TURKEY REJECTS GREEK CLAIMS OF EFFORT TO BLOCK EUROFIGHTER MISSILE DEAL
Athens has succeeded in blocking Turkey’s access to the Meteor missiles it ordered along with the Typhoons, according to the Greek media.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
FIRST OUSTED, NOW OUT: ÖZEL FOUNDS RIVAL TO CHP
Özgür Özel, who in a historic decision was removed by court order from the party leadership to which he had been elected four times, announced his decision to establish a new party.
MASSIVE ARREST WAVE HITS ANKARA AHEAD OF NATO SUMMIT
More than 200 people were detained in police raids ahead of the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara. Following the sweeping operations launched by the Ankara police on June 23, courts have already ordered the formal arrest of 103 individuals out of 129 referred to the judiciary.
KILIÇDAROĞLU CONSOLIDATES GRIP ON CHP AS ÖZEL'S DEPARTURE LOOMS
Three weeks have passed since Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu reclaimed the CHP chairmanship by a court order on May 21 and it appears he has consolidated control across all the organs of the party.
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.
ÖZEL HAS THE CROWD, KILIÇDAROĞLU HOLDS THE SEAL, THE EXIT IS ANYONE'S GUESS FOR THE CHP
Turkey's oldest and main opposition party, the CHP, is now effectively divided in two after a court annulled the party's November 2023 congress and reinstated former chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in place of Özgür Özel. The split became more visible when both camps held rallies simultaneously at 2 p.m. on May 30. Kılıçdaroğlu returned to party headquarters to chants of 'Kılıçdaroğlu, the people's hope' — a stark reversal from just days earlier, when another crowd had branded him a 'traitor' and 'the AKP's hope' on May 24, reacting to the court-ordered change in the party leadership carried out with police support. The first head-to-head show of strength between the two camps laid bare a simple reality: Özel commands greater grassroots support, but Kılıçdaroğlu holds the formal authority to run the party.
TRUMP’S BOARD OF PEACE MAY HAVE FATAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKEY
This year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC) held lively discussions on the global security environment, especially in Europe, and the collapse of the rules-based international order. Strained transatlantic relations, the Ukrainian War, and Iran, all burning matters for Turkey, were on the agenda. Figures such as Marco Rubio, Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached global audiences from the MSC. Turkey was not heard.
SDF DIGS IN ALONG BORDERLINES
Following the suspension of the Paris talks by the Damascus government, the SDF, which advocates decentralized government in Syria, increased its activity in Raqqa, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and along the Turkish border after holding a conference in Hasakah with prominent Druze and Alawite figures, Turkish state-owned Anadolu News Agency reported on Sept. 5.
COURT RULING OUSTS ÖZEL, HANDS CHP BACK TO KILIÇDAROĞLU
A fresh blow has landed on the CHP as a court annulled the party's 2023 congress — the elective gathering at which the party leadership, including its chair, changed hands following an election defeat — ordering the party's administration to revert to its pre-congress configuration.
NO SIGN OF EXPLOSION ON CARGO PLANE CRASH IN GEORGIA
“It has been assessed that the life raft, having exited its housing, came into contact with the left tail-fuselage section of the aircraft, causing damage to the aircraft’s horizontal and vertical stabilizers, which may have led to the aircraft’s crash,” a Defense Ministry official said on the C-130 military aircraft that crashed on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on Nov. 11, 2025.
NATO CONDEMNS IRAN AFTER MISSILE INTERCEPTED OVER TURKISH AIRSPACE
NATO promptly reacted by condemning Iran after a missile targeted the Turkish border, saying: “We condemn Iran’s targeting of Türkiye. NATO stands firmly with all Allies, including Türkiye.'
TURKEY AND ARMENIA ON EDGE OF NORMALIZATION
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.