Published December 16,2025

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated on Tuesday that recent mutual attacks in the Black Sea are seriously threatening navigation safety, adding that targeting commercial and civilian ships would not benefit anyone. He emphasized that both sides have been clearly warned on this matter.President Erdoğan delivered remarks at the 16th Ambassadors Conference, held at the Beştepe Nation’s Exhibition Hall in the capital Ankara.

Key points from President Erdoğan’s statements:

In the context of the Russia–Ukraine War, we brought together both countries—each with whom we maintain special relations—three times in Istanbul this year. The humanitarian gains achieved as a result of the Istanbul Process constitute a significant success for Turkish diplomacy. In addition to the Istanbul Process, within the framework of the Ukraine war, we have led many initiatives to date—such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and prisoner exchanges—achieving concrete results in the humanitarian field.

By meticulously implementing the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, we prevented the war from spreading to the Black Sea. However, the recent reciprocal attacks pose a serious threat to maritime navigation safety in the Black Sea. Targeting commercial and civilian vessels benefits no one. We are clearly conveying our warnings on this issue to both sides.

The South Caucasus, which has long yearned for peace, is today going through a historic period. Azerbaijan and Armenia are closer than ever to signing a peace agreement. In parallel with this process, while remaining in dialogue with Azerbaijan, we are also advancing our normalization process with Armenia. God willing, some symbolic steps will be taken starting from the beginning of next year.

Published December 16,2025

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Türkiye’s benchmark stock index opened Tuesday at 11,470.03 points, up 0.12% or 13.69 points from the previous close.

On Monday, the BIST 100 gained 1.28% to close at 11,456.34 points, with a daily transaction volume of 127.4 billion Turkish liras ($2.98 billion).

As of 9.50 am local time (0650 GMT), the exchange rate stood at 42.7105 Turkish liras to the US dollar, 50.2295 to the euro, and 57.1320 to the British pound.

The price of gold stood at $4,290.60 per ounce, while Brent crude oil was trading at $60.05 per barrel.

Published December 15,2025

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A drone that was detected to have gone out of control while approaching Turkish airspace over the Black Sea was shot down, Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry said on Monday.

An aerial object approaching Turkish airspace over the Black Sea was detected and monitored in accordance with established procedures, the ministry said in a statement on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

To ensure the security of national airspace, NATO-assigned and nationally controlled F-16 aircraft were assigned an alert response mission, it noted.

Following the assessment that the aerial object was a drone that had lost control, it “was shot down in a secure area outside residential zones in order to prevent any potential harm,” the ministry added.

Published December 16,2025

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Türkiye aims to boost its trade with the Turkic states to $60 billion in the medium term and to $100 billion in the long term, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.

“The integration of energy corridors, logistics lines, and digital infrastructure projects will transform the Turkic world into a rising economic powerhouse on a global scale,” Erdoğan said during the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s Turkic World Vision Document launch program.

Multifaceted efforts in the fields of language, history, and art would contribute to keeping cultural ties alive, he noted.

Youth programs, exchange mechanisms, and the establishment of joint academic networks will ensure that future generations get to know each other better and guarantee the continuity of relations, Erdoğan stressed.

Security perspective of the AK Party’s Turkic World Vision Document offers a detailed approach to strengthening regional peace, the Turkish president said.

“The will to act together against various threats, especially in the fight against terrorism, concretizes the solidarity among Turkic states,” he further stated.

On the occasion of the World Turkic Language Family Day, Erdoğan extended his congratulations to all “our brothers and sisters across the Turkic world and in different corners of the globe with whom we share the same language, the same dreams, and hearts that beat together.”

In early November, UNESCO designated Dec. 15 as World Turkic Language Family Day for the promotion of a common language, culture, and documentary heritage of Turkic-speaking states.