Turkish government

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey's parliament will begin ratifying Finland's NATO bid, but not that of Sweden, removing the biggest remaining hurdle to enlarging the Western defense alliance as war continues to rage in Ukraine.

A regime change in Syria through a planned transition process, which envisages elections and a new constitution, is required for a political solution in the country, Syrian Turkmen Assembly Chair Mehmet Türkhan said on March 13.

The decision taken by the prominent western countries, including the United States, over an unclear security threat is intentional and serving the terror organizations, Türkiye's top diplomat has said, warning them to fully cooperate with the Turkish authorities if they have concrete intelligence.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has harshly criticized some prominent Western countries, including the United States, for closing their consulates and other missions in Istanbul over terror threat, accusing them of staging a psychological warfare against Türkiye.

Türkiye will not approve Sweden's bid to join NATO as long as it continues to permit those who burn the Quran, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, repeating Ankara's favorable position for Finland's application to the alliance.

Türkiye will choose another way if the Congress of the United States imposes conditions for sale of F-16 fighter jets demanded by Türkiye, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said on Jan. 31.

Turkey's president has suggested his country might approve Finland's application for NATO membership before taking any action on Sweden's, while the Turkish government issued a travel warning for European countries due to anti-Turkish demonstrations and what it described as Islamophobia.

The European Union is planning to hold a special event dedicated to the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Istanbul, a senior EU official has said.

Türkiye's top religious official will send letters to many countries around the world over Sweden's permission for a planned burning of the Quran, Islam's holy book, near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Türkiye has strongly slammed Sweden for allowing anti-Islam and anti-Türkiye protests near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm and has canceled Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson's next week visit to Türkiye during which the Scandinavian country's NATO application was planned to be discussed.