Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
After the completion of the Parliamentary Commission report on the Kurdish peace process, legal steps are expected to accelerate after the Ramadan holiday, which ends on March 22 and overlaps with Newroz, the spring festival seen as a symbol of Kurdish identity.
The trial over corruption allegations at the Istanbul Municipality — a case expected to last for years — begins March 9, with 402 defendants, including 105 under arrest, among them Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Parliament will take up legislation in response to the PKK’s decision to dissolve and lay down its arms agenda after the Ramadan holiday. PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has called for the adoption of “peace laws” as a condition for transition. While the DEM Party insists that the legal framework should be adopted before the end of March, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pointed to April, saying he expects the PKK to take more concrete steps.
The trial over corruption allegations at the Istanbul Municipality — a case expected to last for years — begins March 9, with 402 defendants, including 105 under arrest, among them Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Turkey has reintroduced the “sliding scale mechanism” to prevent dramatic pump hikes from feeding inflation after the Iranian War pushed global oil prices higher.
The government decided not to increase the holiday bonus paid to retirees, despite rising inflation and growing public expectations. Instead, officials began studying alternative support models aimed at low-income pensioners.
Turkish defense and software company HAVELSAN said its Flight Training Device Level 2 simulator for Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft has received FNPT II MCC and FTD Level 2 certification, making it the first platform produced and certified at this level in Turkey.
Turkish armored vehicle manufacturer Nurol Makina is shifting its role in Europe from supplier to co-producer through a new agreement to manufacture 800 Gidrán 4x4 armored vehicles for Hungary.
Turkey and Armenia appear closer to normalization, with the launch of direct flights by Turkish Airlines and plans to open border gates. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he expects tangible progress “within a short period” on reopening long-closed land borders and increasing flights between Istanbul and Yerevan.
Last week, Berlin experienced what felt like a Turkish procession. At the Berlinale — the Berlin International Film Festival, the home of the Golden Bear — two films from Turkey won the major prizes. The Golden Bear went to İlker Çatak with “Yellow Letters,” while Emin Alper got the Jury Grand Prize for “Salvation.”
The Air Force, which has been unable to procure new fighter jets for over 20 years because of foreign policy obstacles, lost another fighter jet on Feb. 25, reducing the number of F-16s in its inventory to 233. Thus, the number of fighter jets in active service fell from approximately 450 to 252 over the same period.
The parliamentary commission established to prepare a roadmap for resolving the Kurdish issue, in line with the PKK’s decision to dissolve, has completed its six-and-a-half months of work. Attention has now shifted to how the ruling parties will time the legislative steps. The report falls short of defining the Kurdish issue or calling for education in Kurdish, but instead stresses the brotherhood between Turks and Kurds. Now questions remain about the timing of the legislative process. The first legislative steps are expected toward the summer rather than Newroz, and it is unclear whether all the legislative steps addressed in the report will be completed this year.