Kerem Kinik, head of the non-profit organization.
The Turkish Red Crescent is taking concrete steps and launching new projects to expand its work in the Balkans, said Kerem Kinik, head of the non-profit organization.
Kinik, who was visiting Croatia's capital Zagreb for the 140th anniversary of the Croatian Red Cross, shared the activities and future plans of the organization.
"We have launched a new movement in the Balkans. In order to improve our disaster management capacity, we first formed a team in Bulgaria. We also opened a permanent delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are working to expand our work in the region."
Kinik said that they will continue to share their experiences with national associations in order to reduce the risk of disasters and improve their capacity in the Balkans.
"We have a lot of work in terms of storing tents and blankets in warehouses in these regions, providing first aid and search and rescue training."
He said the world is suffering from 40 armed conflicts which is forcing people to migrate.
One African migrant died and three others were injured when around 300 stormed the border fence separating Spanish enclave Melilla from Morocco on Sunday, the local authorities said.About 200 migrants managed to scale the seven-metre high metal barrier and were taken to a reception centre in Melilla where officials started the process of identifying them.The man died of a suspected cardio-respiratory arrest despite being treated by emergency services, the Spanish government's local delegation said in a statement.More than 6,000 migrants have made it to Melilla and Spain's nearby territory Ceuta so far this year, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. In some places, the fences around the enclaves are topped with razor wire.On Sunday, wooden-handled hooks and shoes fitted with spikes to help the climb were left behind, along with a bloodied t-shirt.More than 40,000 have arrived by sea on Andalucia's southern coast since January, making Spain Europe's top destination for migrants which the European Union has failed to agree on how to handle.The routes have changed as Italy clamped down on rescue ships to dock at its ports, and a deal between the EU and Turkey eased flows across the Aegean Sea to Greece.The vast majority of arrivals in Spain are men, primarily from Guinea, Mali and Morocco, the UNHCR says.On Saturday, Spain returned to Morocco 24 migrants who reached the Chafarinas islands, another Spanish territory off the North African coast, under a bilateral agreement signed in 1992, under which citizens of third countries who have entered illegally can be returned within a certain time frame.This agreement was very rarely used until this summer, when 116 men who stormed the Ceuta fence were turned back. Spain's Interior Ministry says it is being used now thanks to good bilateral relations.African billionaire abducted in Tanzania returns home safely11 killed, thousands displaced by Yemen tropical stormSix killed, thousands displaced by Yemen tropical storm
Hundreds of migrants storm Spanish enclave in North Africa, one dies
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that the Turkish nation was on the eve of a rebirth.Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Turkey Youth Foundation (TUGVA) headquarters in Istanbul, Erdogan said: "As a nation we are on the eve of a new period; this is the period called rebirth, the period of re-rise."He also said that the freedom of any individual or an ethnic or religious group had not deteriorated in Turkey in the last 16 years. "In the last 16 years, the freedom of any individual, ethnic or religious group did not deteriorate in Turkey, their life was not interfered with," he said.He added that an environment had been created where no one is discriminated against on the choice of their clothing or appearance."We are trying to lift the barriers between our youth and their dreams."He said the "great Turkey ideal" should be put into practice."It is related to the region but it is definitely not related to expansionism," he added.
Erdoğan says Turkey is on eve of rebirth
"People leave their countries either voluntarily or by force due to poverty and political turmoil caused by these conflicts."
However, he said, the EU member states did not exhibit any sensitivity over the issue.
"The most recent example is of the annulment of the registration of migrant ship Aquarius, which carried out search and rescue activities in the Mediterranean and the Middle Mediterranean.
"Currently, there is no humanitarian aid vessel carrying out search and rescue activities in the Central Mediterranean. Every year around 3-4,000 people are losing their lives in the waters of the Mediterranean. We expect Europe to review its security-based policies and support active humanitarian policies that could stop migration at the source."
Kinik recalled that Turkey hosts around 4 million refugees.
"This figure is showing Turkey's humane foreign policy. We expect the EU to approach the issue with a similar view," he added.
The Turkish Red Crescent is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey, with an international network to help other nations in need.
Turkey will not allow a cover-up after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a senior member of President Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AK Party said on Sunday, warning that consequences could be "dire".After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said the journalist and critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold."If the incident transpired as it has been told across the world, there is no way Saudi officials can cover this up by saying a team from Saudi Arabia came and two or three men among them murdered him," Numan Kurtulmuş, deputy chairman of the AKP told CNN Turk in an interview."A crime committed in a consulate cannot be carried out without the knowledge of the senior state officials of that country. If this crime was really carried out as has been said, if the evidence really leads to that conclusion, the situation will be dire and this must have very serious legal consequences."Reflecting the intensifying international scepticism over its account, a senior Saudi government official has laid out a new version that in key respects contradicts previous explanations.The latest account includes details on how the team of 15 Saudi nationals sent to confront Khashoggi had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped and then killed him in a chokehold when he resisted. A member of the team then dressed in Khashoggi's clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate.Germany calls for united response to Khashoggi killingWhereabouts of Khashoggi’s body raises questionsSaudi explanation of Khashoggi death not credible: British ministerKhashoggi saw Turkey as key country in new Middle EastOman welcomes Saudi decisions on 'regrettable' Khashoggi case
Turkey will not allow cover-up in Khashoggi killing, sees 'dire' consequences: AKP official
A Turkish-origin officer serving the Netherlands army has been awarded a medal for saving his Dutch neighbors in a fire in Amsterdam last March.Ekrem Karadeniz, 44, a captain in the Dutch army told Anadolu Agency on Sunday that he feels honored.The silver medal was handed over by the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema.Karadeniz said that he came home early on the day of the fire."I saw dark smoke from my window. I understood that they weren't ordinary fumes. When I looked outside the window, I heard my neighbor's screams from downstairs. I went to the bathroom and covered my head after wetting it with a big towel. I asked my wife to call emergency while running downstairs," Karadeniz said.He said he found his neighbour half unconscious on the floor and took him outside."Then I took my neighbor's spouse outside as well," he said, adding that he checked if anyone else was trapped in the fire.He managed to exit the building safely.Karadeniz gave first aid to his neighbors until an ambulance arrived to the scene."I only fulfilled my responsibility," he told his neighbors, who thanked Karadeniz for his bravery.Turkey condoles with India over deadly train accidentTurkey bids farewell to renowned photographer Ara GulerTwo days after the fire, Amsterdam police congratulated him over his heroic behavior and awarded him.Serving the Dutch Armed Forces for many years, Karadeniz said that this was not his first medal as he was given six others.Karadeniz added that his ancestors were war veterans for Turkey as his grandfather and great-grandfather took part in the Korean War and Canakkale battle in Turkey.Turkish forces served under the UN Command during the Korean War between 1950 and 1953, and 774 Turkish soldiers were martyred.The Battle of Canakkale started in February 1915, when Britain and France decided to launch the Dardanelles campaign, in order to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war as quickly as possible by reaching and capturing its capital Istanbul.The victory gave Turkey a massive morale boost that enabled it to wage a war of independence and eventually, in 1923, form a republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.EU moves closer to overcoming migration feudLondon's black taxi cabs to launch in Paris next year
Turkish-origin army officer awarded in Netherlands
Yunus Emre Institute, a Turkish cultural center, on Saturday launched Turkish language program for orphans in Pakistan’s northeastern city of Lahore.Provincial Information Minister Fayyaz Ul Hassan Chohan, Turkey's Consul General Emir Ozbay, Yunus Emre Institute’s Director in Lahore Ulas Ertas and other officials were also present at the launching ceremony."This language program would help students study the very rich culture and history of Turkey,” Chohan told at the ceremony.Pakistan and Turkey enjoy historical, cultural, religious and economic relations and we want to further strengthen these ties, Chohan added.The minister assured the Turkish officials that his government would extend full support and cooperation to Turkish organizations operating in Pakistan.Ertas, for his part, said: "Turkey has launched several programs in education sector of Pakistan to support the students of our brotherly country."
Turkey starts language courses for orphans in Pakistan