Turkey

EDIRNE, Turkey (AP) — A group of migrants on Saturday tried to bring down a fence in a desperate attempt to bust through the border into Greece while others hurled rocks at Greek police. Greek authorities responded, firing volleys of tear gas at the youths.

ANKARA, March 7. /TASS/: Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said that a Russian military delegation will arrive in Ankara next week to discuss joint patrols in Syria’s Idlib.

"On March 15, we will begin joint patrols of the M4 motorway. We started working on the principles of a safe corridor, which will be set up along the highway. A Russian military delegation will arrive in Ankara at the beginning of next week," Anadolu Agency quotes him as saying.

07 Mar 2020; MEMO: Turkey has given the world a lesson of humanity by opening its doors and being a safe haven for refugees, the country’s vice president said on Friday.

Speaking at an event in the southern Mersin province, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay strongly criticized Greece for its cruelty towards asylum seekers.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said there had been no violations of the ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, as part of the agreement with Russia, the defense ministry said on Saturday.

“We will continue to be a deterrent force to prevent any violation to the ceasefire. None occurred since ceasefire entered into force,” Akar said.

The ceasefire was reached in Moscow after talks to contain a conflict which has displaced nearly a million people in three months.

ISTANBUL, Mar 7 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said, he hopes that the cease-fire in the Syrian northwestern province of Idlib, reached between Turkey and Russia the previous day, would continue, putting an end to the conflict in Syria.

“Finally, we sat at the table yesterday and agreed on the declaration of a cease-fire as of midnight last night,” Erdogan said, after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

“We hope that it continues,” he stressed, noting that he also expects that the cease-fire would bring an end to the conflict.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey is sending elite special operations police to the border to stop Greek officers from driving back people who try to cross over to Europe, Turkish authorities said Thursday.

Thousands of refugees and other asylum-seekers have tried to enter Greece from the land and sea in the week since Turkey declared its previously guarded gateways to Europe open.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - There is no unanimity in Washington over support for Turkey in Syria’s Idlib because of Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems, U.S. envoy James Jeffrey said on Thursday.

Fighting in Idlib has intensified in recent weeks as Russia-backed Syrian government forces mounted an offensive to retake the last rebel-held bastion in the country, displacing nearly a million people.

ANKARA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that Turkey and the EU should work to address common challenges over regional conflict, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.

"Pressure and unilateral action are not an answer. We need to work hand in hand to address common challenges, for the benefit of both Turkey and the EU," Borrell said on his Twitter account after a meeting with the Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in Ankara.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A summit between the Turkish and Russian leaders on Thursday may be the last chance to work out a deal that avoids further calamity in Syria’s northwest.

Faced with mounting losses for his troops in Syria’s Idlib province and a potential wave of refugees fleeing the fighting, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is eager for a cease-fire, and Vladimir Putin is ready to bargain.

ANKARA, March 4. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expects that a ceasefire will be declared in the Syrian province of Idlib following his Thursday meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as Erdogan himself told reporters on Wednesday.

"As for the talks, we expect a ceasefire to be declared," Erdogan said, as cited by the NTV channel.