Turkey

ANKARA, September 2. /TASS/: Turkey may soon issue a permit for tests of the Russian anti-coronavirus vaccine, Turkish Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday.

"We have received an inquiry concerning trials of the vaccine developed in Russia. The related documents have already been checked and a permit will soon be issued," he said, adding that Turkey is currently testing two its own vaccines.

02 Sep 2020; MEMO: Turkey has condemned claims by the Austrian authorities that it is conducting espionage operations in their country, saying that the allegations are based on rising anti-Turkey sentiment. The accusations followed the filing of charges yesterday against a man who Austria claims has confessed to being a Turkish intelligence agent.

02 Sep 2020; MEMO: Turkey criticised the US’ decision to lift a 33-year arms embargo on Cyprus, saying Ankara will take the necessary reciprocal steps unless Washington reconsiders its decision, Anadolu Agency reports.

31 Aug 2020; AA: Turkey will not tolerate illegal actions in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, said the nation’s president on Monday.

"Turkey won't allow piracy or banditry in the Mediterranean or Aegean regions," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in the Black Sea province of Giresun at an event marking the start of the fishing season.

01 Sep 2020; AA: Turkey has again extended its energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean through its ship the Oruc Reis, this time by 11 days, until Sept. 12.

Turkey Monday night issued a Navtex (navigational alert) announcing an extension of the Oruc Reis's research activities accompanied by the Cengiz Han and Ataman vessels.

Earlier, Turkey had announced the ship's mission would continue through Sept. 1.

01 Sep 2020; AA: The Turkish Coast Guard rescued on Tuesday 41 asylum seekers who were pushed back by Greek coastal authorities into Turkish waters off the Aegean coast, according to security sources.

The coast guard team was dispatched to the area off the coast of Datca district in southwestern Mugla province after receiving information that the asylum seekers were stranded on a dinghy.

They were brought to the port and transferred to the provincial migration office.

01 Sep 2020; AA: Turkey is in favor of negotiations for fair share of resource in the Eastern Mediterranean, the country’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Addressing a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum in the capital Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu said if armaments on the Meis island exceed limits determined by agreements, Greece will be loser.

01 Sep 2020; MEMO: Turkey’s economy contracted 9.9% year-on-year in the second quarter of this year, the country’s statistical authority announced Monday, reported Anadolu Agency.

Gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices amounted to 1.04 trillion Turkish liras ($153.18 billion) in the April-June period, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is open to dialogue with Greece to solve disagreements over Mediterranean rights and resources, as long as Athens is too, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

The NATO allies vehemently disagree over claims to hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean Sea based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental shelves in waters dotted with mostly Greek islands.

Speaking at a news conference, Cavusoglu also said Greece was trying to provoke Turkey by adopting a hostile attitude.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: Turkey is determined to become a global production and technology center, the country’s president said on Saturday.

“We are committed to making Turkey, the center of three continents, a global production, and technology center, whether some people like it or not,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the opening ceremony of the MESS Technology Center in Istanbul.