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Russians again became leaders among foreign investors in the real estate market in Turkey. According to the report of the Turkish National Institute of Statistics, Russian citizens purchased 637 apartments in November 2023. They are followed by citizens of Iran (234 objects), citizens of Ukraine (128) and Kazakhstan (117).

According to a decision published in the Official Gazette of Turkey, the euro exchange rate in the pricing of medicines has been updated. The calculated euro exchange rate applied in pricing of medicines has been increased by 25% from 14 liras to 17.55 liras. Accordingly, the prices of all medicines will be increased by 25%.The decision will enter into force from December 25, 2023.

Culinary publication TasteAtlas has published a list of "100 best dishes of the world" and "100 worst dishes of the world". The ranking is based on the average ratings given by almost 400 thousand users. It is noteworthy that Turkish cuisine was featured in both lists. In the "100 best dishes of the world" got:20th place - Cağ kebabı (Erzurum province kebab)37th place - İskender kebab (d ner with pita bread, sauce and yogurt, Bursa)

An ordinance has been published regarding changes in the citizenship application procedure. From January 1, 2024, the personal presence of the applicant and his/her spouse will be required when applying for citizenship. Previously, personal presence was only required when taking fingerprints to apply for an investor's residence permit. From January 1, the investor and his/her spouse will also have to be present in person when applying for citizenship, where fingerprints will be taken again and biometric photos will be taken.

Turkish Airlines, Turkey's flagship carrier, recently announced a partnership with Hollywood actress Margot Robbie. The famous actress will become the face of the airline, promoting a new route to Australia. Ahmet Bolat, chairman of Turkish Airlines, officially announced the partnership.

The financial sector in the United Arab Emirates posted an impressive growth of 30% in the second quarter of this year, with a projected annualized growth of 13% in 2023. In his speech at the opening of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Economic Development Department (ADEDD) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), emphasized the importance of diversifying the economy.

According to the news portal Havasosyalmedya, Çukurova Airport, which will have a capacity of 9 million passengers per year in the first phase, will begin operations on Monday, January 15, 2024. The official opening will take place with the participation of President Erdogan. The first tender for the construction of Cukurova Airport was held in 2011 and the foundation was laid in 2013. The 10-year work has been completed. Cukurova Airport, which has an area of about 8 million m2, has a runway of 3,500 meters long and 75 meters wide. Favori Airports owns the rights to build and operate the airport, which is expected to employ 2,000 people upon completion. The international code of Ciucurova Airport is registered as COV. The port has 48 parking lots for airplanes.

The number of private companies registered in the business center of Abu Dhabi has grown more than 100 times since 2016, reaching 5,000, Bloomberg reports. The emirate is becoming a center of attraction for owners of large fortunes thanks to guarantees of asset protection, privacy and low taxes. Only 46 firms operated in the zone in the mid-2010s, according to M/HQ, an asset management consultancy. Registering in Abu Dhabi opens up the prospect for investors to obtain residency permits in the UAE and establish ties with local influential families. Business and government relations expert Sam Blatteis notes that the region's stability, proximity to the capital and strong asset protection make Abu Dhabi an attractive alternative to other financial centers. Among the companies that have opened "subsidiaries" in the Abu Dhabi zone are the organizations of Ray Dalio, founder of the largest hedge fund, Changpeng Zhao, former head of Binance, and Russian billionaire Vladimir Lisin.

World famous manager Mani Nordin arrived in Istanbul the other day as a special guest. According to Takvim news channel, it has been reported that Nordin has been in talks for some time, making arrangements for Rihanna's visit to Istanbul in February 2024. The last time Rihanna visited Turkey was 10 years ago. The singer, who performed at the Besiktas Stadium, gave a great concert attended by thousands of people. Looking forward to Rihanna's new visit to Turkey!

After the heavy rainfall in Istanbul, the occupancy rate of dams has started to increase. According to ISKI data, the occupancy rate of Istanbul's dams has increased from 25.47% to 39.62% in the past 14 days. At Alibeyk y Dam, the occupancy rate, which previously fell to 10%, has now increased to 50.89%. The largest increase occurred at Elmala Dam, where the occupancy rate was 88.38%.

2022 was a record year in Turkey in terms of the number of approved applications for residence permits. As a result, by the beginning of 2023 in the country officially resided more than 154 thousand people. As of December 7, 2023, the number of Russians with residence permits decreased to 101 thousand people, ie, Turkey left more than 53 thousand people (34%). This outflow is undoubtedly due to the tightening of the process of issuing residence permits by lease. At the moment, the number of residence permits issued under a lease agreement has significantly decreased and they are issued only in some provinces, for example, in Mersin. The main types of residence permits that can now be obtained in Turkey, it is a residence permit for real estate, study and family residence permit.

Istanbul Municipality has announced 7,000 liras in support of newlyweds. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on social media that 7,135 couples have received marriage support and that the practice will continue. The mayor said that it is possible to apply for the support through the "Istanbul is Yours" ("İstanbul Senin") app. Conditions: