Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States, Mirvokhid Azimov, said Thursday that the Turkish countries have begun work to form a specialized team of engineers with the aim of producing a joint satellite to enhance cooperation in the field of space.

Azimov expressed his pleasure at the success of the meeting of space agencies of the Organization’s countries, which was held in Ankara, hosted by the Turkish Space Agency.

Azimov said that the organization discussed the results of the activities of the technical team that was formed last year to implement the “cube satellite project.”

He added: “We agreed at the meeting to form a specialized team of engineers that will work on behalf of the Turkish countries to manufacture a joint satellite.”

He added: “This team will continue its activities at the research center in Kazakhstan, and the ultimate goal is to launch a cube satellite in the name of the Turkic States Organization.”

Azimov praised Turkey’s great contribution to developing space cooperation within the organization.

Turkey previously sent the first astronaut into space last February.

The post The Turkic States Organization is moving to produce a satellite appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Istanbul and Sabiha Gökçen Airports recorded a record number of passengers in the first quarter of 2024, reaching 27 million 104 thousand and 54 passengers.​​​​​​

This came according to data from the official website of the General Directorate of Government Airports Administration.

The total number of passengers in the first quarter of this year reached 27 million 104 thousand and 54 passengers, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same period last year.

The number of passengers from Istanbul Airport in the first quarter of this year reached 17,671,971 passengers, an increase of 9 percent compared to the same period last year.

The number of people who traveled from Sabiha Gökçen Airport in the aforementioned period reached 9 million 432 thousand and 83 passengers, an increase of 22 percent compared to the same period last year.

The post 27 million passengers pass through Istanbul airports appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

The Turkish state of Van sent 150 tons of flour to the residents of Gaza, which is under Israeli attack.

The spokesman for the Palestine Support Platform, Ghareeb Jussour, said in a statement to reporters on Saturday that they purchased 150 tons of flour to send to the people of Gaza with the donations they collected as part of the aid collection campaign.

He added that 6 trucks loaded with bags of flour were sent from the industrial zone in the state of Van to the port of Mersin in southern Turkey.

The spokesman explained: “The Israeli occupation is committing genocide in Gaza, destroying buildings there and leaving people to face hunger.”

He pointed out that they bought 150 tons of flour from the money they collected from Turkish donors in the state and sent it by truck to the port of Mersin, and from there it will be delivered to Gaza.

Since October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left more than 110,000 people dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and massive destruction and famine that have claimed the lives of children and the elderly, according to Palestinian and UN data.

Israel continues its war despite the issuance of an immediate ceasefire resolution by the Security Council, and despite its appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

The post The Turkish “Van” sends 150 tons of flour to Gaza appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkey is preparing to send the 9th humanitarian aid ship to relief the residents of Gaza, as it will depart tomorrow, Tuesday, from the port of Mersin in the south of the country.

The humanitarian aid ship that the Turkish Red Crescent will send includes 3,774 tons of food, flour, supplies for children and infants, and sleeping bags.

The ship is scheduled to depart from the port of Mersin tomorrow, Tuesday, with an official ceremony, and will arrive at the Egyptian port of Al-Arish after a journey lasting approximately 40 hours.

The aid will be delivered to the Palestinian Red Crescent after being transported from the port of Al-Arish to the Rafah crossing via trucks, to then be delivered to the residents of Gaza.

To date, Turkey has sent, through the Red Crescent and the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Administration (AFAD), 39,607 tons of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza on board 13 planes and 8 ships.

The post The 9th Turkish aid ship departs for Gaza appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Istanbul International Airport ranked first in the list of European airports with an average number of daily flights between March 25 and 31, with 1,328 flights.

This came according to a report by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) published on Thursday regarding the aforementioned period.

According to the report, Heathrow Airport in London came in second place with 1,285 flights, then Schiphol Airport in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, with 1,276 flights, then Frankfurt with 1,192 flights.

The post Istanbul Airport leads Europe in average daily flights appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday night that Turkey had completed local elections in a manner befitting its democracy.

The Turkish President’s speech came in a speech he delivered from the balcony of the (ruling) Justice and Development Party headquarters in the capital, Ankara, after the majority of ballot boxes had been counted in the local elections.

President Erdogan explained that the Turkish people conveyed their message to politicians through the ballot boxes.

He said: “Thank God, we completed the local elections in a manner befitting our democracy.”

He added: “Regardless of the results, the winner of these elections is our democracy and our national will.”

Erdogan considered the March 31 local elections a turning point.

He explained: “March 31 is not the end for us, but in fact it is a turning point.”

He said that all voters in the elections won these elections, whether those who elected the Justice and Development Party or the “Public Alliance” (parties allied with the Justice and Development) or those who strengthened the power of the ballot boxes by using their democratic right to vote.

The Turkish President added that the Justice and Development Party did not get what it had hoped for in the results of the local elections.

He assured the Turkish people that the party would conduct self-criticism with full transparency and courage.

Erdogan stressed that his party has always shown respect for democracy and what emerges from the ballot boxes.

He said: “Today we act with the same sense of responsibility and do not recognize any force above the will of the people.”

According to unofficial preliminary results, the opposition Republican People’s Party topped the elections, obtaining more than 37 percent of the votes across the country, and the Justice and Development Party came second with more than 35 percent of the votes after 93 percent of the votes were counted.

The post President Erdogan: We completed the local elections appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast his vote in the local elections that began Sunday morning across the country.

The Turkish President and his wife, Amina, cast their votes in a school in the Uskudar area on the Asian side of Istanbul.

A large number of citizens who came to vote gathered in the school garden to welcome President Erdogan and take memorial photos with him.

In statements to reporters after the vote, Erdogan said: “I believe that there will be a result that will bring good to our country and our people, God willing.”

Erdogan indicated that these elections will be a means to the beginning of a new era in Turkey.

He expressed his hope that the new era would contribute to the launch of the new centenary of the Turkish Republic.

On Sunday morning, Turkish voters began heading to the polls to choose their candidates in the 81 local administration elections for a five-year term.

The post President Erdogan casts his vote in local elections appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

Turkey has entered a period of electoral silence, starting at six o’clock this evening, Saturday, on the eve of the local elections scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday.

According to Article 49 of Law No. 298 regarding the basic provisions for elections and voter records, the electoral propaganda period begins 10 days before the election date and ends at six in the evening on the day before the election, when the electoral silence period begins.

The Supreme Radio and Television Authority (RTÜK) in Turkey prohibits, until 21:00 on election day, any party propaganda on radio and television channels, as well as news related to the election results, with the exception of the results that will be announced by the Supreme Election Authority.

Starting at 21:00 on Election Day, the electoral publication ban will be lifted. The Supreme Elections Committee can decide to lift the ban before 21:00 if it deems it necessary.

According to the decision of the Supreme Elections Commission, the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places is prohibited from 06:00 on Election Day until 00:00.

It is also prohibited to carry weapons for anyone other than the security forces and those charged with protecting public security.

The post Turkey enters electoral silence on the eve of local elections appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

The eighth humanitarian aid ship prepared by the Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) for the benefit of the people of Gaza, in cooperation with the General Directorate of Endowments, launched from the port of Mersin in southern Turkey on Thursday.

The ship carries 125,000 food baskets on board, with a total weight of 2,960 tons.

In his speech during the ship’s farewell ceremony, the governor of Mersin, Ali Hamza Pahlawan, said that the ship’s cargo was prepared with the participation of government institutions, civil organizations, and citizens’ donations.

He continued: “We all know and feel the cruelty and suffering that is happening in Gaza. Our beloved people, to whom we are proud to belong, are showing the necessary sensitivity towards Gaza.”

For his part, Turkish Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, Sardar Cham, said that Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been striving for years to support the Palestinian cause.

He stressed that Turkey was and still stands with the oppressed in all parts of the world.

It should be noted that Turkey sent humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people on board 13 planes and 7 ships, in cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The total Turkish humanitarian aid materials sent to Gaza amounted to about 39,607 tons.

The post Turkey sends the eighth humanitarian aid ship to the Gaza Strip appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.

The Turkish Federation of Trade Unions, (HAK-İŞ), announced the arrival of aid provided by the union to the Gaza Strip, which is being subjected to a devastating Israeli war.

Union President Mahmoud Arslan pointed out in a statement on Sunday that the (HAK-İŞ) Union was not content with just condemning what happened, and launched a campaign to deliver aid to the people of Gaza who suffer from hunger and are deprived of medicine and various types of humanitarian aid.

He pointed out that in the first phase, they delivered aid worth 5 million liras (about 156 thousand dollars) to the Turkish Red Crescent on December 25, 2023, in order to deliver it to the needy in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.​​​​​​

He pointed out that the aid packages, which included food supplies and hygiene supplies, arrived at the port of Al-Arish in Egypt and were delivered to the Palestinian Red Crescent through the Rafah crossing.

He expressed their happiness at delivering aid to those in need, especially women and children, noting that they had prepared the second batch of aid.

He explained that 1,500 additional food baskets will be sent to the region to be delivered to Gaza during the month of Ramadan.

Since October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving tens of thousands of victims, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and a humanitarian catastrophe, which led to Israel being brought before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

The post (HAK-İŞ) announces the arrival of its aid to Gaza appeared first on Move 2 Turkey.