DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Turkey's Erdogan on First Egypt Visit in Decade With Gaza in Focus
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO/ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan made his first visit to Egypt since 2012 on Wednesday to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, taking a big step toward rebuilding ties between the regional powers. Erdogan has said discussions would focus on Israel's Gaza offensive. The visit caps diplomatic efforts in recent years to thaw the nations' frosty relations. They mutually appointed ambassadors last year, and this month Turkey said it would provide Egypt with armed drones. (Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Ece Toksabay in Ankara, Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Andrew Heavens)Photos You Should See View All 22 Images

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Abdel Fattah al, Erdogan, Egypt's, Sisi, Mohamed Mursi, Nayera Abdallah, Tala, Jonathan Spicer, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Muslim, Ece Toksabay Locations: CAIRO, ANKARA, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Ankara, Cairo, Dubai

☆ Erdogan, Putin to Discuss Ukraine and Grain Deal During Turkey Visit -Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative during a visit to Ankara by the Russian leader, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday. A Turkish official told Reuters last week he would visit Turkey on Feb. 12. Ankara has sought to persuade Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative - brokered by Turkey and the United Nations - that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grain during the war via the Black Sea. Speaking at a press conference in the Maltese capital Valletta, Fidan said Turkey was working with Ukraine and Russia to revive the accord. The Kremlin has said Erdogan and Putin would discuss setting up a gas hub in Turkey and the war in Ukraine during the visit.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Erdogan, Putin, Jonathan Spicer, Alison Williams Organizations: NATO, Reuters, United Nations, Kyiv Locations: ANKARA, Ukraine, Ankara, Russian, Turkey, Russia, Maltese, Valletta, Moscow, Syria, Libya, Southern Caucasus, Israel, Gaza

☆ Christians in Turkey Pray for Return to the Ruins of Ancient Antioch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Burcu Karakas and Ceyda CaglayanANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - The Antioch Greek Orthodox Church brought Christians together in Turkey's Antakya for centuries until last year, when an earthquake killed dozens of them and sent hundreds more fleeing. Though it now lies in ruins, many pray it will again bring them back. The deadliest disaster in modern Turkey's history, the quake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and nearly 6,000 in Syria, and left millions homeless. 'PLEASE COME BACK'Some 370 Greek Orthodox families were living in Antakya before the 2023 quake but only 20 remain today, he told Reuters. David Cagan, 53, another member of the local Greek Orthodox community, said it was essential to rebuild the churches.

Persons: Burcu Karakas, Caglayan, Hurigil, Larina Balikcioglu, Antakya, David Cagan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Jonathan Spicer, Gareth Jones Organizations: Church, Orthodox Church Foundation of Antakya, Christian, Hatay Archeology Museum, Antioch Greek, Reuters Locations: Caglayan ANTAKYA, Turkey, Antioch, Antakya, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Ottoman Turks, Hatay, Russian, Hurigil, Mersin province

☆ Turkey Moving Swiftly Toward Final Step on Sweden's NATO Bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is expected to send the final instrument of ratification for Sweden's NATO membership to Washington within days, now that President Tayyip Erdogan signed it off, in a move Ankara hopes will clear the way to its purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets. A source familiar with the issue said the document could be deposited as early as Friday, marking the last step in a process that began in 2022. After 20 months of delay, Turkey moved rapidly this week to ratify the Swedish bid, with parliamentary ratification coming on Tuesday and President Tayyip Erdogan signing off on the approval on Thursday. As per formal NATO rules, the final document in the process - the instrument of ratification - needs to be deposited in the U.S. State Department archives in Washington. Both Erdogan and members of the U.S. Congress had previously linked Ankara's final approval of Sweden to the $20 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Lockheed Martin, Joe Biden, Jonathan Spicer, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: NATO, U.S, U.S . State Department, U.S . Congress, Lockheed, Turkish, Reuters, Congress, State Department Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Washington, Ankara, Hungary, Sweden, NATO, Ambassador

☆ Exclusive-Canada to Re-Start Turkey Arms Exports After Sweden NATO Backing -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Jonathan SpicerISTANBUL (Reuters) - Canada and Turkey have reached a deal to restart Canadian exports of drone parts in exchange for more transparency on where they are used, and it would take effect after Ankara completes its ratification of Sweden's NATO bid, two sources told Reuters. A second person familiar with the plan said the sides agreed it would take effect after Sweden's ratification was complete. U.S. leaders have said Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership clears the way for Ankara's long-sought purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets. Ottawa halted talks on lifting them in 2022 when Ankara raised objections to both Finland and Sweden's NATO bids. But it re-started talks after a NATO leaders summit in July last year, Reuters reported at the time.

Persons: Jonathan Spicer ISTANBUL, Charlotte MacLeod, Jonathan Spicer, Steve Scherer, Toby Chopra Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Canadian Foreign Ministry, U.S, Ottawa Locations: Canada, Turkey, Ankara, Hungary, Washington, Ottawa, NATO, Stockholm, Turkish, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Finland, Istanbul

☆ US Envoy Sees Rapid F-16s Sale to Turkey After Sweden NATO Bid Sign-Off
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

In an exclusive interview on Thursday, Ambassador Jeff Flake said that once the formal ratification document is received in Washington, the U.S. State Department will immediately send Congress notification of the F-16s sale. Turkey's parliament ratified Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, clearing a major hurdle to expanding the Western military alliance after 20 months of delay. "So I would expect as soon as that is conveyed to Washington, then congressional notification (of the F-16 sales) will happen." "The president here needs to sign it and then the instrument needs to be conveyed to Washington," he told Reuters by phone. Both Erdogan and members of the U.S. Congress had tied Turkey's backing of Sweden's NATO bid with congressional approval of the $20 billion sale of Lockheed Martin aircraft and modernization kits to Turkey.

Persons: Jonathan Spicer ISTANBUL, Tayyip Erdogan, Jeff Flake, Erdogan, Lockheed Martin, Joe Biden, Jonathan Spicer, Mark Potter Organizations: NATO, U.S, Congress, U.S . State Department, Gazette, Republican, Reuters, U.S . Congress, Lockheed Locations: U.S, Turkey, Ankara, Washington, Sweden, NATO

☆ Explainer-What Turkey Gained in Delaying Sweden's NATO Bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Turkey ratified Finland's bid in April 2023 but, along with NATO member Hungary, has kept Sweden waiting. While Erdogan sent Sweden's NATO bid to Turkey's parliament for consideration last October, he openly linked the F-16s with its ultimate ratification. WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF SWEDEN'S BID? Though Turkey was seen as the main hurdle, Hungary has also not ratified Sweden's bid. Hungary pledged not to be the last to ratify the bid, but its parliament is in recess until around mid-February.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer ANKARA, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Gunnar Strommer, Jens Stoltenberg, Thomas Goffus, Viktor Orban, Timothy Heritage Organizations: NATO, Ankara, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Canada, U.S . Congress, Eurofighter Locations: Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Stockholm, Helsinki, Washington, SWEDEN, FINLAND, Madrid, Kurdistan, Ankara, United States, Netherlands, SWEDEN'S

☆ Eight Bodies Wash Ashore in Southern Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Eight bodies washed ashore in southern Turkey in the past six days and most of them may be from a lost migrant ship sailing toward Cyprus from the Lebanese-Syrian coast, according to broadcaster Haberturk and the local governor's office. Two other bodies were found at a hotel beach in the Serik region on Monday, it said, bringing the total to eight. In a statement on Sunday, prior to the discovery of the last two bodies, the Antalya governor's office said one of the bodies belonged to a Turkish national who had previously gone missing, pending forensics. The other five bodies could be from the ship heading towards Cyprus, it said, adding that meteorological records over the past week indicated the ship may have sunk with the bodies washing north toward Turkey due to prevailing winds and waves. "It has been identified that the production location of the shoes and clothes of the other five bodies are Syria."

Persons: Haberturk, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Turkish, Lebanese Embassy, Lebanese Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanese, Syrian, Antalya, Alanya, Serik, Ankara, Lebanon, Syria

☆ Turkey's Erdogan says Israel's Netanyahu 'will be tried as war criminal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, while slamming Western countries supporting Israel. Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, has sharply criticised Israel over its campaign in Gaza, launched in response to militant group Hamas' rampage on Oct. 7. In a speech to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) committee meeting in Istanbul, Erdogan said the Western nations supporting Israel were giving it "unconditional support to kill babies" and were complicit in its crimes. "Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just as Milosevic was tried," Erdogan said, in reference to Yugoslav ex-President Slobodan Milosevic who was tried for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes at a tribunal in The Hague. "We must absolutely evaluate the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) within this framework," he said, adding Israel's nuclear arsenal must not be forgotten.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Milosevic, Slobodan Milosevic, U.N, Antonio, Guterres, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hamas, Islamic Cooperation, NATO, OIC, Arab League, United Nations Human Rights Council, Criminal Court, ICC, United Nations Security Council, Security Council, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Gaza, Israel, Turkey, Istanbul, Yugoslav, The Hague, Western, United States, Russia, China, Britain, France

Unlike most of its Western allies and some Gulf states, Turkey does not view Hamas as a terrorist group and hosts some of its members. Nelson said Turkey was connected to Hamas' past efforts to raise funds from donors, investment portfolios, charities and non-profit organisations. Even if Turkey sees Hamas as legitimate, he said the group could still violate domestic laws, though he gave no specific example of this happening. "There is sufficient opportunity for Turkey to address this problem under its own domestic legal authorities irrespective of U.S. sanctions," he said. Turkey says sanctions will not be circumvented on its soil and that nothing transiting is used in Russia's war effort.

Persons: Brian Nelson, Nelson, Tayyip Erdogan, RUSSIA Nelson, We're, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones, Emelia Organizations: Treasury, Terrorism, Financial, Turkish, United Arab, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, Turkey, Israel, Istanbul, Gaza, United States, Washington, Sudan, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, RUSSIA, Russia, Ukraine, Ankara, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Exclusive: European fund giant Amundi dipping toe back into Turkey's lira
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A logo of Amundi is seen outside the company headquarters in Paris, France, February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager, has started dipping its toe back into the Turkish lira it says having been impressed by the country's turnaround efforts since its mid-year elections. "We have started to cover our underweight in Turkish lira a few weeks ago," Sergei Strigo, Amundi's co-Head of Emerging Markets Fixed Income, told Reuters, referring to the process of taking a more positive view on the currency. "We are not yet ready to increase the allocation (in the lira) but it is definitely on our radar screen." Additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London and Jonathan Spicer in Istanbul; editing by Elisa MartinuzziOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Sergei Strigo, Amundi's, Strigo, Karin Strohecker, Jonathan Spicer, Elisa Martinuzzi Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Turkey, London, Istanbul

☆ Exclusive: European fund giant Amundi dips toe back into Turkey's lira
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A logo of Amundi is seen outside the company headquarters in Paris, France, February 3, 2023. "We have started to cover our underweight in Turkish lira a few weeks ago," Strigo told Reuters, referring to the process of taking a more positive view on the currency. Amundi, while the first major fund to formally declare its shift, is not alone in testing the waters, according to other foreign investors and bankers. "It is probably the easiest way for now," Strigo said about the use of FX forwards to express that balance. With the bank having lifted rates to 40% from 8.5% since June, Amundi thinks another hike next month could finish the job.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Sergei Strigo, Amundi's, Strigo, Tayyip Erdogan, Amundi, Goldman Sachs, Erdogan, sceptics, Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan, Marc Jones, Karin Strohecker, Jonathan Spicer, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Investment, JPMorgan, FX, Graphics, Central Bank Governor, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Turkey, Turkish, New York, London, Istanbul

Defence Minister Yasar Guler said last week that Turkey was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets, though Germany objected to the idea. Guler was holding talks on the issue with his British counterpart Grant Shapps in Ankara on Thursday, the source said. Turkey wants to buy the most advanced, newly built version of the Eurofighter, he added. NATO member Turkey requested in October 2021 to buy 40 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and 79 modernisation kits for its existing warplanes. The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus (AIR.PA), BAE Systems (BAES.L) and Leonardo (LDOF.MI).

Persons: Yasar Guler, Guler, Grant Shapps, Joe Biden's, Leonardo, Tayfun Ozberk, Serhat, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, William Maclean Organizations: Eurofighter, . Defence, Eurofighter Typhoon, British, NATO, Turkey, Lockheed Martin Corp, U.S . Congress, Airbus, BAE Systems, Biden Administration, Eurofighter Typhoons, Kadir Has University, Turkish Air Force, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, United States, Turkish, Britain, Spain, Germany, Ankara, Italy

All have been hit by a boycott campaign over Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip since the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Western brands are feeling the impact in Egypt and Jordan, and there are signs the campaign is spreading in some other Arab countries including Kuwait and Morocco. Videos have circulated of what appear to be Israeli troops washing clothes with well-known detergent brands which viewers are urged to boycott. In Kuwait City on Tuesday evening, a tour of seven branches of Starbucks, McDonald's and KFC found them nearly empty. Previous boycott campaigns in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, had less impact, including those advocated by the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Persons: Mohamed Abd, Reham Hamed, Ahmad al, McDonald's, Jordan, Hossam Mahmoud, Sameh El Sadat, executive's, Issam Abu Shalaby, Farah Saafan, Sarah El Safty, Mai ShamsElDin, Suleiman Al, Ahmed Hagagy, Jonathan Spicer, Aidan Lewis Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Gaza, U.S, Kuwait City, McDonald's, KFC, McDonald's Corp, Reuters, BDS, Starbucks, TBS Holding, Malaysian, Cola, Nestle, Turkish, Israel, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Kentucky, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Cairo, CAIRO, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Amman, Rabat, BDS Egypt, Egyptian, Malaysia, Putrajaya, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Khalidi, Danial Azhar, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Istanbul

Last week, the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid in order to hold further talks on the subject. NATO foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on those days, Nov. 28-29, a gathering that some in the Western defence bloc had hoped would mark Sweden's accession. The Turkish Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Both Sweden and Finland had requested to join NATO in May last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While NATO member Hungary also has not ratified Sweden's membership, Turkey is seen as the main roadblock to Sweden's accession.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Olaf Scholz, Liesa, Finland's, Erdogan, Ezgi Erkoyun, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Turkish Foreign Ministry, Nordic, Kurdistan Workers, European Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Rights ANKARA, BRUSSELS, Turkey, Turkish, Brussels, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, embargoes, United States, Stockholm, Hungary

☆ Turkey Tells NATO That Sweden Won't Join by Next Week's Meeting -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Last week, the Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid in order to hold further talks on the subject. The Turkish Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Both Sweden and Finland had requested to join NATO in May last year following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. For ratification, the bill needs to be approved by the Turkish foreign affairs commission before being put to a full parliament vote, which could come days or weeks later. While NATO member Hungary also has not ratified Sweden's membership, Turkey is seen as the main roadblock to Sweden's accession.

Persons: Jonathan Spicer, Sabine Siebold, Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Erdogan, Ezgi Erkoyun, Leslie Adler Organizations: NATO, Turkish Foreign Ministry, Nordic, Kurdistan Workers, European Union Locations: Sabine Siebold ANKARA, BRUSSELS, Turkey, Turkish, Brussels, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, embargoes, United States, Stockholm, Hungary

☆ More Than 100 Gaza Evacuees to Arrive in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - More than 100 evacuees from Gaza are set to arrive in Turkey on Monday, including dozens of people who will receive medical treatment there, Turkey's health minister and a foreign ministry source said. He said last week that Ankara wanted to bring as many of the nearly 1,000 cancer patients from Gaza to Turkey as possible. The first 27 patients arrived in Ankara last Thursday. The foreign ministry source also said that if conditions on the ground permit, Turkey aimed to get around 100 more people out of Gaza on Monday. A month ago, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz said some 700 people, including Turkish, Palestinian, and northern Cypriot citizens, had applied to Turkey to be evacuated from Gaza.

Persons: Fahrettin Koca, Ahmet Yildiz, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: Health, Turkish, Turks Locations: ANKARA, Gaza, Turkey, Egypt, Ankara, Al Arish, Istanbul, Cypriot

☆ Explainer: What Turkey gained in delaying Sweden's NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Huseyin Hayatsever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NATO, Turkish, Swedish and Finnish flags are seen in this illustration taken May 18, 2022. Last year, Stockholm reversed a ban on exporting military equipment to Turkey, without revealing details of companies or products. WHAT HAVE OTHER NATO MEMBERS DONE? In October, Erdogan sent Sweden's NATO bid to Turkey's parliament for consideration. But it has faced objections in the U.S. Congress over Turkey's delaying NATO enlargement and its human rights record.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Gunnar Strommer, Jens Stoltenberg, Thomas Goffus, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Turkish, NATO, Stockholm, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Canada, SWEDEN GO, U.S . Congress, Kurdish, Hamas, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rights ANKARA, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Stockholm, Helsinki, Washington, SWEDEN, FINLAND, Madrid, Finland, Kurdistan, Ankara, United States, Netherlands, Brussels, Gaza

☆ Turkey in talks with Britain, Spain to buy 40 Eurofighter typhoon jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Defence Minister Yasar Gular said on Thursday the Turkey was in talks with Britain and Spain to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets, though Germany objected to the idea. "Now the UK and Spain are making efforts to convince Germany, (though) we are not in talks with Germany... If possible, we plan to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets." NATO member Turkey has also asked to buy U.S. F-16 fighter jets though that purchase order has been delayed. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit Germany on Friday for talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Persons: Yasar Gular, Tayyip Erdogan, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Defence, Eurofighter, NATO, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Britain, Spain, Germany, Ankara

☆ Sweden's NATO bid delayed in Turkish parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Huseyin Hayatsever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Sweden's NATO membership bid on Thursday in a further setback to the Nordic country's hopes of joining the Western alliance after 18 months of waiting. "For all of our lawmakers to approve Sweden's NATO membership, they need to be fully convinced. While there is no clear timeframe on approving the purchase request for the F-16s, Ankara has linked the issue to Sweden's bid. Some analysts say Turkey's parliament could fully ratify the bid by a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Nov. 28-29. While NATO member Hungary has also not ratified Sweden's membership, Turkey is seen as the main roadblock to Sweden's accession.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fuat Oktay, Tayyip Erdogan's, Oktay, Erdogan, Finland's, Burak, Ali Sahin, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Christina Fincher Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Rights, Nordic, Kurdistan Workers, European Union, AK Party, White, Sweden's, Thomson Locations: Rights ANKARA, Turkish, Swedish, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, embargoes, United States, Stockholm, Canada, Netherlands, Ankara, Brussels, Gaza, Moscow, Russia, Hungary, U.S, Hungarian, Budapest

☆ Turkey's crypto rules seen addressing licensing, taxation after boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Ezgi Erkoyun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MARKET BOOM"We have been observing that the interest in crypto assets in Turkey is on a continuous rise. There is currently a lack of regulation in this area," said Mucahit Donmez, chief executive of crypto currency exchange Binance Turkey. The government said work on regulation for crypto asset service providers and taxation of digital virtual assets will be on the agenda for 2024. In 2021, authorities banned the use of crypto assets for payments after some local exchanges were investigated for fraud. Onur Altan Tan, board member at Futurance Finance Tech & Fexobit crypto currency platform, said that they are expecting the new regulation to detail out licensing criteria for platforms and bring taxation for users.

Persons: Bora Erdamar, Erdamar, Mehmet Simsek, FATF, Mucahit Donmez, Altan Tan, There's, Ezgi Erkoyun, Jonathan Spicer, Sharon Singleton Organizations: BlockchainIST, Turkey, FATF's, Service, Binance Research, Futurance Finance Tech, Thomson Locations: Turkey, ISTANBUL, Ankara, Paris, United States, India, United Kingdom

☆ Turkish parliament commission to debate Sweden NATO bid Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NATO, Turkish, Swedish and Finnish flags are seen in this illustration taken May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission will debate a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership on Thursday, according to the official agenda of the commission. President Tayyip Erdogan submitted the bill to parliament for ratification three weeks ago, in a move welcomed by NATO and Stockholm. The bill must be approved by parliament's foreign affairs commission before a vote by the full general assembly. NATO foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Nov. 28-29.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Thomson Locations: Rights ANKARA, Turkish, Stockholm, Turkey, Ankara, Sweden, Brussels, Finland, Ukraine, Hungary

☆ Erdogan criticises top Turkey court, stoking 'judicial crisis'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Ece Toksabay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Murat... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreANKARA, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan waded into a brewing judicial crisis on Friday, criticising the Constitutional Court for "many mistakes" and backing an unprecedented challenge to it by an appeals court, as opponents marched in Ankara. In a twist - which critics said highlighted the diminished state of Turkey's legal system - the top appeals court said the Constituional Court's ruling was unconstitutional. "The Constitutional Court cannot and should not underestimate the step taken by the Court of Cassation on this matter," he said. They were headed to the appeals court and video showed they were briefly delayed by police. "The Court of Cassation's backlash (...) is an open and combative attack against the Constitutional Court," said Bertil Oder, professor of constitutional law at Koc University.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Ozgur Ozel, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Murat, Tayyip Erdogan waded, Erdogan, Osman, Bertil Oder, intimidates, Ezgi Erkoyun, Jonathan Spicer, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Republican People's Party, Cassation, Constitutional, AK Party, Union, Koc University, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ANKARA, Uzbekistan

☆ Turkish parliament dumps Coke, Nestle from menus over alleged Israel support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets lawmakers of his AK Party in the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, October 25, 2023. "The products of companies that support Israel will not be sold in restaurants, cafeterias and tea houses in the parliament campus," Turkey's Grand National Assembly said, without identifying the companies. Neither the parliament statement nor the source specified how Coca-Cola and Nestle supported Israel's war effort. Over the past month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his government have sharply criticised Israel's assault on Gaza and Western support for Jerusalem. Israel has bombarded Gaza since a Hamas raid on southern Israel a month ago, when its fighters killed 1,400 people and seized 240 hostages.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Numan Kurtulmus, Nestle, Israel, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: AK Party, REUTERS, Rights, Nestle, Israel, National Assembly, Cola, Palestinian, Hamas, stevedores, Ece, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Handout, Rights ANKARA, Gaza, Israel, Barcelona, Jerusalem

☆ In Turkey, Blinken discusses efforts to expand aid in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ANKARA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Monday to discuss efforts to expand humanitarian aid in Gaza, and to prevent the war between Israel and militant Palestinian group Hamas from spreading. The meeting between Blinken and Fidan lasted two and a half hours, a U.S. State Department official said. No talks took place between Blinken and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has criticised Washington over its "unlimited support to Israel". Blinken said at the airport that the United States has made some good progress on humanitarian assistance to Gaza. As Blinken met Fidan in Ankara, dozens of people gathered outside the foreign ministry building to protest U.S. support for Israel.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Blinken, Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Jonathan Ernst, Israel, Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, Simon Lewis, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Spicer, Sharon Singleton Organizations: U.S . State Department, Turkish, Hamas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, REUTERS, NATO, Israel, Police, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Turkish, Ankara, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Blinken, U.S, Washington, United States, Turkey, Fidan, Europe, America, Palestine, State, Syria, Iraq

Search resuls for: "Jonathan Spicer"

25 mentions found