Turkey

07 Feb 2022; MEMO: The Turkish defence industry has made new deliveries of Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) to the Turkish Land Forces Command, the top defence body's head, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) Chairperson in Turkey, Ismail Demir, said the SSB had successfully delivered the Baykar-made combat drones.

07 Feb 2022; MEMO: Turkey published a motion extending the deployment of Turkish troops in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia and the Arabian Sea until 10 February, 2023 for the stability of region, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, Turkey's Official Gazette published, on Saturday, that Turkish troops in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia and the Arabian Sea will be staying and continue to support humanitarian activities in the region.

07 Feb 2022; MEMO: Turkey has lifted the ban on imports of scrap metal from Lebanon. The move to lift the ban imposed in 2018 was revealed by Lebanon's Economy Minister and will, explained Amin Salam, boost Lebanon's economy by $100 million a year.

ISTANBUL, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Workers were still trying to restore power to some 20,000 households left in the dark for three days in the central Turkish province of Isparta after heavy snow caused disruptions to the electricity grid, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Saturday, according to news website Haberturk.

"Heavy snow and a blizzard caused serious damage to energy infrastructure... initially 113,236 users were left without electricity in the province...units are working in the field to restore energy to the remaining 20,000 users," Donmez said.

ANKARA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he tested positive for the COVID-19.

Erdogan tweeted that he was infected by the Omicron variant of the virus.

The president said that he and his wife were having mild symptoms of the COVID-19, adding that he will continue his work at home.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Turkey has nearly doubled since early January, as the Omicron variant cases rapidly increased across the country.

ANKARA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he tested positive for the COVID-19.

Erdogan tweeted that he was infected by the Omicron variant of the virus.

The president said that he and his wife were having mild symptoms of the COVID-19, adding that he will continue his work at home.

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Turkey has nearly doubled since early January, as the Omicron variant cases rapidly increased across the country.

04 Feb 2022; MEMO: Turkiye called on the international community on Friday to investigate Greek pushbacks of irregular migrants after at least 19 froze to death at the border between the two countries, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"The #EU keeps silent in the face of Greece's cruel practices against irregular migrants & turns a deaf ear to our calls," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

 ISTANBUL/ATHENS, Feb 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkey accused neighbouring Greece of allowing 12 migrants to die in the winter cold after stripping them of their clothes and then pushing them back across the border.

   The charges from Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu — dismissed as “utter nonsense” by Greece — threaten to escalate simmering tensions between the rival members of the NATO defence alliance.

ANKARA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Neither the United States nor other Western countries had not contributed to solving the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"Unfortunately, the West has not contributed to the solution of this issue until now. I can only tell that they are creating difficulties," Erdogan was quoted as saying by the semi-official Anadolu Agency.

Even the U.S. could not achieve any progress to thaw the tension, Erdogan noted.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish authorities on Thursday found seven more dead bodies near Turkey’s border with Greece, raising to 19 the number of migrants who have frozen to death at the frontier.

Turkey has blamed Greece for the deaths, accusing Greek border guards of illegally pushing the migrants back over the frontier. Greece has strongly rejected the accusation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to expose what he said was Greece’s illegal pushback of migrants at every occasion.