Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Turkey wants NATO to address threats from all directions — including from Middle Eastern countries — during the Ankara Summit on July 7-8. 'We are reminded that what happens in the south does not stay in the south,' said Ambassador Mehmet Burçin Gönenli, director general for International Security Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, speaking at the 18th Istanbul Security Conference organized by Başkent University and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan renewed his commitment to the “Terror-Free Turkey” process even as signs emerged of internal division within the government over whether the PKK is disarming and the PKK accused Turkey of stalling.
The legislation comes amid disagreements with Greece and Israel in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Parliament has passed sweeping tax exemption measures for goods, services, and imports tied to the country's hosting of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, scheduled to take place in Antalya from November 9–20.
Following Tufan Erhürman’s landslide victory in the presidential election with almost 63% of the vote in Northern Cyprus, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP)—which Erhürman formerly led—is preparing to take power in the upcoming general elections, expected by January 2026 at the latest. Sıla Usar İncirli, 54, the CTP’s new and first female chair, said that the party favors a federation model as part of the search for a solution in Cyprus, and they have begun drafting their government program.
Queen Mathilde is leading the Belgian Economic Mission to Turkey to bolster bilateral ties — but she will not be traveling to the capital, Ankara.
Journalist Deniz Zeyrek writes about a closed-door briefing organized by AKP's media and communications chief Faruk Acar, at which Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to senior editors and Ankara bureau chiefs from pro-government outlets about Turkey's foreign policy. Zeyrek identifies three problems with the meeting.
Turkey is preparing to host a NATO Summit for the first time in 22 years, and is working to finalize both the list of invitees beyond member states and the summit's agenda in consultations with the NATO Secretariat through a series of meetings.
“Turkey is managing migration without talking about migration in the public sphere,” the head of an international non-governmental organization dealing with migration issues told me.
Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş. The three clubs that come to mind when one speaks of football in Turkey. They are also known as the “Big Three.” In fact, all three are Istanbul clubs. But they have histories stretching back nearly 120 years. They are the teams with the most league titles.
TA that signed engines agreement with GE is currently developing the Kaan and Hürjet aircraft.
The specifications announced far exceed any product developed by the Turkish defense industry to date.