Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat has taken ownership for managing the EU’s “Made in Europe” initiative, which threatens Turkey with being shut out from the bloc’s new rules on supply chains and public procurement schemes.
Turkey’s diplomatic network has grown from 163 missions in 2002 to over 260 missions, making it the third largest diplomatic network in the world.
In Pirates of the Caribbean, cornered by the Black Pearl, Elizabeth Swann invokes “parley” under the Pirata Codex. Barbossa, with the convenience of a man who commands the only ship in sight, decides the Code is not quite law. Closer, he explains, to guidance.
Osman Kavala will turn 70 next year. He has been in prison for nine years. During those nine years, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled three times that his detention and conviction violated his rights and called for his “immediate release.” Most recently, just three days ago, the ECHR once again called on Turkey to “release him.”
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled against Turkey in a trade dispute brought by Beijing, declaring Turkish tariffs and severe import restrictions on Chinese electric and hybrid vehicles incompatible with global trade rules.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi signaled a new way to accelerate the voluntary return of Syrians from Turkey, saying the government is considering lifting their temporary protection status and easing visa rules instead.
The 'two-camp' character of Turkey's media — a divide that long predated the AKP but sharpened under its rule — is shifting after the 'absolute nullity' ruling that is changing the dynamics of Turkish politics.
In a July 2 joint statement with the European Union following the High-Level Economic Dialogue, Turkey agreed that EU-Turkey relations “should continue to be guided by values, such as respect for the rule of law, fundamental rights, democracy and media freedom.”
The top business association, TÜSİAD, urged the government to focus on development over mere economic growth. The meeting of the group’s High Advisory Council saw Chair Ömer Aras, who was detained last year after criticism over democracy and the rule of law, carefully avoid those topics this time around.
Parliament approved the first six articles of a landmark bill that includes a ban on children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms. Under the new rules expected to pass as a whole on April 14, social network providers will be prohibited from offering services to children who have not reached the age of 15.
The trial of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on corruption charges began on March 9, with the main defendant’s plans to challenge the legitimacy of the trial muzzled by the court and the media. After waiting nearly a year, İmamoğlu and 402 co-defendants — 107 of whom are under pre-trial detention — finally got their day in court. The hearings began with a confrontation between the court and İmamoğlu over his desire to make his case. He was allowed to deliver only a short statement on the second day and may have to wait at least until mid-April — in the best-case scenario — to present his full defense.
This year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC) held lively discussions on the global security environment, especially in Europe, and the collapse of the rules-based international order. Strained transatlantic relations, the Ukrainian War, and Iran, all burning matters for Turkey, were on the agenda. Figures such as Marco Rubio, Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached global audiences from the MSC. Turkey was not heard.