Turkey

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Turkey’s president says authorities are investigating the movements and possible contacts in Turkey of the man suspected of attacking two mosques in New Zealand.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also demanded that New Zealand ensure that the perpetrators of the attack be punished.

State broadcaster TRT says the suspect, Brenton Tarrant, visited Turkey twice in 2016 — on March 17-20 and Sept. 13 to Oct. 25. The station has released a security camera image of him arriving at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.

13 Mar 2019; AFP: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday blasted Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu as a "tyrant" who "massacred" Palestinian children as the two leaders exchanged insults in their latest spat.

Erdogan was responding to earlier comments from Netanyahu who slammed the Turkish leader as a "dictator" and "a joke", after a day of tit-for-tat exchanges between government officials in both countries.

ANTALYA, 12 Mar 2019; AA: Turkey's foreign minister on Tuesday called on the global community to stand against Israeli aggression in the sacred places of Islam.

"Unfortunately, today, Israel's aggression has increased with encouragement from the U.S. We talk about all these issues and will not give up our sacred and national causes," Mevlut Cavusoglu said, speaking at a public gathering in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

GAZIANTEP; 10 Mar 2019; AA: Syrian refugees have found peace and security in Turkey, a UNICEF official in Turkey told Anadolu Agency during his visit to this southeastern province. 

"I have seen refugees settling over four years and finding the peace and the security they were looking for while crossing the border [to Turkey]," said Philippe Duamelle.

SANLIURFA, 8 Mar 2019; AA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday inaugurated the ruins of what is thought to be the world's oldest temple.  

“Turkey is an open-air museum,” said Erdogan, speaking at a ceremony at the Gobeklitepe archaeological site located in Turkey's southeastern province of Sanliurfa.

Erdogan added that archaeological research should be promoted in order to uncover more historical artifacts and sites in Anatolia region.

ANKARA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Russia will begin joint patrols in Syria's northern province of Idlib, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Friday.

Speaking in an interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency, Akar said the joint patrols in the de-escalation zone will be an important step for maintaining cease-fire and ensuring stability.

Akar denied concerns that Turkey was in direct contact with the Syrian government, saying Ankara was only holding talks with Russia and Iran when needed.

ANKARA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Turkey-U.S. Joint Working Group to coordinate the U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria concluded a two-day meeting in Ankara, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The bilateral meeting focused on the U.S. pullout from Syria's Manbij and the area east of the Euphrates River.

This is the second meeting of its kind following the initial one held in Washington on Feb. 6.

The group meeting in Ankara is operating as a sub-unit of the Syria Working Group established in February 2018 between Turkey and the United States.

MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. In an interview with the Turkey’s NTV channel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that Washington would eventually change its mind on Turkey’s plans to buy S-400 missile defense systems from Russia.

"At present, relevant agencies conduct all the necessary talks, and will continue to do so, including a speech before the Congress. I hope that this wrongful approach by the United States would change," he said, commenting on the possibility of US sanctions over the deal.

ANKARA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and the European Union are again clashing over Ankara's enduring accession bid amid a call by European lawmakers to suspend the already stalled negotiations, but experts believe that mutual interest will prevail in the end.

Last week, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament called on the European Commission and member states to formally halt the talks, citing Turkey's disregard for human rights and civil liberties, influence on the judiciary, and disputes over territory with neighboring Cyprus.

ISTANBUL; 25 Feb 2019; AA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will never meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi unless the latter releases prisoners.

“I will never meet with such a person. First of all, he [al-Sisi] needs to release all prisoners with a general amnesty. As long as he does not release those people, we cannot meet with al-Sisi,” Erdogan said in a televised interview on late Saturday.