By Ferdi Tanhan – Deputy Chairman and Diyarbakır Provincial Chairman of the Vatan PartyOn July 11, the PKK held a symbolic disarmament ceremony in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah with a group of 30 members and announced that the organization had been dissolved. The process, officially referred to as a “Terror-Free Türkiye,” is ongoing. A parliamentary commission, with participation from multiple parties, is ...
The US is planning to establish a new order in West Asia by mending ties between Türkiye and Israel through Syria. From Washington’s perspective, Türkiye is a partner it cannot afford to lose entirely in the region. And Israel is the US’s outpost in West Asia. So, easing tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv is of primary importance to the ...
Ending 40 years of terror versus destroying the foundations of the republic – the opposing arguments in Türkiye’s current debate could not be further away. At their core is a process that became public in October 2024, when the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli proposed a ‘right to hope’ for Abdullah Öcalan, founder and leader of ...
Despite the arrival of summer, Türkiye’s political agenda remained intense last week. The most prominent topic was the ruling party’s efforts for a new constitution. Process that the government’s started with the banner “terror-free Türkiye”, drawing international attention after PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan called on the organization to lay down arms, continues. Last week was also the Eid al-Adha. Political ...
By Adem Kılıç, Political Scientist/Author In the defense industry, Türkiye has evolved from a structure that was 80% foreign-dependent just 20 years ago to a point where it has reduced its foreign dependency to around 20%, largely based on independent, domestic and national production. However, this transformation does not only mean increasing military capacity. It means diversifying Türkiye’s foreign policy ...
By Deniz Yıldırım How was Abdullah Öcalan’s call to lay down arms and dissolve the PKK received among PKK circles in Europe? What did Kurdish associations, writers, and academics say about this call, which is likely to have significant repercussions in Türkiye, the region, and Europe? Some within PKK-affiliated circles voiced strong support, calling it “a major historical opportunity” and ...
As always, Türkiye’s agenda is intense. The massacre of Alawite civilians in Syria topped the headlines. Many political parties and organizations including the main opposition party, Republican People’s Party (CHP), made statements about the incident. Meanwhile, the “democratic initiative” process launched by the coalition partner of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Nationalist Movement Party’s (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, unfolds ...
By Fikret Akfırat One of the two groups that do not comply with the new Syrian government’s decision to eliminate armed groups and form a central army are the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a “disguise” of the PKK/YPG. The second group is the Syrian National Army (SNA) supported by Türkiye. Türkiye, which has the largest military force in Syria, and ...
The United Kingdom and Iraq have a signed a comprehensive agreement on cooperation in trade, commerce, infrastructure and defense on January 15, 2025. The UK announced its overall volume as 12.3-billion-pound sterling. It includes UK investments in water pipelines, the construction of railways, cooperation in the energy sector as well as British presence and overhaul of an Iraqi military ...
Concurrent with HTS’s takeover of Damascus and the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel began to expand its occupation into Syria from the Golan Heights, moving Deeper into the country. Simultaneously, PKK/YPG is also expanding its area of control, moving closer to Israel. Israel and PKK/YPG’s moves taken together highlights the “Second Israel”, namely the establishment of a “Kurdish state” with ...
UWI author, historian and political scientist Associate Professor Mehmet Perinçek evaluated the fall of Bashar Assad. Perinçek focuses on the character of the actors and forces in the new government in Damascus. To foresee what might unfold in Syria from now on, we first need to understand the roles of those who have come into power. The US and Israel ...
UWI author, historian and political scientist Associate Professor Mehmet Perinçek evaluated the recent developments in Aleppo focusing on their background and implications for Türkiye. The territorial integrity of Syria and Türkiye The key phrase when assessing developments in Syria from Türkiye’s perspective is: “The territorial integrity of Syria means the territorial integrity of Türkiye”. If we read the phrase reversing ...