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BRUSSELS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Defence ministers at NATO's Brussels headquarters watched stunned as their Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Thursday showed them "shocking" and "horrific" video from the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, diplomats said. Gallant, who remotely attended the one-hour NATO session, briefed ministers on the attack and showed them what the Times of Israel, which was the first to report on it, called an "uncensored video of Hamas atrocities". In a statement after the session with Gallant, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared: "Israel does not stand alone." On Wednesday, Stoltenberg said Israel had the right to defend itself and NATO expected its response to the Hamas attack to be proportionate. There was no immediate comment from the Turkish delegation to NATO or the Turkish foreign ministry.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Israel, Gallant, Germany's Boris Pistorius, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Ingrid Melander, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: NATO's Brussels, NATO, Israel, Turkish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Gaza, of Israel, Germany, Israel, Turkey

Summary LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:"Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety...and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," Israeli military says. The Israeli military said it would operate "significantly" in Gaza City in coming days and civilians should only return when advised. "Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," the military said. "Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians." [1/16]Palestinians flee their homes amid Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, October 13, 2023.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Gilad Erdan, Israel, Cross, Fabrizio Carboni, Antony Blinken, Mohammed Salem, Blinken, Jordan's King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Hassan Nassrallah, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mount Herzl, Khan Younis, Ibrahim Hamdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Gorman, Dan Whitcomb, Michael Martina, Michael Perry, Michael Georgy, Philippa Fletcher, Howard Goller, Diane Craft, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, United Nations, Shifa, International Committee, Food Programme, ICRC, U.S, NATO, REUTERS, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, United Arab, U.S . Defense, Washington, United, Police, FBI, Mount, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, JERUSALEM, TEL AVIV, Israel, Japan, United States, Palestinian, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, UAE, Turkish, U.S, Paris, Amsterdam, London, New York, Los Angeles, Jerusalem, Gazans, Geneva, Washington, Tel Aviv

☆ Turkey says it's ready to help de-escalate Israeli-Palestinian conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Tuvan Gumrukcu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held calls on Saturday with his regional counterparts to discuss the fighting between Israel and Palestinians, a foreign ministry source said, as Ankara said it stood ready to help de-escalate the situation. The source said Fidan discussed the conflict with his Saudi, Qatari, Iranian, Palestinian and Egyptian counterparts, but did not provide any further details. Earlier, Turkey's foreign ministry repeated President Tayyip Erdogan's call for restraint and strongly condemned the loss of civilian lives. The conflict comes as Turkey, which has backed Palestinians in the past and supported a two-state solution to the conflict, works to normalise ties with Israel after years of animosity. Prior to Saturday's violence, Erdogan had said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may visit Turkey in October-November to discuss cooperation on energy, while Turkey's energy minister said he planned to visit Israel in November.

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Antony Blinken, Tayyip Erdogan's, Israel, Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nick Macfie, David Holmes Organizations: Turkish, Saudi, Qatari, Israel, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Israel, Ankara, Turkey

The military "neutralised" 26 Kurdish militants in northern Syria overnight in retaliation for a rocket attack on a Turkish base, the defence ministry said. Turkey also conducted air strikes and destroyed 30 militant targets elsewhere in northern Syria, including an oil well, a storage facility and shelters, the defence ministry said. Turkey said the attackers came from Syria but the Syrian SDF forces denied this. The Turkish foreign ministry statement said that one of Turkey's drones was lost during operations against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria due to "different technical evaluations" with third parties on the ground. Turkey has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the YPG.

Persons: Ali Yerlikaya, Daren Butler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Nick Macfie Organizations: Syrian Kurdish, Kurdistan Workers Party, Syrian SDF, European Union, SDF, Islamic State, Pentagon, NATO, Kurdish, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Syria, Ankara, ISTANBUL, Turkish, Kurdish, Syrian, Syria's, Iraq, Agri, TURKISH, U.S, United States, Washington, Hasakah

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish warplanes have carried out airstrikes on sites believed to be used by U.S.-backed Kurdish militant groups in northern Syria after the U.S. military shot down an armed Turkish drone that came within 500 meters (yards) of American troops. Turkey has been carrying out strikes on Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following a suicide attack outside the Interior Ministry building in the Turkish capital earlier this week. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the two assailants had arrived from Syria, where they had been trained. He said PKK and YPG positions in Iraq and Syria had now become legitimate targets. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesIn Washington, the Pentagon said Thursday that the Turkish drone bombed targets near the U.S. troops in Syria, forcing them to go to bunkers for safety.

Persons: Tal, Hakan Fidan, Patrick Ryder, “, Lloyd Austin, CQ Brown Organizations: Turkish, U.S, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, PKK, Kurdish, Interior Ministry, Washington, Pentagon, Air Force, NATO, Joint Chiefs, Islamic Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, U.S, Syria, Turkish, YPG, Iraq, State, Syrian, Homs, Dabik, United States

CNN —Turkish airstrikes killed at least 11 people in multiple Kurdish-controlled locations in northeastern Syria, the Kurdish Internal Security Force said Thursday, the latest response from Ankara’s forces following a bomb attack in Turkey’s capital claimed by Kurdish militants. “Eleven people were martyred, including five civilians and six members of the Internal Security Forces,” Asayish said. Eight civilians and two members of the Kurdish security forces were wounded, it added. Later Sunday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said its warplanes had destroyed 20 PKK targets in northern Iraq in response to the attack. According to Ankara, the PKK trains separatist fighters and launches attacks against Turkey from its bases in northern Iraq and Syria, where a PKK-affiliated Kurdish group controls large swaths of territory.

Persons: ” Asayish, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, ” Fidan Organizations: CNN, Turkish, Kurdish Internal Security Force, Kurdish, Internal Security Forces, Turkey’s Defense Ministry, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, United Nations Charter, European Union, Ministry, Turkish Defense Ministry, Turkish Armed Forces, Group, Kurdistan Regional Government Locations: Syria, Kurdish, Turkey, Kurdistan, Ankara, United States, Turkey’s, Iraq, “, Turkish, Iran, Kordestan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Istanbul

Menendez, the senior Democratic senator for New Jersey, has been a vocal opponent of Turkey receiving aircraft to update its fighter fleet. “One of our most important problems regarding the F-16s were the activities of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez against our country,” Erdogan told journalists on a flight back from Azerbaijan on Monday. “Menendez’s exit gives us an advantage but the F-16 issue is not an issue that depends only on Menendez,” Erdogan added. Neither Washington nor Ankara have openly admitted a link between Sweden’s bid to the F-16 deal but it is widely acknowledged unofficially. “We will raise our voices even more for Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be recognized by other countries,” Erdogan said.

Persons: —, Sen, Bob Menendez, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Menendez, U.S . Sen, ” Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Erdogan, Blinken, Fidan, ”, “, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: U.S, Senate Foreign Relations, Democratic, U.S ., Turkish, NATO, Finland, Israeli, General Assembly Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, New Jersey, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ankara, Greece, Sweden, Stockholm, Ukraine, Hungary, Washington, Nakhchivan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Baku, Armenia, Iran, Tehran, New York, Israel, Cyprus, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

☆ China's Wang Yi visits Russia ahead of possible Xi-Putin meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, July 26, 2023. Wang, who heads the foreign ministry as well as the ruling Communist Party's foreign affairs office, will meet Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev for annual security talks, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. The veteran diplomat's talks with counterpart Sergei Lavrov will cover a "wide range of issues" including "contacts at higher and the highest levels," the Russian foreign ministry said last week. Ahead of this week's visit, Wang travelled to Malta for hours of "constructive" talks with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Yi, Hakan Fidan, Stringer, Vladimir Putin, Wang, Nikolai Patrushev, diplomat's, Sergei Lavrov, Xi Jinping, Putin, Xi, Hague, Maria Zakharova, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Ryan Woo, Lidia Kelly, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Turkish, Rights, Security, China's, Criminal Court, ICC, White House, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Rights BEIJING, Russia, Beijing, Communist, Moscow, Ukraine, China, Rome, United States, Malta, U.S

☆ Sweden's NATO Accession and Turkey's Bid to Buy F-16 Jets Should Be Kept Separate, Erdogan Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is linking F-16 fighter jet sales to Turkey with Turkish ratification of Sweden's NATO membership bid, and this "seriously upsets" Ankara, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. Biden made a connection between the supply of F-16s and Turkish action in ratifying Sweden's application to join NATO, Erdogan said. After months of objections, Erdogan agreed at a NATO summit in July to forward Sweden's NATO bid to the Turkish parliament for ratification. "It is not possible for me to say 'yes' (to Sweden's NATO membership bid) alone unless such a decision is approved by (our) parliament." Stockholm recently voiced hope that Turkish lawmakers would ratify its NATO bid when they reconvene in October, as agreed at the NATO summit in July.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Biden, Lockheed Martin Corp's, Jake Sullivan, extraditing, Sweden's, Krishn Kaushik, Aftab Ahmed, Huseyin Hayatsever, Mark Heinrich Organizations: NATO, Lockheed, U.S . National, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Turkish Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Ankara, New Delhi, U.S, Washington, Turkish, Sweden, United States, Stockholm, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Budapest

☆ Sweden's NATO accession and Turkey's bid to buy F-16 jets should be kept separate -Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Biden made a connection between the supply of F-16s and Turkish action in ratifying Sweden's application to join NATO, Erdogan said. After months of objections, Erdogan agreed at a NATO summit in July to forward Sweden's NATO bid to the Turkish parliament for ratification. "It is not possible for me to say 'yes' (to Sweden's NATO membership bid) alone unless such a decision is approved by (our) parliament." Stockholm recently voiced hope that Turkish lawmakers would ratify its NATO bid when they reconvene in October, as agreed at the NATO summit in July. While Finnish membership was sealed in April, Sweden's bid remains held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Adnan Abidi, Joe Biden's, Erdogan, Biden, Lockheed Martin Corp's, Jake Sullivan, extraditing, Sweden's, Krishn Kaushik, Aftab Ahmed, Huseyin Hayatsever, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Lockheed, U.S . National, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Turkish, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Rights ANKARA, Turkey, Ankara, U.S, Washington, Turkish, Sweden, United States, Stockholm, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Budapest

☆ Foreign reactions and offers of aid in response to Morocco earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/6] A general view of damage in the historic city of Marrakech, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9. ****OFFERS OF FOREIGN AID AND SUPPORTALGERIAAlgeria, which broke off ties with Morocco two years ago, said it would open its air space for humanitarian and medical flights to Morocco. TURKEYThe Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara was ready to provide all kinds of support "to heal the wounds of the earthquake in Morocco". Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, said on X it was offering 500,000 euros ($535,000)in aid for Morocco. -------------**** ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN NATIONALSFRANCEThe French Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Morocco and the ministry in Paris have opened crisis centres "to respond to demands for information or help from our compatriots."

Persons: Abdelhak, Algeria's, Olaf Scholz, Antony Blinken, Valerie Pecresse, Benoit Payan, Jose Manuel Albares, Antonio Nogales, Eli Cohen, “, Israel's Magen David Adom, Magen David Adom, Kais Saied, Nawaf Al, Ahmad Al, Jaber, Marcel Ciolacu, NARENDRA MODI, VLADIMIR PUTIN, MOHAMMED VI, KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, ANNALENA, EMMANUEL MACRON, FELIPE, Tomasz Janowski, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Turkish Foreign Ministry, UNITED STATES Secretary, French Foreign Ministry, Morocco, Cote d'Azur, Orange, Spain's, Moroccan, ISRAEL, Crescent, Ministry of Health, Israel Defense Forces, INDIAN, IMF, Bank, MINISTRY, Facebook, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, ALGERIA Algeria, Moroccan, TURKEY, Ankara, AFAD, Turkish, Turkey, GERMANY, New Delhi, Germany, United States, FRANCE, France, Paris, Marseille, Marseille's, Occitanie, Corsica, Provence, Alpes, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, SPAIN, TUNISIA, Tunisian, KUWAIT, Jaber Al, Sabah, ROMANIA, TAIWAN, Algeria, Kingdom of Morocco, EMIRATES, German, Rabat

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Friday to discuss grain ahead of the Erdogan meeting. "It turned out that it is more difficult to do this than to build new corridors, new ground routes," said Shoigu, who attended the signing ceremony for the Black Sea deal in Istanbul in 2022. Turkey's foreign minister said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal was important for the world. U.S. wheat prices rose on Friday, though Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia saw no sign that it would receive the guarantees needed to revive the grain deal. Lavrov said he had discussed Putin's initiative to supply up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices for subsequent processing at Turkish plants and shipping to countries most in need.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Putin, Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, it's, Russia's, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Lavrov, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Conor Humphries, Alison Williams Organizations: Sputnik, Erdogan, UN, United Nations, United, Kremlin, Turkish, Russian, Central African, Initiative, Qatar, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Asia, Astana, Kazakhstan, Sochi Turkey, Russia, MOSCOW, Black, Sochi, Ankara, Ukraine, United Nations, Turkey, Moscow, Istanbul, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, Eritrea, EU, Odesa

☆ UN chief sends Russia bid to revive Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkish-flagged bulker TQ Samsun, carrying grain under UN's Black Sea Grain Initiative, is pictured in the Black Sea, north of Bosphorus Strait, off Istanbul, Turkey July 17, 2023. Two Turkish sources told Reuters the pair will meet on Monday and primarily discuss Black Sea grain exports. The Black Sea grain deal was intended to combat a global food crisis that the United Nations said had been worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. Russia has said that if demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met, it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement.

Persons: Yoruk, António Guterres, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's, Guterres, Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Michelle Nichols, Kanishka Singh, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Russian, United, Reuters, Turkish, Russian Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, Thomson Locations: Samsun, Bosphorus, Istanbul, Turkey, Russia, United Nations, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, EU

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, July 26, 2023. Stringer/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The United States has formally invited China's newly reappointed foreign minister, Wang Yi, to Washington, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday, after Wang's predecessor was abruptly removed from his post by Beijing. "In the meeting yesterday, we extended the invitation that had previously been made to foreign minister Qin Gang and made clear that invitation did transfer over," Miller said. The U.S. State Department said then they held "candid, substantive, and constructive" talks, and Blinken invited Qin to Washington to continue discussions. Wang, 69, served as foreign minister from 2013-2022 as ties frayed with the United States to a point Beijing described as an all-time low.

Persons: Wang Yi, Hakan Fidan, Stringer, China's, Wang, Qin Gang, Qin, Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Yang Tao, Matthew Miller, Miller, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Sandra Maler, Alistair Bell Organizations: Turkish, United, U.S . State Department, State Department, U.S, East, Pacific Affairs, North, Oceania Affairs, China's Foreign Ministry, State, Washington, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, United States, Washington, Beijing, China, East Asia, North American, U.S, Jakarta, Qin's

☆ Russian, Turkish foreign ministers discuss Ukraine, grain deal in phone call
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW, July 9 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea grain deal in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Sunday, Russia's foreign ministry said. Moscow has been threatening to quit the deal allowing the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertiliser have not been met. The deal expires on July 17. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was pressing Russia to extend the deal, brokered last year by Ankara and the United Nations, by at least three months. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Alison Williams Organizations: Russia's, Turkish, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Ankara

☆ Russian, Turkish ministers talk after Turkey sends Ukrainian commanders home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 9 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey spoke by telephone on Sunday, a day after Ankara angered Moscow by sending five Ukrainian commanders home with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in what Russia called a violation of a prisoner exchange agreement. The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries said Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan discussed the situation in Ukraine, as well as a Black Sea grain export agreement that lifted a Russian de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports last year. Russia captured the city last year after laying it to waste, killing thousands of civilians in a three-month siege. The captured Azov commanders, lionized as heroes in Ukraine and vilified in Russia, were released in a prisoner swap in September, under terms that required them to stay in Turkey until the war ends. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Turkey had violated agreements in permitting their release, and had failed to notify Russia in advance.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Lavrov, Hakan Fidan, Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara's, Zelenskiy, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Marrow, Peter Graff Organizations: United Nations, Kremlin, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Turkey, Ankara, Moscow, Turkish, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Kyiv, Azov

Egypt expelled Turkey's ambassador and accused Ankara of backing organisations bent on undermining the country. Amr Elhamamy will become Egypt's ambassador in Ankara while Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen to become its ambassador in Cairo, the foreign ministries said in a joint statement. The appointments marked an important milestone in the normalisation of relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said following the announcement. After a series of further steps towards rapprochement, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkey to show solidarity after the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria in February. Turkey's foreign minister made a return visit to Egypt the following month.

Persons: Egypt's, Abdel Fattah al, Sisi, Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, Tayyip Erdogan, Amr Elhamamy, Salih Mutlu Sen, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Erdogan, Sameh Shoukry, Nadine Awadalla, Huseyin Hayatsever, Frank Jack Daniel, Christina Fincher, Emma Rumney Organizations: Turkey's, Turkish, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Turkey, ANKARA, CAIRO, Egypt, Ankara, Cairo, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Doha, Syria, Libya

☆ Sweden Quran burning protest approved outside mosque
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Lindsay Isaac | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Swedish authorities approved a Quran-burning demonstration outside of a mosque in the center of Stockholm on Wednesday. The burning will coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha, one of the most significant in the Islamic calendar. The decision to allow such an inflammatory protest may threaten Sweden’s chances of joining NATO, due to objections from Turkey. Earlier this year, Turkish-Swedish relations suffered a major blow following a rally outside Stockholm’s Turkish Embassy during which an anti-immigration politician set a copy of the Quran alight. The incident sparked anger in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where protesters took to the streets and burned the Swedish flag outside the Swedish embassy in response.

Persons: – Organizations: CNN, NATO, Stockholm’s, Anadolu Locations: Stockholm, Turkey, Sweden, Lithuanian, Vilnius, East, Europe, Turkish, Swedish, Stockholm’s Turkish, Ankara

[1/5] Police officers intervene after people's reaction as demonstrators burn the Koran (not pictured) outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm, Sweden June 28, 2023. "It's legal but not appropriate," he said, adding that it was up to the police to make decisions on Koran burnings. Representatives of the mosque were disappointed by the police decision to grant permission for the protest on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, mosque director and Imam Mahmoud Khalfi said on Wednesday. Up to 10,000 visitors attend Stockholm's mosque for the Eid celebrations every year, according to Khalfi. Turkey in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO application after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Persons: Stefan Jerrevang, Hakan Fidan, Ulf Kristersson, Momika, Eid, Imam Mahmoud Khalfi, Khalfi, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Marie Mannes, Johan Ahlander, Burcu Karakas, Terje Solsvik, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan, William Maclean Organizations: Police, TT News Agency, REUTERS, NATO, Swedish, Islam, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Stockholm's, Stockholm, Sweden, REUTERS STOCKHOLM, Turkey, Ankara, Ukraine, Khalfi, Danish, Turkish, Copenhagen, Istanbul

☆ Blinken encourages Turkish counterpart to support Sweden's NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA/WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged Ankara to support Sweden in its bid to join NATO in a meeting with new Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said. "(Blinken) also... encouraged Turkey's support for Sweden to join the NATO Alliance now," he said. Blinken welcomed Ankara's support for Kyiv and its work on the grain deal, which allows Ukrainian exports from Black Sea ports, the spokesperson said. Sweden and Finland both reversed decades of military non-alignment last year and applied to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Fidan said he was there to demonstrate Turkey's support for Ukraine.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Tayyip Erdogan, Tobias Billstrom, Huseyin Hayatsever, Rami Ayyub, Daren Butler, Ali Kucukgocmen, Christina Fincher Organizations: NATO, Turkish, State Department, NATO Alliance, Kyiv, Swedish, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, WASHINGTON, Ankara, Sweden, Turkey, Vilnius, Ukraine, London, Black, finalise, Finland, Stockholm, Blinken, Washington

☆ Qatar and UAE embassies resume work on Monday, Qatar's foreign ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on July 14, 2017. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates' respective embassies reopened on Monday to resume work after the two Gulf states agreed to restore diplomatic ties, Qatar's foreign ministry said. The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation and more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha that had shattered the Western-allied Gulf Arab bloc. The Qatari ministry said in a statement that the two foreign ministers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, had held a phone call as the two embassies reopened on Monday. Reuters reported in April that the two Gulf states were in the process of restoring diplomatic relations.

Persons: Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Organizations: Turkish Foreign, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Doha Locations: Qatar, Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al, Thani, Doha, Arab, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Islam, Iran, Riyadh, Cairo, Saudi, Yemen

☆ What Turkey’s new cabinet says about where the country is headed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Gul Tuysuz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The cabinet appointments hint at a return to orthodox economic policy while holding course on foreign policy as the president heads into his third decade in power. Erdogan’s unorthodox economic policies over the past few years have led to a cost-of-living crisis and a plummeting Turkish lira. Shadow diplomatThe new foreign minister is a well-known figure to Turks and international players who have negotiated with Turkey of late. Hakan Fidan, who had served as head of Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) since 2010, has been in every room and every discussion that has been pivotal to Turkish foreign policy over the last few years. He’s been ever-present but rarely heard – a shadow diplomat in Erdogan’s foreign policy arsenal who has charted rough waters in Syria, Libya and beyond.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, –, Nureddin Nebati, ” Simsek, Erdogan, Simsek, Mehmet Celik, Cevdet Yilmaz, Omer Bolat, ” Celik, Hakan Fidan, He’s, Fidan, Ibrahim Kalin, “, ” Fidan, ”, Suleyman Soylu, Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya, Hulusi Akar, Mevlut Cavusoglu, They’ve Organizations: Istanbul CNN —, Reuters, Daily, Trade, CNN, NATO, Turkish Intelligence Agency, MIT, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, EU, Defense, Development Party, AK Party Locations: Istanbul, Turkish Republic, Turkish, “ Turkey, Daily Sabah, Turkey, Syria, Libya, Greece, West, Celik, Damascus, Ankara, Sweden, Yerlikaya

☆ Putin congratulates 'dear friend' Erdogan as NATO's Turkey challenge looks set to stay
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the leaders that congratulated Erdogan on his win on Monday, calling him a "dear friend," according to the Kremlin. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia August 5, 2022. Putin, in his congratulatory message Monday, praised Erdogan's efforts to "conduct an independent foreign policy," according to his spokespeople. The outlook is mixed among political and economic analysts inside and outside of Turkey whether Erdogan is bad news for the future of NATO. "Putin clearly wants NATO to fragment, and Erdogan in charge increases the likelihood of NATO fragmenting," Harris said after the election's first round in mid-May.

The exchange took place when Biden called Erdogan to congratulate him on his victory in Turkey's presidential election on Sunday. And so we'll be back in touch with one another," Biden told reporters before departing the White House for Delaware. Bids for NATO membership must be approved by all NATO members. A Turkish Air Force F16 jet lands at a new airport under construction in Istanbul, Turkey September 22, 2018. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, ditching long-held policies of military non-alignment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Last ship to leave Ukraine as fate of Black Sea grain deal in Russia's hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Reuters) - The last ship is due to leave a port in Ukraine on Wednesday under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, said a U.N. spokesperson, a day before Russia could quit the pact over obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports. To convince Russia in July to allow Black Sea grain exports, the United Nations agreed at the same time to help Moscow with its own agricultural shipments for three years. Senior officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. met in Istanbul last week to discuss the Black Sea pact. RISKSOfficials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea export deal. The United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine did continue the Black Sea agreement in October during a brief suspension by Russia of its participation.

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