Turkey

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6, the government in Ankara seems to have shelved its claims against Greece and is keeping a low profile regarding Greek-Turkish relations, which are, at least for now, not high on the election agenda in the neighboring country. 

Türkiye is experiencing the driest winter in 22 years and a water crisis is looming in the summer, according to experts.

Even though March 22 is known as World Water Day, many parts of Türkiye are experiencing extraordinary drought. With the decrease in winter precipitation, dams have started to dry up.

Photo Illustration: Pinho/Unsplash

"The RTUK made it clear in today's meeting that it aims to bring critical broadcasters in line before the election," Tasci wrote on Twitter.

Earthquake victims mourn relatives who lost their lives in the powerful earthquakes, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, 5 March 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/SEDAT SUNA

The reporters were in Turkey covering the deadly earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and left millions without homes. All three are freelancers and received official journalistic accreditation from the Turkish state.

Following a meeting between Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Brussels, the two men announced that Ankara will vote for Greece's candidacy in the elections for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, while Athens will support Turkey for general-secretary of the International Maritime Organization.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said he will meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Brussels Monday on the sidelines of a conference hosted by the EU aimed at ramping up funds from international donors to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.

The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. Greek time, Dendias said.

A donors' conference to be jointly organized by the EU Commission and EU's term president, Sweden, will be launched on March 20 in Brussels to get pledges from the international institutions, financial bodies, countries and other relevant institutions for Türkiye and Syria, which have been severely hit by the earthquakes of Feb. 6.

Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos has said he would not rule out a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, in the near future, an invitation for which has already been extended from the Turkish side.

Turkey wants to "share the wealth of the Aegean," its defense minister, Hulusi Akar, said at the weekend, while Ankara seeks to maintain a low tone in Greek-Turkish relations and is sending signals of cooperation to Athens. In interviews with CNN Turk TV and the Anadolu Agency, Akar referred positively to the phone conversation he had with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits a drone factory. Photo: Turkish Presidency

Turkey's global share of the trade also increased in the period 2018-2022, by 0.5 per cent. Turkey's arms exports comprise 1.1 per cent of all global arms exports.