Timeline Turkey (C) 2021-Present
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2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 2, In
Somalia a suicide bombing in Mogadishu killed five people including
two Turks. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group claimed
responsibility. The attack took place 15 km (8 miles) away from a
Turkish military base, Turkey's largest military installation
abroad.
   (AP, 1/2/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 4, Turkish police
clashed with hundreds of students protesting President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s appointment of a figure with ties to his ruling party as
rector to Bogazici University, one of Turkey’s most prestigious
universities.
   (AP, 1/4/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 11, The Turkish
Competition Board said it has launched an investigation into
WhatsApp and its owner Facebook Inc after the messaging app asked
users to agree to let Facebook collect user data including phone
numbers and locations.
   (Reuters, 1/11/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 11, Turkey invited
Greece to resume talks designed to reduce tensions between the
neighbors, following this summer's dispute over maritime borders and
energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece said that it
plans to extend territorial waters along its western coastline from
six to 12 nautical miles, a move that could impact its dispute with
Turkey.
   (AP, 1/11/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 11, A Turkish court
sentenced cult leader Adnan Oktar to over 1,000 years in jail for
fraud, torture and sexual abuse.
   (Econ., 1/30/21, p.42)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 13, Turkish
authorities gave the go-ahead for the emergency use of the COVID-19
vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd., paving the way for
the rollout for Turkey’s vaccination program starting with health
care workers and other high-risk groups.
   (AP, 1/13/20)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 14, Turkey began
administering COVID-19 shots developed by China's Sinovac to health
workers, as it vaccinated more than 260,000 people as part of a
nationwide program against the virus.
   (Reuters, 1/14/20)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 18, Facebook said it
has begun the process of assigning a legal entity in Turkey to
comply with a controversial law governing social media companies.
   (SFC, 1/19/21, p.C1)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 19, Turkey slapped
advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest over their
non-compliance with a controversial new law that requires social
media platforms to appoint legal representatives in the country.
   (AP, 1/19/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 22, Turkish
authorities issued arrest warrants for 44 judges and prosecutors
suspected of links to the group Ankara blames for the 2016-coup
attempt.
   (SFC, 1/23/21, p.A3)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 25, The first
high-level talks aimed at reducing tensions between Turkey and
Greece in five years took place behind closed doors in Istanbul.
   (AP, 1/25/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 28, The United States
called on Russia, Turkey and the UAE to immediately halt their
military interventions in Libya as demanded in a cease-fire
agreement, and accept Libyan sovereignty as it moves to unify its
government, hold elections and end years of fighting.
   (AP, 1/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jan 30, In Turkey two
students were arrested on charges of inciting hatred and insulting
religious values for a poster depicting Islam’s most sacred site
with LGBT flags.
   (AP, 1/31/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 1, Turkish police
stormed the campus of the pre3stigious Bogazici Univ. and detained
dozens of students who were protesting about Pres. Erdogan's
appointment of Melih Bulu, a government loyalist, as their rector.
   (Econ., 2/13/21, p.51)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 3, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced student protesters as “terrorists"
and vowed to crackdown on demonstrations opposing the appointment of
a government loyalist to head Istanbul’s most prestigious
university.
   (AP, 2/3/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 6, It was reported
that Turkey’s Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the
establishment of two new departments (law and communications) in the
country’s most prestigious university, which has been rocked by
weeks of protests. Critics said that would allow the presidentially
appointed rector to staff them with government loyalists.
   (AP, 2/6/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 8, Greece’s PM
Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that it’s unlikely “substantial” talks to
reunify ethnically split Cyprus could resume if Turkey and Turkish
Cypriots insist on pursuing a two-state accord that defies a UN and
EU-endorsed framework for federation.
   (AP, 2/8/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 10, Two Turkish
soldiers were killed in a new Turkish military offensive against a
Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. A 3rd soldier died of his wounds
the next day.
   (AP, 2/11/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 14, Turkey said its
troops have found the bodies of 13 Turkish citizens abducted by
Kurdish insurgents in a cave complex in the Gara region of northern
Iraq. They were found during the Claw-Eagle 2 operation launched on
Feb. 10.
   (AP, 2/14/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 16, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to expand cross-border operations against
Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, following the killing of 13
Turkish soldiers, police and civilians who had been abducted by
Kurdish insurgents.
   (AP, 2/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 19, Turkey said it
aims to procure 105 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of
April. Ankara would also receive some 800,000 doses of the shots
developed by Pfizer and BioNTech this month.
   (Reuters, 2/19/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Feb 24, A Turkish court
convicted an executive of Turkish jet company MNG and two pilots for
migrant smuggling over their role in flying former Nissan Motor Co
Ltd Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of Japan during his escape to Lebanon
just over a year ago.
   (Reuters, 2/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 3, Turkey recorded
11,520 new COVID-19 cases, amid an easing of coronavirus
restrictions across the country. Sixty-five people died because of
COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll to
28,771.
   (Reuters, 3/3/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 4, A military
helicopter crashed in eastern Turkey killing 11 military personnel
in the town of Tatvan.
   (SFC, 3/5/21, p.A5)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 9, A Turkish court
sentenced five people to life prison terms over the assassination of
Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Dec. 19, 2016.
Prosecutors concluded that a network led by US-based Muslim cleric
Fethullah Gulen was behind Karlov’s slaying. The defendants have
rejected all accusations against them and are expected to appeal the
ruling.
   (AP, 3/9/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 10, The presidents of
Russia and Turkey remotely inaugurated the construction of a third
nuclear reactor at the Akkuyu power plant in southern Turkey, vowing
to continue their close cooperation.
   (AP, 3/10/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 12, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined a series measures that he said would
lift the country's economy, and pledged to bring the inflation rate
back down to single digits.
   (AP, 3/12/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 12, Top Turkish
officials said Turkey and Egypt have started holding diplomatic
talks.
   (AP, 3/12/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 17, Turkish
authorities stripped Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a prominent legislator
and human rights advocate, of his parliamentary seat and took a step
toward disbanding the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party. On
March 21 around 100 police officers entered parliament to detain
him. He was released after questioning several hours later.
   (AP, 3/17/21)(AP, 3/21/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 17, The European Union
criticized Turkish authorities for stripping a prominent pro-Kurdish
legislator of his parliamentary seat and seeking to shut down his
political party, saying these moves add to concerns over the
“backsliding of rights” in Turkey.
   (AP, 3/18/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 19, It was reported
that Turkish authorities have asked three Istanbul-based Egyptian
opposition TV channels to soften their critical political coverage
of Egypt’s government, as Turkey seeks to repair frayed ties with
Cairo.
   (AP, 3/19/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 19, Twitter announced
it will establish a legal entity in Turkey in order to continue
operating in the country, which passed a controversial social media
law last year.
   (AP, 3/20/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 20, Turkey's President
Tayyip Erdogan abruptly sacked the central bank chief, two days
after a sharp interest rate hike to head off inflation, replacing
him with a former ruling party lawmaker and critic of tight monetary
policy. Outgoing governor Naci Agbal, appointed less than five
months ago, had won market praise by aggressively raising the policy
rate by 875 basis points to 19%, the highest of any big economy.
   (Reuters, 3/20/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 20, Turkey's President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan annulled the Istanbul Convention, a landmark
European treaty protecting women from violence. Turkey was the first
country to sign it 10 years ago. Rights groups say violence against
and the killing of women is on the rise in Turkey.
   (AP, 3/20/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 23, Turkish markets
whip-sawed and offshore lira rates sky-rocketed as investors, banks
and locals sought to predict whether President Tayyip Erdogan had
reset the economy on an easy-month path after the weekend's abrupt
leadership overhaul.
   (Reuters, 3/23/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 25, In Turkey hundreds
of Uyghurs staged protests in Ankara and Istanbul, denouncing
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Turkey and demanding
that the Turkish government take a stronger stance against human
rights abuses in China’s far-western Xinjiang region.
   (AP, 3/25/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 27, In Turkey hundreds
of demonstrators gathered in Istanbul for anti-government protests,
demanding amid a heavy police presence the reversal of recent
decisions by Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan that affect students, women
and the LGBT community.
   (AP, 3/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 2, Turkey began
administering Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 shots, introducing a
second vaccine in its campaign that began in mid-January, as new
cases reached record highs.
   (Reuters, 4/2/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 5, Turkish authorities
detained 10 former admirals after a group of 103 retired top navy
officers issued a midnight statement that government officials tied
to Turkey’s history of military coups. The retired naval officers
had signed a statement declaring their commitment to the 1936
international treaty that regulates shipping through the Bosporus
and Dardanelles straits.
   (AP, 4/5/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 6, The European
Union's top officials met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan in Ankara. The visit came after EU leaders agreed to offer
Turkey new incentives despite ongoing concerns about the country's
backslide on democratic and human rights, and its energy ambitions
in the Mediterranean Sea.
   (AP, 4/6/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 7, A Turkish Air Force
aerobatic jet crashed in central Turkey, killing its pilot.
   (AP, 4/7/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 9, The image-sharing
platform Pinterest appointed a legal representative in Turkey
becoming the latest social media company to comply with a
controversial social media law.
   (AP, 4/9/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 10, Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Turkey’s Pres. Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s for discussions on bilateral relations.
   (AP, 4/10/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 13, Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan announced several new restrictions and a "partial
closure" for the first two weeks of the Islamic holy month of
Ramadan to curb surging coronavirus infections.
   (Reuters, 4/13/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 14, Turkey's
Competition Board said it had fined Google more than 296 million
lira ($36.65 million) for abusing its dominant position in the
search engine services area.
   (Reuters, 4/14/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 15, In Iraq an
explosion rocked a market in east Baghdad's Sadr City, killing one
person and injuring 12 others. Separately, a rocket attack targeting
a Turkish military base in northern Iraq's Bashiqa region killed one
Turkish soldier and wounded a child in a nearby village.
   (AP, 4/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 16, Turkey's Central
Bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets for
purchases from April 30, citing "irreparable" damage and transaction
risks.
   (Reuters, 4/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, It was reported
that Turkey’s Interior Ministry has launched a probe into six more
municipalities in connection with an alleged human smuggling scheme
where Turkish citizens wanting to migrate to Europe were, in
exchange for a fee, issued special state passports allowing them
visa-free travel.
   (AP, 4/19/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 19, In Turkey deaths
from COVID-19 hit a record 341 despite more than 20 million vaccines
having been administered. A recent surge has brought active
infections to a peak equivalent to nearly 1% of working age people.
   (Reuters, 4/20/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 22, Turkish
prosecutors launched an investigation into the Thodex cryptocurrency
exchange over allegations it may have defrauded some 390,000
investors of an estimated $2 billion. Thodex owner Faruk Ozer was
believed to have fled to Albania.
   (SFC, 4/23/21, p.B2)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 24, Turkish
authorities blocked the onshore bank accounts of Vebitcoin and
detained four people as part of an investigation into the
cryptocurrency exchange platform. A day earlier Vebitcoin announced
that it stopped all of its activities citing financial strains.
   (Reuters, 4/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 26, In Turkey a small
group of protestors gathered outside the American consulate in
Istanbul to protest US President Joe Biden’s decision to call the
Ottoman Empire's mass deportations and killings of Armenians a
century ago a “genocide”.
   (AP, 4/26/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 26, Turkey reported
37,312 new coronavirus cases and 353 deaths. The total death toll
now stood at 38,711. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered a
national lockdown for three weeks as of April 29, closing
nonessential businesses and sending all students home.
   (NY Times, 4/27/21)(SFC, 4/28/21, p.A6)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, Turkish warplanes
continued to strike suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern
Iraq, while commando troops conducted a search and sweep operation,
as the military pressed ahead with its latest incursion into the
neighboring region.
   (AP, 4/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, Turkey said it has
signed a deal for 50 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19
vaccine which will start arriving next month.
   (Reuters, 4/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Apr 28, Police in Turkey
arrested a close aide of killed Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi in Istanbul. The Afghan national, only identified by the
codename Basim, was detained in the Atasehir district on the city’s
Asian side.
   (AP, 5/2/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 5, Egyptian and
Turkish officials met for talks aiming to reset ties between the two
regional powers after years of enmity.
   (AP, 5/5/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 6, Egyptian and
Turkish officials concluded two days of talks in Cairo aimed at
resetting ties between the two regional powers. In a joint
statement, both sides vowed to evaluate the outcome of their first
round of consultations before agreeing on the next move.
   (AP, 5/6/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 14, Turkish company
Karpowership, that provides electricity to Lebanon from two power
barges, shut down its operations over delayed payments. The move is
expected to increase outages in the crisis-hit Mediterranean
country.
   (AP, 5/14/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 15, Turkey reported
11,472 new coronavirus cases. The overall confirmed death toll was
44,537.
   (SFC, 5/17/21, p.A7)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 17, In Turkey Muharrem
Ince (56), a politician who once ran as a presidential challenger to
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, formed the new Memleket
Partisi (Homeland Party), months after he broke away from Turkey’s
main opposition party.
   (AP, 5/17/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 26, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a series of severe allegations made
against members of his entourage by a fugitive mafia boss were a
plot against Turkey, and vowed to fight criminal gangs.
   (AP, 5/26/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â May 31, Turkey’s state-run
news agency said Turkish agents have captured Selahaddin Gulen, a
nephew of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, in an overseas
operation and have brought him to Turkey where he faces prosecution.
   (AP, 5/31/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 5, Turkey’s president
promised to rescue the Marmara Sea from an outbreak of “sea snot”
that is alarming marine biologists and environmentalists. Pres.
Erdogan said untreated waste dumped into the Marmara Sea and climate
change had caused the sea snot bloom.
   (AP, 6/5/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 7, Greece designated
neighboring Turkey as a safe country in which to seek international
protection for the majority of asylum-seekers departing its shores
for Greece.
   (AP, 6/7/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 17, In western Turkey
a gunman killed Deniz Poyraz, a female party employee, during an
attack on the office of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party in
Izmir province. A former health worker was detained.
   (AP, 6/17/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 18, Turkey's
inoculations passed the 40 million mark and 40% of adults had had at
least one dose.
   (Reuters, 6/18/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 19, Sazgin Baran
Korkmaz, a Turkish businessman, was arrested in Austria by the US
Justice Dept. in connection with a biodiesel fraud scheme operated
by a Utah business that stole nearly $500 million in government
funds. Korkmaz was suspected of laundering over $133 million through
bank accoutns he controlled in Turkey and Luxembourg.
   (SFC, 6/23/21, p.B3)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 22, Turkey kicked off
Phase III trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, named "Turkovac" by
President Tayyip Erdogan who said the shot should be available for
use by the end of the year.
   (Reuters, 6/22/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 25, European Union
leaders greenlighted plans to give Turkey another 3 billion euros
($3.6 billion) over the next few years to provide fresh assistance
to Syrian refugees on its territory and to help the country boost
border controls.
   (AP, 6/25/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 26, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan took the first step in the construction of a
ship canal skirting Istanbul that the government says will ease
marine traffic in the Bosporus Strait. Erdogan, in a bridge
ground-breaking ceremony in Sazlidere, said the $15 billion project
would be completed within six years.
   (AP, 6/26/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Turkey formally
withdrew from a landmark international treaty protecting women from
violence. Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted it won’t be a step
backwards for women. Erdogan ended the country’s participation in
the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention through a surprise
overnight decree in March.
   (AP, 7/1/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Turkey eased nearly
all pandemic restrictions on businesses and events. Only 18% of
Turkey's nearly 84 million population has been fully vaccinated.
   (SFC, 7/2/21, p.A5)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Turkish national
Mehmet Aydin (30), on the run after allegedly embezzling money from
thousands of people in a Ponzi scheme, was extradited from Brazil to
Turkey and detained. Aydin is thought to have collected the
equivalent of more than $131 million in Turkish lira from over
130,000 people through an online scheme called Ciftlik, or Farm
Bank, an online game inspired by FarmVille.
   (AP, 7/4/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Turkey said it has
identified three cases of the new Delta Plus COVID-19 variant in
three provinces. The separate Delta variant had also been identified
in some 284 cases across 30 provinces.
   (Reuters, 7/6/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Omer Faruk
Gergerlioglu, a prominent Turkish opposition legislator, was
released from prison, days after the country’s top court ruled his
rights to freedom and to exercise politics had been violated.
   (AP, 7/6/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, The UN Security
Council unanimously approved a resolution extending the delivery of
humanitarian aid for a year from Turkey to rebel-held northwest
Syria, where the UN says 3.4 million people are in desperate need of
food and other assistance.
   (AP, 7/9/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed Melih Bulu, the rector of Istanbul’s
most prestigious university, whose appointment seven months ago led
to relentless daily protests and hundreds of arrests.
   (AP, 7/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, The UN Security
Council condemned the decision by Turkey and Turkish Cypriots to
reopen a residential section of an abandoned suburb and called for
“the immediate reversal" of this unilateral action, warning that it
could raise tensions on the divided Mediterranean island.
   (AP, 7/23/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In northern Syria
two Turkish soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in an
attack in a region between the Turkish border and northern Aleppo.
   (AP, 7/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, It was reported
that the dried-up lake bed of Turkey's Lake Tuz is littered with the
remains of thousands of flamingos that became victims of a
devastating regional drought. Most of the 5,000 chicks that hatched
this year died.
   (SSFC, 7/25/21, p.B10)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Authorities
evacuated homes in southern Turkey as a wildfire fanned by strong
winds raged through a forest area near the Mediterranean coastal
town of Manavgat.
   (AP, 7/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Turkey the
death toll from southern fires rose to six, as two firefighting
personnel died during efforts to control the fire in Manavgat.
   (AP, 7/31/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Turkish
firefighters battled for a 6th day to control the blazes that are
tearing through forests near Turkey’s beach destinations. The fires
have left eight people dead.
   (AP, 8/2/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Turkey fires
continued to burn in six areas of Mugla province. Fires also raged
in five districts of Antalya province, another tourism destination.
The fires have so far killed eight people and countless animals.
   (AP, 8/5/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In northern Turkey
heavy rains triggered floods and mudslides. Heavy rains and flooding
this week killed at least 57 people and left dozens missing. The
death toll soon rose to 77 with 34 missing.
   (AP, 8/11/21)(SFC, 8/13/21, p.A4)(AP,
8/14/21)(AP, 8/17/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Police in Turkey
detained 76 people in connection with attacks on homes and
businesses believed to be owned by Syrians after a Turkish teenager
was killed in a fight with a group of refugees from Syria.
   (AP, 8/12/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, It was reported
that the German government has upgraded Israel, Turkey and the
United States to having a high COVID-19 risk, triggering a minimum
five-day quarantine requirement for those who are unvaccinated.
   (Reuters, 8/13/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In southern Turkey
a firefighting plane from Russia crashed in Adana provinceÂ
killing 5 Russians and 3 Turks aboard the Beriev BE-200.
   (SSFC, 8/15/21, p.A6)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Turkey-backed
Syrian forces and Syrian Kurdish fighters shelled one another’s
positions in northern Syria, leaving at least five people dead and
more than a dozen wounded.
   (AP, 8/18/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan held a rare phone call with the UAE's de facto ruler,
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a new sign
of efforts to improve ties between the regional rivals.
   (Reuters, 8/31/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In northwest Turkey
a collision between a freight train and a minibus killed six people
and injured seven others in Ergene, Tekirdag province.
   (AP, 9/4/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Turkey's state-run
news agency said prosecutors have issued detention warrants for 214
serving and former military personnel over alleged ties to a 2016
coup attempt.
   (AP, 9/7/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Rivals Egypt and
Turkey said they have agreed to continue talks aimed at stabilizing
relations after the end of a second round of negotiations.
   (AP, 9/8/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Turkish officials
said an attack today on Turkish troops in Syria’s northwestern Idlib
province has left two soldiers dead and three others wounded.
   (AP, 9/11/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Turkish medical
producers protested over unpaid bills worth hundreds of millions of
dollars for equipment supplied to state and university hospitals.
   (Reuters, 9/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The Council of
Europe said it would begin infringement proceedings against member
state Turkey in November if philanthropist Osman Kavala is not
released from prison in accordance with a European Court of Human
Rights (ECHR) ruling.
   (Reuters, 9/17/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Turkey's central
bank unexpectedly cut its policy rate by 100 basis points to 18%,
delivering stimulus long sought by President Tayyip Erdogan despite
high inflation, and sending the lira to near a record low. The cut
left Turkey with the most negative real rate across emerging
markets, a red flag for investors.
   (Reuters, 9/23/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Turkish
authorities detained eight people, including two alleged Iranian
agents, who attempted to abduct a former Iranian soldier back to
Iran.
   {Iran, Turkey}
   (AP, 10/13/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 2, In Turkey two
electrical workers were killed when explosives struck their vehicle
in the eastern province of Bingol. The interior ministry blamed the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.
   (Reuters, 10/2/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 4, Turkey said its
troops have captured a major base belonging to Kurdish militants in
northern Iraq. The Defense Ministry said 12 members of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party, or PKK, were “neutralized” in the operation.
   (AP, 10/4/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 14, It was reported
that Turkey has expanded its exports of armed drones by negotiating
sales deals with Morocco and Ethiopia after their successful use in
international conflicts.
   (Reuters, 10/14/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 19, State-owned
Anadolu news agency said Turkish prosecutors have ordered the arrest
of 158 suspects including 33 serving soldiers in an operation
targeting people allegedly linked to a Muslim preacher who Turkey
says was behind a 2016 failed coup.
   (Reuters, 10/19/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 21, Turkey's state
broadcaster TRT News reported that six suspects, including four
Russians, have been jailed pending trial over an alleged plot
against Chechen dissidents in Turkey.
   (AP, 10/21/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 23, Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan said he had ordered the foreign ministry to declare
10 ambassadors from Western countries 'persona non grata' for
calling for the release of philanthropist Osman Kavala.
   (Reuters, 10/23/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 27, President Tayyip
Erdogan said Turkey had signed a memorandum of understanding under
which it will receive loans worth $3.2 billion to help it meet clean
energy goals set out in the Paris climate accord.
   (Reuters, 10/27/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Oct 31, On the sidelines
of the G20 in Rome Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and US President
Joe Biden agreed to form a joint mechanism to improve strained ties.
   (Reuters, 10/31/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 3, New data showed
that Turkey's annual inflation rate rose to its highest in more than
2-1/2 years in October (19.89%), as the central bank, under
political pressure to provide more monetary stimulus, has
aggressively cut its policy rate in recent months.
   (Reuters, 11/3/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 5, The Turkish lira
weakened 0.5% as investor concerns persisted over the combination of
lower rates and higher inflation, and after the government denied a
newspaper report that the finance minister had offered his
resignation.
   (Reuters, 11/5/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 11, Turkish
authorities reportedly arrested an American diplomat working for the
US Consulate in Lebanon for allegedly providing a fake passport to a
Syrian man. The Syrian was detained for questioning after he
attempted to travel to Germany on the false passport, which was in
D.J.K.’s name. Police also seized an envelope containing $10,000
from the diplomat. The US later denied that the arrested man was a
diplomat.
   (AP, 12/22/21)(AP, 12/23/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 12, Turkey banned
Syrian, Yemeni and Iraqi citizens from flights to Minsk, potentially
closing off one of the routes used by migrants that the EU says have
been flown in by Belarus to create a deliberate humanitarian crisis
on its frontier.
   (Reuters, 11/12/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 16, Turkish media
reported that Samir Handal, a suspect of "great interest" in the
July assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, was detained
at the Istanbul Airport by authorities as he was flying transit from
the United States to Jordan.
   (Reuters, 11/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 17, Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan accelerated a market meltdown when he pledged to
continue his battle against interest rates "to the end", sending the
lira to new depths and prompting opposition leaders to call for
early elections.
   (Reuters, 11/17/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 23, Turkey's lira
nose-dived 15% in its second-worst day ever after President Tayyip
Erdogan defended recent sharp rate cuts, and vowed to win his
"economic war of independence" despite widespread criticism and
pleas to reverse course.
   (Reuters, 11/23/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 24, Turkey and the
United Arab Emirates signed accords on energy and technology
investments after talks between President Tayyip Erdogan and Abu
Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Ankara.
   (Reuters, 11/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Nov 25, In Turkey riot
police fired pepper gas to disperse demonstrators who gathered in
Istanbul to protest violence against women, some chanting
"government resign", nearly five months after Turkey withdrew from a
treaty on the issue.
   (Reuters, 11/25/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 1, President Tayyip
Erdogan said Turks should act with reason and avoid panic after the
lira slumped to record lows, adding that Turkey's current 20% annual
inflation could be solved rapidly.
   (Reuters, 12/1/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 2, Greek authorities
said 17 Turkish nationals received permission to enter Greece and
apply for asylum there after they crossed the border from Turkey.
   (AP, 12/2/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 3, European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR) told Turkey it was preparing "infringement
proceedings" over its failure to release imprisoned philanthropist
Osman Kavala, a move that could lead to Ankara's suspension from the
body.
   (Reuters, 12/3/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 9, Turkey said three
of its soldiers were killed in an attack by Kurdish militants during
cross-border operations in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defence
Ministry added that six of the militants were "neutralized".
   (Reuters, 12/9/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 13, Turkey's lira
crashed as much as 7% to a record near 15 to the dollar before
whip-sawing back after the central bank intervened, gripped by
worries over President Tayyip Erdogan's risky new economic policy
and prospects of another rate cut.
   (Reuters, 12/13/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 15, Five Turkish
healthcare unions representing more than 250,000 health workers,
doctors and other medical personnel went on a one-day strike,
protesting poor wages and harsh working conditions amid a currency
meltdown.
   (Reuters, 12/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 16, President Tayyip
Erdogan said Turkey will hike its minimum wage by a massive 50% to
4,250 lira ($275.44) per month next year to address a currency crash
and inflation spike.
   (Reuters, 12/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 24, Turkey's Pres.
Tayyip Erdogan said the government had burst a bubble in the foreign
exchange market by taking steps this week to protect lira deposits
against volatility. He expected companies and sellers to cut their
prices following the rebound of the lira, including on cars and
houses and said that the government will track down those who do
not.
   (Reuters, 12/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 24, It was reported
that Turkey has frozen the assets of 770 Turkish nationals and a
Chicago-based foundation. The list of targets includes 454 people
with alleged links to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in
the United States.
   (AP, 12/24/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 28, Turkey's daily
coronavirus cases exceeded 30,000 for the first time since October
19, as Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned against rising cases
due to the Omicron variant. Turkey registered 32,176 infections and
184 deaths from the virus.
   (Reuters, 12/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 28, Tanzania signed a
contract with Turkish firm Yapi Merkezi to build a 368 km section of
standard gauge railway that is expected to cost $1.9 billion and
will be funded by loans.
   (Reuters, 12/28/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 29, The Turkish lira
weakened for the third consecutive day, tumbling 5.6% and eating
further into the huge gains made the previous week, as worries
persisted over soaring inflation and unorthodox monetary policy.
   (Reuters, 12/29/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 30, The Turkish lira
fell as much as 6%, extending a four-day slide after last week's big
gains, as the government struggled to convince savers to ignore the
volatility and worries over surging inflation and unorthodox rate
cuts.
   (Reuters, 12/30/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 30, Turkey recorded
39,681 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of daily infections
since April 28. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca warned about the
growing prevalence of the Omicron variant. Turkey began
administering its domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Turkovac,
at hospitals across the country, amid a rapid surge in infections
due to the variant.
   (Reuters, 12/30/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 31, President Tayyip
Erdogan said that Turks should keep all their savings in lira and
that recent exchange rate volatility was largely under control after
the lira weakened sharply in the last two months.
   (Reuters, 12/31/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Dec 31, Turkey allowed a
5th dose as a booster for people who received two doses of the
Sinovac and BioNTech vaccines.
   (SFC, 1/1/21, p.A5)
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