WHAT KADİR İNANIR LEFT BEHIND
This week, Turkish cinema lost the last of its truly beloved leading men. If only it had been a loss for cinema alone. All of Turkey lost Kadir İnanır.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
OPERASYON / OPERATION
The word of the week is operasyon, which is hardly surprising. Ahead of the NATO summit, Turkish authorities announced an operation resulting in hundreds of detentions.
TRUMP-ERDOĞAN BROMANCE DEEPER THIS TIME AROUND
Bilateral ties with the United States have seen many ups and downs. Currently, the Turkish-US relationship is going through one of those up periods, according to a high-level Turkish official.
NATO ACCREDITATION BAN BACKLASH REACHES BRUSSELS AS MEMBER STATES RAISE ALARM
After the reactions of Turkish journalists and media organizations over the refusal to grant them credentials to cover the NATO Summit in Ankara, some member states conveyed their concerns at NATO headquarters.
TIME FOR A CHANGE FOR TOP MILITARY AFTER NATO SUMMIT
Following the NATO Summit in Ankara, significant changes are expected within the top command echelons of the Turkish Armed Forces.
ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL ABDUCTED
Turkey needs more long-range and defensive missiles, according to the National Security Academy (MİA), a branch of the Turkish intelligence agency MİT.
MILLIONS OF RETIREES WATCH INFLATION DATA AS PENSION TALKS NEAR
Millions of retirees in Turkey are waiting for official inflation data due on July 3 to learn how much their pensions could increase in the second half of the year. TurkStat will announce June inflation figures on July 3, revealing the inflation rate for the first six months of 2026. The data will determine the basis for pension adjustments. The parliament previously set the minimum pension for workers and self-employed retirees at 20,000 Turkish lira ($434) as of Jan. 1, 2026. Any increase to that minimum pension level will require a new legal regulation.
ANKARA SENDS MIXED SIGNALS AFTER PASHINYAN ELECTION WIN
Questions about the future of Turkey-Armenia normalization have grown after Turkish Foreign Ministry removed key wording from its statement on Armenian elections, putting pressure on Armenia rather than also pushing Azerbaijan and it took President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan four days to congratulate the Armenian prime minister on his election win.
HIGH TENSION OVER CYPRUS
Before the government submits a bill to define Turkish zones of jurisdiction in the surrounding seas, Turkey and Greece have once again clashed off the coast of Cyprus.
COURT PAUSES LEGAL BATTLE OVER ISTANBUL’S ANCIENT BASILICA CISTERN
In the latest episode of a legal battle between the central government and the opposition-led Istanbul municipality, a Turkish appeals court on June 4 temporarily blocked the transfer of the historic Basilica Cistern, a major tourist attraction of Istanbul, from the municipality to the Directorate General of Foundations.
ECONOMIC GROWTH SLOWS AS FORECASTS REVISED DOWNWARD
The Turkish economy grew by 2.5% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, lower than the 2.7% growth expected by economists. TurkStat data showed that quarter-on-quarter GDP growth remained at 0.1%. Household consumption made the largest contribution to growth with 3.4 percentage points. However, industrial production contracted. Also, the negative contribution of net foreign trade expanded.
THE ECONOMY OF REASSURANCE
At Istanbul Airport, one can sometimes see the new Turkish economy walking past in surgical bands. Men arrive with thinning hair and leave with careful instructions, swollen foreheads and a cautious sense of restoration.