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ANKARA–BEIJING TIES TESTED FROM HOTEL DOORS TO TRADE FLOORS
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Sep 19, 2025

ANKARA–BEIJING TIES TESTED FROM HOTEL DOORS TO TRADE FLOORS

It is not unusual for a Turkish citizen visiting China to receive a knock on the door in the middle of the night by a police officer. On my third day in China, I received a call from the reception telling me a police officer wanted to come up to my room to ask a few questions. I said that I would come down and while I was trying to get in touch with the German think-tank that had invited me to China, the receptionist and the police officer were at the door of my hotel room.

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ERDOĞAN HOSTS MAHMOUD ABBAS
Foreign Affairs Sep 19, 2025

ERDOĞAN HOSTS MAHMOUD ABBAS

Soon after Israel launched a major ground offensive in Gaza City, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for an unofficial visit in the Turkish capital.

Editorial Team
NEW HEAD OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS APPOINTED
Inside Turkey Sep 19, 2025

NEW HEAD OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS APPOINTED

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has appointed Istanbul Mufti Professor Safi Arpaguş as the new head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), replacing Ali Erbaş, whose term has ended after the completion of his term, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette.

Editorial Team
PEACE TALKS ROCKED BY CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH
Inside Turkey Sep 18, 2025

PEACE TALKS ROCKED BY CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH

The 11th session of Turkey’s parliamentary commission on the Kurdish peace process saw its first major confrontation, as comments made by a representative of the İslami Tebliğ Tedris İlim Hareketi Adamları Association (İTTİHAD) prompted a dramatic walkout by members of the DEM Party. The controversy began when Mehmet Beşir Şimşek, a senior figure in İTTİHAD, addressed the commission on Sept. 18. The group is widely known for its ideological ties to Turkish Hizbullah, which was linked to a series of extrajudicial killings in the 1990s, many involving victims bound and executed using the notorious “pig-tie” method.

Editorial Team
ERDOĞAN HOSTS MAHMOUD ABBAS
Foreign Affairs Sep 17, 2025

ERDOĞAN HOSTS MAHMOUD ABBAS

Soon after Israel launched a major ground offensive in Gaza City, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for an unofficial visit in the Turkish capital.

Editorial Team
GÜRSEL TEKİN, WHERE TO?
Portrait of the Week Sep 11, 2025

GÜRSEL TEKİN, WHERE TO?

Gürsel Tekin is the child of a family that migrated to Istanbul immediately after the 1980 military coup that turned Turkey upside down. The family’s roots lie in the province that was then called Kars, now Ardahan—a region where leftist and socialist movements were strong before the coup.

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