Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
89 articles
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
UN ENVOY RETURNS TO CYPRUS WITH FIVE-PLUS-ONE MEETING IN SIGHT
Cyprus is preparing for a summer of diplomatic activity unseen for a long time, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres makes a last push to solve the decades-old problem before the end of his tenure in December.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
TRUMP COMES TO ANKARA —BUT AT WHAT COST FOR NATO?
According to some, NATO has to become more European in order to remain more Transatlantic. The “Europeanization” of NATO will certainly be the key focus of the Ankara summit in July.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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DIVIDE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND ITS DIASPORA AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
“Today marks the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. As we honor the 1.5 million Armenians murdered by the Ottoman Empire across modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Armenia, we must refuse to let history repeat itself;” wrote Zohran Mamdani.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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COST OF OPAQUE GOVERNANCE: TOXIC DEBATES ON NATO & IRAN
“Am I obliged to answer this question?” was the reply of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan when he was asked about behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts that, according to the anchorwoman, had succeeded in stopping ballistic missile attacks from Iran against Turkey.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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INVISIBLE IN MUNICH, TURKEY FLEXES MUSCLE IN BALTIC
Photographs from two separate locations in Germany taken in mid February reveal the ambiguous and intriguing position of Turkey in Europe’s geostrategic landscape.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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EVEN TRANSACTIONALISM FAILS TO REVIVE EU–TURKEY TIES
Akın Gürlek, the prosecutor who has overseen several high-profile cases involving members of the CHP, became justice minister four days after European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos visited Ankara.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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WORLD IS BIGGER THAN FIVE—EXCEPT WHEN IT ISN’T
From Donald Trump’s perspective, he has just one interlocutor in Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. No criticism of the United States — no matter how harsh — coming from presidential advisors, the AKP spokesperson, the Foreign Ministry, or the MHP chair matters in the slightest to Trump.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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HIGH-STAKES DIPLOMACY: ERDOĞAN’S WHITE HOUSE VISIT AND ITS STRATEGIC COSTS
There is a way of establishing a working relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. First you have to make sure you see him as a smart, respectable world leader. That’s the easy part. Then you have to lure him with trade deals, making sure he is the winning side. Therefore, it comes as no surprise when Turkey unilaterally dropped its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products on Sept. 22, a few days before the scheduled meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Buzzwords are important for Trump, and tariff is one of them. The tariffs, which covered products including passenger cars, fruit, rice, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels, and chemical products, were introduced in 2018 in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports enacted during Trump's first term in office.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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EUROFIGHTERS: A STOPGAP WITH STRINGS
The German government has dropped its veto on the sale of 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Turkey, thanks to the requests of the Turkish opposition, claimed Özgür Özel, the head of the CHP. While Berlin has been dragging its feet on talks for the warplanes, which are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy, and Spain, a news report suggested in April that the German government had decided to keep blocking the sale due to the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19. While such a decision was never officially confirmed, İmamoğlu tweeted from his prison cell, objecting to the veto and Özel kept the issue on the agenda during talks with his German counterparts.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
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TURKEY’S INTERNATIONAL LIMELIGHT LASTS FOR A SHORT TIME
The world’s spotlights were turned to Istanbul last week as Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for the first time after three years. The prospect of a potential meeting between the Russian and U.S. leaders in Turkey led to praise for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by some international media outlets.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
TURKEY’S MIGRATION INTEGRATION RECORD SHOWS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT
“Turkey is managing migration without talking about migration in the public sphere,” the head of an international non-governmental organization dealing with migration issues told me.
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy
DEFINING RECIPROCITY AND THE MADE IN EUROPE CHALLENGE
Concerned by the risk of being excluded from trade with Europe, the AKP government is planning to amend the public procurement law.