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.
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.
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.
PRIVATIZATION DEBATE REIGNITES AS ANKARA REPORTEDLY TAPS GLOBAL ADVISORS FOR BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS
A report regarding the privatization of the bridges on the Bosphorus and public highways has revived a debate in Turkey. The plan reportedly involves the sale of operating rights for the two Bosphorus bridges and at least nine major highways.
ALTUN EXPECTED TO BE NAMED TURKEY’S VATICAN AMBASSADOR
Fahrettin Altun, who was removed in July from the Directorate of Communications he founded and from his role at the Center for Combating Disinformation, is expected to be appointed Turkey’s ambassador to the Vatican, according to several diplomatic sources.
U.S.-IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN AMID TEHRAN’S RESERVATIONS OVER ISTANBUL
While Ankara has taken steps to reassure Tehran that it is a trustworthy interlocutor, those efforts appear to have fallen short. The United States and Iran have again agreed to meet in Muscat, the capital of Oman, rather than in Istanbul — highlighting Iran’s reluctance to accept Turkey as a venue for nuclear talks.
TURKEY AND GREECE: MANAGING DIFFERENCES, NOT RESOLVING THEM
The planned meeting of the Turkish–Greek High-Level Cooperation Council (HLC) in Ankara Feb. 9–13 comes when the calm in relations between Ankara and Athens conceals numerous fragilities.
AKP’S ELECTION BILLS ON THE WAY
With the “Terror-Free Turkey” process on one hand and the row over operations targeting CHP-run municipalities on the other, it’s easy to forget that the country’s main problem is deepening poverty and social decay.
CRACKDOWN ON HAIR-BRAIDING CAMPAIGN
A symbolic protest emerged after images circulated on social media showing the cut hair of a woman allegedly killed in Syria, in areas formerly under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The images sparked a wave of solidarity in Turkey, where activists, health workers, and even a football club adopted hair-braiding as a form of protest—prompting legal and political repercussions.
SYRIA, SDF EXTEND CEASE-FIRE AS U.S., TURKEY STEP UP DIPLOMACY
The interim Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have again agreed to extend a cease-fire in northern Syria by an additional 15 days, postponing the implementation of recent arrangements, as diplomatic engagement involving Turkey has intensified.
TURKEY SEEKS TO EASE U.S.–IRAN TENSIONS AS REGIONAL RIVALRIES EVOLVE
Turkey is seeking to position itself as a mediator between the United States and Iran as threats of attacks rise and diplomatic engagement intensifies, with the Turkish foreign minister set to host his Iranian counterpart in Istanbul on Jan. 30.
BAHÇELI MOVES TO STEADY TURKEY’S PEACE PROCESS AMID SYRIA SHOCKS
As the Turkish peace process with Kurds enters a period of turbulence following shifting dynamics and territorial changes in Syria, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, who initiated the process, has stepped up efforts to prevent it from unraveling even as rhetoric hardens between the ruling bloc and the DEM Party.