Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing

ISTANBUL

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met leaders such as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

• Ankara is putting "sincere efforts" to end the crisis in Ukraine and let the grain to be exported to Africa, Erdogan said.

• "We make sincere efforts to ensure that grain reaches those who need it most, especially our brothers and sisters in Africa," the Turkish leader said at the second session of SCO summit.

• He also said Türkiye is exerting "great efforts" to end the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy as soon as possible.

• Also, Türkiye lashed out against Greece's recent events held under the "Asia Minor Disaster," urging Athens for "common sense."

• A Foreign Ministry statement noted that Greece is trying to mislead its public as well as the international community with "lies" and "by distorting historical facts" through the "Asia Minor Disaster" events.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the UN to influence the European Commission on the issue of lifting sanctions on the export of Russian fertilizers to developing countries.

• Germany is ready for a leading military role to ensure Europe’s security, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

• Delivering a speech at a military conference in Berlin, Scholz said Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been a turning point in history, caused a paradigm shift in security affairs, and made it necessary for Germany to boost its military.

• The number of Armenian soldiers killed in clashes on the Azerbaijani border has risen to 135, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

• Speaking to Armenia's parliament, Pashinyan said there are also many wounded.

• The number of Azerbaijani soldiers killed in the border clashes with Armenia has risen to 77, said Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry.

• An armed man in Al-Aziyah, southern Lebanon on Friday entered a bank and demanded at gunpoint the return of his savings deposits, according to local press reports.

• The Association of Banks in Lebanon announced the closure of all banks' branches across Lebanon for three days after a series of depositors' hold-ups demanding withdrawal of their savings.