Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Rallying frequently since the arrest of CHP’s presidential candidate and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in March, CHP Chair Özgür Özel has continued directing sharp criticism at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in each major political debate.
Serdar Öktem, a lawyer and a key defendant in the murder case of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş, was shot by masked assailants armed with long-barreled weapons in Istanbul traffic. Öktem died in hospital Oct. 6 from his injuries. Initial findings suggest the attack was carried out by the criminal group known as the Daltons.
Serdar Öktem, a lawyer affiliated with the MHP and a defendant in the 2022 assassination case of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş, died after being shot outside his office by masked assailants on Oct. 6. The attackers opened fire while Öktem was inside his car in front of his office on Büyükdere Avenue in Istanbul’s Zincirlikuyu district. Surveillance video showed six bullet holes in the window of his car. Despite emergency medical intervention, Öktem succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Turkey and Italy signed a joint venture agreement for landing-gear maintenance, starting with T129 attack helicopters produced by Turkish Aerospace Industries, and aiming to expand capacity for military and civilian aircraft.The Military Factory and Shipyard Management Corporation of Turkey and Italy’s Magnaghi Aerospace will establish a joint maintenance center in Turkey. The Turkish side plans to extend services to civilian platforms, aiming to make Turkey a regional hub for landing gear maintenance and exports. The deal was signed during the technology and defense festival Teknofest Istanbul, on Sept. 19.
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli said that the time has come to issue a stern ultimatum against Israel, including military options, regarding Israel's attacks on Palestine and the regional actors.
The Ankara Municipality became the latest target of the crackdown against CHP-run municipalities, and CHP Chair Özgür Özel once again started highlighting Mayor Mansur Yavaş’s presidential candidacy. “Mansur Yavaş is seen as the strongest possible candidate if Ekrem İmamoğlu cannot run for presidency. Polls show he would beat (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan,” Özel said. “It is clear that Yavaş is also being targeted with the same intent.”
Aselsan has completed modernization work on its Koral Ground-Based Electronic Support and Electronic Attack system, which has been in service with the Turkish Armed Forces since 2016.
An attack was carried out on the Izmir office of the leftist newspaper Evrensel at around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 14.
You wouldn’t know Ramazan Şaşkın. Likely, no one does beyond his family, friends, and the people in his town. In his 38 years, Ramazan Şaşkın only became news in death. The story goes like this: “While battling a fire in Bursa, a firefighter suffered a heart attack and died.”
Despite strained ties with Israel following the October 7 attacks, Turkey has emphasized its key role in brokering a ceasefire in Syria’s Suweida province, where fighting between Israel-backed Druze groups and Bedouin Arab tribes had escalated to involve regime forces.
The chairs of Turkey’s ruling alliance launched coordinated attacks on the main opposition CHP, accusing it of internal disarray, corruption, and political opportunism.
The Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023 gave Netanyahu a golden opportunity to eliminate Israel’s adversaries in the region.