In Türkiye last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call to the European Union was at the top of the agenda. Another significant topic was the meeting between Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The 8th Ordinary Congress of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) also received extensive media coverage. Erdoğan’s call to European Union President Erdoğan ...

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 ...

By Kamran Gasanov Ever since the Republican People’s Party lost the parliamentary elections and failed to get its president in May 2023, it has been struggling internally. One-party members started accusing then leader and presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of preventing other more popular candidates from being the CHP’s representative, which caused them to fail. Therefore, as early as November 2023, ...

By Ceren Ceviz The United States’ decision to approve a $7.4 billion arms sale to Israel, including bombs, missiles, and other military equipment, has drawn sharp criticism from Türkiye. This move, demonstrating unwavering support for Israel from Washington, runs counter to the interests of Ankara, which seeks stability and a peaceful resolution in the region. Türkiye believes that U.S. weapons ...

By Serdar Üsküplü The recent decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to shut down USAID has sparked a public debate about U.S. funding. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is not a humanitarian aid organization as it is often portrayed, but rather one of the tools of U.S. hegemony. Established in 1961 by then U.S. President Kennedy, USAID ...

By Adnan Akfırat, Chairman of the Turkish-Chinese Business Development and Friendship Association The whole of Asia, of which we are a part, is our homeland. Even if we are caught up in Western delusions, we should not deny our origins. We should wake up from 75 years of delusion and become one with Asia. This is what the “Asia Again” ...

The Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), known as a think tank close to the government in Türkiye, published its predictions for Türkiye’s foreign policy in 2025. The report titled “SETA Security Radar: Türkiye’s Geopolitical Environment in 2025” included assessments on how global developments will be in Türkiye’s geopolitical environment in the new year. The “opportunities and risks” ...

Last week was packed with major developments in Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during his visit to Ankara. Meanwhile, the tragic fire in Bolu plunged the nation into mourning. Another significant event was the arrest of Ayşe Barım, a talent manager for film and television artists, due to her alleged involvement in the ...

By Onur Sinan Güzaltan Turkish politics is once again undergoing an upheaval. It all began when Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the largest nationalist party in the country and the coalition partner of the ruling government, proposed that Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK terrorist organization, be allowed to address Parliament to call ...

Türkiye had a packed agenda last week. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan continued his focus on Syria, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made remarks regarding Donald Trump’s return to office. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu faced trial over alleged insults toward a prosecutor, and Victory Party leader Ümit Özdağ was detained on charges of insulting the President and inciting public hatred and ...