Journalist-Writer
I am writing this fully aware that Özgür Özel may now face every conceivable obstacle ahead of him — from expulsion from the CHP to the lifting of his parliamentary immunity and even imprisonment. Yet the “absolute nullity” ruling issued by the judiciary does not appear likely to benefit either Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who has been
Politics in Türkiye has seen dark days before. The country witnessed the ruling caliph-sultan collaborating with occupying armies; in the words of Nazım Hikmet, it “saw fire and betrayal.” After the transition to multi-party politics, it was shaken by coups in the Cold War atmosphere. Parliament was shut down, political parties were banned, and politicians
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of the “absolute nullity” and “void ab initio” lawsuit filed for the annulment of the 2023 CHP Congress in which Özgür Özel was elected to replace Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP). In its ruling announced on May 21, the 36th Civil Chamber
In recent days, significant diplomatic activity has been observed in Turkish foreign policy both on the Western front — namely NATO and the European Union — and on the Eastern front, shaped by developments surrounding Iran and Israel. In this context, President Tayyip Erdoğan’s phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen came
There was an interesting meeting at the British Embassy in Ankara on the evening of May 12. In a rather unusual arrangement, the invitation-only gathering — organized with the support of the French and German embassies as well — focused on the NATO leaders’ summit to be held in Ankara on July 7–8. Under the
At the SAHA defense exhibition, which opened in İstanbul on May 5, the biggest surprise was the announcement that Türkiye had reached the manufacturing stage of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). A mock-up of the “Yıldırımhan” missile — said to be capable of delivering a 3-ton warhead over a distance of 6,000 kilometers — was
The fact that Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz signed the agreement in Yerevan on May 4 with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the restoration of the historic Ani Bridge coinciding with President Tayyip Erdoğan’s renewed remarks on Türkiye–European Union relations was no coincidence. Ankara assesses that the tension in Türkiye–EU relations—no longer possible to conceal—has
Recent developments over the past week indicate a concerted effort to disrupt the delicate balance of “active neutrality” that Türkiye has been trying to maintain within the US–EU–NATO triangle, against the backdrop of what increasingly appears as a US-backed Israel–Iran war. The cards are now being played face up; there is little need for concealment
On the evening of April 11, when it became clear that the first round of talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan would yield no results, Benjamin Netanyahu took to his X account with a message targeting both Türkiye and the Kurds: “Under my leadership, Israel will continue to fight against Iran’s terrorist
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met President Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on April 4. We do not know whether the timing of the visit was deliberately arranged, but since he was already in Istanbul—and as it coincided with Easter—he also visited Patriarch Bartholomew. Later, in a move that, like his Istanbul visit, had not been announced