Eastern Mediterranean

Cyprus Defense Minister Savvas Angelides briefed his EU counterparts on Tuesday on Turkey's ongoing activities in the Republic of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), stressing the need for an EU naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the conflict in Libya and the situation in the eastern Mediterranean in a video call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Merkel's spokesman said in a statement on June 16.

Trade volume between Turkey and India has posted a steady growth for the last two years, a business council head has said.

Italian and Turkish submarines conducted a joint maritime drill in the Mediterranean, said Turkey's Defense Ministry on June 15. 

In a tweet, the ministry said the two navies have the most effective submarine force in the Mediterranean Sea and will continue to improve the interoperability with maritime training.

The Turkish central government registered a budget deficit of 90.1 billion Turkish liras (some $14 billion) in January-May, the country's Treasury and Finance Ministry reported on June 15.

Turkey's budget revenue reached 389.1 billion Turkish liras ($60.8 billion) in the first five months of the year, up 12 percent year-on-year.

An Ankara court has ruled for the arrest of Müyesser Yıldız, a news editor of  Oda TV, an online news portal on accusations that she revealed state secrets in her two articles.
She was detained on June 8 in over "political and military espionage" as part of a probe launched by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and was arrested early on June 12.

Successful treatment in Turkey opened the eyes of a 6-year-old Syrian child who went blind after a bombing attack inflicted heavy damage on his house in the Idlib city of northwestern Syria.

When supporters of Libya's United Nations-recognised government took to the streets of Tripoli last week to celebrate the retreat of a renegade general, alongside the Libyan flags they carried was a large white teddy bear with a pink nose.

A Turkish ship suspected of carrying arms to Libya, violating a UN-imposed arms embargo, has been spotted in the central Mediterranean Sea in an area monitored by European Union vessels participating in Operation Irini, Kathimerini understands.
The cargo vessel is accompanied by two Turkish frigates.

Cyprus reopened its airports on Tuesday after almost three months of lockdown, hoping its record in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and a pledge of free medical treatment for any Covid-19 cases will lure tourists back to its beaches.