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ERDOĞAN AND MITSOTAKIS TO MEET IN BID TO MANAGE, NOT RESOLVE, DIFFERENCES
Guest Voices Feb 9, 2026

ERDOĞAN AND MITSOTAKIS TO MEET IN BID TO MANAGE, NOT RESOLVE, DIFFERENCES

The planned meeting of the Turkish–Greek High-Level Cooperation Council (HLC) in Ankara on February 11 comes when the calm in relations between Ankara and Athens conceals numerous fragilities. That’s just one reason why the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is unlikely to produce a breakthrough. Rather, the meeting aims to keep communication channels open while both sides pursue sharply divergent agendas in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

Guest Voices
ERDOĞAN’S SIMIT CALCULUS COLLAPSES — NOW DIVIDED BY THREE
Media, Internet and Culture Feb 6, 2026

ERDOĞAN’S SIMIT CALCULUS COLLAPSES — NOW DIVIDED BY THREE

Economic hardship has long been measured through the humble simit -— the sesame-covered circular bread sometimes called the Turkish bagel. Now the ruling AKP is being accused of shrinking even that symbol. Once used by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to show that a family could not afford a single simit and tea with the minimum wage, the calculation has taken a new turn: a simit divided into three.

Editorial Team
ADANA MAYOR FREED AS LEGAL CASES AGAINST CHP CONTINUE
Inside Turkey Feb 6, 2026

ADANA MAYOR FREED AS LEGAL CASES AGAINST CHP CONTINUE

Legal pressure on the main opposition CHP continued as allegations of drug use were expanded to include relatives of Ekrem İmamoğlu’s wife, while prosecutors finalized a separate “political espionage” indictment against the imprisoned presidential candidate. At the same time, an Istanbul court ordered the release of a high-profile mayor held on corruption charges, marking a notable shift in the broader judicial process. As a significant development in the ongoing corruption trials, the court ordered the release of Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar, who had been in detention since July. Karalar became the first CHP mayor to be freed since the start of the Aziz İhsan Aktaş case on Jan. 27. Eight other employees of several municipalities were also released.

Editorial Team
CRACKDOWN ON HAIR-BRAIDING CAMPAIGN
Media, Internet and Culture Jan 30, 2026

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.

Editorial Team
BAHÇELI MOVES TO STEADY TURKEY’S PEACE PROCESS AMID SYRIA SHOCKS
Inside Turkey Jan 30, 2026

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.

Editorial Team
HALDUN DORMEN: GOODBYE, MY SWEET
Portrait of the Week Jan 29, 2026

HALDUN DORMEN: GOODBYE, MY SWEET

This week, a century-old star of the stage passed away. He was 98. He had spent 70 of those years performing. The theater has bid farewell to one of its last great masters, Haldun Dormen. Despite this being a death, I chose a title that contains no word of mourning: “Goodbye, my sweet.” It may not appeal to everyone, but it suits Dormen.

Anonymous
TURKEY SEEKS TO DOUBLE TYPHOON PURCHASE FROM QATAR
Security and Defense Jan 29, 2026

TURKEY SEEKS TO DOUBLE TYPHOON PURCHASE FROM QATAR

Turkey is seeking to increase its planned purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Qatar to 24 aircraft, up from an initial 12, as Ankara explores options to secure additional airframes amid tightening global supply and rising demand, a senior defense source told Turkey in Depth.

Editorial Team