Ankara
NATO aid for Turkey's defense set to be approved
A mission by NATO to send air defense support to Turkey is expected to be approved by the Western defense alliance's council on Dec. 18, senior alliance sources said, adding that this was going to be done partly to minimize the risk of Ankara shooting down another Russian warplane while assuaging its fears of a spillover from the conflict in Syria.
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Rare Hittite seal seized in Çorum
A 3,600-year-old Hittite-era seal has been found in a box during a police operation held in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum. The seal was one of two of its kind in the world.
Teams from the anti-smuggling and organized crime branch were ordered to carry out an operation in pursuit of a man who would transport historical artifacts from Ankara to Çorum.
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Turkish forces capture 502 illegal migrants on Syria border
The Turkish General Staff announced Dec. 17 that it has captured 502 people who were trying to illegally enter Turkey from Syria.
In a statement posted on its official website, the General Staff said Land Force units captured 502 illegal migrants on Dec. 16, while also capturing seven people who were trying to illegally enter Syria from Turkish territories.
Turkish PM in Brussels ahead of EU summit
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu held meetings with the leaders of Germany and several other nations in Brussels on Dec. 17 before a full EU summit to discuss the recent cooperation deal struck between Turkey and the EU.
Davuto?lu told reporters in Brussels that all leaders have "strongly supported" Turkish government's initiatives on the migrant issue.
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Turkey Stops Over 36,500 Terror Suspects Trying to Enter Syria - Minister
Turkey's Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Thursday that the country has stopped more than 36,500 terror suspects trying to reach Syria, Anadolu Agency reported.
"Turkey has denied entry to 33,746 people from 123 countries suspected of joining terror activities in Syria," the Turkish news agency quoted Ala as saying at a meeting of its Editors' Desk in Ankara.
Downing of Russian Warplane by Turkey Was 'Hostile Act', Putin Says
The downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey had been a "hostile act, not an act of unfriendliness," Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
Moscow had been particularly outraged that Turkey hadn't tried to explain its action and immediately turned to NATO for help instead, Putin told his end-of-year news conference in Moscow.
Shots fired across Syrian border into Turkey
Machine guns reportedly opened fire from the Syrian side of the Turkey-Syria border in the Yaylada?? district of southeastern Hatay province on Dec. 16, targeting a military station.
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Meeting between Greek PM Tsipras and Turkish PM Davutoglu concluded
The meeting between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on the refugee issue was completed on Thursday.
Mr. Tsipras underlined the importance of cooperation between Greece and Turkey on controlling and managing the refugees flows.
EU sees little drop in migrants since Turkey deal: Document
The European Union has seen little evidence that Turkey has managed to reduce departures of migrants for Greek islands in the two weeks since it signed an agreement to do so, an EU document showed on Dec. 17.
Turkey stops more than 36,500 Syria-bound ISIL members so far, minister says
Turkey has up to now stopped more than 36,500 people who were allegedly planning to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) via Turkey, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Dec. 17.
A majority of the suspected ISIL members were prevented before they entered Turkey, while almost 2,800 were arrested in the country and then deported, Ala told the state-run Anadolu Agency.