Afro-Eurasia

Turkey has lost wetland areas totaling 1.5 times the surface area of the Marmara Sea in the last 60 years, the Nature Foundation revealed in a study on Feb. 2, noting that there was little optimism that current measures would prevent further losses.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has sent a letter to his Greek counterpart Aleksis Tsipras to convey Ankara's disappointment at the court decision rejecting the extradition of eight Turkish soldiers, calling on the Greek government to "act like a neighbor" and renewing his government's demand. 

The number of refugees caught crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece fell by 86 percent month-on-month in January, data from the Turkish Coast Guard said on Feb. 1.

The data reflects the success of the EU-Turkey deal that came into effect in March 2016 to reduce illegal migration and clamp down on human trafficking. 

Turkey has seen a "positive trend" from foreign investors in recent weeks, Development Minister Lütfi Elvan said on Feb. 2.      

The European Union will send urgently 30 border police officers to Greece's northern border, reported the online edition of Spiegel, cited by BGNES.

The edition reminds that, at the moment, Greece has about 60,000 refugees, while there are about 3 million in neighbouring Turkey.

The World Bank has revised its growth forecast for Turkey in 2016 to 2.1 percent from 3.1 percent, the bank said in its economic report for Turkey on Feb. 2.

The bank said it reviewed the forecast "because recovery in the fourth quarter was weaker than envisaged," while adding that net exports would help the country's growth rate recover in 2017.      

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Turkish citizens living abroad to take their vacations in Turkey, in an attempt to revive the country's struggling tourism sector. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Turkey on Thursday for the first time since July's failed coup, seeking to bolster a relationship frayed by differences over issues from the fight against terrorism to free speech.

The Greek High Court has ruled not to extradite eight officers who flew a military helicopter to Greece on the night of the failed coup on July 15, 2016 and demanded political asylum.

A Greek court has ruled that eight Turkish servicemen seeking asylum in Greece must remain in temporary police detention even though Turkey's request for their extradition has been rejected.

The pilots and flight engineers fled to Greece in a military helicopter a day after the failed July 15, 2016 military coup attempt in Turkey.