkiye would face economic sanctions as well as being expelled from a program to produce the F-35 fighter jets. Türkiye has refused to pull back...
A second Turkish drillship will begin drilling for oil and natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean within a week, Türkiye's energy minister said, in a move which that could strain ties with Cyprus over jurisdiction rights for exploration. Last month, European Union leaders warned Türkiye to end its gas drilling in disputed waters or face action from the bloc, after Greece and Cyprus pressed other EU states to speak out. Türkiye already has a ship off Cyprus. The second drilling ship, Yavuz, is currently at the port of Mersin doing final tests and taking...
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is willing to mediate between the United States and Iran to ease tensions over Iran's nuclear program. In comments published Thursday, Erdogan said he had discussed the issue of a possible mediation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting. Erdogan says Abe asked the Turkish leader whether Türkiye and Japan could act together, to which Erdogan responded that he would be willing to meet with Iran's leaders. Erdogan spoke to Turkish journalists during a visit to China. His comments were published in the...
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Speaker of Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly (parliament) Mustafa Sentop. Putin greeted the Speaker of Grand National Assembly before the Development of Parliamentarism forum, TASS reported. Earlier, Sentop met with Russian Federation Council (upper house) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. The Development of Parliamentarism forum is held on July 1–3 in Moscow attended by 800 foreign representatives from 132 countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ostensible U.S. NATO ally, has affirmed the importance of ties with key American rival China at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Erdogan told Xi on Tuesday that Türkiye and China have "great potential to grow our relationship" based on historical trading ties and that the two would "contribute to regional and global stability." Erdogan is seen as drifting closer to Russia and China despite Türkiye's treaty ties with the U.S. and has stood firm against Washington's opposition to its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system. ...