Published February 06,2026

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took part in voting for Anadolu’s annual “Images of the Year,” reviewing photos that captured defining moments of 2025 through Anadolu’s lens.

On his Thursday return flight from an official visit to Egypt, Erdogan reviewed 112 photos across six categories taken by Anadolu photojournalists and reporters, highlighting stories that resonated in Türkiye and around the world in 2025. The competition is sponsored by lifebox, Ajet, and ROKETSAN.

Anadolu’s President and CEO Serdar Karagoz also briefed Erdogan on the photos.

– President votes for photo he presented at UN General Assembly

In the competition’s News category, Erdogan selected Mustafa Hatipoglu’s photograph “Conqueror of the skies.”

In the Sports category, he voted for Esra Bilgin’s “Alperen,” featuring national basketball player Alperen Sengun during the FIBA Men’s European Championship semifinal between Greece and Türkiye last September.

For the Wildlife and Environment category, Erdogan chose Sebnem Coskun’s image “Dirty wings.”

In the special “Gaza: Starvation” category, Erdogan selected a photo by Ali Jadallah, recipient of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Award in photography, showing food being distributed to Palestinians fighting starvation in Gaza.

At the 80th UN General Assembly last September, Erdogan presented photos taken by Anadolu photojournalists to illustrate Israel’s genocide in Gaza, including Jadallah’s image.

Türkiye’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran was also present during the voting.

– Voting

The contest, held by Anadolu since 2012, features four main categories this year-News, Wildlife and Environment, Sports, and Daily Life-plus two special categories titled “Gaza: Starvation” and “Portrait.”

Participants in the “Images of the Year,” which will be voted on worldwide with Turkish and English captions, can vote for as many photos as they wish.

The voting will continue on yilinkareleri.aa.com.tr until Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 pm local time (1400GMT).

Published February 06,2026

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The Turkish president on Friday commemorated those who lost their lives in the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes in southern Türkiye on the third anniversary of the disaster, saying the government had kept its promise to rebuild the devastated cities within short order.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan commemorated the victims of the twin earthquakes that struck 11 provinces three years ago, stressing the state’s continued commitment to preserve their memory and to restore the affected regions.

“We will not forget our brothers and sisters who met the mercy of the Most Merciful due to the two major earthquakes we experienced three years ago today,” Erdogan said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

“We promised our nation that we would always keep their memories alive in our hearts and minds, protect what they entrusted to us, and raise our cities that were destroyed by the earthquake back to their feet. Today, with Allah’s permission, we have overcome this challenge and rebuilt and revived our cities in as short a time as three years. We kept our word.”

Erdogan’s post also included a video showing the scale of destruction caused by the earthquakes and subsequent reconstruction efforts carried out across the region.

The Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes, centered in the southern province of Kahramanmaras, caused widespread devastation across multiple provinces in southern Türkiye, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and extensive damage to infrastructure and housing.

The president is also due to attend memorial services for the quakes’ victims later Friday.

Published February 07,2026

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US state representatives are courting Turkish investors by emphasizing access to low-cost, uninterrupted energy, seeking to expand cooperation across sectors including energy, chemicals, metals, electronics, aviation and industrial manufacturing.

The outreach took place during the 2026 SelectUSA Roadshow, a US federal government initiative designed to promote foreign direct investment and economic development. Events were held in Istanbul, Kocaeli and Ankara, bringing together Turkish companies and representatives from several US states.

Nathan Lord, president of Shale Crescent USA, said the organization is focused on attracting industrial investment to the shale gas basin covering Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia by highlighting the region’s energy advantage.

Speaking to Anadolu, Lord said energy is one of the largest cost components for heavy industry and that the region offers reliable and affordable power for sectors such as rubber, glass, automotive, steel and petrochemicals.

“If Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania were a country, they would be the world’s third-largest natural gas producer after the rest of the US and Russia,” he said. “The cheapest natural gas and electricity in the US are found in the Shale Crescent USA region. This provides unmatched profitability and supply security for energy-intensive manufacturing.”

Lord said continuous energy supply and favorable market conditions give the region a competitive edge for international investors.

He recalled a conversation with an executive from a multinational company investing in the area. “I’ve built facilities all over the world and always had to choose between being close to energy or close to customers. This is the first place where I don’t have to make that choice — both are here,” Lord said.

“Following our meetings in Türkiye, we believe dozens of Turkish companies will invest in our region,” he added.

– ‘Europeans talk, but Turks do’

Greg Kozera, marketing director of Shale Crescent USA, said the discovery of shale gas in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania has sharply increased the region’s attractiveness for foreign investment.

He said abundant, low-cost energy has fueled a revival in manufacturing, particularly in steel and petrochemicals.

Kozera also highlighted the role of infrastructure, praising Türkiye’s ability to complete large-scale projects quickly.

“During my time in Türkiye, I learned how quickly infrastructure investments are completed here. We can’t do that in the US,” he said.

“My advice to Turkish companies is this: If you are a high-energy user, find the energy first. The closer you are to the energy source, the higher your long-term profitability,” he added.

Comparing business environments, Kozera said his recent visits to Türkiye and Europe revealed stark differences.

“Europeans talk, but Turks do,” he said. “Investors in Türkiye are not blocked by the government — they are encouraged. I saw new industrial zones rising along the Istanbul-Ankara corridor. In Europe, facilities are closing.”

“I don’t know what’s happening politically, but what I see is this: Good things are happening here, Europe is struggling, and this is a major opportunity for Türkiye to assume a real leadership role in Europe,” he said.

Published February 07,2026

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran is ready to reach a “reassuring agreement” on uranium enrichment, stressing that zero enrichment is outside the framework of negotiations.

Speaking to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera channel, Araghchi said the Iranian nuclear file can only be resolved through negotiations, noting that Washington returned to talks after previously resorting to military action.

“Negotiations are the only way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue,” Araghchi said, adding that talks with Washington marked “a good starting point,” though a “long road remains to rebuild trust” between the two sides.

He emphasized that Iran’s missile program is not subject to negotiations, now or in the future, describing it as a “defensive matter.”

Araghchi said Iran is prepared to “build confidence to conduct realistic negotiations aimed at reaching a fair, win-win outcome,” reiterating Tehran’s readiness to reach an agreement that reassures all sides regarding enrichment.

At the same time, he stressed that zero enrichment is “not on the negotiating table,” underlining that enrichment is a “guaranteed right” for Iran and “must continue.”

“Even bombardment failed to destroy our capabilities,” he said.

Addressing regional security, Araghchi said Iran does not target neighboring countries, but US military bases located in the region. “We do not attack neighboring states; we target US bases in the region, and there is a big difference,” he said.

He added that while Iran has no ability to strike US territory if Washington attacks, it would respond by targeting American bases in the region.

Araghchi said the possibility of war “always exists,” stressing that Iran is prepared for such a scenario while continuing efforts to prevent it.

He noted that although negotiations with Washington were conducted indirectly, they still provided an opportunity for “a handshake” with the US delegation.

“There is no set date yet for a second round of talks, but both Tehran and Washington believe it should take place soon,” he said.

On enrichment levels, Araghchi said the degree of enrichment depends on Iran’s needs, stressing that “enriched uranium will not leave the country.”

He added that talks with Washington were indirect and limited exclusively to the nuclear file.

Iran and the US resumed indirect nuclear diplomacy on Friday after weeks of heightened tensions, fueled by US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action against the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Friday’s talks as a “good start,” saying they could continue if the atmosphere of distrust is overcome. He said it was agreed that the process would continue and that the sides could reconvene in Muscat, Oman, at a later date.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the talks were “very serious,” helping clarify the positions of both sides and identify areas for possible progress.