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
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
FUND CRISIS ERASES BILLIONS FROM BORSA ISTANBUL
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.
ERDOĞAN CALLS ALIYEV TO EASE TENSIONS AS BAKU BARS 31 TURKS
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a telephone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an effort to defuse a sharpening diplomatic rift between the historic allies, even as Baku escalated its stance by barring dozens of Turkish figures and initiating criminal proceedings against online critics.
R4+E3 DEBUTS IN ISTANBUL: A SHORT AGENDA AND A SPEECH ON ALL THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS FROM TURKEY’S TOP DIPLOMAT
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.
İMAMOĞLU: “IF YOUR RIVALS ARE IN PRISON, YOU CANNOT BE LEGITIMATE”
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu completed his four-day defense in the second session of his trial, directly targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in testimony after more than 600 days behind bars.
PEACE PROCESS STALLS AGAIN
The parliament has not established a commission to monitor progress on the surrender of weapons and personnel by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, and Kurdish groups are complaining the process is stalled.
FOUR PKK CAMPS VACATED, ALL EYES ON YEAR’S LAST SECURITY COUNCIL
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.