Latest News from Turkey

Serbia: 9 migrants found among aluminum rolls in truck

Serbia's customs authorities said Friday they discovered nine migrants hiding among aluminum rolls in a truck headed to Poland from Greece.

Customs officers on Serbia's border with North Macedonia spotted the migrants on Wednesday during a scan that showed human silhouettes in the back of the truck, a statement said.

Turkish parliamentary commission approves Finland’s NATO bid

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved a bill ratifying Finland's bid to join NATO, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Thursday, effectively taking Helsinki another step toward membership of the trans-Atlantic pact.

Bulgarian-Turkish Business Forum brought Together over 300 Businesses and Organizations in Burgas

The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization in Turkey (KOSGEB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

President seals Finland's NATO bid by signing required laws

The Finnish president on March 23 formally sealed the Nordic country's historic bid to join NATO by signing into law the required national legal amendments needed for membership in the Western military alliance.

Bosnian Aid Organisation Prepares Thousands of Ramadan Meals for Believers

The meals are intended for "Iftar" suppers, eaten at the end of the day-long fast in Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise until sundown for one month.

"The meals are intended for Iftar, but will be provided for [all] people, no matter their religious or national identity," Saliha Roksa, spokeswoman of Pomozi.ba, told BIRN.

Bulgaria: 25 Migrants were Detained near Simeonovgrad

Employees of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Dimitrovgrad found a bus that was transporting 25 illegal migrants from Afghanistan. A pre-trial proceeding has been initiated in the case, the press center of the prosecutor's office announced. The driver of the truck D.G. (34 years old) was initially detained for up to 24 hours and is yet to be charged.

Municipalities collected over 1.5 tonnes of aid for quake-stricken Syria, Turkey

The municipalities of Greece have collected over 1.5 tons of humanitarian aid that has been sent to the victims of the deadly earthquakes that hit Syria and Turkey last month, a municipal official said on Thursday.

Bosnia Seeks Wartime Army Commander’s Extradition from Turkey

The Bosnian state court told BIRN that it has written to the Turkish authorities seeking the extradition of Sakib Mahmuljin, who was jailed for eight years for failing to stop Middle Eastern volunteer fighters mistreating and murdering captured Serb soldiers, medical staff and civilians, but failed to appear to start serving his sentence.

Turkey Urged to Ensure Quake Survivors Can Vote in Elections

A woman walks with her suitcases in front of collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake hit Kahramanmaras, Turkey, 22 March 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

"The fact that displaced people are still unable to vote where they are is nothing more than a deprivation of citizenship," TIHV said in a statement on Wednesday.

Menendez says Turkey doesn’t ‘deserve’ to get F-16 jets

Bob Menendez, US Senator and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sharply criticized Turkey on its stance towards NATO enlargement, its relations with Greece and Cyprus, and its human rights record, saying it does not "deserve" to acquire new fighter jets from the United States.

Bulgaria Ranks 77th in the World in Terms of Happiness

Finns are the happiest people in the world. This is clear from the World Happiness Report published on Monday. Finland has been ranked as the country with the happiest population in the world for the sixth year in a row. Bulgaria is in 77th place.

Erdoğan to speak with Putin on grain deal in coming days

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on March 22 that he will speak by phone in the coming days with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the Black Sea Grain deal.

"We will have a phone call with Putin in two to three days," Erdoğan said in a televised interview.

He said the world appreciates Türkiye's mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine.