This article is one of the most challenging ones that I have written for a newspaper or any other media outlet. I will explain the reason at the end, but first, let me begin with the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) latest decision. The MPC, raised the one-week
The number of soldiers who were killed in the PKK attack on the Turkish Armed Forces base in the Khakurk region of Iraq on December 22 has risen to 12, according to the statements released by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MSB) as of December 24. The ministry released two statements on December 22
There used to be universities in Türkiye. I say ‘used to’ because universities in Türkiye have now become institutions that have lost their value and deviated from their purpose. In my recent interview on my radio program Antroposen Sohbetler (Anthropocene Conversations) on Açık Radio, I hosted journalist journalist Tuğba Tekerek. Our focus in the interview
The Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee announced on December 22 that it has added Sweden’s NATO accession protocol to their December 26 meeting agenda. The Foreign Affairs Commission announced on December 22 that it has included the “Proposal for a Law on the Approval of the Ratification of the Protocol on the Accession of the
Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate announced on December 21 that President Tayyip Erdoğan congatulated Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Es-Sisi on his election for the third term. At first glance, it appears to be a routine courtesy call, but Erdoğan had for years called Sisi a “coup plotter”, bringing Egypt-Türkiye relations to a freezing point. Before I
Germany’s national airline Lufthansa announced on December 19 that it signed a $9 billion deal with US aircraft manufacturer Boeing for the purchase of 100 aircraft and with Airbus for the purchase of 60 aircraft. Four days earlier, on December 15, Turkish Airlines (THY) announced that it had signed its largest-ever aircraft purchase agreement with
Perhaps Mr. Mehmet Şimşek, Turkish Minister of Treasury and Finance, will also need one “Sadık Abi.” “Abi” means elder brother in Turkish and is also a courtesy word for someone older than you whom you respect and like. Mr. “Sadık Abi” appears to be the janitor of the building where Central Bank of the Republic
Yesterday, on December 14, there were two important developments that show that Türkiye’s relations with both the United States and the European Union have become even more strained over the common denominator of Sweden’s NATO membership. One was the EU leaders’ summit’s acceptance of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia as candidate members, and the other was
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is set to announce its candidates for the upcoming local election on December 15. Before the big announcement where all the municipal candidates will be revealed, political traffic has become quite hectic. President Erdoğan had a meeting with New Welfare Party (YRP) leader Fatih Erbakan
Diplomatic efforts to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza continue, and the general inclination of the UN countries seems to shift against Israel. However, Netanyahu’s government, backed by US President Joe Biden, and his administration do not appear to be affected by the shift. Starting as a retaliation for Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7