Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Turkey has once again been drawn into a debate over secularism after Education Minister Yusuf Tekin issued a circular instructing schools to organize Ramadan-themed activities, including the preparation of a “Ramadan checklist” for students.
As the first hearing in the main “corruption and bribery” case against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his colleagues approaches — along with the anniversary of his detention — CHP Chair Özgür Özel said there are preparations to delay the proceedings by another three months.
The “process report” that charts the roadmap for Parliament toward solving the Kurdish question has been finalized. The document did not push the limits of the AKP and MHP too far; it received a cautious “hopeful” endorsement from the CHP on the grounds that accepted democratic demands “must not remain mere words on paper”; the DEM Party deemed it “better than nothing” despite its shortcomings; and the Yeni Yol group welcomed with a familiar “not enough, but yes.”
The CHP emphasizes moving away from personalized, leader-to-leader foreign policy toward one grounded in formal institutions, rules, transparency, and oversight.
Diplomacy loves spectacle because spectacle is easy to schedule, easy to photograph, and very easy to mistake for substance. Add social media and you get the Olympics of visibility: who attended, who hosted, who was seated where, who spoke, and, in the end, who ate what.
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.
Otokar, the Koç Group vehicle manufacturer that signed a €857 million agreement with Romania in Nov. 2024, was fined for the second time for delays in the project schedule.
Havelsan, a company affiliated with the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with VN Maritime and Piloda Defence to become a partner in the production of hybrid and unmanned marine vehicles in Italy.
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.
The CHP was shaken by the resignation of Ankara’s Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, but the political momentum shifted after the AKP did not move forward with his expected transfer, leaving him politically isolated. CHP Chair Özgür Özel challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to publicly pin an AKP badge on Özarslan amid speculation he would join the ruling party.
The parliamentary commission examining the Kurdish problem is expected to complete its joint report by the end of February, marking nearly one year since PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the PKK to lay down arms on Feb. 27, 2025.
British energy giant BP became the third high-profile petroleum partner of state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) in the past month, highlighting Ankara’s efforts to increase upstream production while diversifying its alliances.