Ankara

Turkey has lagged behind other emerging markets in competitiveness levels and returned to the 1980s in terms of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), World Bank Director for Turkey Martin Raiser said on Jan. 6, as reported by Cihan News Agency.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit the Turkish capital of Ankara on Jan. 12 to discuss the repercussions of the U.N. Security Council's failure to adopt a draft resolution setting a deadline for the ending of Israeli occupation, a Palestinian diplomat has said.

The 14th !f Istanbul Independent Films Festival will run between Feb. 12 and 22 in Istanbul and between Feb. 26 and March 1 in Ankara and ?zmir. The opening film of the festival will be master director Tim Burton?s latest film ?Big Eyes,? which will make its premier in Turkey.

The Netherlands is proud of its Turkish-origin citizens, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders has said at a meeting in Ankara, in the wake of escalated tension over the integration of Turkish and Muslim immigrants in the country.      

The U.S. military has made progress in its effort to identify moderate Syrian rebels to train for the fight against Islamic State militants and a U.S. training mission could begin this spring, the Pentagon said on Jan. 7.
  

I was at a lunch with the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, Bert Koenders, along with two colleagues, at the residence of the Dutch Ambassador to Turkey, Ron Keller, when news broke about the detention of Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink in Diyarbak?r. 

While receiving a certificate documenting two new entries to the UNESCO World Heritage List, Turkey's Culture Minister Ömer Çelik has voiced Turkey's eagerness to have more sites inscribed on the list.

About 51.2 million people have been displaced since World War II, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said on Jan. 6, noting the current figures for displaced people are the highest they have ever been.

A long-awaited cold snap finally hit Turkey on Jan. 6, with snow disrupting transportation in many cities.

One primary school student was killed after a school bus crashed in the western Black Sea province of Karabük. ?lker Karak?r?k, 9, died despite medical intervention after being rushed to hospital. Eighteen other students as well as the driver were injured in the accident.

The United States has shelved the handover of two leftover frigates to Turkey, as Congress excluded Turkey from a bill seeking permission to transfer vessels to foreign countries, citing Mediterranean tensions.