SAUDI ARABIA LISTS HELP NEEDED UNDER MECCA PACT
Saudi Arabia has sent Ankara a list of the assistance it wants to defend against Houthi attacks in Yemen under the Mecca Defense Agreement.
Analysis
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NOD FROM EASTERN LIBYA SETS OFF MEDITERRANEAN TRAFFIC
Libya's eastern-based parliament has ratified the maritime deal with Ankara, rebalancing alliances across the Eastern Mediterranean.
ÜMİT KOCASAKAL: SINGING THE OLD SONG
Who is back? Ümit Kocasakal. He won the election for president of the Istanbul Bar Association on Oct. 25, returning to the post he held from 2010 to 2016. And which slogan did he bring back with him? “We are the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal.” He and his supporters chanted it together after his victory.
TWO FACES OF THE PROCESS: DISARMAMENT, YES. DEMOCRATIZATION, NOT YET
Two years into the PKK’s disarmament process, fears of stalling have resurfaced. DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan put it plainly: “The pace of the process has slowed.”
WITH VOTES SLIPPING, ERDOĞAN TURNS TO PENSIONERS EARLY
Losing votes over the fund scandal and shaken almost daily as new figures with party links are exposed, the AKP government launched its election campaign early.
JOURNALISTS MARCH IN TURKEY FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER 15 YEARS
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.”
GREEN SPONSORS, COAL PORTFOLIOS
Authorities launched a tax audit targeting Cengiz Holding, a prominent pro-government conglomerate, but the decision to move the case from Istanbul to Ankara has raised questions. The group is also facing fierce environmental backlash over its partnership in the COP31 climate summit.
FUND PAYOUTS BEGIN AS ERDOĞAN AWAITS AUDIT REPORT
Sweeping reforms to capital markets institutions will hinge on a State Audit Council (DDK) report on the multi-billion-dollar investment fund scandal, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan awaiting its findings before taking action.
THE WEIGHT OF SOVEREIGNTY
On Jan. 20, 1921, as the War of Independence was still being fought, the Grand National Assembly adopted a Constitution whose first article began: Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation (Hâkimiyet bilâ kaydü şart milletindir). On Oct. 29, 1923, the assembly added another sentence to that same article: The form of government of the Turkish state is the Republic (Türkiye Devletinin şekl-i hükûmeti Cumhuriyettir).
ALIYEV DOUBLES DOWN AS ANKARA REMAINS OVERLY CONCILIATORY
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.
BAKU WELCOMES UAE’S UN CANDIDATE AS ANKARA READIES CANDIDATE
Azerbaijan has welcomed the United Arab Emirates’ candidate for UN secretary-general just as Ankara prepares to put forward its own. Then, President Ilham Aliyev decided to skip the Organization of Turkic States summit in Ankara on Oct. 30.
YENİ PARTY GETS A BREATHER AS ÜSKÜDAR MAYOR GOES HOME
Sinem Dedetaş, the elected mayor of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district, was released to house arrest on Oct. 29, offering the Yeni Party a rare reprieve as prosecutors press ahead with operations against opposition-run municipalities.