Turkey news roundup – Dec. 24, 2019

Below is a selection of articles on Turkey we have been following, covering the most important issues over the past week.

Eastern Mediterranean Gas

Daily Sabah: Turkey, Israel gas cooperation lucrative for capitalizing on East Med resources

Ankara and Tel Aviv are reportedly in contact to resume negotiations for a gas pipeline project extending from Israel to Europe via Turkey. Israel and Turkey had been in negotiation on a a gas pipeline in 2016 following a long awaited reconciliation agreement however the parties could not make progress due to political and commercial reasons.

Syrian Refugees

Hürriyet Daily News: Turkey’s Erdoğan urges global response to refugee crisis

Speaking at the Global Refugee Forum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan argued that the only way to deal with the growing refugee problem around the globe is to provide a global response. President Erdoğan underlined the contributions Turkey has made as it hosts the largest refugee population in the world and called for greater burden sharing from the international community.

Reuters: Erdogan says 50,000 Syrians fleeing Idlib to Turkey

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that 50,000 people were fleeing Syria’s northwestern region of Idlib to Turkey as a result of Syrian regime and Russian airstrikes on the province. The President also reiterated his call for regional countries to support Turkey’s plan to resettle up to 1 million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey in Northern Syria.

International Organizations

Anadolu Agency: Turkey to head OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) decided Wednesday that Turkey will take over the chairmanship of its decision-making body in January. Turkey last headed the OSCE Forum for Security and Cooperation 18 years ago.

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Image: An aerial view shows the newly arrived foundation platform of Leviathan natural gas field, in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Haifa, Israel January 31, 2019. Marc Israel Sellem/File Photo