CHINESE TRAVEL PLATFORM PREPARES TURKEY ENTRY
Fliggy, Chinese tech giant Alibaba’s travel platform, is preparing to enter the Turkish market as parliament considers new legislation to regulate foreign digital booking platforms.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
NEW BILL TO CLEAR PATH FOR BOOKING.COM RETURN AFTER 9-YEAR BAN
A new legislative proposal submitted by ruling party AKP lawmakers aims to allow foreign online travel agencies, including Booking.com, to return to the Turkish market under a structured legal framework after nearly nine years of suspension.
FIDAN MEETS TRIPOLI AND BENGHAZI LEADERS ALIKE
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan traveled to Libya on Aug. 11 and 12, visiting both Tripoli and Benghazi, in what appears to be the first time a Turkish foreign minister has made a simultaneous visit to meet competing sides in the Libyan conflict.
BOOKING.COM TO BE ALLOWED TO RESUME FULL OPERATIONS IN TURKEY
A new legislative proposal will allow the Netherlands-based online travel agency Booking.com to resume full operations in Turkey.
MONTENEGRO ENDS VISA-FREE TRAVEL FOR TURKISH CITIZENS
Montenegro announced that citizens of Turkey, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Belarus will be subject to a new visa requirement as part of the country's accession with the European Union (EU).
THE FRAMEWORK OF ABDULLAH ÖCALAN
Amid the noise and turmoil within the CHP, it did not attract much public attention, but traffic around the Kurdish Peace Process has intensified in recent days. A DEM delegation traveled to İmralı and returned with a message from Abdullah Öcalan.
INVESTIGATION INTO CELEBRITIES EXPANDS TO İMAMOĞLU AND ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY
An investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into alleged drug use and prostitution involving celebrities has widened to include Istanbul Municipality and its jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, following media reports referring to secret hotel rooms, gambling, private parties and jet travel.
BELGIAN QUEEN MATHILDE TO SKIP ANKARA, MEET ERDOGAN IN ISTANBUL
Queen Mathilde is leading the Belgian Economic Mission to Turkey to bolster bilateral ties — but she will not be traveling to the capital, Ankara.
SİGARA / CIGARETTE
Sigara (and its unruly cousin, cigara) comes to Turkish via Italian — a linguistic clue that matches the prevailing historical account: tobacco reached the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century through Genoese trade routes, though some credit goes to the British. Origins aside, the word now points to a habit so entrenched it once traveled abroad as cliché: “smoke like a Turk.”
ERDOĞAN SKIPS TRUMP’S BOARD OF PEACE MEETING BUT STOPS SHORT OF WITHDRAWING TURKEY
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opted not to attend the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-led Board of Peace in Washington — much like he previously declined to travel to Davos for the initiative’s launch — signaling a calibrated diplomatic balancing act. While Erdoğan is among the few leaders known to have a personal rapport with U.S. President Donald Trump, he refrained from participating in both events hosted by Trump. Instead, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan represented Turkey on both occasions.
TURKEY GRANTS VISA-FREE TRAVEL TO CHINESE CITIZENS
Turkey will grant visa-free entry to Chinese citizens for tourism and transit travel, following a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette.
DEM PARTY DELEGATION VISITS ÖCALAN AFTER COMMISSION LAUNCH
A DEM Party delegation traveled to İmralı Island on Aug. 28 to meet with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, the first visit since Parliament formed the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission.