Turkey

06 June 2020; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that his country will never leave the people of Libya to the mercy of mercenaries and a coup. He told a press conference with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj in Ankara that, “History will hold accountable all those who drowned Libya in blood and tears by providing support for the coup leader Khalifa Haftar.”

ANKARA, June 6 (NNN-ANADOLU) – A Turkish special force boat came under harassment fire, from the Greek side, on the Maritsa River between Turkey and Greece, the governor’s office, of the north-western province of Edirne said, Friday.

The special forces were patrolling the river, when they were targeted by a group of 10 to 12 men, in military camouflage, from the Greek side, said the statement.

The Turkish forces fired warning shots into the air, and the fire ended, it added.

05 June 2020; MEMO: Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Adil Karaismailoglu, said yesterday that Ankara will gradually resume international flights to 40 countries from 10 June.

In a statement, the minister said the first international flights will transport passengers to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Qatar and Greece.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey jailed three opposition lawmakers late on Thursday after parliament stripped them of their status as deputies, their two parties said, a move criticised by the country’s Western allies and rights groups.

Leyla Guven and Musa Farisogullari from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and Enis Berberoglu of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), had their status removed after convictions against them became final.

ANKARA, June 4 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey and Azerbaijan, on Wednesday, announced on the official gazette, mutual visa exemption of three months for their citizens, who hold passports with validity of at least six months.

The decision was agreed upon by the two governments on Feb 25.

With the new visa agreement, the exemption period between the two countries is increased from 30 days to 90 days.

ANKARA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkish health minister on Wednesday said Turkey does not expect a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak as long as the citizens take precautions.

"Under the current circumstances, we can say that we do not expect a second wave depending upon your understanding with regards to the pandemic and precautions," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said at a press conference.

ISTANBUL, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday inaugurated a new hospital specially built for COVID-19 patients in the country's biggest city Istanbul.

The hospital was constructed in the Sancaktepe district on the Asian side of the city and named after Feriha Oz, a Turkish doctor, who recently lost her life due to COVID-19.

The construction of the hospital with 1,008-bed capacity was completed in 45 days with the work of around 4,000 workers.

31 May 2020; MEMO: Turkey opened an emergency hospital in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul as part of the country’s continued fight against the pandemic, reports Anadolu Agency..

The new Yesilkoy Prof Murat Dilmener Emergency Hospital in Istanbul is named after a Turkish doctor and academic who was claimed by the virus on 3 May.

Attending the opening ceremony were Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vice President Fuat Oktay, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, and other top officials.

30 May 2020; MEMO: Turkish researchers have sequenced the genome of the novel coronavirus isolated from four patients, the head of the project said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Dr. Sadrettin Pence, the vice rector of Istanbul Medeniyet University, told Anadolu Agency the genomes were sequenced using the latest sequencing platforms.

ANKARA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish and Russian troops conducted their 13th joint patrol along a key highway in northwestern Idlib province of Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday.

"Within the framework of TUR-RF Agreement/Protocol, the 13th TUR-RF Combined Land Patrol on M-4 Highway in Idlib was conducted with the participation of land and air elements," the ministry tweeted.