STEEL DOME TO COUNTER THREATS FROM SPACE
Roketsan, which develops and manufactures missile systems for Turkey's multi-layered air defense system project Steel Dome, announced that it will also begin work soon to neutralize threats from space.
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In-Depth Analysis
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TURKEY JOINS NATO EXERCISE WITH 2,000 SOLDIERS
While the future of the NATO alliance is being debated due to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, the alliance is conducting its largest military exercise of the year in Germany, with the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) participating with more than 2,000 soldiers.
ÖZEL CHALLENGES ERDOĞAN OVER BADGE AS AKP HOLDS BACK
The CHP was shaken by the resignation of Ankara’s Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, but the political momentum shifted after the AKP did not move forward with his expected transfer, leaving him politically isolated. CHP Chair Özgür Özel challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to publicly pin an AKP badge on Özarslan amid speculation he would join the ruling party.
KURDISH REPORT SET FOR END-FEBRUARY COMPLETION, AHEAD OF ÖCALAN CALL ANNIVERSARY
The parliamentary commission examining the Kurdish problem is expected to complete its joint report by the end of February, marking nearly one year since PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the PKK to lay down arms on Feb. 27, 2025.
ALARM BELLS RING FOR TURKISH DRAMAS
The television drama industry is facing an unprecedented crisis as soaring inflation and domestic regulatory pressures threaten its global standing, alongside suppressive measures, including the detention of manager Ayşe Barım and the ongoing detentions in a drug and prostitution case that has labeled many figures from the sector.
SERBIAN PRESIDENT’S VISIT UNANNOUNCED UNTIL LAST MINUTE
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Ankara, but his visit was kept off the public schedule until the last minute, Turkey in Depth has learned.
ATHENS–ANKARA DEADLOCK: NO BREAKTHROUGH, BUT DIALOGUE REMAINS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in Ankara on the 30th anniversary of the Kardak (Imia) crisis, serving as a reminder that the fundamental disagreements that nearly brought the two NATO allies to war 30 years ago remain unresolved.
IRAN’S DILEMMA AND ERDOĞAN’S OPTIONS
Forty Cleavers or Forty Mules for Iran? No information has leaked from the U.S.-Iran talks in Oman other than the statements from the two sides portraying them as positive. But it is no secret that Iran is faced with an impossible choice, like a thief in a Turkish fairy tale.
SEEN BY TURKISH OPPOSITION AS SYMBOL OF INJUSTICE NAMED JUSTICE MINISTER
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reshuffled his Cabinet, appointing Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as justice minister, replacing Yılmaz Tunç. Gürlek has long been a target of the main opposition, dating back to his tenure as head of Istanbul’s 14th Heavy Penal Court, and more recently since his appointment as chief public prosecutor in October 2024, amid a series of high-profile court cases. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya was also replaced, with Erzurum Governor Mustafa Çiftçi named to the post. Gürlek’s appointment is widely viewed as a promotion
ERDOĞAN AND MITSOTAKIS TO MEET IN BID TO MANAGE, NOT RESOLVE, DIFFERENCES
The planned meeting of the Turkish–Greek High-Level Cooperation Council (HLC) in Ankara on February 11 comes when the calm in relations between Ankara and Athens conceals numerous fragilities. That’s just one reason why the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is unlikely to produce a breakthrough. Rather, the meeting aims to keep communication channels open while both sides pursue sharply divergent agendas in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
TURKISH OPPOSITION VICTORY SHAKEN AS CHP CHAIR’S IMAGE TAKES A HIT, DOMINO FEARS GROW
The Turkish main opposition, the CHP, has been shaken by the resignation of Ankara’s Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, who is expected to join the ruling AKP soon. The move has added to growing signs that the CHP’s post-election momentum is under strain, compounded by profane WhatsApp messages sent by party Chair Özgür Özel shortly before the resignation was announced and later leaked online.
ERDOĞAN’S SIMIT CALCULUS COLLAPSES — NOW DIVIDED BY THREE
Economic hardship has long been measured through the humble simit -— the sesame-covered circular bread sometimes called the Turkish bagel. Now the ruling AKP is being accused of shrinking even that symbol. Once used by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to show that a family could not afford a single simit and tea with the minimum wage, the calculation has taken a new turn: a simit divided into three.