Türkiye had another quite busy agenda last week. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan signaled that Türkiye could become involved in the ongoing war in Yemen under the framework of the Mecca Agreement. Another topic on the agenda was a FETÖ investigation on the producers and screenwriters of the popular television series Valley of the Wolves (Kurtlar Vadisi). Another investigation into alleged ...
Türkiye’s Africa policy has in recent years evolved into a multidimensional process that needs to be assessed not only in terms of the expansion of economic and diplomatic relations, but also within the framework of changing geopolitical priorities. One of the most noteworthy examples of this transformation is that Türkiye’s policies towards Somalia in East Africa and Libya in North ...
The future of the S-400 air defense systems Türkiye purchased from Russia in 2019 has once again come onto the agenda. Security sources from Türkiye say that the possibility of selling the systems to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is being discussed, and that the issue was raised during the latest meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President ...
As always, Türkiye had a busy agenda last week. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held in Bishkek. Following the detention of the opposition mayor of Üsküdar, a centrally located district of Istanbul, the municipality passed into the hands of the ruling party after a controversial election. Another important development of the week was the reopening ...
In recent days, two mutually reinforcing developments have taken place in Türkiye regarding the government’s new political orientation: the Mecca Agreement signed between Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, and the Framework Law passed by Parliament. The Mecca Agreement: a step in line with the US’ new strategy There are several indications that the government has abandoned the carefully calibrated “policy ...
By Ali Alsaç It would be incomplete to view the marine national parks declared by Türkiye in the Eastern Mediterranean and the northern Aegean merely as an environmental measure. This decision is part of a much broader process reflecting the stage Türkiye has reached in recent years in terms of state capacity, its understanding of security, and its foreign-policy orientation. ...
By Adem Kılıç, Political Scientist Israel’s attack on the Abu Zuhur Military Air Base in northern Syria should not be viewed merely as a new link in the chain of conflict in Syria. The real significance of the attack is that, for the first time, Israel has made Türkiye’s increasingly growing military, political, and strategic influence in Syria such an ...
By Erkin Feyyaz Eşli In recent months, pressure on Türkiye as a major global player has intensified. The United States is the big source of this pressure. Our Western allies are fully aware that Türkiye has become too powerful and independent to be controlled. It is precisely for this reason that machinations are being woven around our country, aimed at ...
Despite the August heat, Türkiye had a busy agenda last week. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Libya and Egypt. Israel’s attacks on Syria were another widely discussed topic. And the debate over the “framework law” related to the disarmament of the PKK terrorist organization continued. Foreign Minister visits Libya and Egypt Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan paid important visits to Libya ...
On August 7, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan signed the “Mecca Mutual Defense Agreement.” The agreement came as a surprise. But that surprise is hardly surprising: there had been no sign that such a pact was in the works. At least not for those “outside the state apparatus.” The process that led to the agreement remains as obscure as the ...