Turkey

17 May 2022; MEMO: The global reaction against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine has led to fresh concerns about Turkiye's first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Moscow's state-owned nuclear company, Al Jazeera reports.

According to the report, the first reactor of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Turkiye, located on the Mediterranean coast near Mersin, was planned to start next year. Yet, the sanctions have threatened to delay the $20bn project.

16 May 2022; MEMO: Turkey and Qatar are moving towards a strategic partnership while boosting their bilateral ties especially in economy, Presidential Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun said, and Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's visit to Turkey on Friday is highly significant in consolidating the strong and strategic relations between the two countries, Altun said in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA).

17 May 2022; MEMO: Sweden will formally apply for NATO membership in the next few days, Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, said on Monday, but its accession process, and that of Finland, hit a snag when NATO member, Turkey's President, said he would not approve either bid, Reuters reports.

ISTANBUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland have not granted approval for the repatriation of 33 people that Turkey requested for alleged links to groups it deems terrorists, state media said on Monday, after Ankara opposed the two countries joining NATO.

Turkey says the people sought had links to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants or Muslim cleric Fethullan Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

ISTANBUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Swedish and Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Ankara to convince it to approve their NATO bid.

Sweden's government has formally decided to apply for NATO membership, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday, a day after Finnish President Sauli Niinisto confirmed that Helsinki will also apply for membership.

15 May 2022; MEMO: Turkey has proposed conducting an evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers stranded in the southern port city of Mariupol, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman confirmed.

In an interview with the news agency Reuters, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin confirmed that he himself had discussed the plan to evacuate the wounded Ukrainian soldiers from Mariupol with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv two weeks ago.

ISTANBUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that Turkey does not have a positive opinion on the idea of Finland and Sweden joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

"We are currently following the developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we do not have a positive opinion," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul after Friday prayers.

Finland and Sweden are expected to submit their membership applications to NATO soon, local media reported.

14 May 2022; MEMO: Turkey summoned on Friday the undersecretary of the French Embassy in Ankara over a "terrorist attack" on Turkey's Consulate General in Paris that took place on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reported.

Diplomatic sources said that the undersecretary of the French Embassy in Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry building, where Turkey conveyed its discomfort over the attack.

ANKARA, May 13 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday it was not possible for NATO-member Turkey to support plans by Sweden and Finland to join the pact, saying the Nordic countries were "home to many terrorist organisations".

Though Turkey has officially supported enlargement since it joined NATO 70 years ago, its opposition could pose a problem for Sweden and Finland given new members need unanimous agreement.

12 May 2022; MEMO: The tourism sector in Turkey is hardest hit by the war between Ukraine and Russia, as the two nations are the first largest group visit Turkey, DW reports.

According to the report, in 2021, around 4.7 million Russian tourists visited Turkey. German holidaymakers were the second-largest group, followed by Ukrainians.