Türkiye expects U.S. to approve F-16 jet sales in exchange for ratifying Sweden's NATO bid

STORY: Türkiye expects U.S. to approve F-16 jet sales in exchange for ratifying Sweden's NATO bid SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 22, 2023 with file DATELINE: Dec. 23, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:47 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with U.S. President Joe Biden in Indonesia (file) 2. various of Turkish F-16 fighter jets (file) 3. various of meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with U.S. President Joe Biden (file) 4. SOUNDBITE (English): BATU COSKUN, Foreign Policy Analyst STORYLINE: Türkiye is facing mounting pressure from the United States to finalize Sweden's accession to NATO, but Ankara is holding up ratification by demanding the sale of F-16 fighter jets, experts said. On Dec. 14, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden spoke over the phone about Sweden's application to join NATO, which has been delayed for more than a year due to Ankara's opposition. Erdogan told journalists this w

Erdogan's foreign policy shift stems from financial considerations: expert

STORY: Erdogan's foreign policy shift stems from financial considerations: expert DATELINE: Sept. 29, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:59 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Turkish flags 2. various of Turkish lira and U.S. dollar 3. Various of shipping trade in Türkiye 4. SOUNDBITE (English): BATU COSKUN, Ankara-based independent political affairs analyst STORYLINE: Batu Coskun, an independent political affairs analyst based in Ankara, said that the foreign policy change stems from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's goal of averting exacerbating economic woes at home. Official data showed that Türkiye's annual inflation rate rose to 58.94 percent in August. Experts have noted that Erdogan, following his election victory in May, has embarked on a foreign policy shift aimed at improving relations with the West, a move that coincides with his country's pursuit of external financing. During the July NATO Summit in Lithuania, Erdogan took the spotlight by endorsing Sweden's entry into the mi

Türkiye presses for grain deal to bolster influence, secure cheap grain

STORY: Türkiye presses for grain deal to bolster influence, secure cheap grain DATELINE: Aug. 16, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:50 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of signature ceremony of the Black Sea Grain Deal (file) 2. various of Joint Coordination Center of the Black Sea Grain Deal (file) 3. various of ships carrying grains in the Black Sea 4. various of an old meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia (file) 5. various of an old meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine (file) 6. various of the talks between Türkiye, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, Türkiye 7. SOUNDBITE (English): BATU COSKUN, Ankara-based independent political risk analyst STORYLINE: Serving as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye is working to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative to bolster its regional influence and secure cheap grains, analysts said. The agreement, which had been brokered

Türkiye's Erdogan likely to maintain assertive foreign policy: expert

STORY: Türkiye's Erdogan likely to maintain assertive foreign policy: expert DATELINE: May 30, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:59 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of presidential elections in Türkiye 2. various of the meeting of Türkiye-Sweden-Finland-NATO at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain 3. various of an old meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in Italy 4. various of photos of the handshake of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Egyptian President Abdulfettah Es-Sisi in Qatar 5. SOUNDBITE (English): BATU COSKUN, Ankara-based independent political risk analyst STORYLINE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was declared the winner of the presidential election on Sunday, sending him to another five years in office. Apart from sticking to his economic policy, Erdogan is likely to maintain his assertive foreign policy while engaging in a delicate balancing act between the West and the East, said Batu Coskun, an Ankara-based independent

Consumer products expo provides opportunities for exploring Chinese market: business leader

STORY: Consumer products expo provides opportunities for exploring Chinese market: business leader DATELINE: April 14, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:43 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the venue for the third China International Consumer Products Expo 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish): COSKUN SIMSEK, Head of the China Trade Center in Istanbul 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Turkish): COSKUN SIMSEK, Head of the China Trade Center in Istanbul 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Turkish): COSKUN SIMSEK, Head of the China Trade Center in Istanbul 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish): COSKUN SIMSEK, Head of the China Trade Center in Istanbul 6. SOUNDBITE 5 (Turkish): COSKUN SIMSEK, Head of the China Trade Center in Istanbul 7. various of street scenes in China STORYLINE: A Turkish business leader says the third China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) currently underway in China's Hainan provides excellent opportunities for global companies to explore the Chinese market and products. The 6-day Hainan expo will wrap up on Saturday

China's economy to remain resilient growth: experts

STORY: China's economy to remain resilient growth: experts DATELINE: Dec. 17, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:36 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of China's exports and cityscape 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ROSE RONO, International trade expert based in Kenya 3. various of exports 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): COSKUN KUCUKOZMEN, Professor of Trade and Finance, Izmir University of Economics, Türkiye 5. various of exports 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LIANG GUOYONG, Senior economist with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development STORYLINE: The Chinese economy has maintained resilient growth in the first 11 months of 2022. Official data show that the world's second-largest economy saw a steady expansion in fixed-asset investment, industrial output and online retail sales, among others, in the January-November period. Experts say that China's economy has shown resilience and have expressed optimism about China's growth prospects in the coming year. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ROSE RONO, International t

China to contribute to global economic recovery in 2023: Turkish scholar

STORY: China to contribute to global economic recovery in 2023: Turkish scholar DATELINE: Dec. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:01 LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of street views in China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): COSKUN KUCUKOZMEN, Professor of Trade and Finance, Izmir University of Economics STORYLINE: A Turkish scholar has said that China will contribute to global economic recovery and growth in 2023 despite facing challenges. SOUNDBITE (English): COSKUN KUCUKOZMEN, Professor of Trade and Finance, Izmir University of Economics "We already had a very tough year in the year 2022. So it will be a big test for China in the year 2023, tests in growth, employment, stability, and the prerequisites to succeed in these issues. The government will provide development by giving importance to these topics. That's terribly important. China constitutes a large proportion of global imports and exports, as well as four of the 10 leading banks in the world are from China. China is making quite

Türkiye seeks Finnish, Swedish commitments fulfilled to unblock NATO bids, experts say

STORY: Türkiye seeks Finnish, Swedish commitments fulfilled to unblock NATO bids, experts say DATELINE: Nov. 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:29 LOCATION: Ankara CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the quadruple summit of Türkiye, NATO, Finland and Sweden in Madrid, Spain (courtesy of Turkish Presidency) 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Turkish) : OYTUN ORHAN, Foreign policy analyst at the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ORSAM) 3. various of Turkish F-16 fighter jets 4. various of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia 5. various of the a previous meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Joe Biden in Italy 6. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): BATU COSKUN, Independent political risk analyst 7. various of NATO Headquarters 8. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): BATU COSKUN, Independent political risk analyst 9. various of NATO Headquarters 10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Turkish) : OYTUN ORHAN, Foreign policy analyst at the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ORSAM) STORYLINE: Türkiye has deman