Turkey

02 Feb 2023; MEMO: Turkiye, on Saturday, issued a travel warning to its citizens in Europe, citing "possible Islamophobic, xenophobic and racist attacks".

According to the report, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called on citizens in Europe to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place.

Turkiye said recent anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish acts show the "dangerous level of religious intolerance and hatred" on the continent.

02 Feb 2023; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there is no legal obstacle to his candidacy for the presidency this summer.

In an interview aired on national TV channel TRT yesterday, Erdogan added that his bid for another presidential term is in line with the law and the constitution.

"The people chose me as the first president in the presidential system," he said.

ANKARA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Turkey looks positively on Finland's application for NATO membership, but does not support Sweden's bid, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"Our position on Finland is positive, but it is not positive on Sweden," Erdogan said of their NATO applications in a speech to his AK Party deputies in parliament.

Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the trans-Atlantic defence pact after Russia invaded Ukraine, but faced unexpected objections from Turkey and have since sought to win its support.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Wednesday that Turkey won’t allow Sweden to join the NATO military alliance as long as it permits protests desecrating Islam’s holy book to take place.

31 Jan 2023; MEMO: South Korea and Turkiye signed a deal for the engines to be used on Turkiye's domestic main battle tank (MBT) project, Altay, which was on hold after a deal with a German company collapsed, local Turkish media reports.

According to the report, South Korean firm, SNT Heavy Industries, will supply Altay producer BMC with a 1,500-horsepower automatic transmission.

31 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkish prosecutors, on Tuesday, launched an investigation into Islamophobic Danish and Dutch politicians on charges of hurting public enmity and insulting religious values, Anadolu News Agency reports.

ANKARA, Jan 30 (NNN-XINHUA) – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said yesterday that, Türkiye may respond “differently” to Finland’s NATO bid, in a way that would “shock” Sweden, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

“We may respond differently to Finland, if necessary. Sweden would be shocked when we respond differently to Finland. But Finland should not make the same mistake,” Erdogan said at a meeting, in the north-western province of Bilecik.

ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Turkey warned Americans on Monday of possible attacks against churches, synagogues, and diplomatic missions in Istanbul, marking its second such notice in four days, following Koran-burning incidents in Europe.

In an updated security alert, the U.S. embassy said "possible imminent retaliatory attacks by terrorists" could take place in areas frequented by Westerners, especially the city's Beyoglu, Galata, Taksim, and Istiklal neighbourhoods.

Turkish authorities are investigating the matter, it added.

ANKARA, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The national oil firm of Türkiye, Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), declared earlier this month that it would begin producing natural gas from a gas field in the Black Sea in March and pumping it into the national network, which energy analysts believe can cut Türkiye's expensive bills for energy imports and help to mitigate the steep inflation that has been battering the country.

29 Jan 2023; MEMO: A total of 139 Afghan migrants, who entered Turkiye illegally, were deported on Saturday, said the head of Turkiye's Migration Management Directorate, reports Anadolu Agency.

As part of the work carried out according to the Irregular Migration Strategy Document and the National Action Plan, migrants, who do not have valid documents to reside legally in Turkiye, are being sent to their home countries by charter flights.