General Assembly

The Schengen visa-related problems of Turkish citizens, which has turned into an ordeal recently, are on Oct. 11's agenda of the General Assembly of The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, as relations between the two countries thaw.

Lapid's office said he would travel to New York on Monday night, ahead of an address to the General Assembly on Thursday.

A source said the meeting with Erdogan would take place on Tuesday.

The UN Annual Assembly in New York will last from September 20 to 26, the media reports.

Türkiye presented a report on the visa difficulties experienced by Turkish citizens when entering European Union member countries to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Schengen visa refusals to Turkish citizens rose from 4 percent in 2014 to 12.7 percent in 2020, according to the report.

With 170 votes "In favor", parliament accepted Democratic Bulgaria's proposal to give a mandate to the Council of Ministers to accept the French presidency's proposal for North Macedonia.

A motion seeking to drop the parliamentarian status of a lawmaker from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) was submitted to parliament late on June 16.

The action was taken against DBP Diyarbakır Deputy Salihe Aydeniz after a criminal complaint by an Istanbul prosecutor was sent to the Justice Ministry, which reported to the presidency about the procedure.

The hearing of the resigned Foreign Minister Teodora Gencovska in parliament on the process of North Macedonia's accession to the EU and the decision-making to approve a negotiating framework has escalated into a scandal. For more than three hours, the deputies have been debating whether the procedure should be only in open session or in a closed one.

A presidential motion demanding the extension of the duration of the Turkish troops in Libya for another 18 months was submitted to the Parliament late on June 13.

Leading indicators point to a 7 percent economic growth in the first quarter of 2022, Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati said yesterday, reiterating the government's determination to fight inflation.

Veto Powers

Minutes prior to start of a UN Security Council meeting related to Russian ongoing invasion of Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, USA, March 11 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE