Contents tagged with turkey

  • Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are in favor of holding joint military exercises

    The Defense Ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey have agreed to hold joint military exercises in order to increase the combat readiness of their armed forces. This was said by the Head of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov.

    “We are in favor of conducting trilateral military exercises with the aim of raising the level of combat readiness of our armed forces. We also hope to establish cooperation in the field of military education, to develop cooperation in …

  • Turkey supports creating OSCE police mission in the Donbas

    During a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, Turkish Minister of National Defense İsmet Yılmaz supported the idea of placing an armed OSCE police mission in the Donbas, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

    "The president briefed [Yılmaz] on the situation in the Donbas. Ukraine remains committed to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, but draws attention to the need for a system for the de-escalation of the situation and the deployment of armed police mission under the …

  • Ukraine and Turkey hope to finish negotiations on free trade agreement ‘as soon as possible’

    Ukraine and Turkey have agreed to finalize the negotiations on a free trade agreement as soon as possible, according to Ukrainian Trade Representative Natalia Mykolskiy.

    According to the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Economic Development, the parties have decided to hold talks on amending the intergovernmental agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax deviation, as well as an agreement on the mutual promotion and protection of investments, signed in 1996. …

  • Ukraine and Turkey agree to strengthen military cooperation in the Black Sea

    Ukraine and Turkey have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the military sphere during a meeting between Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and the Turkish Minister of National Defense, İsmet Yılmaz, Krym.Realii reported.

    "We agreed to develop a joint action plan to deepen cooperation in the military-technical sphere and logistical support, personnel training, the military-industrial complex, as well as on joint actions in the Black Sea basin. We plan on signing the relevant documents …

  • Media: Russia transfers tanks and other military hardware to Syria

    On Sunday, a KIL-158 Russian vessel, with cargo bound for Syria, sailed through the Black Sea. This was reported by Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet.

    The website uploaded a video showing the vessel passing Istanbul. The newspaper speculated that there were possibly two tanks on the deck under a camouflage net.

    The vessel was accompanied by a Turkish Coast Guard ship and a police helicopter.

    The media had also reported that the landing ships and auxiliary vessels of the Russian Navy were involved …

  • EU Commissioner: Ukraine, Georgia and perhaps Turkey will get a visa-free regime this year

    The Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said that Ukraine has fulfilled all obligations required for visa-free entry into the European Union (EU).

    During an interview with Radio Liberty, Hahn noted that the implementation of legislation is an essential prerequisite for Ukraine in developing its relationship with the EU.

    “I am well aware of the challenges faced by Ukraine. Armed conflict continues, there are 1.5 million people displaced …

  • Lavrov accuses Turkey of escalating the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

    Russia criticized Turkish authorities for their “absolutely unacceptable” comments during the violence in Nagorno-Karabakh between the separatists supported by Armenia and the Azerbaijani forces.“These were calls not for peace but for war,” the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov stated on April 2nd after negotiations with his Armenian colleague, Edward Nalbandian, in Yerevan.The four-day outbreak of violence resulted in ceasefire agreements but sporadic firing is still on-going. …

  • Die Welt: The EU wants to limit visa-free regimes with Turkey and Ukraine

    The EU wants to adopt a special agreement on visa-free travel to Turkey, which could be cancelled in case Ankara fails to comply with agreements on refugees. Such rules might be applied to the agreements with Ukraine, Welt am Sonntag wrote.

    Scheduled for late July, the visa-free regime between the EU and Turkey will probably not have an unlimited nature. In the case of Ankara, unlike the current practice, the EU plans to conclude a special agreement on visa liberalization. This was requested …

  • Erdoğan calls on leaders of Islamic countries to show solidarity with Ukraine and the Crimean Tatars

    While speaking at the 13th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to show solidarity with Ukraine and the Crimean Tatar people.

    This was reported by the press service of the Presidential Commissioner for Affairs of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev, on Facebook on Thursday, April 14.

    "The address by the President of Turkey, the country that chairs the summit, has ended. President …

  • Four tons of Turkish tomatoes destroyed in Crimea

    The Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, Rosselkhoznadzor, reported that four tons of Turkish tomatoes were destroyed in the Crimea, according to the agency’s press service, RBC reported. The banned products were being smuggled into the Crimea using the Kerch Strait ferry.

    "An attempt to import four tons of tomatoes of Turkish origin to Crimea was prevented on the Kerch Strait ferry.  Products forbidden for import have been confiscated and buried in the …