Weekly Turkey Report (25 June-2 July 2021) The foundation of Kanal Istanbul was laid...

• Turkey has  laid the foundation  for the mega waterway project Canal Istanbul.

The canal will be around 45 kilometers and it  will connect the Black Sea north of Istanbul to the Marmara Sea in the South,strengtening Turkey’s role in global maritime transportation.

  Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for the mega-project’s first bridge called Sazlidere,Erdoğan said that Canal Istanbul will turn a historic “new page” in Turkey’s development.

Turkey aims to complete Canal Istanbul, in six years .

• Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In the meeting, bilateral relations with Russia, as well as regional issues, were discussed during their meeting in Antalya, and that developments in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan and Karabakh were also discussed.

Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey’s  goal is to make stability and peace permanent in all these countries,and they  will continue to work with Russia to maintain calm on the ground, especially for a political process in Syria.

Sergey Lavrov pointed out that they will continue their efforts for the continuation of the tourism in Antalya,as the russian citizens see Antalya as an attractive destination.

• Turkey introduce its  first destination-oriented regional tourism brand "Mesopotamia".

 With the Project,the rich past and numerous cultural and natural assets of Mesopotamia region will achieve more attention as the common heritage of humanity.

The project aims to bring the rich cultural heritage of the provinces in the Southeastern Anatolia Region to tourism and to ensure regional development.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced at the event  in Şanlıurfa that, 11 new hills has been discovered  around the  ancient site of Gobeklitepe,which is one of the most famed  tourist destinations in Mesopotamia region.

  He added that the area will now be called "12 hills’’.

• Turkey's communication satellite Turksat 5A comes into service.

Turkey is on its way to becoming an international player in the field of satellite and space studies.

With Türksat 5A, which will have a maneuver and service life of 35 years, Turkey  will increase its satellite communication capacity, back up its existing satellites and guarantee its orbital rights,

The satellite will carry Turkey to the league of leading countries in the world that use the new Ku-Band in television broadcasting and data communication service.

• Turkey stars to  lift the  corona virus-related restrictions.

As of July 1, COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, as part of a gradual normalization from the outbreak.

Curfews are  fully scrapped and intercity travel restrictions comes to an end.

All workplaces and cinemas, which have suspended their activities as part of coronavirus measures are re-opened.

Cafes and restaurants have started to serve people with no limitation on the guest number in indoor and outdoor areas.

 Events such as concerts,and festivals will be allowed,provided that  hygiene, mask, and social distancing rules still to be followed.