ANKARA HESITANTLY ACKNOWLEDGES NEGOTIATIONS TO GET RID OF S-400
The government has started to admit that it is seeking a way to rid itself of the S-400 missiles it bought from Russia.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
TEN YEARS ON, JULY 15 IS STILL AN OPEN FILE
Ten years after tanks rolled onto the Bosphorus Bridge and F-16s bombed parliament, Turkey marks the anniversary of the failed July 15 coup attempt with a holiday named 'Democracy and National Unity Day' — in a country more polarized, less democratic and no closer to answering the fundamental questions of that night than it was a decade ago.
AL-SHARAA RETURNS HAPPIER AFTER PROMISE TO REMOVE SANCTIONS ON SYRIA
The US has started the process of removing Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, which it has held since 1979 — a win for Turkey and for visiting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
COMPLIMENTS THAT CHILL ANKARA: TRUMP ON BRUNSON AND IRAN
Paying an official visit to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the NATO Summit and signaling movement on the F-35 and the Kaan's F110 engines, US President Donald Trump also touched on two subjects that sent a chill through Ankara: the release of American Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Turkey's stance in the US-Israeli war against Iran. Meant as praise, both stories cut deeper than they flattered.
GLOBAL INDEX PROVIDERS PUT TURKISH MARKET ON NOTICE, STOKING DOWNGRADE FEARS
Foreign investors' confidence in Turkish equities is under mounting pressure as two of the world's leading index providers signaled Istanbul's stock market could face a downgrade. Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) issued another warning regarding investment accessibility and shareholder transparency, announcing it may re-evaluate free-float structures on a company-by-company basis and reclassify certain shareholders as 'non-free float' to address distorted calculations driven by coordinated fund actions.
EDUCATION MINISTER SPARKS ROW OVER INDEPENDENCE AND OTTOMAN LEGACY
Education Minister Yusuf Tekin, no stranger to controversy, has provoked a backlash after announcing a change to the newly updated national school curriculum that renames the War of Independence.
KURTULMUŞ: DISARMAMENT LAW TO PASS BEFORE END OF SUMMER
Legislation designed to ensure the surrender of thousands of armed Kurdish militants will be passed before the end of the summer as the government tries to push the high-tension disarmament process over the line, according to remarks from Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.
ANKARA AWAITS POST-NATO POLITICAL STORM
Turkey's political agenda is expected to pivot sharply from diplomacy to domestic maneuvering as post-NATO scenarios dominate the discussion from July 9 onward. The conclusion of the NATO Ankara Summit, widely seen as an international success for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally, has triggered intense political speculation amid increasing pressure on dissidents.
ŞATAFAT / POMP
The word of the week is şatafat, and Ankara supplied the visual aid. At the NATO summit, Turkey received its guests with the full vocabulary of Erdoğan-era grandeur: mehter music, ceremonial guards, a turquoise carpet that seemed designed less for walking than for being recorded, and the Erdoğan couple standing before the vast Presidential Complex, its doors polished to a shine usually reserved for furniture showrooms. There was also the choreography.
SOMALIA FORMULA POPS UP AS A SOLUTION FOR THE S-400
Trump made ambiguous statements regarding the US delivery of F-35s to Turkey. Ankara, meanwhile, continues to seek a solution to the S-400 issue.
ANKA OWNER CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE AS CHP MEDIA FUNDING ROW ESCALATES
ANKA News Agency, widely regarded as the voice of the CHP-aligned opposition, and its owner Ali Fırat Atabaş have come under renewed scrutiny over the funding they receive from the CHP following the split in the party due to the absolute nullity ruling.
CUSTOMS UNION LEFT OUT OF JOINT EU-TURKEY STATEMENT DESPITE ŞİMŞEK'S PUSH
In a July 2 joint statement with the European Union following the High-Level Economic Dialogue, Turkey agreed that EU-Turkey relations “should continue to be guided by values, such as respect for the rule of law, fundamental rights, democracy and media freedom.”