Sri Lanka

A sapphire-and-diamond brooch and matching ear clips which once belonged to Russia's Romanov imperial dynasty were snapped up at a Sotheby's auction on Nov. 10 for nearly $900,000.

The Turkish foreign minister on Nov. 6 said Turkey wants to develop holistic relations with Asia that has become the center of global economic power.

Inaugurating a new office of Sri Lanka's Antalya Honorary Consulate General in the town of Alanya, Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Ankara desires to promote cooperation with Sri Lanka in fields such as economy, culture, and education.

A global push to enact a minimum international tax on big corporations moved closer to reality on Oct. 8 as one of the last holdouts, Hungary, agreed to join a reform that now counts 136 countries.

The OECD-brokered deal, which sets a global tax of 15 percent, is aimed at stopping international corporations from slashing tax bills by registering in nations with low rates.

The long-awaited compulsory quarantine-free travel between Turkey and England resumed on Sept. 22 after Turkey was removed from the COVID-19 travel red list last week.

As of 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), all those arriving from Turkey will no longer need to self-isolate in a designated hotel, which was a mandatory process before.

Top Turkish diplomat Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met on Sept. 17 with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the international body prepares to host leaders from across the world next week.

Çavuşoğlu said his meeting with the U.N. chief focused on a number of regional and international issues, including Cyprus, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and climate change.

Turkish Interior Ministry has issued a new circular to the governor's offices of all 81 provinces outlining the latest quarantine measures to be adopted for people arriving in the country.

The National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) updated on Thursday the list of countries with high epidemiological risk. According to CNSU, Serbia, Estonia, Albania, Tunisia, Mauritius, Jamaica, Lebanon, Palestine, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname and Brunei Darussalam have entered the red zone.

Turkey's foreign minister discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan over the phone with his Pakistani counterpart, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Aug. 21.

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Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi called Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, and they discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan, the statement noted.

Turkey's national defense minister on on Aug. 19 continued with his busy schedule of diplomatic meetings as part of the four-day International Defense Industries Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul. 

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Hulusi Akar and his Togolese counterpart Marguerite Gnakade met in Istanbul and signed a military framework agreement at the meeting.

On Thursday, the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) approved the list classifying states and areas depending on the cumulative incidence rate of COVID-19, with Turkey, Montenegro, the States United States, Israel, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and St. Maarten entering the red zone. At the same time, according to CNSU Decision no.