ROMANIA IMPOSES SECOND FINE ON OTOKAR
Otokar, the Koç Group vehicle manufacturer that signed a €857 million agreement with Romania in Nov. 2024, was fined for the second time for delays in the project schedule.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
BROAD UNEMPLOYMENT IN TURKEY NEARS 12 MILLION
Broadly defined unemployment in Turkey has climbed close to 12 million, according to a December 2025 report by DİSK-AR, the research branch of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey.
POVERTY RATE FALLS SLIGHTLY, BUT MILLIONS STRUGGLE
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) released its Poverty and Living Conditions Statistics for 2025, showing a limited decline in the relative poverty rate while material deprivation and social exclusion remain widespread, meaning millions are unable to meet basic needs such as heating.
TANKERS ATTACKED IN BLACK SEA AFTER U.S. WARNING, DESPITE TURKEY’S CONCERNS
Ukrainian naval drones struck two ships alleged to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast, increasing tension in the shared sea even as the combatants pursue renewed peace talks. The Sea Baby drones hit the oil tankers MT Kairos and MT Virat on Nov. 28. Russia has used hundreds of tankers known as the “shadow fleet” to evade Western sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine, delivering millions of barrels of oil to buyers in breach of those restrictions.
DEMİRTAŞ, STRASBOURG, AND THE NEVER-ENDING POLITICAL DRAMA SERIES
Selahattin Demirtaş has long been more than a defendant; he is a barometer of how politics manages law, another act in a long-running political drama in Turkey. This is not a scripted series that keeps millions guessing on Thursday nights; it is a real-world production about the country’s future.
ONCE A TOP TAXPAYER, ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CINER
The money laundering investigation into Can Holding has now expanded to the Ciner Group. The probe, which includes charges of fraud, money laundering, smuggling, and forming a criminal organization, now focuses on the $350 million sale of media outlets — including Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT — from the Ciner Group to Can Holding. According to Sabah daily, the funds were allegedly transported in suitcases and deposited in banks as cash. Turgay Ciner, once among Turkey’s top taxpayers and currently residing abroad, is now the subject of an arrest warrant.
PRESIDENCY SPENDING SOARED TO 12.5 BILLION LIRA IN 2024
The Turkish Presidency spent more than 32 million lira per day in 2024, according to financial records shared by the Court of Accounts. The annual total reached 12.57 billion lira, a significant increase over the previous year, BirGün reported.
TAX AUDIT FOR TEN THOUSAND BIG BUSINESSES
Tax inspections generated an additional 15 billion lira ($360 million) by targeting high earners who had not filed income tax returns.
KONUKSEVERLİK
Here at the tail end of the tourist season, the word of the week writes itself: konukseverlik, hospitality, or, in its Ottoman-tinted oldspeak, misafirperverlik. Every guidebook swears Turks are preternaturally welcoming; the national branding machine isn’t shy about it either. Yet while “hospitality” is the country’s trusty calling card, the numbers are more than brochure copy. Turkey received 23.6 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, marking an increase of 15.9% year-on-year, as tourism revenues hit a record $24.6 billion. By July, official arrivals had topped 31.2 million, the second-highest January–July tally on record.
ARBITRATION BOARD IMPOSES BELOW-INFLATION RAISES ON 6.5 MILLION PUBLIC SERVANTS
The Public Servants Arbitration Board has finalized wage hikes for 6.5 million civil servants and retirees, setting raises far below inflation and poverty thresholds after collective bargaining collapsed.
INEQUALITY WIDENS ACROSS TURKEY
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) has released for the first time socio-economic status data at the provincial and district levels, based on 2023. Covering more than 26 million households, the study highlights sharp inequalities across Turkey, measuring income, education, and occupation.
GOVERNMENT PAY RISE PROPOSAL SPARKS UNION OUTRAGE
The government’s first pay offer in collective bargaining—10% for the first half of 2026, 6% for the second half, and 4% for each half of 2027—was rejected by public sector unions representing about four million civil servants and more than two million retirees.