Turkey

27 June 2023; MEMO: The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation on 26 June, expressing its deep concern over the Israeli government's recent approval of the construction of approximately 5,700 new residential units in the Occupied West Bank, Anadolu News Agency reports.

27 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye will continue standing against any action that could harm sanctity and status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, the country's President said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his greetings to Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, for the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

28 June 2023; MEMO: It is "unacceptable" for Ankara that PKK supporters in Sweden organise demonstrations and recruit people and provide financial support for terror groups, the Turkish president said on Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

His remarks came during a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 7,700 smuggled cultural relics have been delivered to Türkiye since 2018, as the country stepped up its efforts to combat illegal trafficking, local media reported on Wednesday.

Thanks to the efforts of the Anti-Smuggling Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 7,701 assets have been returned to Türkiye since 2018, with the number of historical artifacts reaching 3,000 this year alone, the daily Hurriyet reported, citing figures released by the ministry.

ISTANBUL, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek on Tuesday promised that the government would press ahead with rational economic policies, noting efforts to strengthen the country's reserves were at full speed.

"The return to rational policies will continue gradually," Simsek said on his official Twitter account.

26 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's government and President expressed support for the Russian government during the short-lived coup attempt by the Wagner mercenary group over the weekend, offering assistance in finding a resolution to the issue.

ANKARA, June 25 (Reuters) - Sweden must stop protests by supporters of outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Stockholm to get a green light on its NATO membership bid, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told NATO's Secretary-General in a phone call on Sunday.

Erdogan told Stoltenberg that Turkey had a constructive attitude, but Sweden's change of terrorism laws to meet demands from Ankara was "meaningless" while PKK supporters hold protests in the country, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

ISTANBUL, June 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 32 million tonnes of grain have been transported to the world markets through the Black Sea grain corridor since August 2022, a Turkish government minister said Sunday.

Most of the grain was transported to China, Spain, Türkiye and Italy, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu was quoted by the Ihlas news agency as saying.

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday and urged him to act with common sense, the Turkish presidency said, after Russian mercenary fighters began an armed mutiny overnight.

Putin, who described the Wagner Group's actions as "treason" in an emergency televised address, said anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished.

Erdogan was among the first leaders to hold a phone call with Putin after his speech on Saturday.

ISTANBUL, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign tourists to Türkiye surged to 4.5 million in May, amounting to a 16.2-percent year-on-year increase, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Friday.

The Mediterranean resort of Antalya topped the list of most popular destinations by hosting 1.51 million visitors, slightly leading Istanbul with 1.5 million visitors, followed by the Aegean province of Mugla and the northwestern province of Edirne, hosting 380,899 and 349,123 foreigners respectively, according to the ministry figures.