Latest News from Turkey
Teknofest 2020 publicized in southeastern Turkey
Turkey's largest technology and aerospace fair Teknofest 2020 was publicized in a meeting held in the southeastern Gaziantep province on Jan. 20.
Gaziantep boasts significant industrial production and academic achievements, said Selçuk Bayraktar, chairman of the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation.
Central government gross debt stock hits $223 bln
Turkey's central government's gross debt stock became 1.33 trillion Turkish liras (around $223 billion) as of end-2019, according to Treasury and Finance Ministry on Jan. 20.
The figure was up 24.3 percent year-on-year, the ministry data showed.
Police detains 4 over suspected links to FETÖ
Police detained four in western Turkey on Jan. 20 over suspected links to the FETÖ, the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup.
Turkish, Russian defense chiefs discuss regional issues
Turkish defense minister discussed regional issues with his Russian counterpart over the phone, an official statement from Russia said on Jan. 20.
Turkey's Hulusi Akar spoke to Russia's Sergey Shoygu, according to Russia's National Defense Ministry.
The officials discussed recent developments in the region and North Africa.
Turkish plane takes off to bring wounded from Somalia
Members of the National Medical Rescue Team departed for Somalia's capital on Jan. 21 to bring those wounded in a suicide car bombing over the weekend back to Turkey.
At least three people were killed and 20 others injured, including several Turkish nationals, when a suicide car bomb targeted a police convoy escorting Turkish contractors in Mogadishu on Jan. 18.
Erdogan escalates fiery rhetoric
Escalating the incendiary rhetoric directed at Athens, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed again, after his return on Sunday from the Berlin conference on Libya, that the southern island of Crete does not have a continental shelf while also slamming Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for receiving Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar in Athens last week.
UN warns of 'growing skepticism' over Cyprus deal
The United Nations envoy to Cyprus warned on Jan. 20 of "growing skepticism" among the island's population that recent diplomatic efforts between the rival communities will herald a comprehensive peace deal.
EU Has Turned Enlargement into a Hamster Wheel
Never-ending accession
French President Emmanuel Macron, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/MICHEL EULER / POOL MAXPPP OUT
Greece maintains strong interest in Libya after Berlin conference
By George Gilson
If the geopolitical volatility in the Balkans before WWI led to its description as the powder keg or tinder box of Europe, today the same many be said of the Southeastern Mediterranean but on a more expansive geographic scale, drawing in the US.
Editorial: National vigilance
The instability and complexity that prevail in the broader region of the Southeastern Mediterranean are for Greece endangering issues of national importance and national rights.
The wealth that is hidden under the sea is attracting everyone, intensifying adventurism, and aggravating competition.
ForMin Aurescu at FAC meeting, highlights importance of consistent and swifter implementation of Mali Peace Agreement
Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu, stressed, at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels, the importance of the consistent and swifter implementation of the Mali Peace Agreement.
Reasons to be cheerful
End-of-the-year reports indicate that the Greek economy is moving in the right direction. Poll figures, representing the view of the man on the street, reports from institutions such as the European Central Bank, representing the views of the experts, and lower rates for Greek government bonds, representing the views of the market, agree: Greece is changing course.
Erdogan says Somalia has invited Turkey to explore for oil in its seas
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Somalia had invited Turkey to explore for oil in its seas, after Ankara signed a maritime agreement with Libya last year, broadcaster NTV reported.
Greece expects to be included in next stages of Berlin process, FM says
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Monday hailed the outcome of Sunday's conference on the Libya crisis as a positive first step, although he regretted the fact that the summit's conclusions did not reiterate the position of the European Union on the contentious agreements signed between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.
Solution possible in Libya ‘if truce holds’
The way for the political process for settlement in Libya would be paved if the parties stick to the truce reached in the North African country, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Jan. 19.