Turkey

ISTANBUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday inaugurated a new hospital specially built for COVID-19 patients in the country's biggest city Istanbul.

The hospital was constructed in the Sancaktepe district on the Asian side of the city and named after Feriha Oz, a Turkish doctor, who recently lost her life due to COVID-19.

The construction of the hospital with 1,008-bed capacity was completed in 45 days with the work of around 4,000 workers.

31 May 2020; MEMO: Turkey opened an emergency hospital in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul as part of the country’s continued fight against the pandemic, reports Anadolu Agency..

The new Yesilkoy Prof Murat Dilmener Emergency Hospital in Istanbul is named after a Turkish doctor and academic who was claimed by the virus on 3 May.

Attending the opening ceremony were Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vice President Fuat Oktay, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, and other top officials.

30 May 2020; MEMO: Turkish researchers have sequenced the genome of the novel coronavirus isolated from four patients, the head of the project said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Dr. Sadrettin Pence, the vice rector of Istanbul Medeniyet University, told Anadolu Agency the genomes were sequenced using the latest sequencing platforms.

ANKARA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and Russian troops conducted their 13th joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Idlib province of Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday.

"Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 13th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements," the ministry tweeted.

ANKARA, May 29 (NNN-Xinhua) — Turkish government resumed high-speed train services between four provinces as part of its normalization plan after the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“We are taking another important step in the normalization process. The high-speed train will run 16 times a day, between Ankara and Istanbul, Ankara and Eskisehir, Ankara and Konya, and Konya and Istanbul,” Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu told reporters at a ceremony for the resumption of the service.

26 May 2020; MEMO: Turkey believes that the US and Europe no longer trust Khalifa Haftar in Libya, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has disclosed in a television interview.

He added that the steps his country has taken in the troubled North African state have changed the balance of power and prevented the ongoing conflict from turning into a civil war.

26 May 2020; MEMO: Turkey’s president on Sunday reiterated his country’s support for Palestine as the Muslim world celebrates Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

“We will not allow the Palestinian lands to be offered to anyone else,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video message on Twitter addressed to US Muslims.

ISTANBUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed regional issues "particularly the situations in Syria and Libya" on a phone conversation, local media reported on Saturday.

Erdogan and Trump agreed to maintain the close political and military cooperation between the two countries to promote peace and stability in the region, the state-run Anadolu agency said.

They further reaffirmed the importance of cooperation and solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Anadolu.

24 May 2020; MEMO: Germans and Russians want to come back to visit Turkey, in part thanks to its skillful handling of the coronavirus pandemic, now on the wane, Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Appearing on television in Antalya, Turkey’s popular Mediterranean resort, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the country is working towards restarting tourism.

ANKARA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and Russian troops conducted their 12th joint patrol along a key highway in Idlib, northwestern Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said on Wednesday.

"Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 12th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements," the ministry tweeted.