Uzbek women topped the ranking for foreign brides who got married in Turkey last year, overtaking Syrian women who were in the top spot from 2015, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK, or TurkStat).
A total of 3,716 Uzbek women got married in Turkey in 2023, up from 560 in 2014. In contrast, Turkey last year saw 3,519 marriages involving Syrian brides.
Political, economic and cultural relations between Turkey and Turkic-speaking Uzbekistan have improved significantly since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in December 2016. Under his isolationist predecessor, Islam Karimov, relations were often fraught and Turkish businesses in Uzbekistan were targeted by the regime.
Behind Uzbeks and Syrians in the ranking, were Azerbaijani women in third place (2,818), Russian women in fourth (2,339) and German women in fifth (2,243).
In terms of foreign grooms, Germans have consistently held the top spot since 2009. In 2023, the number of German men who married in Turkey was 1,387.
They were followed by Syrian men (1,219), Austrian men (326), Afghan men (316) and Azerbaijani men (254).
South African authorities have launched an investigation after electronic components manufactured domestically were discovered in Russian drones used in the war in Ukraine, officials confirmed this ... more
Estonian authorities are considering whether to extradite two residents accused of helping Russian military intelligence (GRU) operatives send parcel bombs that nearly caused major air disasters ... more
Citibank, the Russian subsidiary of US banking giant Citigroup, will wind down its remaining operations in Russia from Nov. 1, marking the final step in its exit from the country, Reuters reported on ... more