Erdogan

Any attack on a Turkish vessel engaged in energy exploration along Turkey's continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean will pay dearly, warned Turkey's president on Aug. 13. 

The People's Democratic Party has launched what it calls a march for 'justice and democracy' in response to President Erdogan's growing crackdown on his critics.

Turkish foreign minister on June 11 said Istanbul's Hagia Sophia is "not a matter of international affairs, but a matter of national sovereignty."

Speaking in a televised interview, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu responded to the recent discussions over the possible reopening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque and said the popular site was initially a mosque after conquering of Istanbul.

With a budget that is the envy of many government ministries, Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs has been placed at the service of President Erdogan's Islamist agenda at home and abroad.

Kemal Vuraldogan, a former legal counsellor to the Ankara Bar Association and a lawyer in Ankara, said Erdogan's demands for changes to their election systems had nothing to do with current dispute between the Bar Association and the religious authorities.

"There has been a significant decrease in reports on human rights violations because of the restrictions," he said.

Civil society sidelined

Third anniversary of the failed coup attempt at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

The Turkish government has decided to bring forward the nationwide university admission exams of this year to an earlier date in late June than scheduled as part of COVID-19 measures, drawing reaction on social media, as youngsters launched the hashtag #SandiktaGorusuruz (We'll see you at the ballot box) late May 4 on Twitter.

A senior Turkish official has said that Turkey delayed the activation of the Russian S-400 air defense systems due to the pandemic, but stressed the sophisticated military equipment will be operational as planned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has promised to stand in solidarity with the United States in its struggle against the coronavirus pandemic and as it recovers from the outbreak.

In a letter sent to U.S. President Donald Trump, Erdoğan said he was following with appreciation Trump's efforts to control the outbreak.

Turkey has shown an "exemplary" stance during the novel coronavirus outbreak, that claimed the lives of thousands around the globe, the country's communication director said on April 27.