Andrew Hopkins

NEW: #Turkiye's Foreign Minister Fidan on the phone to both #Russia and #Ukraine's Foreign Ministers today

Evaluating the outcome from the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, offering support

Already statement issued by Turkish President welcoming the meeting

Greek Cypriot side quoted as saying the trip was 'absolutely condemnable and unacceptable'. The TRNC is recognized internationally only by Turkiye

Khan said other MPs had previously visited Northern Cyprus, like these last year..

www.ktto.net/wp-content/u...

UK trade envoy resigns over Northern Cyprus visit Labour MP Afzal Khan as resigned after criticism of his visit last week to the territory, which isn't recognised by the UK government.

UK's Trade Envoy to #Turkiye has resigned after visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern #Cyprus

Afzal Khan met Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar, says he paid for the trip himself and went in a personal capacity

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Turkish sources again stating willingness to provide training, consultancy + technical support as requested by Syria for its defense and security

NEW: #Turkiye's FM Fidan in #Syria today meeting President Al Sharaa + FM Al Shaibani

On the same day Turkish defence sources brief the SDF is not keeping to the March 10 agreement on integration

Reports of recent SDF/Syrian military clashes in:
- Aleppo countryside
- Manbij

Six deals agreed during that visit. Bukele also has Ottoman ancestry, his forbears emigrated from Jerusalem when it was part of the empire.

Turkiye's not well known for its relations w/ Central America - but El Salvador might be an outlier

Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill is due here tomorrow (Tuesday)

Relations picked up speed after President Bukele gained office in 2019, and paid a visit in 2022 (pictured)

Erdoğan says: 'I have no plans for such a visit to the south.'

'Because just as they do not recognize the TRNC as a state, we do not recognize Southern Cyprus as a state.'

NEW: #Turkiye's President declines invitation from Nikos Christodoulides to a summit next year when Greek Cypriots hold the EU Presidency

'Such a meeting with them has no place in my book,' he tells journalists on way back from a visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern #Cyprus

NEW: Next year's #NATO Leaders Summit to be held in July in Ankara, announces Turkish President.

#NATOsummit 🇹🇷

Fidan also met Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation that came to Istanbul for the Ukraine talks

Meeting expected with Russian FM Lavrov tomorrow

NEW: #Turkiye's Foreign Minister Fidan meeting #Putin in Moscow today, talking relations in general, but also 2 areas of interest right now:
- recent #Ukraine talks in Istanbul
- #Syria: Turkiye has been trying to bring Moscow + Damascus together 🇹🇷🇷🇺

NEW: US to allow its new ambassador in #Turkiye + other staff to work w/ officials in #Syria because of concerns the new govt is precarious

US Secretary of State Rubio tells Senate Foreign Relations Committee of his concerns about potential collapse and possible new war 🇹🇷🇺🇸

Also:
- Trump says unlikely to much be movement until he speaks to Putin

NEW: Summary of #Ukraine-#Russia talks situation in #Turkiye today:
- no meeting yet but hope of talks in some format tomorrow (Fri)
- Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and US officials all due in Istanbul
- Zelenskyy due at EPC Summit in Albania with Erdoğan on Friday 🇷🇺🇹🇷🇺🇦🇺🇸

NEW: Putin suggests this Thursday , May 15, in Istanbul as a time and venue for direct talks with #Ukraine on bringing an end to the war

Says will speak to President Erdoğan about the issue in a phone call later today (Sunday) #Turkiye #Russia 🇹🇷🇷🇺🇺🇦

NEW: #Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was the subject of an assassination plot 4-5 years ago, he tells Turkish TV channel @yirmidorttv.bsky.social

He says he was given heavy doses of arsenic and mercury which then showed up in tests - but refuses to name who was responsible

Fidan was head of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT at the time.

NEW: #Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was the subject of an assassination plot 4-5 years ago, he tells Turkish TV channel @yirmidorttv.bsky.social

He says he was given heavy doses of arsenic and mercury which then showed up in tests - but refuses to name who was responsible

NEW: First meeting today of the new #Turkiye-#Egypt High Level Military Dialogue in Ankara - which is to become an annual event

Turkish and Egyptian Military Chiefs of Staff in attendance, General Metin Gürak and Lieutenant General Ahmed Fathi Khalifa 🇹🇷🇪🇬

For President Erdoğan, that’s more meetings than with any other leader during those 2.5 years

NEW: #Turkiye's President Erdoğan due in Italy Tuesday for what seems to be at least his 10th face-to-face meeting w/ #Italy's Meloni since she became PM 2.5 years ago

Meloni was a critic of Turkish Govt before she became PM, but this year rang to wish him happy birthday 🇹🇷🇮🇹

Tanker was in the port to unload cargo. Officials say it's still seaworthy + is waiting to leave (group controlling the area has not allowed this so far)

Situation calm. 74 people died in strike, believed to be most deadly by US since it started hitting Houthis last year

NEW: Foreign Ministry sources say a fuel tanker operated by company from #Turkiye was hit during US strike on Ras Isa Oil Terminal in Yemen 2 days ago

No serious damage reported, hit only by shrapnel, and all 26 crew (4 Turks, 22 Indian citizens) are reportedly in good health

Officials also say the Montreux Convention will remain implemented in its current form until a peace agreement is signed - and is also being taken as a basis for current planning

NEW: Defence officials says #Turkiye's currently taking a lead role in Black Sea security - following a #Ukraine linked meeting in Ankara this week

39 reps from 21 countries were in the capital for a meeting linked to the 'Coalition of the Willing' led by the UK and France 🇹🇷🇺🇦

Seems unlikely such a deal - such as this one for unmanned ground vehicles - would have been possible just a few years ago

A little late to this but an indication of how #Turkiye and #Egypt relations have developed

Turkish defence firm Havelsan has signed a deal (including tech transfer + licensing support) to produce UGVs in Egypt with local firm Kader #defense

Last official NATO target was 2% but that was set in 2014. US is now pushing for 5%.

None of the 32 NATO members currently spend that much, and only one - Poland - reaches 4%

Understand #Turkiye's defence spending expected to be close to 3% of GDP next year - expectation is currently 2.83% but could be higher

#NATO Sec Gen Mark Rutte has said there will have to be a new target of 3%+ for all members to meet current requirements