Turkish Domestic Politics: Analysis and forecast on all relevant developments and insight about Turkish politics with its repercussions in its neighboring countries
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s June 16–17 visit to Moscow was significant in several respects. Fidan not only met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He also conveyed a message from President Tayyip Erdoğan to Russian President Vladimir Putin, briefed the Russian side on the U.S.-Iran understanding and Türkiye’s role in it, and held talks with
The NATO Summit will be held in Ankara on July 7–8. Thanks to the summit, Ankara is also gaining a new airport. The long-underutilized Etimesgut Military Air Base has been upgraded to international airport status under the name “Ankara Airport,” capable of accommodating even the Boeing 747 used as Air Force One by U.S. President
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared victory in the June 7 elections. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party, which advocates peace with Türkiye and Azerbaijan (and, it should be added, Georgia as well), won by a clear margin over its closest rival, Samvel Karapetyan’s Russian-backed, anti-compromise Strong Armenia Party. The Armenia Alliance, led by former Prime Minister
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