Turkey

ANKARA, January 29. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and between the two countries in general as honest and trust-based.

"We have respect and trust in relations with Russia. And my relations with Mr. Putin are based on honesty. And all our requests concerning Tatarstan, Dagestan and these regions are answered," he said at a meeting with the youth on Sunday, which was televised by the TRT channel.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey issued a travel warning late Saturday for its citizens living in or planning on going to European countries, citing Islamophobia and anti-Turkish demonstrations.

The warning comes after last weekend’s protests in Sweden where an anti-Islam activist burned the Quran and pro-Kurdish groups protested against Turkey.

The Turkish foreign ministry urged its citizens to take precautions and stay away from demonstration areas. It also said they should go to local authorities if they face xenophobic or racist attacks.

29 Jan 2023; AA: All NATO facilities around the world will soon be using an intelligence infrastructure software developed by a Turkish defense firm.

STM, a Turkish state-run defense company, announced it has secured two major contracts regarding the direction, collection, process, dissemination, and use of intelligence information within NATO.

ANKARA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- It is "meaningless" to hold a trilateral meeting with Sweden and Finland to discuss their NATO accession process after recent protests in Stockholm, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

"In this environment, a trilateral meeting is meaningless. It has been postponed because the current environment will overshadow this," Cavusoglu explained at a joint press conference with visiting Serbia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.

25 Jan 2023; MEMO: A Turkish-owned general cargo ship was struck by a missile in the port of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, sparking a fire, according to video footage from the scene and shipping sources, Reuters reports.

The missile hit the bridge of the vessel named "Tuzla" on Tuesday, maritime security company, Ambrey, said, causing the fire. Video footage showed flames filling the command room of the ship.

25 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkiye plans to develop unmanned submarines, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, Turkish defence firm, STM, puts itself on a new target of developing unmanned submarines after delivering the second of the Agosta 90B class submarines owned by Pakistan's Navy in Turkiye's first and only submarine modernisation export.

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: Sweden should not expect Turkiye's support for its NATO membership after a protest near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm at the weekend including the burning of a copy of the Koran, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, Reuters reports.

"Those who allow such blasphemy in front of our embassy (in Stockholm) can no longer expect our support for their NATO membership," Erdogan said in a speech after a cabinet meeting.

ANKARA, January 22. /TASS/: Presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey will be held on May 14, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

"I call on our youth who will take part in the elections for the first time to make a right choice during the voting, which will take place on May 14," he said at a meeting with the youth in the country’s northwestern Bursa Province, which was aired by the TRT television channel.

Initially, presidential polls in Turkey were scheduled for June 18.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Outrage over a Quran-burning protest in Sweden produced a second day of protests in Turkey, reflecting tensions between the two countries.

Some 250 people gathered outside the Swedish Consulate in Istanbul, where a photo of Danish anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan was set on fire. Paludan burned Islam’s holy book outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Saturday, sparking protests in Istanbul and Ankara that night.

21 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkiye has cancelled the Swedish defence chief's visit after the Swedish authorities permitted a planned burning of the Quran. The response comes after Rasmus Paludan, a leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), was permitted to burn the Quran near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.