Turkey

07 June 2024; MEMO: Turkiye has signed a letter of offer and acceptance for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the US State Department confirmed, Daily Sabah reports.

“Getting this particular sale over the finish line took some time,” State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, told a news conference late Thursday.

“This is good for US national security, Turkish national security and NATO interoperability,” he added while thanking the “hard work” of Turkish defence and foreign affairs ministries.

08 June 2024; MEMO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that there is no doubt those who perpetrated the massacre in Gaza will eventually be held accountable, Anadolu Agency reports.

Speaking at the opening of the Extraordinary Meeting of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul, Fidan said those who stand for peace in Palestine will prevail.

The meeting was hosted by Turkiye at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul to discuss the situation in Gaza.

08 June 2024; MEMO: The head of Hamas’ Political Bureau reaffirmed Saturday that resistance forces would continue to defend Palestinian rights against Israel after attacks on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement, Ismail Haniyeh asserted that Israel “continues to massacre Palestinian children and women in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp and Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.”

30 May 2024; MEMO: Turkiye announced the suspension of an agreement with Afghanistan for visa exemption to holders of diplomatic passports, Daily Sabah reports.

According to the report, the presidential office said the agreement on mutual removal of visas with Afghanistan for diplomatic passport holders, which was approved by the Turkish government in 2008, would be suspended starting on 1 June.

30 May 2024; MEMO: Turkiye has begun mass producing its first domestically-manufactured battle tank, in the latest boost to the country’s defence industry.

According to the head of the Turkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), Haluk Gorgun, who spoke to the channel, TRT Haber, “we have started the mass production of our national tank. There are countries that want to work with us on this internationally, and we are continuing our negotiations with them”.

28 May 2024; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israel’s actions in Rafah, calling them “a revelation of the ugly face of a terrorist state.” He asserted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates will not escape punishment and will meet the same fate as Adolf Hitler and other war criminals.

22 May 2024; MEMO: Turkiye is planning to donate a plot of land and construct an embassy building for Somalia in an offer worth up to $6 million, in what is the latest development in relations between Ankara and Mogadishu.

26 April 2024; MEMO: Turkiye is making preparations for its upcoming and largest-ever domestic aircraft carrier, in the latest expansion of the country’s defence capabilities.

According to Turkish media outlets, the Turkish Naval Forces Command’s Directorate of Design Project Office (DPO) is leading a project to design and develop the largest aircraft carrier possessed by Turkiye, to date.

ISTANBUL, Apr 21 (NNN-TRT) – Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministers, emphasised that, the military confrontation and crises in the Middle East could potentially widen to a larger area, underscoring the necessity for urgent action.

Hakan Fidan and Sameh Shoukry met in Istanbul yesterday, to discuss current regional challenges and bilateral relations.

ISTANBUL, Apr 21 (NNN-TRT) – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met yesterday, with Head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in Türkiye’s largest city, Istanbul.

The meeting, which commenced at 2:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT), was held behind closed doors at the Dolmabahce presidential working office, as reported by NTV broadcaster.

Both leaders were anticipated to discuss the ongoing Israeli attacks and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, as well as, ceasefire efforts, NTV added.