In Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged to continue talks with Moscow for the procurement of the second batch of the Russian-made S-400 air defense systems and said they would discuss details at the end of the month.

He stressed that Turkey is determined to proceed with the S-400 deal despite U.S. opposition.

Turkey's president has criticized the United States for kicking his country out of the F-35 fighter jet program after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system, a move that also triggered US sanctions.

Speaking after Friday prayers in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey paid "very serious money" for the F-35 stealth jets.

US president-elect has grown distant to the Turkish leader, but there are signs both sides will seek to work the relationship out

In the runup to the resumption of exploratory contacts on January 25, Turkey is seeking to set the agenda, adding issues it wants to negotiate despite Greece's insistence that the sole topic for discussion is the delimitation of maritime zones between the two countries. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday accused Greece of raising tension in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, calling on Athens "cease activities… such as "airspace violations and illegal actions on the issue of the islands."

Six suspects, including employees of Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), were detained over corruption charges, judicial authorities announced on Jan. 12. 

The detentions are part of a joint intelligence and police operation against a group involved in illegal actions in the defense sector, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office in the capital Ankara.

Turkey will purchase an additional Russian-made S-400 air defense system, the head of Turkey's Defense Industries Administration said.

Turkey marked "Working Journalists' Day" on Jan 10, honoring the work and freedom of journalists.

"Working Journalists' Day" has been celebrated since 1961 on Jan. 10, after Law No. 212, which regulates the rights of journalists including the legal guarantees, was published in the Official Gazette, and the date became a milestone for journalism in the country.

Finding ways to resolve the differences between Turkey and the U.S. is an urgent necessity not only for bilateral relations, but also for transatlantic cooperation, Turkey's top diplomat said on Jan. 8. 

A Turkish penal court approved indictments for 108 defendants on Jan. 7, including former co-chairs of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) as part of a probe into deadly 2014 terror incidents across the nation.