Turkey

27 Oct 2019; MEMO: The Directorate General of Migration Management said Friday the claim of Syrians being deported to Syria unlawfully did not reflect the truth and voluntary returns were provided in accordance with international law, Anadolu reports.

“As of October 17, 2019, there are approximately 4 million asylum seekers in Turkey,” the agency said in a statement. “Of these, 3 million 674 thousand 588 are Syrians under temporary protection.”

ANKARA, October 25. /TASS/: Moscow and Ankara are close to conclude a deal on the delivery of 36 Russian fighter jets Su-35 to Turkey, Daily Sabah newspaper reported on Friday citing its sources.

The Turkish daily also added that in line with the deal at the issue Turkey will also be granted the right for manufacturing parts and components of Russian fighter jets.

"Turkey is close to reaching a deal with Moscow over the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets as well as co-manufacturing some components of the Russian-made jets," Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported on Friday.

ISTANBUL, Oct 26 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkey is preparing to strengthen its national defence industry, through a boron carbide plant, to be built by a Chinese company, and operational in 2021, in the northwestern province of Balikesir, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Donmez, said.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the plant, undertaken by China Machinery Engineering Corporation, was held in the district of Bandirma.

25 Oct 2019; MEMO: American authorities must extradite the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to Turkey when he enters the United States, Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said today after Ankara slammed Washington for treating him as a “legitimate political figure”.

25 Oct 2019; MEMO: Turkey is forcibly sending Syrian refugees to an area of Syria near the border where it aims to set up a “safe zone” even though the conflict there has not ended, Amnesty International said in a report published today.

25 Oct 2019; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday the reform of the UN Security Council, which is committed to the will of its five permanent members, is now a necessity rather than a need, Anadolu reports.

Erdogan highlighted this point in a message on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the founding of the UN.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Turkey reached an agreement Tuesday that would cement their power in Syria, deploying their forces across nearly its entire northeastern border to fill the void left by President Donald Trump’s abrupt withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The accord caps a dramatic and swift transformation of the Syrian map unleashed by Trump’s decision two weeks ago to remove the American soldiers.

ISTANBUL, Oct 22 (ANSAMed-NNN) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said 700-800 Kurdish ”terrorists” with the YPG have left the Turkish safe zone in northern Syria since the start of the truce.

Speaking before he left for Sochi, where he will be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, just a few hours before the end of the ceasefire, Erdogan said that another ”1,200-1,300 are quickly leaving the area”.

The truce is scheduled to expire at 10 pm local time on Tuesday/

ANKARA/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hundreds of Kurdish forces remain near to Syria’s northeast border despite a U.S.-brokered truce demanding their withdrawal and Turkey could resume its offensive in the area when the ceasefire expires, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said.

The five-day truce in Turkey’s cross-border offensive to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG fighters from the border area ends at 10 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday.

22 Oct 2019; MEMO: Turkey issued a warning Monday to its citizens travelling to Lebanon over mass protests in the country, as reported by Anadolu Agency. 

Local and inter-city roads and roads leading to the airport could be blocked by protests, said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

It urged the public to take this into account “when considering visits to Lebanon for trade, tourism, or other purposes,” it said.