Turkey

20 July 2023; MEMO: A Turkish Court issued an arrest warrant for Rasmus Paludan, a far-right Danish leader, following his controversial act of burning a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Anadolu Agency reports.

The incident, which took place on 21 January, sparked outrage and condemnation across the Islamic world.

21 July 2023; MEMO: Turkiye has imposed advertising bans on Twitter after the social media giant failed to appoint local representatives, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority said in an announcement published in the Official Gazette today.

ANKARA, July 21. /TASS/: Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s bid to join NATO will depend on Stockholm’s compliance with the agreements to fight terrorism, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in comments to reporters that were broadcast by TRT television on Friday.

ANKARA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin soon for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the state-run TRT broadcaster reported Friday.

"The termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative will have a series of consequences, ranging from an increase in global food prices, famine in some regions, to potential new waves of migration," Erdogan told reporters on his flight back to Türkiye.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate Thursday, another sign of commitment to a traditional path of battling inflation but still falling below expectations after critics blamed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policies for inflaming a cost-of-living crisis.

The 2.5 percentage point hike — putting the rate at 17.5% — came a month after the bank unleashed a 8.5% increase, a reversal after more than a year of rate-cutting prompted by Erdogan.

ISTANBUL, July 18 (Reuters) - The Turkish lira weakened more than 2% to a fresh record low against the dollar on Tuesday over market concerns that the central bank might raise interest rates this week by less than previously expected.

The lira hit a record low of 26.9 against the U.S. currency, sliding from Monday's close of 26.3505. It has weakened 30% so far this year.

17 July 2023; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today embarked on a visit to Saudi Arabia to enhance relations with the Gulf kingdom.

Erdogan will be welcomed by Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz with an official ceremony in Jeddah city.

They will hold one-on-one talks, followed by inter-delegation meetings.

Bilateral relations, regional and international issues will be on the agenda.

ISTANBUL, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that a multilateral deal allowed for shipments of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine's Black Sea ports could be saved.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations to help alleviate the global food crisis after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, expired on Monday.

Moscow said the deal ended and it would not be renewed unless its conditions were met.

16 July 2023; MEMO: Turkey raised tax on petrol on Sunday to help to fund a 1.12 trillion lira ($42.2 billion) increase to its 2023 budget after February's earthquakes and the May presidential election sent spending soaring.

The additional fuel tax will help with a budget deficit that jumped to 263.6 billion lira in the first five months of the year, up from 124.6 billion lira a year earlier, but it could also stoke inflation that had declined to 38.21% in June from a 24-year high of 85.51% last October.

ISTANBUL, July 16. /TASS/: The decision whether to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative will be made at the very last moment, as there’s no indication yet that its participants have reached a compromise, a diplomatic source in Turkey told TASS on Sunday.

"Obviously, the decision will be made at the very last moment," the source said.

Russia would agree to extend the grain deal only if it regards the move appropriate, according to the person.