EU SEEKS TO AVOID DIPLOMATIC TURBULENCE AS ANKARA SIDESTEPS CONFRONTATION
When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen listed Turkey alongside the bloc's strategic rivals, both Brussels and Ankara moved quickly to contain the fallout.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
GOVERNMENT TOURS EUROPE FOR TALKS ON PRIVATIZATION OF BRIDGES
A Turkish government delegation has been in talks across Europe with international investors for the privatization of Istanbul bridges and highways.
DEFINING RECIPROCITY AND THE MADE IN EUROPE CHALLENGE
Concerned by the risk of being excluded from trade with Europe, the AKP government is planning to amend the public procurement law.
DEFENDANTS CONTINUE CHALLENGING CORRUPTION INDICTMENT ON İMAMOĞLU CASE
The sixth week of the mass corruption trial of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 400 co-defendants produced some of its most dramatic courtroom exchanges. İmamoğlu and the presiding judge continued sharp exchanges while the municipality’s housing company, KİPTAŞ, chair Ali Kurt implicated senior government figures in a land scheme, and the European Court of Human Rights formally demanded answers from Ankara.
TURKEY KEEPS AN EYE ON PARALLELS IN HUNGARIAN POLLS
Hungary’s parliamentary elections on April 12 — described as the toughest test of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule — will be closely watched not only in Europe but also in Turkey by both the AKP and the opposition.
TARGETING THE CONSULATE OR TARGETING PERCEPTION?
“The plot of the terror act is amateurish, the implementation is professional,” a terrorism expert told me about the attack that took place in Istanbul on April 7.
SIGNALS OF A MARRIAGE RENEWAL WITH NATO
Turkey shows signs of renewing its ties with its NATO alliance partners amid the ongoing Iran crisis. The renewal of vows follows a tempestuous period in its relations not only with the U.S. but also with NATO following the acquisition of the S-400 air defense system from Russia. Particularly over the past 20 years, facing U.S. CAATSA sanctions and Europe’s covert arms embargoes in the fight against the PKK, Turkey’s government and opposition have both questioned the value of NATO membership.
UN URGES TURKEY NOT TO USE ANTI-TERROR LAWS AGAINST RIGHTS DEFENDERS
The excessive use of anti-terror laws came under renewed criticism in Geneva as five United Nations special rapporteurs issued a joint statement urging Turkey to stop criminalizing human rights defenders and lawyers.
WALKING ON A TIGHTROPE BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN
The war on Iran has once again revealed the confusing complexities of Turkey’s geostrategic positioning as a middle power between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
TOP OF THE CLASS LIEUTENANT LOSES CASE TO BE REINSTATED
Ebru Eroğlu, one of five lieutenants expelled from the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on the grounds of insubordination for raising their swords in the air and chanting the slogan “We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers” during the Military Academy’s swearing-in ceremony on August 30, 2024, lost the lawsuit to return to the military she filed against the Defense Ministry.
A SIGNATURE AND A DELAY IN THE EUROFIGHTER PROJECT
Following the signing of an agreement with the U.K. in Oct. 2025 to procure 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, the defense ministers of the two countries signed a contract for technical and logistical support regarding the maintenance and operation of these aircraft.
EU SEEKS SHARE OF TURKEY’S PUBLIC PROCUREMENT IN EXCHANGE FOR MADE IN EUROPE STATUS
The European Union has requested full access to Turkey’s public procurement market as a condition for including Turkish goods under the 'Made in Europe' initiative.