Turkey

11 July 2023; MEMO: Washington will move ahead with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkiye in consultation with Congress, US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Tuesday, a day after Ankara gave the green light for Sweden to join NATO, Reuters reports.

ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden expressed a desire to see Sweden join NATO "as soon as possible" in a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in which they discussed Sweden's bid to become a member of the Western alliance, the White House said on Sunday.

Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Sweden's bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members.

06 July 2023; MEMO: A father and his two sons were arrested on Tuesday at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport after attempting to stop a plane from taking off by jumping on the tarmac and getting onto the luggage cart.

07 July 2023; MEMO: Turkiye expects Gulf countries to make direct investments of about $10 billion initially in domestic assets as part of President Tayyip Erdogan's trip to the region in two weeks, according to two senior Turkish officials, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Erdogan is scheduled to visit leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on 17-19 July, in part to drum up foreign funding that would boost Turkiye's strained economy after his re-election in May.

ISTANBUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The police have tightened the crackdown on undocumented immigrants in Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city, arresting 1,615 individuals over the last three days, local media reported Friday.

The police have carried out massive raids in several neighborhoods, including Esenyurt, Fatih, and Zeytinburnu, where illegal immigrants were found highly concentrated, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Egypt and Turkey took a further step toward restoring full diplomatic ties on Tuesday by dispatching ambassadors for the first time in years, the latest step in the reconciliation between the two regional powers.

In a joint statement, the two countries announced the appointment of Salih Mutlu Sen as Turkish ambassador to Cairo and of Amr Elhamamy as the Egyptian ambassador to Ankara.

30 June 2023; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday slammed Sweden after it allowed a copy of the Quran to be burnt in Stockholm and said Ankara would never bow down to a policy of provocation or threat, Reuters reported.

"We will teach the arrogant Western people that it is not freedom of expression to insult the sacred values of Muslims," he told party members on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha.

27 June 2023; MEMO: The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation on 26 June, expressing its deep concern over the Israeli government's recent approval of the construction of approximately 5,700 new residential units in the Occupied West Bank, Anadolu News Agency reports.

27 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye will continue standing against any action that could harm sanctity and status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, the country's President said on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a phone call, Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his greetings to Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, for the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

28 June 2023; MEMO: It is "unacceptable" for Ankara that PKK supporters in Sweden organise demonstrations and recruit people and provide financial support for terror groups, the Turkish president said on Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

His remarks came during a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.