Turkey

05 July 2020; MEMO: The UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) will not affect its appreciation of Turkey’s strategic value, and the two sides’ relations will continue, Anadolu Agency reported Britain’s consul general in Istanbul stating on Wednesday.

ISTANBUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday denounced the rising international criticism over Turkey's intention to convert Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.

"The accusations against our country on the Hagia Sophia mean a direct attack on our sovereignty rights," Erdogan said at the opening ceremony of another mosque in Istanbul.

"We will continue to protect the rights of Muslims, the dominant faith in our country, and those of other religions," he added.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court put 20 Saudi officials on trial in absentia on Friday for the gruesome killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi which sparked international outrage and tarnished the image of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.

Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 when he went there seeking papers for his marriage. Some Western governments, as well as the CIA, said they believed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the hit - an accusation Saudi officials denied.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court sentenced a former executive of Amnesty International Turkey to more than six years in jail and convicted three other rights activists on terrorism-related charges on Friday, the rights group said.

Amnesty Turkey said on Twitter that 7 other defendants, who were first detained three years ago during a crackdown following a 2016 attempted coup, were acquitted in a case which fuelled expressions of concern over Ankara’s human rights record.

03 July 2020; MEMO: Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean, the country’s foreign minister said yesterday.

02 July 2020; MEMO: Turkey’s top administrative court today announced that it will deliver the verdict on whether Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia should remain a museum or be turned into a mosque within 15 days, Turkish daily Milliyet reported.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed restoring the mosque status of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, a building at the heart of both Christian Byzantine and Muslim Ottoman empires and today one of Turkey’s most visited monuments.

02 July 2020; MEMO: Israel’s military attacks in Syria violate the country’s sovereignty and spark tensions in the region, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hassan Rouhani of Iran, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said in a joint statement following the online Astana summit yesterday.

According to the statement, the three presidents reaffirmed the necessity to respect universally recognised international legal decisions.

ANKARA, July 1 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey announced that, the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran will hold an Astana summit today via teleconference, as part of their efforts to end the conflict in Syria.

“The 6th Tripartite Summit Meeting in Astana format, will be held on July 1, 2020, via video-conference with the participation of our president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of the Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, and the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin,” the Turkish presidency said in a written statement.

30 June 2020; MEMO: Two Turkish energy companies signed an agreement for the development and construction of a solar power plant in Italy, Anadolu Agency reported today.

Turkish companies Naturel Enerji and KURTEKS Tekstil Enerji announced that they will be working with Italy to develop and construct a 50-megawatt solar power plant.

It is stated that the total value of the contract is €45 million ($50.4 million), excluding VAT, with Naturel Enerji providing project funding.

29 June 2020; MEMO: Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez said yesterday that his country will cooperate with the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) on oil and gas exploration.