Foreign Ministry

Turkey has been under criticism for some time for becoming too involved in Middle Eastern affairs, thus distancing itself from the European Union and generally the Western world.

Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) 'is voicing regret and is firmly condemning the public remarks that were anti-Semitic and homophobic in nature made by Romania's ambassador to Armenia Sorin Vasile at a conference hosted by the American University of Erevan, and it has urgently recalled him to explain his remarks,' MAE reports in a press release issued on Friday.

Senior career diplomat Mithat Rende of Turkey has been elected as chair of the Executive Committee of the Paris-based Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Foreign Ministry has announced.

Ambassador Rende has been serving as the head of Turkey’s Permanent Delegation to the OECD since the summer of 2013.

Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras held a rare meeting on Monday to discuss “only national issues,” with both men agreeing that Greece’s foreign policy should not be affected by domestic political differences.

The Foreign Ministry and the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) are in talks to ease the process of casting votes in the upcoming elections for Turkish nationals in foreign countries.

Turkey has opened the Foreign Ministry's archives to researchers. The ministry's archives since 1919 will be opened to professionals through a private password.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Naci Koru announced the move in an article posted in his private blog http://nkoru.blogspot.com.tr/

Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos starts a two-day visit to Turkey on Saturday for talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Venizelos, who is also Greece’s deputy premier, is further scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The visit comes amid tension over energy spoils in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Copenhagen is pressuring Ankara for an explanation regarding the release of the suspected shooter of a Danish writer in Turkey and conveyed the issue to the European Union, the Danish foreign minister has said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu received on Wednesday U.S. chargé d'affaires a.i. in Bucharest Dean Thompson, whom he assured, in his new capacity as chief diplomat, of the Foreign Ministry's full support, reiterating the desire of the Romanian authorities to develop and deepen the Strategic Partnership with the U.S.

In addition to training troops, Turkey has sent weapons to the Iraqi Kurdish forces combating the Islamist militants who have swept across large parts of the country, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein has said.