Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
The Mecca Joint defense Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan at the beginning of last month came as a surprise to many, although Turkey was interested in joining the defense agreement signed by the latter two a year ago. The new agreement goes further than defense cooperation due to a collective security pledge modelled on NATO’s famous Article 5.
The Trump administration has handed NATO allies a list of questions within the framework of an ongoing six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe.
International outrage erupted following the state-supported funeral ceremony for convicted Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic in Serbia. Critics worldwide denounced the honors as an attempt to glorify a perpetrator of genocide. Turkey joined the global backlash on Sept. 8, a day after the ceremony.
Kurdish politics is preparing for a major structural overhaul as Turkey is expected to move forward with its peace initiative, referred to by the government as the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process.
Soon after Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan announceda mutual defence pact, the Houthis stepped up their attacks, testing the new alliance.
The government and DEM Party disagree over how fast Turkey's Kurdish peace process should move, with AKP officials predicting the effort will extend into the new year while DEM Party, which will hold its congress Sept. 6, is pushing for results within a shorter timeline.
Turkey’s diplomatic network has grown from 163 missions in 2002 to over 260 missions, making it the third largest diplomatic network in the world.
Hafize Gaye Erkan, who served for less than a year as Turkey’s first woman central bank governor, is under legal attack from neighbors in a luxury Bodrum resort who say she has made their lives unbearable.
Conglomerates Vestel Elektronik and Anadolu Group are in advanced negotiations to sell their stakes in Turkey’s first domestic electric vehicle manufacturer TOGG.
Annual consumer inflation in Turkey remained above 30% for the 57th consecutive month in August. Official figures from TurkStat put August inflation at 31.5%, slightly slower than 31.75% in July.
In recent weeks, Turkey has been debating claims of a new constitution, a revision of the system of government, and changes to the electoral law.
Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın made a visit to Athens on Aug. 28, meeting his Greek counterpart Themistoklis Demiris, head of the National Intelligence Service (EYP), at its headquarters, and the trip was publicized to media with a week delay, as a rare example.