Turkey

ANKARA, July 4 (Reuters) - Turkey has halted a Russian-flagged cargo ship off its Black Sea coast and is investigating a Ukrainian claim that it was carrying stolen grain, a senior Turkish official said on Monday.

Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey said on Sunday the Zhibek Zholy was detained by Turkish customs authorities. Ukraine had previously asked Ankara to detain it, according to an official and documents viewed by Reuters. 

ANKARA, July 3. /TASS/: A Russian cargo ship allegedly carrying Ukrainian grain has been detained by Turkey’s customs authorities at Kiev’s request, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said on Sunday.

"We have full co-operation [with Turke]. The ship is currently standing at the entrance to the port, it has been detained by the customs authorities of Turkey," Reuters quoted him as saying.

According to Bodnar, investigators will meet on Monday to decide about the ship’s fate.

01 July 2022; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Sweden has pledged to extradite 73 Turkish nationals wanted by Ankara on terror charges in return for Turkiye's support for the Nordic country's bid to become a member of NATO.

Speaking at a news conference in Madrid at the end of a NATO summit, Erdogan said Turkiye will closely follow up on the implementation of the issues contained in the trilateral accord signed with Sweden and Finland.

01 July 2022; MEMO: Turkiye has blocked access to Deutsche Welle's websites after demanding it apply for a license, DW reports.

According to the report, the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) has blocked the websites of German public broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, over licensing issues.

The German public broadcaster says it plans to take legal action against the move, report says.

DW Director General, Peter Limbourg, said: "This is simply unacceptable for an independent broadcaster."

01 July 2022; MEMO: Turkiye can re-export grain products like wheat, oat, and barley from the Black Sea to countries in need after talks with Russia and Ukraine, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, adding he would discuss the matter with both countries in the coming days, Reuters reports.

ISTANBUL (AP) — Just two days after agreeing to lift deal-breaking objections to Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession, Turkey’s leader warned Thursday that Ankara could still block the process if the two countries fail to fully meet his expectations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the close of the alliance’s summit in Madrid that the 10-article agreement with the Nordic pair was a victory for Ankara and addressed all its “sensitivities.”

Turkiye's Justice Minister said on Wednesday that his country expects Sweden and Finland to extradite more than 30 "terrorists" under an agreement that lifted Ankara's objections to their bids to join NATO, Anadolu has reported.

"We will ask them to abide by their commitments," added Bekir Bozdag. The extradition of 33 suspects must now be fulfilled under the NATO deal, he insisted.

29 June 2022; MEMO: Turkiye's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the United States for delaying the sales of F-16 fighter jets and for its continued support to the YPG in northern Syria, vowing that he will bring these issues to the attention of US President Joe Biden when they meet in Madrid on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Biden and Erdogan discussed bilateral issues and some regional matters, including F-16 jets.

29 June 2022; MEMO: Turkey has detected its first case of monkeypox in a 37-year-old patient who is in isolation, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said today, Reuters reports.

The virus has been identified in more than 50 new countries outside the countries in Africa where it is endemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says cases are also rising in those countries, calling for testing to be ramped up.

ISTANBUL, June 29 (Reuters) - Pro-government Turkish media lauded a deal to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO as a triumph for President Tayyip Erdogan, saying on Wednesday he had wrested concrete gains from the West in the country's fight against terrorism.

The 11th hour agreement on Tuesday, which caught many by surprise, lifted Ankara's veto over the Nordic states' membership bids. It ended a weeks-long dispute that tested the defence alliance's unity against Russia's invasion of Ukraine ahead of this week's NATO summit in Madrid.