Turkey

Erdogan ‘saddened’ by Russian invasion, Ukraine urges Turkey to shut straits

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey backs Ukraine's territorial integrity and is "sincerely saddened" by Russia's invasion, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, as Kyiv's envoy to Ankara urged Turkey to close…

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Turkey’s foreign arrivals surge 151% in January from year ago

ISTANBUL, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The number of foreign visitors arriving in Turkey jumped 151% from a year earlier to 1.28 million in January, data showed on Monday, as the sector continued…

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Turkish court keeps Kavala in jail despite Council of Europe move

ISTANBUL, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A Turkish court said on Monday philanthropist Osman Kavala must stay in prison, lengthening his detention of more than four years without conviction, in a trial which…

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High hopes that tourism will steady Turkey’s economy

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Tourism in Turkey is set to return to near pre-pandemic levels this year, boosting the crisis-hit economy with the help of a recent currency crash that has…

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Turkey slashes VAT on basic foods to 1% from 8% – Erdogan

ANKARA, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Turkey has CUT the value added tax on basic food items to 1% from 8%, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, as the country fights…

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Turkey demands 11 years behind bars for senior journalist

ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish prosecutor's office demanded 11 years in jail for a prominent journalist on charges of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan and two ministers in his cabinet, Turkish…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Istanbul, Turkey

A photo taken with a drone shows a car driving past snow-covered trees in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo - EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN

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Turkey’s President Erdogan recovering from COVID-19

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. "The result of COVID-19 tests done with my wife after showing mild…

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Erdogan says Turkey will not respect Council of Europe

ANKARA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Turkey will not respect the Council of Europe if it does not respect Turkish courts, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, when asked about a…

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Turkey logs record daily COVID-19 cases

Turkey has recorded 110,682 new COVID-19 infections in the space of 24 hours, its highest daily figure of the pandemic, health ministry data showed on Wednesday. In late December, daily…

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Erdogan visits Ukraine hoping to play mediator with Russia

ANKARA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine on Thursday after pitching Turkey as a mediator to ease tensions with…

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Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in Iraq, Syria

ISTANBUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militants targets, including training camps, shelters and ammunition storage areas in Iraq and northern Syria, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on…

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Turkey’s Erdogan threatens media with reprisals over ‘harmful’ content

ANKARA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday threatened Turkish media with reprisals if they disseminated content that damaged the country's core values, in a move that might…

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David Casa calls for release of journalist arrested for allegedly insulting Erdoğan

David Casa has called for the release of Sedef Kabaş, a journalist in Turkey who has been held in custody after reciting a proverb that was seen as an insult…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says Russia would be unwise to invade Ukraine

Russia would be unwise to attack Ukraine and in that case Turkey would do what is necessary as a NATO member, President Tayyip Erdogan said. In an interview with broadcaster…

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UPDATED: Greek PM apologises for snowstorm ordeal

ATHENS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologised on Wednesday for the state's unpreparedness to deal with the impact of a severe snowstorm that brought transport in…

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Turkey halts Istanbul Airport flights due to snow

ISTANBUL, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Authorities halted all flights at Istanbul Airport for one hour on Monday due to heavy snowfall in the city, state broadcaster TRT Haber, while many…

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Turkish journalist arrested on charge of insulting Erdogan

A Turkish court on Saturday ordered well-known journalist Sedef Kabas to be jailed pending trial on a charge of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan, CNN Turk said, targeting her with a…

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Payments in Turkish citizenship-for-home scheme to be sold to central bank

ANKARA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Foreigners' hard currency investments in a citizenship-for-homes programme will as of Friday be sold to the central bank under the latest measure to replenish depleted…

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Turkey’s Erdogan says Russian invasion of Ukraine not realistic -NTV

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was cited on Tuesday as saying the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine was not realistic and that he needed to discuss the crisis with…

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Turkey logs record level of more than 74,000 COVID-19 cases in a day

Turkey has recorded 74,266 new COVID-19 cases in the space of 24 hours, its highest daily figure of the pandemic, health ministry data showed, prompting the health minister to warn…

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Defense minister warns Greece not to test Turkey’s patience

Greece should refrain from testing Turkey’s patience with provocations, including with a threat to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean, Turkey’s defense minister warned. Speaking to a group of…

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Turkey inflation surges 36% amid lira crisis, highest since 2002

ISTANBUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Turkey's annual inflation jumped far more than expected to 36.08% year-on-year in December, the highest since September 2002, data showed on Monday reflecting a plummet…

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Erdogan calls on Turks to keep all savings in lira

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turks should keep all their savings in lira and that recent exchange rate volatility was largely under control after the lira weakened sharply…

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Turkey’s COVID-19 cases surge to near 40,000

Turkey recorded 39,681 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest number of daily infections since April 28, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned about the growing prevalence of the Omicron…

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Turkish unit of crypto exchange Binance fined

Turkey's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) imposed an 8 million lira ($751,314) fine on the local unit of cryptocurrency exchange Binance over violations found during liability inspections, the Anadolu news…

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Turkey freezes assets of 770 individuals and a U.S.-based foundation

ANKARA, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Turkey has frozen the assets of a total of 770 people and a U.S.-based foundation on the grounds of terrorism financing, a ruling published in…

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Fitch puts 13 Turkish banks on downgrade warnings

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Credit rating agency Fitch has put 13 Turkish banks on downgrade warnings following a similar move on the government's sovereign rating last week. The moves…

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Updated: Council of Europe notifies Turkey of planned action over Kavala

ANKARA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A European human rights watchdog told Turkey on Friday it was preparing "infringement proceedings" over its failure to release imprisoned philanthropist Osman Kavala, a move…

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Turkey’s Erdogan names Nebati as new finance minister as lira skids

ISTANBUL, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed Nureddin Nebati as minister of treasury and finance on Thursday after the resignation of Lutfi Elvan, the last top official…

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Turkey slams Cyprus over exploration license for Exxon, Qatar Petroleum in Mediterranean

ANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Turkey on Thursday accused Cyprus of violating its continental shelf by awarding an exploration license in the Mediterranean to Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum, adding…

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Photo Story: Aftermath of heavy storm that hit Istanbul

People take pictures of a cargo ship that was damaged by a storm, near the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey . According to the Istanbul governor's office, at least four people…

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Turkish Lira eases back from record low as Turkey stumbles into unknown

ISTANBUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Turkey's lira clawed back some losses on Wednesday after a 15% crash to record lows a day earlier driven by President Tayyip Erdogan's defence of…

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Turkish trial in Khashoggi killing “nearing deadlock” -journalism watchdog

A Turkish court resumed a trial over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, as a journalism watchdog described the case as "nearing deadlock" and said the hearing needed to…

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Turkish lira in historic 15% crash after Erdogan stokes fire sale

Turkey's lira nose-dived 15% on Tuesday in its second-worst day ever after President Tayyip Erdogan defended recent sharp rate cuts, and vowed to win his "economic war of independence" despite…

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Turkey repatriates seven citizens held in eastern Libya

ISTANBUL, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Seven Turkish citizens who were being held in eastern Libya have been brought back safely to Turkey, the country's foreign ministry revealed. The seven people…

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Turkey working to get out of FATF ‘grey list’, minister says

ANKARA, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Finance Minister Lutfi Elvan said on Friday Turkey was working with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to get out of a grey list for…

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EBRD pledges 600 million euros for women-led firms in Turkey

ISTANBUL, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is making 600 million euros ($693 million) in new financing available for Turkish women entrepreneurs, it said…

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UPDATED: Erdogan skips Glasgow climate summit in security dispute

President Tayyip Erdogan cancelled plans to attend the global climate conference in Glasgow on Monday because Britain failed to meet Turkey's demands on security arrangements, Turkish media quoted him as…

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Turkish Minister calls grey-listing decision ‘a political move’

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has lambasted the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for putting the country on the so-called grey-list, definiting as a political move. "We all know that…

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Turkey and West climb down from brink of biggest diplomatic crisis

Turkey and its Western allies climbed down from a full-blown diplomatic crisis on Monday after foreign embassies said that they abide by diplomatic conventions on non-interference, averting a threatened expulsion of 10 ambassadors.…

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Erdogan’s critics say expulsion call is diversion

President Tayyip Erdogan's political opponents said his call to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western allies was a bid to divert attention from Turkey's economic difficulties, while diplomats hoped the…

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Turkey’s citizenship-for-homes sales hit roadblock

Record sales of homes to foreigners in Turkey, driven by a sharply falling currency and the promise of citizenship, are starting to slow after a new government rule aimed at…

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UPDATE – Turkey to expel U.S. envoy and nine others, Erdogan says

ISTANBUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had told his foreign ministry to expel the ambassadors of the United States and nine other…

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Turkish defence minister warns against alliances that harm NATO

NATO-member Turkey's defence minister said the forming of alliances outside of NATO would harm the organisation, according to comments released on Saturday, after Greece and France agreed a defence pact…

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FATF ‘grey lists’ Turkey

An international watchdog downgraded Turkey to a so-called grey list for failing to head off money laundering and terrorist financing, a decision that could further erode foreign investment after a…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Van, Turkey

Turkish soldiers patrol with military vehicles next to a wall on the Turkey-Iran border line in Van city, Turkey. Turkey completed 63 km of the modular concrete wall, which it…

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Erdogan hopes for continued cooperation with post-Merkel Germany

Istanbul (dpa) - Turkey seeks to maintain good working relations with the upcoming new German government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday in Istanbul. "I hope the successful work we have carried…

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IKEA to shift more production to Turkey to shorten supply chain

Sweden's flat-pack furniture giant IKEA is planning to move more production to Turkey to minimise problems with global supply chains and increased shipping costs, the company's chief financial officer for…

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Turkey registers 29,802 new COVID-19 cases, highest since April 30

Turkey logged 29,802 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number of daily infections since April 30, health ministry data showed, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged citizens to get…

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Tensions simmer after Turkey sent off Maltese registered Cypriot vessel away from its continental shelf

Turkey sent a Greek Cypriot research vessel away from what it says is its continental shelf in the Mediterranean on Sunday after it entered the area without permission, Turkey's Defence…

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Partners or rivals? Russia and Turkey navigate awkward alliance

Turkey's defence purchases from Russia have alarmed Ankara's NATO partners but the two countries remain rivals in wars from the Middle East to the Caucasus, highlighting the faultlines running through…

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Turkish President Erdogan says to meet Greek PM in New York

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he would meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week in New York.…

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Turkey logs highest cases of coronavirus since May 4

Turkey logged 27,802 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number of daily infections since May 4, health ministry data showed, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca urged people to get…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Beyobasi, Turkey

An Afghan migrant who is taking care of over 200 sheep of Bulent Sarioglu in Beyobasi village, Turkey. Afghans in Turkey amount to 400,000, making them the second largest group…

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Turkey jobless rate climbs to 12% in July as supports end

Turkey's unemployment rate rose to 12.0 percent in July from 10.6% a month earlier as pandemic-related labour supports expired, according to data on Friday that also showed an uptick in…

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Turkey optimistic inflation will drop below 10% by end of 2022

Turkey expects inflation to fall to 16.2% by the end of the year and hit 9.8% by the end of 2022, according to government forecasts published late on Sunday that…

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