Government of Turkey

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said there is need to explore the huge trade potential with Indonesia to the fullest.

In an interview published in Indonesian daily Kompas on Dec. 22, Çavuşoğlu said the two countries need to boost cooperation to maximize trade volume.

İYİ (Good) Party Chair Meral Akşener has criticized the 2021 budget that has been adopted in the parliament, saying that it would be a burden on the public.

She said she expected the government to have a budget-saving approach, but her expectation failed.

Turkey's interior minister urged the EU on Dec. 21 to hold Greece responsible for its "murders" of asylum seekers.  

"Dear [European Commissioner for Home Affairs] @YlvaJohansson, Torture and inhumane treatment by Greece has now turned into murder. Won't Greece be held responsible for these murders ignored by @Frontex?" Süleyman Soylu said on Twitter.

Turkey and Indonesia should work together to support the Muslim community against Islamophobia and discrimination, according to Turkey's foreign minister on Dec. 22. 

"We should support the [Muslim] community by working together with Indonesia and fight against these," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a press conference alongside Indonesian counterpart Retno Parsudi in Jakarta.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Dec. 21 filed a lawsuit for mental anguish against the Republican People's Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chair Özgür Özel amounting to 250,000 Turkish Liras.

Erdoğan filed the lawsuit for "insulting" him at the speech that Özel delivered at the parliament last week.

Turkey's president and his Algerian counterpart spoke on the phone on Dec. 20, according to Turkey's Communications Directorate.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Algeria's Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed Turkish-Algerian relations as well as regional matters, said a directorate statement.

Turkey's foreign minister lambasted his Greek counterpart on Dec. 20 over his controversial remarks to a local newspaper. 

"Dear Niko, here's some friendly advice for the new year - stop asking for help from others and injuring the Greek people's dignity," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter.

Turkey has carried out naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, the defense ministry said on Dec. 20, against a backdrop of tensions with its neighbors over energy exploration in the region.    

The defense ministry said on its Twitter account that "elements of our navy command" conducted the exercises, without specifying the location other than "eastern Mediterranean."

Those who threaten Turkey with sanctions will end up disappointed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.

In a videotaped message for a highway opening, the Turkish president noted that his country "will never hesitate to use its sovereign rights," Anadolu agency reported.

Those who threaten Turkey with sanctions will end up disappointed, the nation's president said on Dec. 19.

"We are determined to put across that Turkey will never hesitate to use its sovereign rights," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a highway opening.