Turkey

ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 7,700 smuggled cultural relics have been delivered to Türkiye since 2018, as the country stepped up its efforts to combat illegal trafficking, local media reported on Wednesday.

Thanks to the efforts of the Anti-Smuggling Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 7,701 assets have been returned to Türkiye since 2018, with the number of historical artifacts reaching 3,000 this year alone, the daily Hurriyet reported, citing figures released by the ministry.

ISTANBUL, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek on Tuesday promised that the government would press ahead with rational economic policies, noting efforts to strengthen the country's reserves were at full speed.

"The return to rational policies will continue gradually," Simsek said on his official Twitter account.

26 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's government and President expressed support for the Russian government during the short-lived coup attempt by the Wagner mercenary group over the weekend, offering assistance in finding a resolution to the issue.

ANKARA, June 25 (Reuters) - Sweden must stop protests by supporters of outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Stockholm to get a green light on its NATO membership bid, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told NATO's Secretary-General in a phone call on Sunday.

Erdogan told Stoltenberg that Turkey had a constructive attitude, but Sweden's change of terrorism laws to meet demands from Ankara was "meaningless" while PKK supporters hold protests in the country, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

ISTANBUL, June 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 32 million tonnes of grain have been transported to the world markets through the Black Sea grain corridor since August 2022, a Turkish government minister said Sunday.

Most of the grain was transported to China, Spain, Türkiye and Italy, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu was quoted by the Ihlas news agency as saying.

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday and urged him to act with common sense, the Turkish presidency said, after Russian mercenary fighters began an armed mutiny overnight.

Putin, who described the Wagner Group's actions as "treason" in an emergency televised address, said anyone who had taken up arms against the Russian military would be punished.

Erdogan was among the first leaders to hold a phone call with Putin after his speech on Saturday.

ISTANBUL, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign tourists to Türkiye surged to 4.5 million in May, amounting to a 16.2-percent year-on-year increase, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said Friday.

The Mediterranean resort of Antalya topped the list of most popular destinations by hosting 1.51 million visitors, slightly leading Istanbul with 1.5 million visitors, followed by the Aegean province of Mugla and the northwestern province of Edirne, hosting 380,899 and 349,123 foreigners respectively, according to the ministry figures.

21 June 2023; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the colonial mindset for turning the Mediterranean Sea into a giant refugee graveyard. Erdogan made his comment on World Refugee Day.

21 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) launched a campaign to provide relief to the Sudanese people.

This came in remarks made by the head of the foundation, Bulent Yildirim, in a press conference held yesterday at the foundation's headquarters in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Yildirim said the IHH has launched a wide and comprehensive campaign for the relief of the Sudanese people and called on all civil society organisations and relief bodies to support this campaign.

21 June 2023; MEMO: The Turkish Parliament, which hosts 600 lawmakers from 15 different political parties, can serve as the architect and guide of the "Century of Turkiye" by approving a brand new civilian and democratic constitution, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, after the parliamentary polls of 14 May, the 600-seat Turkish Parliament has started its legislative activities with its new members.