Turkey

ANKARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to take "concrete steps" against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Türkiye's presidential office said in a statement.

Erdogan told Putin in a phone call that "concrete steps should now be taken to eradicate the terrorist organization YPG from Türkiye's border regions, especially from Tal Rifaat and Manbij" in northern Syria, the statement said.

04 Jan 2023; MEMO: Bulgaria has signed a deal for gas imports via Turkiye, opening a new gas corridor from Turkish territory to Balkan countries and European Union member states.

ANKARA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- "We expect the return of the Chinese visitors to be in a gradual manner, especially with a dynamic after the first half of this year, thus we can reach pre-pandemic levels," said Irfan Karsli, head of the Istanbul-based Ligarba Travel Agency.

As China is expected to orderly resume outbound tourism amidst the optimization of COVID-19 response, Turkish tourism industry players are eager to welcome back Chinese travelers.

03 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkish sources have refuted reports that Turkiye has agreed to withdraw its military from northern Syria, calling them misleading and as propaganda.

02 Jan 2023; MEMO: The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces will hold a meeting with Turkish officials on Monday to discuss the recent rapprochement between Ankara and the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, media sources reported.

The meeting comes at a time as political rapprochement between Turkiye and the Syrian regime is accelerating at a fast pace, which has caused concern within the Istanbul-based body.

ISTANBUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Turkish trade deficit widened 138.4% from the previous year to $110.19 billion in 2022, the Trade Ministry said on Monday, with exports rising 12.9% to $254.2 billion and imports jumping 34.3% to $364.4 billion.

In December, the trade deficit widened 52% from a year earlier to $10.381 billion, with exports up 3.1% to $22.92 billion and imports rising 14.6% to $33.30 billion.

ISTANBUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Turkey's exports rose 12.9% to $254.2 billion last year, the country's highest level ever, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

Speaking at an event, Erdogan said exports to the European Union increased by 12% in 2022, while some 10,000 companies completed their first exports in the same period.

01 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's Foreign Minister has revealed that China has refused to allow the Turkish ambassador to visit the Uyghur region in the north-western Xinjiang province, admitting it has strained ties between the two nations.

31 Dec 2022; MEMO:With its roles in the Black Sea grain initiative and the mediation in the Russia-Ukraine war, Turkiye contributed to establishing global peace, tranquility, and security in 2022, Turkiye's president said on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

30 Dec 2022; MEMO: The US has lost its balanced policy in issues related to Greece and Cyprus dispute, as Washington's weapons supplies to Athens is a "clear indication" of this, the Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday.

Turkiye has "clearly told the US that they are disrupting their balance (policy) on Greece and Cyprus," Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters at an end-of-year press briefing in the capital Ankara.