Turkey

31 May 2023; MEMO: Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has vowed to settle the continued difficulties experienced by Turkish citizens in acquiring visas to the European Union and its member states, calling it "political blackmail".

ANKARA, May 31 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is viewed as almost certain to include former economy chief Mehmet Simsek in his new cabinet, either as finance minister or as a vice president responsible for the economy, four senior officials said.

Simsek was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. A key role for him now could signal a departure from years of unorthodox policy underpinned by low interest rates despite high inflation and heavy state control of markets.

ANKARA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's economy outperformed market expectations, with a year-on-year growth of 4 percent in the first quarter, the Turkish Statistical Institute announced Wednesday.

This growth follows a 3.5 percent annual expansion in the final quarter of 2022. Economists surveyed by the Anadolu Agency had expected Türkiye's growth to be 3 percent on an annual basis in January-March.

Despite the negative impact of the massive Feb. 6 earthquakes, domestic demand played a significant role in achieving this growth.

30 May 2023; MEMO: Western countries have been putting considerable pressure on Ankara for a year and a half to impose sanctions on Russia but Ankara, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told Al-Khabar TV yesterday.

"They … demand sanctions, and ask why we are cooperating with the Russian Federation," he added. "But we did not listen to anyone, and we celebrated … delivering the first fuel shipment to the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant."

ANKARA, May 29 (Reuters) - After failing to seize the moment to defeat President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey's elections, Kemal Kilicdaroglu faces questions about his leadership and the challenge of preserving a bitter opposition alliance ahead of local voting in March 2024.

According to some party members, analysts and voters, Kilicdaroglu, the opposition presidential candidate in Sunday's runoff vote, will need to immediately re-focus on maintaining control of Turkey's big cities in the municipal elections.

28 May 2023; MEMO: A Turkish defense company has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with an African country to supply its border and internal security needs, reports Anadolu Agency.

Asisguard, which operates in the fields of armed drones, electro-optics, and vehicle modernization, signed a contract of some $36.5 million with the country, according to data obtained by Anadolu. The country's name was not given.

28 May 2023; MEMO: The leaders of Qatar, Hungary, Somalia and Pakistan were among the first heads of state and government on Sunday to congratulate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is leading in the presidential runoff election.

"My dear brother, congratulations on your victory, and I wish you success in your new term, and that you achieve in it what the brotherly Turkish people aspire to in terms of progress and prosperity," Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said on Twitter.

28 May 2023; MEMO: I would like to thank each and every member of our nation who once again conveyed to us responsibility for governing Turkiye for next 5 years

Turkiye's 85 million-strong citizens are the winners in the national elections that concluded today, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, confident in his clear lead towards reelection.

"All 85 million of our citizens are the winners of both the May 14 and May 28 elections," Erdogan said in an address to the nation from Istanbul.

28 May 2023; MEMO: Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been reelected Türkiye's president in runoff elections, the chairman of the country's Supreme Election Council (YSK) said on Sunday, reports Anadulou.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Ankara, YSK head Ahmet Yener said that Erdogan won Türkiye's presidency over opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the second-round runoff vote.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned away a challenger who sought to reverse his authoritarian-leaning changes, securing five more years to oversee the country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that plays a key role in NATO.