Turkey

Moody’s cuts Turkey’s rating on risk of balance of payment crisis

Moody's on Friday downgraded Turkey's rating to 'B2' from 'B1', saying the country's external vulnerabilities are likely to result in a balance of payments crisis and that its fiscal buffers…

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Turkey says EU Mediterranean statement biased, open to talks with Greece

Turkey slammed a statement by European Union Mediterranean states on Friday, saying the comments were biased and "detached from reality", but added Ankara was still open to unconditional talks with…

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Turkey scales back school reopening amid rise in COVID-19 cases

Turkey announced it was scaling back plans to reopen schools later this month, with only the youngest pupils beginning classes at first, for up to two days a week. Fatalities…

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Talks between Turkey and Greece to avoid military escalation postponed

Talks between Turkish and Greek officials at NATO headquarters on how to avoid military escalation in the eastern Mediterranean have been postponed by two days to Sept. 10, Turkish Defence…

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Russia offers to mediate in any Cyprus-Turkey talks over Med energy exploration

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Cyprus on Tuesday that Moscow was ready to help mediate in any talks with Turkey as tensions simmer over energy exploration in the Mediterranean…

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Greece plans to strengthen military as tension with Turkey rise

Greece plans to acquire arms, boost its armed forces and revamp its defence industry, the government's spokesman said on Monday, as tensions with NATO ally Turkey over energy resources in…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says East Mediterranean is test of EU’s sincerity

President Tayyip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel on Sunday the EU's stance towards the East Mediterranean would be a test of its sincerity, calling on it to take…

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Turkey at second peak of coronavirus outbreak

Turkey is experiencing the second peak of its novel coronavirus outbreak, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, while the government announced new restrictions on weddings and other social gatherings…

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Turkish Airlines slashes wages to overcome coronavirus but avoids layoffs -union

Turkish Airlines will sharply cut wages of its crews and groundstaff but will avoid layoffs under a union-agreed deal as it seeks to recover from the impact of the coronavirus…

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Turkey increased taxation on cars, reduces duty

Turkey increased its special consumption tax on mid-range and expensive cars on Sunday, but also lifted the lower thresholds at which the duty is imposed, meaning that more vehicles could…

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Turkey to hold military exercise off Cyprus amid Mediterranean tensions

Turkey said it will hold a military exercise off northwest Cyprus for the next two weeks, amid growing tension with Greece over disputed claims to exploration rights in the east…

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Turkey, Greece to hold rival naval drills as Germany aims to cool row

Turkey and Greece were set to hold separate naval drills in the same region of the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, escalating tensions over overlapping resource claims ahead of talks in…

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Turkey to hold military drills in eastern Mediterranean

Turkey said on Thursday it will hold firing exercises in the eastern Mediterranean on Sept 1-2, the latest in a series of military drills which have fuelled tensions with Greece.…

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Erdogan says Turkey to get rights in seas around it

Turkey is determined to do whatever is necessary to obtain its rights in the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. Speaking at an event commemorating…

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Turkey’s new COVID-19 cases reach highest since mid-June, government imposes measures

Turkey’s new coronavirus cases jumped on Tuesday to their highest level since mid-June at 1,502, according to Health Ministry data, prompting the government to impose measures to combat the spread…

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Turkey wants no pre-conditions, ‘honest’ EU mediation for talks with Greece

Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday Greece must abandon its "maximalist approach" and pre-conditions for dialogue to begin over disputed offshore Mediterranean resources, adding Ankara expects the EU to act as an…

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Germany says Turkey, Greece ready for dialogue on East Mediterranean dispute

Germany’s top diplomat said after whirlwind meetings in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday the two were ready for dialogue to defuse an worsening dispute over energy resources in the Mediterranean,…

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Turkey’s foreign visitor arrivals dive 86% in June

The number of foreign visitors arriving in Turkey tumbled 85.9% year-on-year in July to 932,927, data from the tourism ministry showed on Monday, as measures to curb the spread of…

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Turkey extends work of Mediterranean exploration ship through August 27

Turkey announced that its Oruc Reis exploration vessel will now carry out seismic surveys in a disputed part of the eastern Mediterranean until Aug. 27, in a move likely to…

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Death toll from northern Turkey flash floods rises to six

The death toll from flash floods in Turkey’s northern Black Sea region rose to six late on Sunday, as search and rescue efforts continued for 10 missing people, the state-run…

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Photo Story: Fatal floods in Giresun, Turkey

People stand on a flooded-hit street following heavy rainfall in Dereli district of Giresun, Turkey, 23 August 2020. According to media reports at least 4 people have died in the…

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After Hagia Sophia, Erdogan orders another ancient church conversion into a mosque

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday ordered another ancient Orthodox church that became a mosque and then a popular Istanbul museum to be turned back into a place of…

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Turkey announces biggest natural gas discovery in Black Sea field

Turkey announced its biggest natural gas discovery on Friday, a 320 billion cubic metre (11.3 trillion cubic feet) Black Sea field which President Tayyip Erdogan said was part of even…

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Turkey in talks with Germany, China, Russia on vaccine trials

Turkey is in talks with Russia, Germany and China about conducting Phase 3 trials for coronavirus vaccines developed in those countries, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. Germany and China have…

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Erdogan says no threats can deter Turkey’s operations in Mediterranean

No threats can deter Turkey from seeking natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean, President Tayyip Erdogan warned, adding that Ankara expects actors in the region to take steps to de-escalate…

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Putin, Erdogan discuss conflicts in Libya, Turkish, Qatari and German ministers visit Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflicts in Libya and Syria with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement. The…

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Greece hopes war in Eastern Med is avoided

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Friday he hoped that all parties involved in a dispute in the eastern Mediterranean Sea will act according to international law and that…

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Turkey says France should refrain from escalating Mediterranean tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday France should refrain from steps that escalate tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, where Ankara is embroiled in a dispute with Greece over…

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Erdogan warns against any attack on Turkish ship in Mediterranean

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that any attack on a Turkish ship exploring for oil and gas in disputed Mediterranean waters would incur a “high price” and suggested Turkey…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says only solution in Mediterranean is dialogue

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that the only solution to Turkey's dispute with Greece over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean was through dialogue and negotiation, and Ankara was…

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Turkey to conduct seismic survey in eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's navy has issued an advisory saying that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will carry out a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean over the next two weeks, a step…

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Turkey criticizes Germany for enforcing Libya arms embargo

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday criticized Germany's participation in a European Union mission supervising an international weapon's embargo on Libya. Cavusoglu was in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, for…

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Fears grow in Turkey as daily virus cases top 1,000

Turkey has expressed concern over the rising number of coronavirus cases as the daily infection toll exceeded 1,000 for the second day in a row on Wednesday. Ankara has eased…

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Turkey’s new coronavirus cases jump over 1,000

Turkey's new coronavirus cases jumped above 1,000 for the first time in three weeks on Tuesday in what the government called a troubling rise during peak holiday season, raising concerns…

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Turkey approves social media law critics say will silence dissent

Turkey adopted a new social media law on Wednesday that critics say will create a "chilling effect" on dissenting voices who have resorted to Twitter and other online platforms as…

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Greece and Turkey engage in strong exchange over conversion of Hagia Sophia

Greece and Turkey had another acrimonious exchange on Saturday over the conversion of the former church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque. eKhatimerini reports that the Turkish Foreign Ministry…

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Turkey to distribute masks to students when schools reopen

Mask will be distributed when schools in Turkey are reopened as planned, the national education minister said. “We created an epidemic board in every school for daily cleaning of school…

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Hagia Sophia opens for Muslim worshippers

Friday prayers are to be held at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia building for the first time since the celebrated museum was turned back into a mosque. "Muslims are excited, everyone…

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Coronavirus cases in Turkey reach 221,500

The last 24 hours up to Tuesday, Turkey saw 928 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the tally to 221,500, said Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Twitter. Over…

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Turkey rejects Greek claim over Mediterranean seismic survey

The eastern Mediterranean region where a Turkish ship will carry out a seismic survey is part of Turkey's continental shelf, Ankara said on Wednesday, rejecting Greece's accusation that the ship…

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Turkish defence industry says it can support Azerbaijan

Turkey's defence industry chief said that his sector was ready to help Azerbaijan, which has seen border clashes with Armenia in which 16 people have been killed. Turkey has strong…

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Photo story: Lavender fields in Turkey

A newly married couple walk inside a lavender field in Kuyucak Village, near Isparta Province, Turkey. Kuyucak village produces 93 per cent of all lavender produced in Turkey. Lavender comes…

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World Council of Churches “dismayed” at Hagia Sophia shift

The head of the World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s president expressing his “grief and dismay” over Turkey’s decision to change the status of Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia…

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Hagia Sophia declared a mosque after Turkish court ruling

President Tayyip Erdogan declared Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia a mosque on Friday with the first Muslim prayers to begin in two weeks, after a top court ruled the ancient building’s conversion…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Istanbul, Turkey

An aerial view of people sitting in a circle marked by the municipality with social distance, because of the pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in…

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Turkish Khashoggi murder trial opens

Twenty Saudi nationals have gone on trial in absentia in Turkey over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October…

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Turkey wants French apology over Mediterranean warships incident

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday Turkey expects France to apologise after an incident between Turkish and French warships in the Mediterranean prompted Paris to request a NATO investigation.…

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Germany tells Turkey travel warning will be regularly reviewed

Germany will keep reviewing travel advice for Turkey, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told his Turkish counterpart on Thursday, saying any decisions were coordinated with the EU and based on reliable…

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Turkish business group plans Libya trip to set post-war plan

A Turkish business delegation is set to visit Libya within two weeks to assess how Turkey's companies and banks can help rebuild the war-torn country and secure its energy needs,…

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Turkish company prepping offer to supply Libya power

Turkish power-ship operator Karadeniz Holding is preparing a bid to supply up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity to conflict-hit Libya and will submit it soon, the company said on Monday.…

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Leaders of Greece, Turkey discuss COVID-19 in rare call

The leaders of Greece and Turkey held a rare phone conversation, after months of increasing tension between the two neighbouring countries. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep…

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Turkey says Macron suffers “eclipse of the mind” over Libya

Turkey hit back at French criticism of its intervention in Libya, saying President Emmanuel Macron must have suffered an "eclipse of the mind" to oppose Ankara's support for the internationally…

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France will not tolerate Turkey’s “dangerous games” in Libya – Macron

France will not tolerate Turkey's military intervention in Libya, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday (June 22), accusing Ankara of playing "a dangerous game". Turkey has intervened decisively in recent weeks in Libya, providing…

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Turkey’s lonely tourist attractions face make-or-break week

Turkey's Mediterranean coasts and historic attractions face a critical week as the government presses to open borders and salvage at least part of a tourist season already battered by the…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Istanbul, Turkey

An aerial picture taken by drone shows a general view of Galata Tower and Halic Bay at sunset during curfew in Istanbul, Turkey.

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Turkey ready for fast reconstruction in conflict-torn Libya

Turkey is ready to rapidly start rebuilding conflict-torn Libya, a senior Turkish official said on Friday, after President Tayyip Erdogan's senior deputies visited Tripoli this week to discuss cooperation on…

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Turkey says will work with Italy for stable peace in Libya

Turkey will work together with Italy to achieve stable peace and a political process that will yield results in Libya, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday, and added the…

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