European Council President Charles Michel said that the European Union agreed to establish “positive and stable” relations with Turkey.

This came in statements to journalists on Wednesday at the conclusion of the sessions of the first day of the European Union summit held in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

Michel noted that European Union leaders wanted to hold a strategic discussion on relations with Turkey and that they reached a consensus at the end of the session.

He continued: “We want to establish positive relations with Turkey and develop stable relations. We want to work in a gradual and proportionate approach.”

Regarding Cyprus, Michel stressed that the situation on the island is very important.

He added: “We are particularly concerned with the situation in Cyprus, especially with regard to the solution path conducted by the United Nations.”

Since 1974, the island of Cyprus has been divided between two parts: the Turkish in the north and the Roman in the south. In 2004, the Greek Cypriots rejected a plan presented by the United Nations to unify the two parts of the island.

Since the collapse of the UN-sponsored Cyprus reunification talks in Switzerland in July 2017, no formal UN-brokered negotiations have taken place to settle the conflict on the island.​​​​​​

On Wednesday, the European Union announced in the final statement of the summit that it has a strategic interest in developing a stable and safe environment in the eastern Mediterranean and developing a mutually beneficial cooperation relationship with Turkey.

The statement stressed, “Attributing great importance to the resumption and progress of the Cyprus negotiations, which could also lead to improving cooperation between the European Union and Turkey.”

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Turkish diplomatic sources said that Ankara supports Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.

The sources said on Wednesday that Palestine must obtain the approval of the UN Security Council and the support of two-thirds of the members of the UN General Assembly for its full membership.

It indicated that Algeria will submit a draft resolution for Palestine to gain full membership during the next UN Security Council meeting.

It pointed out that the issue has not been presented to the Council until today due to expectations that the United States of America will use its veto power against the draft law.

It stated that “Washington intends to use its veto against the draft resolution that Algeria will submit.”

The sources confirmed that “recent developments show that the issue of recognizing a Palestinian state is enjoying increasing support in the international community.”

It added: “Turkey has always been one of the strongest supporters of this issue and was a pioneer in Palestine obtaining the status of an observer member by the General Assembly’s decision in 2012, and during this stage we will also support the recognition of Palestine in all our meetings.”

The American administration had indicated its intention to use its veto power if Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations was proposed.

Earlier Wednesday, the US representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that she “does not believe that full membership of Palestine in the United Nations will help achieve a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”

Palestine obtained the status of a non-member observer state at the United Nations after a resolution adopted by the General Assembly by a large majority on November 29, 2012.

Palestine applied for full membership in the United Nations in 2011, but this application did not receive the necessary support in the UN Security Council.

On April 2, the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, requesting that the membership application be reconsidered.

The Security Council will vote on Thursday on a draft resolution regarding Palestine gaining full membership in the United Nations instead of “non-member observer” status.

Obtaining full membership requires the approval of 9 member states of the Security Council (15 countries), provided that none of the five veto countries, namely the United States, Russia, France, Britain, and China, object.

If the Council approves, the membership application will be referred to the General Assembly, and it must obtain two-thirds of the votes of the Assembly, which is composed of 193 countries, 139 of which recognize the State of Palestine.

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The Swiss newspaper Blick praised the characteristics of the Turkish electric car “TOGG” and described it as “the Turkish Tesla.”

The only nationally published newspaper in Switzerland said in a report prepared by journalist Wolfgang Gomol that the T10X TOGG car has become a Turkish landmark.

“The electric car impresses with its digital ecosystem, where AI can create radio playlists,” the report said. “But its driving and charging performance are also impressive, as our test drive showed.”

The report pointed out that TOGG was established in 2018 and that it survived the Corona pandemic period without any harm, and stressed that Turkey had made significant investments to develop this brand.

The report included praise for the TOGG car, describing it as “the Turkish Tesla.”

It pointed out that it has a large screen in the cockpit, and its own operating system has been developed, including an application store.

In addition to the praised driving characteristics, the report pointed out that the TOGG’s range reaches 468 km.

The report pointed out that when it comes to recharging, the TOGG can easily keep up with competitors such as “Skoda Eniac” or “Tesla” and in some cases even surpass them.​​​​​​​

It stated that the TOGG (T10X) cars are expected to arrive in Germany at the end of the year, but the date of their arrival in Switzerland is unclear.

It also pointed out that it is expected that one million TOGG cars will be on European roads by 2032.

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The Turkish head of religious affairs, Ali Erbaş, said that Pope Francis expressed his thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the contributions he makes to world peace.

This came in press statements made by Erbaş on Saturday at the headquarters of the Turkish Embassy in the Vatican, where he moved after his meeting with Pope Francis.

Erbaş added that Pope Francis praised the efforts made by President Erdogan to achieve world peace.

Pope Francis described Erdogan as “one of the few strong leaders who work hard and do everything in their power to achieve world peace.”

Erbaş explained that Pope Francis conveyed his peace and greetings to President Erdogan, thanking him for his efforts for world peace.

In a related context, Erbaş said that he delivered a message from President Erdogan to the Pope of the Vatican regarding developments in Palestine and the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Department stated in a statement that President Erdogan sent a message regarding Palestine to Pope Francis in which he stressed the need for humanity not to allow further violations of international law in Gaza.

President Erdogan added in his message: “Permanent peace and stability cannot be achieved in the Middle East without reaching a just solution to the Palestinian issue.”

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Turkey ranked first in the world among the countries sending the most aid to the Gaza Strip, which is subjected to an Israeli war and siege.

Israeli Ministry of Defense data showed on Monday that the aid sent from Turkey to Gaza amounted to 26 percent of the total aid that entered the Strip.

According to the same data, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey shared first place with the same percentage.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came in second place with 15 percent, followed by Qatar with 7 percent.

In addition, Türkiye donated 7 ambulances out of 74 that were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip.

Also, 3,204 sick and wounded people, along with 725 companions, were evacuated from the Gaza Strip to receive treatment abroad, coordinated by Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey continues to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in coordination with Egypt since the start of the Israeli attacks.

On the other hand, Turkey continues its assistance to the sick and wounded who were unable to obtain health care after the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Many countries of the world sent humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egyptian territory, but Israeli obstacles led to the cessation of most of this aid on the Egyptian side.

Israel also ignores international calls to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border gate with Egypt.

The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza for 6 months has left more than 100,000 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.

On the eve of Eid al-Fitr, Israel continues the war despite the Security Council issuing an immediate ceasefire resolution, and despite its first appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

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The Turkish authorities imposed on nationals of 10 countries to obtain an electronic visa to transit airports during their destination to Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela from Istanbul International Airport.

Turkey is considered a transit country to final destinations, and is among the most active countries in combating irregular migration, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

The Turkish authorities intensified inspections within the framework of international aviation rules due to the increase in the number of migrants heading to North America via Central and Latin American countries, taking advantage of air transportation offers via Istanbul, according to the same sources.

Last March, Turkish Airlines warned travelers to Latin American countries that “some additional controls may be applied in addition to the general rules.”

In this context, Turkish diplomatic sources reported that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has completed the necessary preparations to launch the electronic airport transit (transit) visa.

The transit visa was included in Chapter 24 of Justice, Freedom and Security in the negotiations to join the European Union, and it constitutes one of the criteria within the scope of the negotiations to liberalize entry visas for Turks to the European Union countries.

The sources confirmed that Turkey imposed on citizens of India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad, Somalia, Cameroon, Mauritania and Yemen heading to Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela via Istanbul Airport the requirement to obtain a transit visa, as of April 15.

The electronic transit visa can be obtained free of charge online from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “evisa.gov.tr” portal starting April 15, 2024.

Travelers must enter their personal information, residence address information and ticket numbers correctly when obtaining the e-visa.

Transit passengers at Istanbul Airport must also carry a printed copy of their transit visas.

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The Turkish Ministry of Defense on Thursday congratulated NATO on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the alliance.

This came in a publication in Turkish and English by the ministry on its official account on the X platform.

The ministry stated in its congratulations, “We congratulate the happy 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO, in which we have been a distinguished member since 1952.”

It was emphasized that Turkey would continue to perform all its duties and tasks successfully, as it has done since joining the alliance, and it was also emphasized that it would remain an active and constructive member of NATO.

In the same context, the Ministry of Defense announced that you can visit the ministry’s mobile application to view the content prepared on this topic.​​​​​​​

Turkey officially joined NATO on February 18, 1952, and the accession protocol was signed by the then President of the Republic, Celal Bayar.

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Turkey ranked second in the list of countries sending the most humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in light of the continuing siege and Israeli attacks.

According to data from the “Coordination Unit of Government Activities in the Territories” of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, the UAE ranked first with 26 percent of the total aid directed to Gaza, despite Israel continuing to obstruct its entry except in small quantities, followed by Turkey with 23 percent.

Saudi Arabia came in third place with 16 percent, then Qatar with 8 percent.

Since March 26, Turkey has donated 9 ambulances out of 21 that were sent to the sector, taking first place in this regard, followed by Kuwait with 8 ambulances.

It should be noted that Turkey continues to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in coordination with Egypt since the start of the Israeli war on the Strip on October 7, 2023.

Many countries in the world sent humanitarian aid to Gaza through Egyptian territory, but due to Israeli obstacles, most of it is still stuck in Egypt.

Israel restricts the entry of aid into Gaza, which led to a scarcity of food, medicine and fuel supplies and created a famine that began to claim the lives of children and the elderly in the Strip, which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians, including about two million displaced as a result of the war, and which Israel has besieged for 17 years.

Several international bodies are pressuring Tel Aviv to increase the number of aid arriving into the Gaza Strip through land crossings to provide urgent and urgent life-saving needs for the Palestinians.

Since October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, according to Palestinian and UN data, which led to its appearance before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing “genocide.”

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Mrs. Emine Erdogan, wife of the Turkish President, celebrated “World Zero Waste Day” on Saturday.

Through her account on the “X” platform, the First Lady published a video message on the occasion of World Zero Waste Day, corresponding to March 30.

In her post, the wife of the Turkish President pointed out her participation via a video message in an event at the United Nations on this occasion.

She added: “I congratulate all the environmental volunteers who are giving their time and effort to make our common home, the world, a more livable place on the occasion of World Zero Waste Day.”

She added: “I wish for a prosperous world in which resources are used optimally, waste is reduced to a minimum, and sustainability prevails.”

The video published by Mrs. Erdogan included excerpts from her video message to the United Nations event.

On the other hand, UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised First Lady Erdogan’s efforts on “zero waste” in a video message he sent to the event held at the UN headquarters in New York.

Guterres thanked Ms. Emine Erdogan for her “visionary leadership” on an important issue such as zero waste.

Turkey launched the Zero Waste Project in 2017, at the initiative of Emine Erdogan, with the aim of combating the impact of waste and waste on the environment, changing people’s consumption habits, and dealing with that waste by recycling it and making use of it after separating it according to its types at the source, with the aim of achieving a recycling rate of up to 60% in 2030.

In mid-December 2022, the United Nations approved the “Zero Waste” project resolution submitted by Turkey within the framework of plans for sustainable development and combating climate change.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously approved the resolution, which was mainly submitted by Turkey and jointly submitted by 105 countries.

With this resolution, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 30 as World Zero Waste Day.

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agreed to include the Gaza Strip in its agenda of future activities at the request of Turkey.

Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Gülnur Aybet, delivered a speech on the last day of the 219th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO.

Aybet expressed Turkey’s welcome of the organization’s action plan regarding Gaza, while at the same time expressing their dismay at the way in which the UNESCO draft on Gaza was presented.

She stressed the necessity of sharing and discussing the issues on the agenda with member states before the start of the Council’s work so that it would be easier to reach consensus.

She added: “We are pleased that UNESCO will submit a report on all its activities in conflict situations, including its activities in Gaza.”

She pointed out that the entire United Nations system was born from the ashes of a horrific world war, during which crimes against humanity were committed, so these institutions were created with the aim of never repeating such crimes.

She stated that despite this, wars and crimes against humanity have been repeated several times since then, pointing to the death of defenseless people again 30 years after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In written statements, Aybet said that they drew attention during the work of the 219th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO to the failure to include work in Gaza in the report that presents UNESCO’s annual activities.

She explained that Gaza will be added to the agenda of UNESCO activities from now on, at the initiative of Türkiye.

It is noteworthy that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which considers crimes against the Holy Books a violation of international law, in its resolution on racism, discrimination, and hate crimes, also at the initiative of Turkey.

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