Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
On Oct. 24, journalists marched simultaneously in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Eskişehir, Antalya, Adana, Kocaeli, Diyarbakır and Van, answering a call from press unions and professional organizations including the Diplomatic Correspondents Association under the slogan “No to censorship, freedom for news.”
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, declined President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invitation to attend the summit of the Organization of Turkic States, scheduled for the day after Turkey’s Republic Day, marking one of the biggest crises in the two countries' close relationship. Despite Ankara’s visible steps to defuse the recent tension, his refusal to come on a date carrying symbolic importance for Turkey attests to the changing dynamics in the relationship since the military victory over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.
The crisis in Turkey’s Ponzi-style fund industry is heading for deadlock as the government refuses to disclose the 141 people and 73 companies that each made more than 100 million liras in unjust gains despite opposition demands for transparency.
More than a month after the fund collapse occurred, the shockwaves continue to rock the stock market. The crisis wiped out trillions of liras in corporate market capitalization and drove key valuation metrics to multi-year lows in Borsa Istanbul.
Turkey’s automotive sector is fighting a rearguard battle in Brussels after France and Germany agreed on Oct. 16 to a “Made in Europe” definition that includes the UK and Norway but leaves Turkey out.
Eight ministers will take up four regional files at their first joint meeting. Their host, Turkey, plans to raise nearly every other problem on the international agenda, all in a single day.
The first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister yields deals on defense, energy and air transport as Ottawa seeks to reduce its reliance on the US and makes a sharp U-turn toward finding alternative partners.
Bursa lawmaker Cemalettin Kani Torun, who left the Yeni Yol Party group of conservative opposition lawmakers in August soon after the Gelecek Party dissolved itself, joined the AKP and will be an adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the Terror-Free Turkey process and on Africa policy.
Despite opposition objections, the ruling AKP and its ally MHP hold a sufficient majority in parliament to pass the agreement.
Ankara confirmed the evacuation of four Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps, possibly clearing the way for the second phase of the “Terror-Free Turkey” process.
Fresh waves of judicial probes and detentions targeting opposition-led municipalities across Turkey are reshaping the country's local political landscape.
For decades, Turkish foreign policy in the Caucasus rested on a single, unshakeable motto set by former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev: 'One nation, two states.'