Astana

Valladolid – Slovenian Olympic champion in time trial Primož Roglič won the first stage of the 2021 Vuelta a Espana, another time trial, on Saturday to take the red jersey already at the start of his bid to defend the 2020 Vuelta title. His compatriot Jan Tratnik finished third.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran on July 8 agreed to continue working together to combat terrorism and condemned the increasing terrorist activities in various parts of Syria, according to a joint statement by the representatives of the three guarantor countries released after the 16th international meeting on Syria in Astana format.

Annecy – Slovenian rider Tadej Pogačar has taken the overall lead at Tour de France after an individual attack that secured him the forth place in the 150.8-km, eight stage of the prestigious race from Oyonnax to Le Grand-Bornand on Saturday.

Novo Mesto – Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar has won the Tour of Slovenia, the country’s biggest cycling road race, after defending the leading position in the final stage from Ljubljana to Novo Mesto on Sunday.

This marks the 25th career victory for the 22-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider, who won last year’s Tour de France.

Sveta Gora – Italy’s Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates) won the fourth stage of the 27th Tour of Slovenia on Saturday. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar, also a rider of UAE Team Emirates, was second and is expected to win the race tomorrow.

Third place went to Matteo Sobrero of Italy (Astana).

Prominent Turkish airport operator TAV Airports has taken over operations at Almaty Airport, Kazakhstan's main and busiest aviation hub.

The airport's capacity will be doubled with a $200 million investment to build a new international terminal, the operator said in a statement on April 30.

The investment is planned to be completed in less than three years.

Turkey is determined to develop relations with countries around the globe on the basis of rights and justice, the nation's president said on April 7. 

Ankara's ongoing exploratory talks with Athens are an "important step" in improving bilateral relations, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Jan. 30.

In a talk on Turkish foreign policy, İbrahim Kalın said: "This is an important step in terms of our relations with our neighbor Greece, the European Union and the balance of power in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean."

Turkey, Iran and Russia urged the Syrian Constitutional Committee on Jan. 28 to seek compromise and consensus among the sides to the decade-long civil war. 

Following consultations on the margins of the fifth meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva, the three countries released a joint statement underlining their support for a sovereign, independent and united Syria.

The top Turkish and Russian diplomats met on Dec. 29 to discuss international issues and help prepare for a meeting of the two countries' presidents.