Turkey

16 May 2021; MEMO: It is time to show unity and determination on Palestine, and Turkey is ready to take any necessary step, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

At the virtual meeting to discuss Israel's attacks on Palestine, Cavusoglu said that Israel also targeted members of the press and that half of those who lost their lives in Gaza were women and children.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s interior ministry on Sunday lifted a full lockdown that had ordered people to stay home to fight COVID-19 infections, shifting to a less-restrictive program that still involved curfews on weeknights and weekends.

In a new directive, the ministry called the steps that apply from Monday to June 1 a “gradual normalization.”

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s interior ministry on Sunday lifted a full lockdown that had ordered people to stay home to fight COVID-19 infections, shifting to a less-restrictive program that still involved curfews on weeknights and weekends.

In a new directive, the ministry called the steps that apply from Monday to June 1 a “gradual normalization.”

12 May 2021; MEMO: Turkey cancelled an invitation calling on Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum following the recent Israeli attacks on Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and Gaza, Anadolu Agency reported.

Israel was informed of the cancellation through the Embassy of Turkey in Tel Aviv.

12 May 2021; MEMO: The Turkish Foreign Ministry has blamed Israel for the aggression on the Palestinians in the occupied territories, including Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry reiterated that the continuous Israeli aggression on the Palestinians and using "disproportionate" force to oblige the Palestinians give up their rights will never work.

ISTANBUL, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed Israeli attacks against the Palestinians during a phone conversation, Turkey's presidential office said in a statement Wednesday.

Erdogan said the international community should teach Israel a "strong and deterrent" lesson to stop its "reckless attacks" on Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Palestinians.

He also noted it is important for the UN Security Council to intervene in before the crisis further worsens.

07 May 2021; MEMO: Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected to visit Saudi Arabia for talks next week, as the two regional powers ramp up efforts to mend ties that have become strained, not least due to the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Reuters has reported. It will be the first such visit since 2017.

ANKARA, May 5. /TASS/: A couple of Turkish private companies have started negotiating an extension or a renewal of gas purchasing contracts with Gazprom due to the upcoming expiration of their current agreements, the Haber Turk TV channel reported on Wednesday. The issue is about purchasing 8 bln cubic meters of gas per year.

05 May 2021; MEMO: Turkey has confirmed that its soldiers are deployed in Libya to protect the rights and interests of the Libyan people, Anadolu has reported. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar also stressed the importance of Libya's sovereignty and independence during a meeting with Turkish officers operating in Libya attended by Libyan Chief of Staff Mohamed Al-Haddad.

ISTANBUL, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkey logged 340 coronavirus-related deaths and 25,980 new cases in the last 24 hours, Health Ministry data showed, the third day of a nationwide lockdown, including curfews, closed schools and many shuttered businesses.

Turkey ranks fourth globally in daily cases based on a seven-day average, down from second briefly last month.