Turkey

01 Feb 2021; AA: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will pay a two-day visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Feb. 1-2.

“During his visit, Minister Cavusoglu will meet with the TRNC authorities to discuss the issues on our common agenda, particularly the Cyprus issue,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

30 Jan 2021; MEMO: Three lawmakers from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) have resigned.

The lawmakers, Mehmet Ali Celebi, Huseyin Avni Aksoy, and Ozcan Ozel, held a joint news conference in parliament to announce their resignation.

They are expected to join the recently launched Homeland Movement headed by Muharrem Ince, a former member of the CHP and its presidential candidate for the 2018 election.CHP now holds 135 out of 600 seats in parliament.

28 Jan 2021; MEMO: The Turkish Justice and Development Party have announced that: "History is a witness to Turkey's advocacy for human dignity, and its assistance to the Jews when they were fleeing death and facing genocide."

This came in a tweet by the ruling party's Spokesperson Omer Celik on Wednesday, on the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

27 Jan 2021; MEMO: Roughly 1 million tons of cargo are to be transported via rail between Turkey and Iran this year, Turkish authorities said Tuesday, reports Anadolu Agency.

The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement that a recent memorandum of understanding signed in a gathering of railway representatives in Turkey's capital Ankara on January 12-13 would open a new era for the transit railway.

27 Jan 2021; MEMO: Turkey on Tuesday condemned missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital Riyadh, reports Anadolu Agency.

"It has been learned that Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, has been the target of missile attacks for the second time in the last three days," a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

"We strongly condemn these attacks, which have targeted civilian settlements and appear to have been neutralised by Saudi air defense systems," it added.

26 Jan 2021; MEMO: Flag carrier Turkish Airlines has temporarily suspended all flights to Israel, the airline announced on Monday, Anadolu reports.

Under the suspension, there are no Turkish Airlines flights to or from Israel for the period Jan. 26 to Jan. 31, said the company on Twitter.

By way of explanation, the airline said the move was in line with a decision by "related authorities," but gave no further details.

26 Jan 2021; MEMO: Turkey yesterday extended its naval mission in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the territorial waters of Somalia for an additional year, a memorandum issued by the presidency said.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Armed pirates attacked a Turkish cargo ship off the West African coast, kidnapping 15 sailors and killing one of them, officials said Sunday as Turkey sought to recover the captured crew.

The Liberian-flagged M/V Mozart was sailing from Lagos, Nigeria, to Cape Town in South Africa when it was attacked Saturday morning 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) northwest of the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe.

23 Jan 2021; MEMO: Turkish security forces on Saturday arrested at least 72 suspected human traffickers in operations based in the country's commercial hub Istanbul, Anadolu Agency reports.

Police arrested 72 suspects after prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 94 alleged members of a criminal organization which organises illegal border crossings, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

19 Jan 2021; MEMO: Turkey has imposed advertising bans on a number of social media companies due to their refusal to comply with a new law requiring them to assign legal representatives in the country. The bans were imposed today on Twitter, Pinterest and Periscope.