Turkey

20 July 2021; MEMO: Turkey has administered nearly 63.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to figures released on Monday, reports Anadolu Agency.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of coronavirus, and all residents aged 18 and over are eligible for vaccine shots.

According to the Health Ministry, nearly 39.1 million people have received their first dose, while over 21 million are fully vaccinated.

20 July 2021; MEMO: With the right policies, Turkey could play a crucial role in Libya's reconstruction period, a top business leader said, reports Anadolu Agency.

Murtaza Karanfil, the head of Turkey-Libya Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), told Anadolu Agency in an interview that Turkey is not seen as a colonial state in the region as many other countries.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s president said Tuesday his country will talk with the Taliban regarding Turkey’s bid to operate and secure the airport in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

Speaking after Eid al-Adha prayers in northern Cyprus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged that the hardline Islamist group had some “discomforts” over Turkey’s proposed plans for Hamid Karzai International Airport.

ISTANBUL, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has so far administered over 63.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in its ongoing vaccination campaign, the Health Ministry revealed on Monday.

Almost 39 million citizens have got their first dose, while 21 million have taken two doses in the country with a population of 83 million, said the ministry.

The number of citizens who have received their third jab neared 4 million, it added.

18 July 2021; MEMO: Greece should give up its maximalist claims and conceive ways to benefit from regional resources together with Turkey, said Turkey's communications director.

Turkey wants good relations with all neighbors, including Greece, and expects the same attitude from them, Fahrettin Altun told Kathimerini, a pro-government daily in Greece.

Turkey is not liable for the tension between Turkey and Greece, Altun said in an interview published Sunday.

19 July 2021; MEMO: The Turkish Navy rescued at least 80 irregular migrants off the coast of Libya, the National Defense Ministry said on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

The Turkish frigate TCG Gediz was on patrol off the coast of the North African nation when it learned that a boat carrying irregular migrants was drifting towards the Tunisian coast, said a ministry statement.

ANKARA, July 18 (Reuters) - Turkey on Sunday slammed a ruling by a top European Union court allowing the banning of headscarves under certain conditions as a "clear violation of religious freedoms", adding the move would exacerbate prejudices against Muslim women in Europe.

The Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice (CJEU) ruled on Thursday that companies in the bloc can ban employees from wearing a headscarf under certain conditions, if they need to do so to project an image of neutrality to customers. 

16 July 2021; MEMO: Turkey has started to administer its homegrown COVID-19 vaccine candidate to volunteers at a major hospital in the capital Ankara as part of the jab's Phase 3 clinical trials to compare its efficacy to that of the Chinese-developed CoronaVac shot, the country's top health official announced on Friday.

17 July 2021; AA: Parts of Turkey’s Black Sea region hit by flooding and landslides will be officially declared a disaster area, the nation’s president said on Saturday.

Speaking at a hospital opening and inaugurations of other newly completed projects in Turkey’s eastern Erzurum province, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the formal declaration will be announced after the next Cabinet meeting, likely at the start of next week.

17 July 2021; AA: At least nine more young officers of the Afghan National, Defense, and Security Forces graduated from Turkey’s elite National Defense University in Istanbul, said an official statement on Saturday.

According to the Afghan Embassy in Ankara, the graduated officers received training in ground and air combat operations among other elements of security and defense.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as other dignitaries, attended the graduation ceremony.