Turkey

9 March 2022; MEMO: Turkiye's President, on Wednesday, strongly rejected any moves resembling "a witch-hunt" against the Russian people, arts, scholars or artists, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"Just as we would not abandon Ukraine, we also do not accept actions akin to a witch-hunt against the Russian people, literature, students or artists," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group.

10 March 2022; MEMO: Jordan's Islamic Action Front (IAF) has condemned Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Turkey, Quds Press has reported. The IAF reiterated its steadfast stance against normalisation of ties with the occupation state.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog travels to Turkey on Wednesday, becoming the first Israeli leader to visit in 14 years, as the two countries move to turn a new page in their troubled relationship.

Herzog is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before traveling to Istanbul for meetings with Turkey’s Jewish community there.

09 March 2022; MEMO: Turkey is worried about the potential for Israel to back the Kurdish PKK militia in response to Ankara's alleged support for the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Rai Al-Youm reported on Tuesday.

07 March 2022; MEMO: The Russian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers have agreed to meet at the diplomatic forum at the southern Turkish resort city of Antalya this week, offering hope for Turkey to mediate in the war between Moscow and Kyiv.

The decision to attend the Antalya Diplomatic Forum was announced today by Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, who said that his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts – Sergei Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba – agreed to meet at the event in an effort to come to a ceasefire resolution in Ukraine.

08 March 2022; MEMO: Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu yesterday warned that Istanbul and neighbouring governorates are expecting a major earthquake, Arabi21 reported.

"It is not a secret," he said during a meeting held in the Disaster and Emergency Directorate to assess disaster preparedness. "We have expectations that a major earthquake is coming," he added that it could happen soon.

07 March 2022; MEMO: Turkey started to host over 20,000 Ukrainian citizens amid Russia's invasion of the country, Interior Minister, Süleyman Soylu said, Sunday, adding that Turkey is more than happy to welcome them, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, the Minister Soylu said some 1.5 million Ukranians had to leave their homes due to the war, stating European countries failed to make independent decisions as they promised to sustain the peace in the region.

ANKARA/MOSCOW, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Erdogan was quoted in a statement by the Turkish Presidency as saying that an urgent general ceasefire would alleviate humanitarian concerns in the region and allow for the emergence of a political solution.

Erdogan also emphasized the importance of achieving a ceasefire, opening humanitarian corridors and signing a peace agreement.

ANKARA, March 5 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will tell his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an Erdogan spokesman said, while adding that it was naive to expect talks between Moscow and Kyiv to yield results while the fighting rages on.

NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea and has good ties with both countries. Ankara has opposed sanctions on Moscow, but also described its invasion of Ukraine as unacceptable, called for a ceasefire and offered to host peace talks.

04 March 2022; MEMO: Textile and leather goods makers in Istanbul's garment district are feeling the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as customers in Moscow and Kyiv have cancelled $200 million in orders in the past week, industry officials say, and Reuters reports.

The loss of trade adds to strains on Turkey's economy, with officials estimating that more than $1 billion is directly at risk to the textile industry alone if the conflict in Ukraine continues.