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EU DEALS WITH MERCOSUR AND INDIA DEEPEN TRADE ASYMMETRY FOR TURKEY
Guest Voices Jan 22, 2026

EU DEALS WITH MERCOSUR AND INDIA DEEPEN TRADE ASYMMETRY FOR TURKEY

The European Union’s push to conclude free trade agreements (FTAs) is reshaping the economic landscape around its periphery. Chief among these is the long-negotiated EU–Mercosur Trade Agreement, alongside accelerating talks with India. While these agreements are formally bilateral between the EU and third parties, their implications extend well beyond signatories. For Turkey, which is bound to the EU through a customs union covering industrial goods, these deals carry direct consequences—despite Ankara not being a negotiating party.

Guest Voices
FETİ YILDIZ AND MHP’S NEW TONE
Portrait of the Week Nov 28, 2025

FETİ YILDIZ AND MHP’S NEW TONE

Feti Yıldız is not a “latecomer” but a nationalist raised in the movement — a core MHP figure. With the Kurdish peace process, he became the party’s most visible face after Devlet Bahçeli. At 71, he carries the aura of a character who stepped out of the classic Yeşilçam cinema of the 1970s, and onto the political stage — as if he came from there, yet without acting. He simply is who he is. Of course, he is not the lead role; that belongs to Bahçeli. But even if Yıldız looks like a character actor, his strength lies in being exactly what he appears to be. He is not one of those shapeshifting politicians. He steers clear of the MHP’s trademark overblown patriotic rhetoric. He avoids slogans. He usually answers journalists’ questions by staying within the framework of his profession — the law.

Anonymous
WOUNDS BANDAGED, SCARS REMAIN: WHERE IS THE PEOPLE’S ALLIANCE HEADED?
Capital Currents Nov 7, 2025

WOUNDS BANDAGED, SCARS REMAIN: WHERE IS THE PEOPLE’S ALLIANCE HEADED?

Excluding their early courtship phase, the AKP and MHP have now completed seven years of formal partnership. In their partnership, branded the “People’s Alliance,” the two parties have gone through five electoral contests — one referendum, two general elections, and two local elections. Like any relationship, this one has had its ups and downs. Many of the rifts that the public interpreted as “cracks” or “crises” within the alliance were quickly smoothed over through mutual statements. But, the crisis of the past two weeks has been among the deepest since the alliance was formed.

Nergis Demirkaya
ERDOĞAN TO MEET WITH İMRALI DELEGATION FOR THIRD TIME
Inside Turkey Oct 24, 2025

ERDOĞAN TO MEET WITH İMRALI DELEGATION FOR THIRD TIME

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet with the DEM Party’s İmralı delegation for the third time on Oct. 28, according to party officials. The delegation will include Van MP Pervin Buldan and Şanlıurfa MP Mithat Sancar, both senior figures in the DEM Party.

Editorial Team
LAWYER ASSASSINATED IN FEUD BETWEEN DALTON AND CASPER GANGS
Inside Turkey Oct 10, 2025

LAWYER ASSASSINATED IN FEUD BETWEEN DALTON AND CASPER GANGS

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.

Editorial Team
KEY SUSPECT IN SINAN ATEŞ MURDER CASE SHOT DEAD
Inside Turkey Oct 6, 2025

KEY SUSPECT IN SINAN ATEŞ MURDER CASE SHOT DEAD

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.

Editorial Team
U.S. SANCTIONS IMPACT AIRCRAFT PROJECTS
Security and Defense Oct 2, 2025

U.S. SANCTIONS IMPACT AIRCRAFT PROJECTS

The CAATSA sanctions imposed by the U.S. for the past six years have also negatively impacted Turkey's aircraft carrier projects.Originally designed to deploy F-35Bs, the first ship named TCG Anadolu was converted into an unmanned aerial vehicle carrier when aircraft could not be procured from the U.S.

Editorial Team
ADDITIONAL TARIFFS ON U.S.-MADE PRODUCTS REMOVED
Economy and Finance Sep 26, 2025

ADDITIONAL TARIFFS ON U.S.-MADE PRODUCTS REMOVED

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan removed additional tariffs on certain U.S.-made products, including automobiles, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Presidential Decree was published in the Official Gazette, saying that no additional taxes will be imposed on imports of U.S.-origin products such as passenger cars, cosmetics and skin care products, leaf tobacco, and alcoholic beverages.

Editorial Team