North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Friday said Turkey had used migrants' desperation for political purposes, while calling for a continuation of NATO's migrant mission in the Aegean.
"Turkey was obviously exposed to international public opinion," Dendias told state broadcaster ERT over the recent migrant standoff along the Evros border.

Some 124 Turkish citizens living abroad have died due to COVID-19, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

Çavuşoğlu's remarks came after attending a NATO foreign ministers' meeting.

He said more than 20,000 citizens in total have been brought back to Turkey from 50 countries.

NATO's political dimension should be strengthened, and a group of 10 experts has been formed for this purpose, Turkey's foreign minister said on April 2. 

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu made the remarks after attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting, noting the group includes Turkey's Ambassador Tacan İldem, who has been working as NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Public Diplomacy.

In a country where polls show more than half of people believe conspiracy theories and two-thirds do not trust state institutions, hoaxes and fake news have an infectious power.

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Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has accused Turkey of undermining the values of the NATO alliance after his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated claims that Greek forces had killed migrants seeking to cross the countries' shared border, Kathimerini understands.

The exchange took place during a teleconference of NATO foreign ministers on Thursday.

NATO foreign ministers welcomed North Macedonia as the alliance's newest member on Thursday, ending a long process that included a change to the country's name.

"We welcome North Macedonia as NATO's 30th ally," NATO foreign ministers said in a statement following a video conference, which North Macedonia's minister was part of as a full member.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sent separate letters to the prime ministers of Italy and Spain after Turkey delivered military equipment to its European allies, the two countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with condolences for the lives lost due to COVID-19.

The Turkish and Russian presidents on April 1 discussed over phone ways to combat the novel coronavirus, according to an official statement.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vladimir Putin also discussed bilateral relations and regional issues, Turkey's Communication Directorate said.

A Turkish military aircraft carrying medical aid departed from the capital Ankara for Italy and Spain, the countries worst hit by the novel coronavirus in Europe.

It was a snowy day in December 1998 and Besnik Rustemi's family was waiting for their village of Slivove/Slivovo to come under fire.

Rustemi, then six years old, was playing in his neighbours' yard with a friend. Meanwhile, his new rubber boots were waiting for him in his bedroom, ready to be worn whenever his family decided it was time to flee.