Politics by country

A majority of the Turkish population believes that Turkey needs a new constitution, but it must be written within a suitable political climate, the head of the main opposition party has said, in reaction to the government's calls for the political parties to join their efforts to renew the charter.

In what is seen as a major diplomatic game unfolding in the Eastern Mediterranean, the fate of the Cyprus issue remains at the forefront.

An important step is the informal five-day meeting on the Cyprus issue that will take place in early March. It remains unclear if the 62nd round of exploratory contacts between Greece and Turkey will take place before this meeting.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a video conference with her Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, welcomed recent positive developments in the eastern Mediterranean, Germany said in a statement on Monday.

Turkey's oil and gas prospecting in eastern Mediterranean waters have been fiercely contested by Germany's European Union partners Cyprus and Greece.

Prime Minister Florin Citu will pay a working visit to Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, during which he will have a series of meetings with senior EU officials, including the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, respectively.

The upcoming general and presidential elections scheduled for 2023 have a critical significance, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 8 and called on his party grassroots to make efforts within this understanding.

Both Greece and the Republic of Cyprus are remaining firm in their support of a bizonal, bicommunal federation as the solution being sought for the Cyprus problem, the leaders of the two nations said Monday after a meeting held in Nicosia.

Muharrem İnce, a veteran politician from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) who ran for presidency in 2018 but lost against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has resigned from his party and vowed to form his own political party after a long-term conflict with CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) garnered 30.6% of the votes cast in Sunday's parliamentary elections nationwide, and 30.5% of the votes for the Chamber of Deputies, whereas the National Liberal Party (PNL) won 29.1% of the votes for the Senate, and 29% percent for the Chamber of Deputies, according to the results of the exit poll carried out by CURS - Avangarde, commissioned by Antena 3, for

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, discussed the agenda of the upcoming Foreign Affairs and European councils over the phone Saturday.

Dendias tweeted that they focused on Turkey's illegal activities in the eastern Mediterranean.

[ANA-MPA]

Turkey and Russia will hold two-day talks on Syria and Libya, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has an-nounced, amid ongoing ceasefires in both theaters.