Turkey

10 Dec 2021; MEMO: Turkey, on Thursday, observed the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime on the sixth anniversary of the UN General Assembly resolution that marked the day, which was co-sponsored by Turkey.

11 Dec 2021; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed on Friday that the only way to achieve stability and peace in Palestine is to create an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital, Anadolu Agency reported.

10 Dec 2021; MEMO: Some 3,000 Turkish police officers will help secure the 2022 FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place next year in Qatar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said yesterday.

Soylu made the remarks on the sidelines of the closing meeting of the Project to Strengthen Civilian Oversight on the Internal Security Sector held in the capital, Ankara.

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he hoped that volatile foreign-exchange and inflation rates would stabilise shortly and he again promised low interest rates, after a historic plunge in the lira currency to record lows.

The lira shed some 30% over the last month in a selloff driven by aggressive interest rate cuts that Erdogan sought, but that economists and opposition politicians say are reckless in part due to soaring inflation. 

03 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Secretary General of the Organisation of Turkic States said the inter-governmental association is ready to establish partnership relations with all countries and described its summit held last month in Istanbul as a "historical event", Anadolu News Agency reports.

03 Dec 2021; MEMO: Turkey tested the infrastructure of its health system during the coronavirus pandemic and has demonstrated the quality of the system to the whole world, the Turkish Deputy Health Minister said Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Suayip Birinci made the comments at the Turkey-UK Healthcare Business Forum in Istanbul, where hundreds participated physically and virtually.

04 Dec 2021; MEMO: Istanbul's Public Prosecutor on Friday indicted 16 people suspected of spying for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, Turkish Daily Sabah reported.

According to Arab48, the Turkish news website reported that 15 suspects are Palestinian, all currently in prison. The 16th suspect is Israeli Arab citizen, Ahmad Ziyad, who runs the network while living in Germany.

ISTANBUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A European human rights watchdog told Turkey on Friday it was preparing "infringement proceedings" over its failure to release imprisoned philanthropist Osman Kavala, a move that could lead to Ankara's suspension from the body.

The Council of Europe's warning, issued in line with a 2019 ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), prompted Turkey to accuse the Strasbourg-based body of meddling in the workings of its independent courts.

02 Dec 2021; MEMO: Just as there is World Coffee Day on 1 October, Turkey wants to turn 5 December into "World Turkish Coffee Day" by giving everyone at New York's Times Square a taste of the traditional beverage, said a Turkish businessperson, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Murat Kolbasi, Chairman of Arzum Electrical Home Appliances, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Coffee Culture and Research Association, told Anadolu Agency that coffee bean companies recognise Turkish coffee.

ANKARA/MOSCOW, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Turkey is ready to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, President Tayyip Erdogan was cited as saying by broadcaster NTV on Monday, despite having angered Moscow by selling armed drones to Kyiv earlier this year.

U.S., NATO and Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have massed on the border of Ukraine, which is battling Moscow-backed separatists who control part of its territory in the east.