PEACE PROCESS MOVES FORWARD, BUT FEARS OF SABOTAGE GROW
With the framework law in force and mechanisms in place to allow the return of PKK militants, the peace process has moved into a new phase — not without controversy.
Analysis
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BIG MAC INDEX SUGGESTS LIRA IS SEVERELY OVERVALUED
Former Treasury Undersecretary and prominent economist Mahfi Eğilmez calculated that the fair value of the US dollar should be 65 liras based on the Big Mac Index, far above the market exchange rate of 47.50 liras and warned that the holding the exchange rate below its fair value inflates the country's GDP and per capita income figures on paper without making Turks any richer.
COURT ENDS FIRST İMAMOĞLU TRIAL SESSION WITHOUT HIS DEFENSE
The four-month-long first session of the Istanbul Municipality trial ended on July 8 without the testimony of its main defendant: Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Istanbul mayor and ousted CHP administration's presidential candidate, who is accused of being the leader of an alleged criminal organization.
FIRST WARSHIP EXPORT TO A NATO AND EU MEMBER
The first of the Hisar-class ships designed to meet the navy's patrol requirements, was sold and delivered without ever entering the inventory.
AFTER PERSEPOLIS, WHO WILL DRAW US?
Marjane Satrapi's family said she died of sadness brought on by a profound sense of loss. It is difficult to think of Satrapi without the vocabulary of loss. What she drew, again and again, was loss, the loss of childhood, country, language and return. In the end, according to those closest to her, another loss, the love of her life, silenced her.
CASH FLOW BECOMES PRIORITY IN SHIPBUILDING
Turkey is considering generating cash flow by exporting newly built naval platforms originally designed to meet domestic requirements. The first of 10 light corvette-class vessels planned for the Turkish Navy, the TCG Akhisar (P-1220), was sold straight to Romania without entering the Turkish inventory after its completion in December 2025. Ankara is now in talks to sell two newly built I-class (Istanbul/İstif-class) frigates to Indonesia.
ERDOĞAN SIGNALS NEW PHASE IN KURDISH ISSUE AS CHP SKIPS PARLIAMENT OPENING
The new legislative year of the Turkish Parliament opened without the CHP, which boycotted the session in protest at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ongoing crackdown—starting debate over parliamentary legitimacy. Erdoğan swiftly countered the criticism, declaring that “legitimacy comes from the people.” He followed his remarks with a symbolic gesture: shaking hands with all parliamentary group leaders, including first-time photo-ops after many years with the heads of AKP offshoots DEVA and the Gelecek Party. Notably, Erdoğan coolly used his address to tell the pro-Kurdish DEM Party that the next phase on the Kurdish issue will be implementation. Praising the work of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission for holding 12 meetings so far with broad participation from political parties, Erdoğan said, “Once the commission completes its work, we will undoubtedly have very important findings in hand. The next phase will be the implementation of the proposals raised within the commission, as a result of consultation and consensus.”
ERDOĞAN SUPPORTS GAZA DEAL AS PRO-GOVERNMENT MEDIA BREAKS RANKS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan without addressing its specifics, even as pro-government media criticized the proposal and the main opposition party expressed conditional backing.
BAHÇELİ DRAWS THE MAP, ERDOĞAN HOLDS THE WHEEL
Ahead of the AKP’s inaction, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli has outlined a detailed institutional framework to advance the peace process, urging all three branches of government to take concrete steps — while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared his government's determination to see it through without giving up caution.
TURKEY’S MIGRATION INTEGRATION RECORD SHOWS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT
“Turkey is managing migration without talking about migration in the public sphere,” the head of an international non-governmental organization dealing with migration issues told me.
DEM PUSHES FOR A NEW STATUS AND HOME FOR ÖCALAN
The DEM Party is pushing the government to take legal steps to clarify PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s status, including the allocation of a house on İmralı Island, yet the government is buying time without providing clarity on the transition law.
NEW TURKISH CYPRIOT PRESIDENT WARNS AGAINST RUSHED PEACE TALKS
Tufan Erhürman, the newly elected president of Northern Cyprus, voiced guarded expectations ahead of his first trilateral meeting on Dec. 11 with Greek Cypriot figure Nikos Christodoulides and UN envoy María Ángela Holguín. Speaking to Turkish journalists, Erhürman said that shifting regional dynamics and a long record of unsuccessful rounds make a rapid return to substantive talks unrealistic — particularly without agreed-upon parameters.