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☆ Turkish cenbank data shows $3 bln inflow from abroad -bankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Nevzat Devranoglu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, June 8 (Reuters) - Turkish central bank reserves data shows inflows of about $3 billion into depo accounts last week from abroad, bankers said on Thursday. The central bank did not comment when asked about the matter by Reuters. Four bankers contacted by Reuters calculated that there was between $3 and $3.1 billion deposited into the accounts. Before being re-elected to office on May 28, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Gulf states had sent funding to Turkey, briefly helping relieve the central bank and markets. The central bank's net international reserves hit an all-time low of negative $5.7 billion as of June 2, data showed on Thursday, with demand having surged through the elections.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Nevzat Devranoglu, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Emelia Organizations: Reuters, United Arab, Ece, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Turkish, Turkey, Ankara, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, China, South Korea

☆ 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

☆ Factbox: Turkey's new government: key figures in Erdogan's cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Following are descriptions of key figures in the cabinet:MEHMET SIMSEK - FINANCE MINISTERFormer economy chief Simsek has been appointed as treasury and finance minister. He was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. HAKAN FIDAN - FOREIGN MINISTERFidan was appointed as foreign minister, replacing Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was one of the longest serving top Turkish diplomats. ALI YERLIKAYA - INTERIOR MINISTERAli Yerlikaya was appointed as interior minister and replaced Suleyman Soylu, who kept his position since 2018. Yerlikaya, 55, served as governor of provinces of Gaziantep, Tekirdag, Agri and Sirnak before.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, MEHMET SIMSEK, Simsek, Merrill Lynch, HAKAN FIDAN, Fidan, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Erdogan, YASAR, Yasar Guler, Hulusi Akar, CEVDET YILMAZ, Cevdet Yilmaz, Ali Yerlikaya, Suleyman Soylu, Yerlikaya, Burcu Karakas, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: FINANCE, U.S, Embassy, National Intelligence Organisation, MIT, Turkish Army, Turkish Development and Cooperation Agency, Kurdistan Workers Party, AK, Turkish, Commission, ALI, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara, Oslo, Syria, Iraq, Istanbul, Yerlikaya, Gaziantep, Tekirdag

☆ Opposition Turkish TV probed for 'insulting' election coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Election officials count votes during the second round of the presidential election, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, May 28, 2023. President Tayyip Erdogan extended his two-decade rule in the second round of the election on Sunday. His rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said it was "the most unfair election in years" but did not dispute the outcome. RTUK penalised four television stations in March for their election coverage. International rights groups and Turkish opposition parties have accused the RTUK of attempting to silence opposition media as a tool of the government.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, RTUK, Gurkan Ozturan, Burcu Karakas, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Radio, Television Supreme, Borders, Media, European Centre for Press, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Diyarbakir, Turkey, Sertac, ANKARA, Turkish, Istanbul, Ankara

[1/3] A child walks at a polling station while people attend voting during the second round of the presidential election in Istanbul, Turkey May 28, 2023. REUTERS/Hannah McKayANKARA/ISTANBUL, May 28 (Reuters) - Here are some views from Turkish citizens as the country voted on Sunday in an election runoff that may extend President Tayyip Erdogan's rule into a third decade or see a transfer of power to his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Nobody can deny this," said housewife Songul Aslan, 45, after voting for Erdogan. In Diyarbakir, largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast:"In the first round I voted for Kilicdaroglu for the presidency. Change is essential to overcome the economic crisis and problems that Turkey faces, so I voted for Kilicdaroglu again.

☆ 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.

But he fell just short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff, in a race with profound consequences for Turkey itself and global geopolitics. His camp has struggled to regain momentum after the shock of trailing Erdogan in the first round. A closely-watched survey by pollster Konda for the runoff put support for Erdogan on 52.7% and Kilicdaroglu on 47.3% after distributing undecided voters. [1/5] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a rally, ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff vote, in Istanbul, Turkey May 27, 2023. Erdogan has fused religious and national pride, offering voters an aggressive anti-elitism," said Nicholas Danforth, Turkey historian and non-resident fellow at think tank ELIAMEP.

☆ Erdogan rival pledges to repatriate all refugees before Turkey runoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, speaks during a press conference ahead of the May 28 runoff vote, in Ankara, Turkey May 18, 2023. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party opposition alliance, won 45% support in Sunday's vote while Erdogan got 49.5%, falling just short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff vote. Kilicdaroglu's latest comments came amid expectations that a third candidate in the presidential race would announce his decision for the runoff. Sinan Ogan, a nationalist politician endorsed by an anti-refugee party obtained 5.2%, which made him a kingmaker in the runoff vote. "I am announcing here: I will send all refugees back home once I am elected as president, period," he added.

Long stuck in the shadow of Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party (AKP), opposition leader Kilicdaroglu has flourished on the campaign trail with polls showing he has a slight lead. Kilicdaroglu said a fundamental problem of Turkey's foreign policy during the tenure of Erdogan's AKP was the exclusion of the foreign ministry in the policy making process. 'PEACE-ORIENTED FOREIGN POLICY'"We would pursue a peace-oriented foreign policy that prioritises Turkey's national interest. Before entering politics, Kilicdaroglu worked in the finance ministry and then chaired Turkey's Social Insurance Institution for most of the 1990s. A year after losing a mayoral run in Istanbul, he was elected unopposed as party leader in 2010.

☆ Erdogan challenger Kilicdaroglu wears bulletproof vest before vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, May 12 (Reuters) - Kemal Kilicdaroglu, main challenger of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, wore a bulletproof vest at an election rally on Friday, two days before a presidential election and in response to what a party source said was intelligence that he could be attacked. Footage also showed Kilicdaroglu's security detail carried assault rifles and were on the stage with him as he delivered his speech, the first time such protection was apparent during his election campaign. A source from Kilicdaroglu's Republican People's Party (CHP) said the 74-year-old main opposition leader wore the vest and security was ramped up after receiving "intelligence that he could be attacked". Kilicdaroglu, who has a narrow lead over Erdogan in the polls, was delivering a speech in the Black Sea city of Samsun. Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever Writing by Ece Toksabay Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

One presidential candidate from a small party, Muharrem Ince, withdrew on Thursday citing a faked "character assassination" carried out online. "We find it unacceptable for another country to interfere in Turkey's election process in favour of a political party. [1/4] FILE PHOTO-Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, greets his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Tekirdag, Turkey April 27, 2023. Kilicdaroglu said a fundamental problem of Turkey's foreign policy in Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) tenure was the exclusion of the foreign ministry from the policy-making process. Turkey, Kilicdaroglu said, will pursue a peace-oriented foreign policy that prioritises its national interest and acts in line with the modern world.

☆ Turkey, Syria, Russia and Iran in highest-level talks since Syrian war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, May 10 (Reuters) - Foreign ministers for Turkey, Syria, Russia and Iran met on Wednesday in Moscow, marking the highest-level talks so far on rebuilding ties between Ankara and Damascus after years of animosity during Syria's civil war. NATO member Turkey has backed political and armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the 12-year civil war, and sent its own troops into the country's north. Cavusoglu said "taking the political process in Syria forward and protection of Syria's territorial integrity" were the other issues discussed. Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement there had been a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and that the countries' deputy foreign ministers would be tasked with preparing a roadmap to advance Syria-Turkey ties. Syrian and Turkish defence ministers had also held talks in Moscow in December.

☆ Sudan faces displacement crisis as truce talks yield no progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sudanese refugees, who fled the violence in their country, wait to receive food supplies from a Turkish aid group (IHH) near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 7, 2023. The violence has accelerated a wave of people fleeing their homes, with the number of people internally displaced inside Sudan more than doubling in a week to more than 700,000 the U.N.'s migration agency said. Meanwhile there has been no outward sign of progress in the talks that have taken place in Saudi Arabia since Saturday despite their limited goal of a ceasefire to allow humanitarian access. "We believe the peaceful solution is the ideal route to handle this crisis," he said, but gave no indication he was ready to make concessions. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's office said he had spoken with Burhan on Tuesday and said Ankara was willing to host further talks on a more comprehensive settlement.

☆ Erdogan accuses opposition of provocations ahead of tight Turkish vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, May 8 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition on Monday of provoking disorder and siding with terrorists, without providing evidence, in a fiery speech days before close and increasingly fractious elections. Opinion polls suggest Erdogan faces the biggest electoral challenge of his career in presidential and parliamentary votes due on May 14. The following day, on the other side of Turkey during a rally in the western town of Edirne, Erdogan accused the opposition of being "pro-LGBT" and "siding with terrorists". "They (the opposition) are trying to defame our cities shamelessly by making a scene with their own provocations," Erdogan said, without making direct reference to the events in Erzurum. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also accused the opposition of inciting the violence in Erzurum.

It would ensure the central bank's independence and roll back measures such as allowing the cabinet to select its governor. FOREIGN POLICYIt would adopt the slogan of "Peace at Home, Peace in the World" as the cornerstone of Turkey's foreign policy. Judges' willingness to abide by Constitutional Court and European Court of Human Rights rulings would be considered when evaluating promotions. Measures would be taken to ensure courts quickly implement rulings by the two high courts. It would ensure that pre-trial detentions are the exception, a measure that critics say is abused under Erdogan's rule.

☆ 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.

[1/4] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan, greets the audience during a meeting of his ruling AK Party to announce the party's election manifesto ahead of the May 14 elections, in Ankara, Turkey April 11, 2023. Erdogan is facing the biggest political challenge since his AK Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, with polls showing support sagging in recent years after unorthodox economic policies hobbled the lira currency and sent inflation surging. Erdogan said last week a team was working on strengthening economic policies under the coordination of former economic tsar Mehmet Simsek, who is well respected by international investors. In the presidential election next month, Erdogan will be up against the main opposition alliance candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. On foreign policy, Erdogan said the AKP would continue normalizing relations in the region and aim to build an "axis of Turkey".

☆ Ministers may meet in Moscow to advance Turkey-Syria ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, April 10 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria may hold consultations in early May as part of Russia's attempt to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments, Turkey' foreign minister said on Monday. "The meeting will most probably take place in early May, in Moscow," Minister Mevlut Cavusoğlu told broadcaster A Haber, saying it could lead to a leaders' meeting. Syrian and Turkish defence ministers held talks in Moscow in December in the highest-level encounter since the war began. Moscow is Assad's main ally and Russia has encouraged a reconciliation with Ankara. But Damascus demands full withdrawal of Turkish troops for relations to be restored.

Separately, in a televised interview on Wednesday, Erdogan downplayed the significance of the meeting with Simsek, saying such meetings were ordinary. A senior government official told Reuters the AKP was somewhat divided with some members opposed to Simsek's return, and described the outcome of the Erdogan meeting as "undesirable". The party may now need to revise its economic platform ahead of the election campaign, he added. The AKP declined to comment on whether it was revising its economic strategy ahead of the vote. Two recent polls by MAK and Turkiye Raporu show the opposition presidential challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu between 4 and 9 percentage points ahead of Erdogan.

[1/3] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey March 17, 2023. The parliaments of all 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan told reporters after meeting with Niinisto, adding he hoped parliament would endorse the bid before May 14 elections. Amid simmering tensions with Sweden, Erdogan signalled in January that Turkey could endorse Helsinki ahead of Stockholm. Washington and other NATO members had hoped the two Nordic countries would join the alliance at a NATO summit set for July 11 in Vilnius.

[1/3] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey March 17, 2023. The parliaments of all 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan told reporters after meeting with Niinisto, adding he hoped parliament would endorse the bid before May 14 elections. Washington and other NATO members had hoped the two Nordic countries would join the alliance at a NATO summit set for July 11 in Vilnius. Turkey's parliament is expected to ratify Finland before it closes in mid-April ahead of the parliamentary and presidential votes scheduled for May 14.

The polls also show the opposition bloc, called the Nation Alliance, leading the parliamentary race, at least six points ahead of Erdogan's AK Party (AKP) and its allies. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) remains comfortably above 10%. A poll conducted on March 6-7 by Alf Research showed Kilicdaroglu at 55.1% and Erdogan on 44.9%. Piar Research showed Kilicdaroglu winning with 57.1%, with Erdogan lagging on 42.9%. ORC Research showed Kilicdaroglu ahead with 56.8% and Erdogan on 43.2%, according to a poll conducted on March 4-6, before Kilicdaroglu was officially announced as the opposition candidate.

Under a new proposal following a weekend of political intrigue, two popular mayors would serve as vice presidents should the opposition win in the presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14. With polls showing a close race, the vote is the biggest challenge Erdogan has faced in two decades in power. Instead, Aksener proposed that either Ekrem Imamoglu or Mansur Yavas, mayors of Istanbul and Ankara, be the candidate. "She has conveyed the proposal that the two mayors serve as executive vice presidents," Zorlu said. The opposition has failed in previous national votes to pose a serious challenge to Erdogan, whose AKP came to power in 2002.

☆ Turkey's NATO talks with Sweden and Finland to resume on March 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that talks with Sweden and Finland regarding their NATO membership bids would resume on March 9, after being suspended in January in the wake of a Koran-burning protest in Stockholm. "It is not possible for us to say "yes" to Sweden's NATO bid before we see these steps." Sweden and Finland applied last year to join the North Atlantic defence alliance after Russia invaded Ukraine, but Sweden in particular has faced unexpected objections from Turkey. Ankara accuses Stockholm of harbouring what it considers members of terrorist groups, and has demanded their extradition as a step towards giving Sweden's NATO membership its green light. The United States and other NATO countries are hoping that the two Nordic countries become members of the alliance at a NATO summit due to be held in July 11 in Lithuania's capital Vilnius.

☆ Turks protest over government's quake response in stadiums, on streets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At a separate demonstration in Istanbul, riot police moved swiftly to detain protesters, who were handcuffed and dragged into police buses. Following the Besiktas fans' protest, Bahceli cancelled his membership of the club, his party announced in a statement. Fans from Istanbul team Fenerbahce chanted similar anti-government slogans during Saturday's match against Konyaspor. "Twenty years of lies and cheating, resign," Fenerbahce fans shouted during their 4-0 win over Konyaspor. Dozens of members and supporters of the far-left opposition party Workers' Party of Turkey were detained in central Istanbul on Sunday at an anti-government protest, the party said.

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