Day: June 21, 2023

The Turkish-made medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) class unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) named Anka is set to take up duties in other countries, an official of the manufacturing firm has said.

"Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will ship Anka drones to four other countries this year," Chief Product Engineer Ziya Dogan told Anadolu.

"One overseas customer is already using Anka drones actively," Dogan said, adding that an export deal was signed with another country for the delivery in 2024.

The total flight time of Anka drones which were delivered to domestic customers reached 200,000 hours, Dogan noted.

The first model of the Anka UAV had its maiden flight in 2010.

Anka performs day and night all-weather reconnaissance, target detection and identification, and intelligence missions, featuring autonomous flight capability including automatic takeoff and landing.

Based in Ankara, the TAI manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and satellites, and their components.

TAI was established in June 1973, with the aim of reducing Türkiye’s dependency on foreign suppliers.

Source: TRTworld.com

The 20th meeting on Syria in the Astana format stressed the importance of the negotiations between Ankara and Damascus, according to a joint statement by guarantors Türkiye, Russia and Iran.

The joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday pointed out the “constructive spirit” of the consultations held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana at the level of deputy foreign ministers.

The parties, it said, discussed the progress in preparing the roadmap for the restoration of relations between Türkiye and the Syrian regime.

The parties expressed determination in working together to combat terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations," as well as stand against "separatist agendas" aimed at undermining Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and threatening the national security of neighbouring countries, the statement added.

It also "condemned the activities of terrorist groups and their affiliates operating under different names in various parts of Syria, including the attacks targeting civilian facilities and IDP camps which result in loss of innocent lives."

New ground realities

The parties “highlighted the need to fully implement all arrangements related to the north of Syria," and condemned “the actions of countries supporting terrorist entities, including illegitimate self-rule initiatives in the northeast of Syria."

The joint statement also rejected all attempts to create "new realities on the ground," including “illegitimate self-rule initiatives” under the pretext of combating terrorism. It reaffirmed the determination of the parties to confront "separatist agendas” that aims to threaten the national security of neighbouring countries.

It further expressed the conviction of the parties that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Syria and reaffirmed their commitment to advance a “viable and lasting” political process in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The parties “stressed the need to facilitate the safe, dignified and voluntary return of refugees and IDPs to their places of residence in Syria, and to ensure their right of return and right to be supported," the joint statement said.

The Astana format talks were launched in 2017 to restore peace and stability in Syria, which has been rocked by over a decade of conflict since pro-democracy protests in 2011.

Source: TRTworld.com

A PKK terrorist who has been "neutralised" last week by Turkish forces was a German national, security sources in Türkiye have said.

Thomas J. codenamed Azed Serges, was one of the six "neutralised" on Thursday in an anti-terror operation by Turkish forces in northern Iraq's Hakurk and Metina regions, according to sources in Türkiye's National Defence Ministry.

Born in Mainburg in southern Germany, Thomas J. joined the terror group in Munich, according to security sources.

Thomas J. was "neutralised" in Hakurk with the rest of his group, which was planning to carry out an attack when they were hit by a Turkish drone strike.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralise" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

"Where the terrorist is, that’s our target," the ministry had said on Twitter Thursday, adding: "Our Turkish Armed Forces have neutralised six PKK terrorists, which they detected in the Hakurk and Metina region in northern Iraq, during an operation."

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the US, and EU — has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

Source: TRTworld.com

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London, to discuss various issues, including Sweden's NATO bid, defence cooperation, as well as bilateral ties.

The talks took place on Wednesday in central London, where the two counterparts had arrived for the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the duo discussed the latest situation in Ukraine, NATO's enlargement and normalisation between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the context of developments in the South Caucasus.

Along with bilateral ties, the Black Sea Grain Deal which was implemented with the initiative of Türkiye were also discussed during the talks.

Fidan told reporters before the meeting, "Today, we are here in London to demonstrate our support for Ukraine."

Although the two countries may not see eye-to-eye on every issue, Fidan noted that their longstanding alliance within NATO and other platforms compel them to continue working together.

Recalling that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden established Türkiye-US strategic mechanism last year in the Spanish capital Madrid, Fidan said the goal of the mechanism is to address the outstanding issues and explore opportunities for deeper cooperation.

NATO summit

For his part, Blinken said it is a pleasure to meet with the "colleague of many years,” referring to Fidan.

He praised bilateral relations, saying, "There's so much the US and Türkiye are doing together on the most essential, vital issues."

He underlined that during the meeting, the upcoming NATO summit, Sweden's accession to the alliance and defence cooperation between the US and Türkiye will be on the agenda, as well as bilateral ties.

"...and moving forward, a number of issues, including energy and economic collaboration, but the relationship between our countries is deep and rich," Blinken added.

Earlier, Fidan also held separate talks with Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Italy's Antonio Tajani, Germany's Annalena Baerbock and Austria's Alexander Schallenberg on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Source: TRTworld.com

Türkiye is committed to ensuring the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, the country's foreign minister has said.

"We will support Ukraine in coping with the devastating economic fallout of the war. We will support Ukraine in dealing with the humanitarian crisis that is born out of war," Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday, at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London.

Reiterating Ankara's position towards the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, he said: "Our position remains as principled and resolute as ever."

Touching on the Ankara-brokered Black Sea Grain Deal and the deal to exchange prisoners of war, Fidan said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been "relentlessly" working to alleviate the suffering caused by the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's reconstruction

"Now we need to work on designing a financial framework that will contribute to reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine in a sustainable way," underlined Fidan, recalling that Turkish contractors were already engaged in 50 projects in Ukraine when the war started.

He noted that Turkish contractors continue to implement 29 projects in the war-torn country despite the conflict.

"We will continue to encourage our business people and contractors to deliver to the people of Ukraine, no matter how hard the conditions are."

Referring to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on reconstruction signed by Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv last year, the Turkish foreign minister stated that Ankara is committed to bringing its full experience and abilities to the table.

"We will build upon what we have done so far to support reconstruction and recovery efforts of Ukraine," added Fidan.

Source: TRTworld.com

A Turkish artificial intelligence robot developed entirely by Turkish entrepreneurs using domestic resources has been released on the market. TurcoAI is one of the first Turkish projects in the billion-dollar artificial intelligence sector.

The significance of the robot lies in its ability to comprehend the emotional algorithms specific to Turkish society, utilise the Turkish language, and offer immersive encounters through written and visual materials.

The project's foundation was laid in 2022 in the United States and has been developed and finalised since then. The artificial intelligence robot provides significant convenience to businesses and consumers in education, healthcare, law, entertainment, and finance.

Muhammed Yildiz, the founder of TurcoAI, says the group of Turkish entrepreneurs who built the infrastructure of the robot was inspired by GPT-4.

TrucoAI can create and consume content in more than 40 languages.

Housewives can inform TurcoAI about the available ingredients at home and request it to create a recipe. It can generate travel plans for individuals interested in visiting a place, aid teachers in creating lecture plans and assist students with their assignments.

Authors, bloggers, journalists, and other content creators can use TurcoAI to edit, proofread, or expand their writings. In the healthcare sector, it facilitates understanding and dissemination of health information.

Its artificial intelligence simplifies tasks that can typically be consuming hours. This application empowers companies to save significant time and costs up to tenfold.

Creating 'a hub'

TurcoAI represents a significant leap forward in Türkiye's technological landscape, contributing to its position as a prominent techno hub.

"In the long term, we aim to make Türkiye and the surrounding regions a hub for artificial intelligence technology and lead in this field," says Yildiz.

He emphasises the necessity for appropriate laws and policies, infrastructure investments, and local and international collaborations to accelerate technological development.

"Furthermore, at an individual level, increasing curiosity and interest in technology, continuous learning in the fields of technology and science, and possessing innovative thinking abilities are also essential," he adds.

Users can enjoy their first five conversations with TurcoAI for free. However, they will need to purchase tokens to continue using the service.

TurcoAI's introduction represents a significant achievement in Türkiye's quest to advance its artificial intelligence market and establish the country as a prominent contender in the worldwide AI arena.

Source: TRTworld.com