Armenia

Turkey's Orthodox community celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ on Jan. 6, recognized as Christmas according to the Julian calendar.

Greek Orthodox citizens in Istanbul reenacted the baptism of Christ with a traditional cross-throwing ceremony at the Kuzguncuk dock in Üsküdar district.

Two in one. In a nutshell this is the characteristic of the period in which we live, according to the best political astrologers in the world. Ukrainian Konstantin Daragan and Russian with German passport Pavel Globa, who have proven themselves over the years with some of their most accurate predictions, have already published their forecasts for 2021.

The construction of the Turkish-Russian joint monitoring center will be completed in two weeks, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Dec. 31. 

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias held a phone call with his new Albanian counterpart, Olta Xhacka, on Thursday.

During their talk, the two officials noted the willingness "to strengthen [bilateral] relations and enhance cooperation to address common challenges," Dendias said in a post on Twitter.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Armenia not to attempt to violate the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh in an address to Turkish troops deployed in Azerbaijan to jointly monitor the implementation of a deal between Baku and Yerevan.

The Turkish personnel assigned to work in the joint monitoring center in Karabakh arrived in Azerbaijan, the Turkish defense minister announced on Dec. 29. 

Turkey and Russia are continuing to cooperate on issues regarding the South Caucasus after a ceasefire reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Dec. 29 after a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

Turkey on Dec. 28 denounced a recent cease-fire violation and attack on Azerbaijani servicemen and civilians by Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The top Turkish diplomat is set to pay a visit to Sochi next week and meet his Russian counterpart, according to diplomatic sources.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will meet with Sergey Lavrov on Dec. 29. The two officials are expected to address bilateral relations as well as regional issues.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his contribution to regional peace and stability as he celebrated the Azeri leader's birthday, according to a statement issued by the Presidential Communication Directorate on Dec. 24.

Erdoğan wished Aliyev a long and healthy life with his family and his nation, informed the statement.