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☆ Former U.S. diplomat discusses Turkey's Erdogan and Sweden's NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailReasons to believe Erdogan would cave over Sweden's NATO bid after his reelection: Ex-U.S. diplomatWilliam Courtney, adjunct senior fellow at Rand and former U.S. ambassador to Georgia and Kazakhstan, discusses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's decision to back Sweden's bid to join the military alliance.

Persons: Erdogan, William Courtney, Rand, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Organizations: NATO Locations: U.S, Georgia, Kazakhstan

Turkey, along with Hungary, has been a stumbling block to Sweden's bid, which requires unanimous approval by all NATO members. Biden "conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would convene a meeting between Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Vilnius on Monday. While Finland's NATO membership was green-lighted in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid. During their call, Biden and Erdogan also discussed the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, and Ukraine's aim to join NATO, according to the Turkish presidency's readout.

Persons: Joe Biden, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Ulf Kristersson, Ezgi Erkoyun, Kanishka Singh, Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff, Leslie Adler Organizations: NATO, Kurdistan Workers Party, White, Monday, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, WASHINGTON, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Stockholm, Ankara, Turkish, Vilnius, Lithuania, Swedish, Finland, Ukraine

☆ Russia said it was blindsided by Turkey after Zelenskyy left the country with formerly imprisoned Azov battalion members
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Five Ukrainian soldiers returned from Turkey, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. Many of these troops who held the line by hiding in bunkers and tunnels under the Azovstal steel plant were Azov battalion members. A prisoner swap organized with the help of Turkey and Saudi Arabia in September allowed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers to return home. Zelenskyy announced part of the agreement included that five commanders of the Azov battalion who led the charge in Mariupol would remain in Turkey until the war concluded. As for the other Azov soldiers captured in Mariupol, 22 are currently facing trial in Russia after the country designated the battalion as a terrorist group.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Turkey's Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy, Dmitry Peskov, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Peskov, Erdogan, Putin Organizations: Service, Ukrainian National Guard, Twitter, Reuters, Kremlin, Azov, Human Rights Watch, Geneva Convention Locations: Turkey, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Azov, Ankara, Mariupol, Russian, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Geneva

☆ Turkey's Erdogan to host Putin, hopes for Black Sea grain deal extension
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Can Sezer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ISTANBUL, July 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was pressing Russia to extend a Black Sea grain deal by at least three months and announced a visit by President Vladimir Putin in August. Erdogan said work was under way on extending the Black Sea grain deal beyond its expiration date of July 17 and for longer periods beyond that. The deal would be one of the most important issues on the agenda for his meeting with Putin in Turkey next month, he said. "Our hope is that it will be extended at least once every three months, not every two months. Russia, angry about aspects of the grain deal's implementation, has threatened not to allow its further extension beyond July 17.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy's, Erdogan, Putin, Zelenskiy, Petr Fiala, Stringer, Dmitry Peskov, Ezgi Erkoyun, Oleksandr Kozhukhar, Orhan Coskun, Elaine Monaghan, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Gareth Jones, Diane Craft Organizations: Ukraine, United Nations, Zelenskiy, REUTERS, NATO, Western, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Czech, Prague, Crimean Tatars, Istanbul

☆ Special Report: US, Swedish prosecutors study graft complaint naming son of Turkey's Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( David Gauthier-Villars | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

The proposed plan was detailed in communications and business documents seen by Reuters, as well as by a person familiar with the matter. A screengrab shows information about the AL-100K dashboard breathalyzer on the website of Swedish company Dignita Systems. Reuters was unable to confirm independently whether President Erdogan and his son Bilal were aware of, or had involvement in Dignita's alleged kickback scheme. Ibn Haldun University was founded by Turgev, a charity organization President Erdogan helped create in the 1990s, when he was mayor of Istanbul. In 2016, Italian prosecutors conducted a money-laundering probe into Bilal Erdogan on suspicion he had brought cash into the country without declaring it.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Dignita, Bilal Erdogan, Anders Eriksson, Bilal, Dignita's, Scott Greytak, Ibn Haldun, Turgev, Erdogan's, Eriksson, Irfan Gunduz, Gunduz, Erdogan’s, " Eriksson, Bilal –, Bilal Erdogan –, – Dignita, Smart, Matthew Strausz, Anders, David Gauthier, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Reuters, Dignita Systems, Dignita's U.S, Turkish, U.S . Department of Justice, International U.S, DOJ, Smart, Apollo Global Management, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Nordic, Swedish, Ibn Haldun University, Ibn, Dignita, Tugva, BMZ, Islamic, Smart Start, Thomson Locations: United States, Sweden, Swedish, U.S, Turkey, Washington, States, Texas, Ankara, Stockholm, Istanbul, Turkish, Tugva, Islamic State, Syria, Russia, American, Gunduz

☆ Turkey's Erdogan, Greece's Mitsotakis to meet at July NATO summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Newly elected Greek Prime Minister and Leader of New Democracy conservative party Kyriakos Mitsotakis attends the handover ceremony at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, June 26, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiISTANBUL/ATHENS, June 26 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius next month, Mitsotakis' office said on Monday, a day after he won a national election. Mitsotakis was sworn in for a second term as prime minister on Monday following a resounding election win. Ergodan, who was elected to his third term last month, congratulated Mitsotakis in a phone call, the Turkish Presidency said on Monday. Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Lefteris Papadimas Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Mitsotakis, Ergodan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Chris Reese, Sandra Maler Organizations: Greek, New Democracy, REUTERS, Louiza Vradi, NATO, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Louiza, Louiza Vradi ISTANBUL, ATHENS, Vilnius, Turkish, Turkey, Cyprus

☆ Turkey's Erdogan says he agrees to monetary policy turnaround under new Finance Minister Simsek
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named former economy chief Mehmet Simsek as his new treasury and finance minister. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday appeared to make a crucial shift regarding the future of his inflation-ridden country's monetary policy. Newly appointed Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, who previously served as deputy prime minister and finance minister between 2009 and 2018, is widely respected by investors. The president was referring to his opposition to raising interest rates, which he said was not changed. "But upon the thinking of our treasury and finance minister," Erdogan added, "we have accepted that he will take steps swiftly, comfortably with the central bank."

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Erdogan Locations: Turkey

☆ Turkey's Erdogan appoints a former Goldman executive as its new central bank chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Exterior of the Turkish Central Bank, known as Turkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankasi in Ankara. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a former Wall Street banker Hafize Gaye Erkan as the country's new central bank governor — another move that could potentially mark a policy pivot away from economic unorthodoxy. Erkan, Turkey's first female central bank chief, was a former managing director at Goldman Sachs and co-CEO at First Republic Bank. She is also Turkey's fifth central bank governor in four years. The caveat would lie in how much autonomy the central bank could exercise, and to what extent —something that Demiralp says investors will have to wait and see.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hafize Gaye Erkan, —, Turkey's, Goldman Sachs, Mehmet Simsek's, Selva Demiralp, Demiralp Organizations: Turkish Central Bank, Wall Street, First Republic Bank, Princeton, Koç University, CNBC Locations: Ankara, U.S, Istanbul

☆ Turkey's Erdogan appoints spokesperson Kalin as intelligence chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA, June 5 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed his spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin as the head of the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) on Monday, Erdogan's communications office said. Hakan Fidan, who had been Turkey's intelligence chief since 2010, was appointed foreign minister on Saturday. Kalin is a long-term confidant of Erdogan and has served as the spokesperson for the presidency and been a foreign policy adviser for the president since 2014. Kalin holds a Ph.D. from George Washington University on Islamic studies and was one of the founders of SETA, a pro-government think tank based in Ankara. Kalin has taken the lead on several diplomatic efforts in recent years, shaping Turkey's foreign policy agenda.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, Hakan Fidan, Erdogan, Kalin, Mark Porter Organizations: National Intelligence Agency, MIT, George Washington University, SETA, Ece, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara

☆ Turkey's Erdogan sworn in for third presidential term
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsTurkey's Erdogan sworn in for third presidential termPostedTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan took the oath of office for a new presidential term on Saturday (June 3) after winning re-election last weekend, extending his rule into a third decade.

Persons: Turkey's Erdogan, Tayyip Erdogan

☆ Turkey's Erdogan appoints Mehmet Simsek as finance minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday named former economy chief Mehmet Simsek as treasury and finance minister as he announced the cabinet for his new five-year term. Simsek was highly regarded by investors when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. Reuters reported this week that Erdogan was viewed as almost certain to include Simsek in his new cabinet, either as finance minister or as a vice president responsible for the economy. His appointment could mark a departure from years of unorthodox economic policies under Erdogan, which have included sticking to low interest rates despite high inflation, and heavy state control of markets. Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Huseyin Hayatsever, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Erdogan, Ezgi Erkoyun, Huseyin Hayatsever, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Saturday, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL

☆ Turkey's Erdogan takes oath for new term as president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took the oath of office for a new five-year presidential term on Saturday, extending his rule into a third decade. "I, as president, swear upon my honour and integrity before the great Turkish nation and history to safeguard the existence and independence of the state ... to abide by the constitution, the rule of law, democracy, the principles and reforms of Ataturk, and the principles of the secular republic," Erdogan said in a ceremony at the parliament in Ankara, which was broadcast live on television. Turkey's longest serving leader, Erdogan won 52.2% support in a May 28 runoff vote. His election victory upended the predictions of most opinion polls and came despite a cost-of-living crisis that was seen to have dampened his prospects. Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Huseyin Hayatsever, Giles Elgood Organizations: Turkish, Ataturk, Turkey's, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara

☆ Turkey's Erdogan to take oath, name new-look cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Huseyin Hayatsever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkey's longest serving leader, Erdogan garnered 52.2% support in the May 28 runoff vote. The new parliament convened on Friday and Erdogan will officially start his new term by taking his oath on Saturday at around 3 p.m. (1200 GMT) in the general assembly in Ankara. Simsek was highly regarded by investors when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. Erdogan, 69, became prime minister in 2003 after his AK Party won an election in late 2002 following the worst economic crisis of Turkey since the 1970s. In his victory speech, Erdogan said inflation, which hit a 24-year peak of 85% last year before easing, was Turkey's most urgent issue.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Jens Stoltenberg, Nicolas Maduro, Viktor Orban, Nikol Pashinyan, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Frances Kerry Organizations: NATO, Armenian, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, AK Party, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara, Hungarian, Turkey

☆ In pictures: Turkey's Erdogan triumphs in election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Tina Turner, the American-born singer who left a hardscrabble farming community and abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died at the age of 83.

☆ Egypt's Sisi, Turkey's Erdogan agree on reinstating ambassadors -Egypt's presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, May 29 (Reuters) - Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on "the immediate start of upgrading diplomatic relations, exchanging ambassadors," Egypt's presidency said in a statement on Monday. Sisi spoke with Erdogan in a phone call to congratulate him on his presidential win. Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkey in April and met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, the two parties agreed then on specific time frame to raise the level of diplomatic relations and to prepare for a summit between the two presidents. The presidents may meet in person again after Turkey's May 14 election, Cavusoglu said in April. Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy, Writing by Ahmed Elimam, Editing by Chris Reese and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

It reinforced Erdogan's image of invincibility in the deeply divided NATO-member country, whose foreign, economic and security policy he has redrawn. Pro-government newspapers, part of an overwhelmingly pro-Erdogan media landscape that buoyed his election campaign in the nation of 85 million people, cheered his victory. Erdogan said inflation, which hit a 24-year peak of 85% last year before easing, is Turkey's most urgent issue. Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, parliament's third largest, was among the opposition parties opposed to Erdogan and is accused of links to Kurdish militants, which it denies. Erdogan, head of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, appealed to voters with nationalist and conservative rhetoric in a divisive campaign that deflected attention from Turkey's economic problems.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan: rates have fallen, inflation will also fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ANKARA, May 29 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in his victory speech on Sunday that inflation was the most urgent issue for the country, but said it would also fall, following the policy rate that was cut to 8.5% from 19% two years ago. "We are designing an economy focused on investment and employment, with a finance management team that has international reputation," Erdogan told his supporters at his palace in Ankara. Erdogan extended his two decades in power in elections on Sunday, winning a mandate to pursue increasingly authoritarian policies which have polarised Turkey and strengthened its position as a regional military power. Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Huseyin Hayatsever; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan urges voters to turn out, rival sees 'last exit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Ezgi Erkoyun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a rally, ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff vote, in Istanbul, Turkey May 27, 2023. The two candidates are aiming to attract some 8 million voters who did not go to the polls in the first round. Erdogan got a boost earlier this week when Sinan Ogan - a nationalist politician who came third with 5.2% - endorsed him. Kilicdaroglu, who is chair of Turkey's biggest opposition party, the CHP, meanwhile secured the endorsement of the anti-immigrant Victory Party for the runoff. Polls will open at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT) for more than 60 million voters.

Vadym Boychenko, mayor of Mariupol, at his office in the city hall of Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. Russian service members work on demining the territory of Azovstal steel plant during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine May 22, 2022. A view shows the building of a theatre destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 10, 2022. Before Russia's invasion last February, Mariupol was affectionately known as the mighty Ukrainian city with a fierce, steel heart. A local resident reacts while speaking outside a block of flats heavily damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 18, 2022.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan touts 'special relationship' with Putin, stands by his refusal to impose sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan touted his country's "special relationship" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, speaking to CNN during an interview broadcast Friday. "We are not at a point where we would impose sanctions on Russia like the West have done. We are not bound by the West's sanctions," Erdogan told the network. "We are a strong state and we have a positive relationship with Russia." The powerful Turkish leader's closeness to Putin, despite its membership in NATO, has made many Western leaders and diplomats nervous.

[1/5] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets supporters at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey May 15, 2023. His six-party alliance did not attract as many nationalist voters as expected, partly due to support for Kilicdaroglu's candidacy from a large pro-Kurdish party, the officials said. Both Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu are expected to meet Ogan in person in the coming days. Given their conservative views, Erdogan and Ogan are seen as easier allies, even though the president's alliance includes a small Islamist Kurdish party that Ogan also opposes. "His motto will be: if you vote for Kilicdaroglu he will be a lame duck," said another senior opposition official who acknowledged a tough road ahead.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan faces toughest test yet in landmark election — with high stakes for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

He came to prominence as mayor of Istanbul in the 1990s, and was celebrated in the first decade of the new millennium for transforming Turkey's economy into an emerging market powerhouse. But recent years have been far less rosy for the religiously conservative leader, whose own economic policies have triggered a cost-of-living crisis. Now, given a recent downturn in support for Erdogan, some fear he may play dirty to ensure his hold on power. The stakes are high for the entire country and, more broadly, global geopolitics – and the mood on the ground is tense. Mustafa Kamaci | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images"I'm very concerned that [Erdogan] may deploy underhanded tactics, cheating and even violence," Ibish said.

Under the terms of the agreement, up to $4 billion in Turkish energy payments to Russia may be postponed until next year, both sources told Reuters under condition of anonymity. Turkey, which is preparing for elections on Sunday, depends heavily on energy imports and Russia is its largest supplier. The source said Turkey could push back further such payments in the coming months depending on the course of energy prices. The Russian and Turkish energy ministries, and their respective energy companies Gazprom and Botas, have not responded to requests for comment on the issue. Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said last week that Turkey and Moscow agreed a deal allowing Ankara to defer energy payments up to a certain amount, but did not give details.

[1/2] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Izmir, Turkey April 29, 2023. As he seeks to shore up his appeal among conservative voters, Erdogan has also spoken against homosexuality, describing LGBT rights as a "deviant" concept he would fight. 'BUILDING TURKEY TOGETHER'Polls suggest voting could go to a second round and some show Erdogan trailing. "I swear, Erdogan can solve it with a flick of his wrist," she said at a market in central Istanbul. The interventions won few allies, however, and faced with a struggling economy the countdown to the election, Erdogan sought rapprochement with rivals across the region.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan cancels election rallies for a day for health reasons
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during an election rally in Manisa, Turkey April 24, 2023. Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERSANKARA, April 26 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he cancelled his scheduled campaign rallies on Wednesday due to health reasons, ahead of landmark May 14 elections. "Today, I will rest at home with the advice of my doctors," Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account. Late on Tuesday, Erdogan cut short a live TV interview during which he said he felt sick due to an upset stomach. Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Jonathan SpicerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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