Turkish Domestic Politics: Analysis and forecast on all relevant developments and insight about Turkish politics with its repercussions in its neighboring countries
The reactions—both spoken and unspoken—of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) following U.S. President Donald Trump’s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reveal more than diplomatic caution. They point to deep unease in Ankara’s relations with Washington. Trump’s recent posture—issuing implicit threats to countries from Iran to Cuba, Colombia
Ankara did not take seriously—did not even consider a threat—the attempt by Israel, Greece, and Southern Cyprus to form an alliance against Türkiye. On December 24, President Tayyip Erdoğan described the statements made by the three leaders in Jerusalem on December 22 as “tin clatter” and a “provocation” that Türkiye would not fall for. The
On December 22, the very day Ankara virtually launched an SDF-focused diplomatic offensive toward Damascus, Israel formed an anti-Türkiye alliance together with the governments of Greece and Southern Cyprus. As Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Director İbrahim Kalın were meeting in Damascus with President Ahmed
Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler announced that Türkiye has been providing Tehran with daily intelligence on the PKK and its Iranian affiliate PJAK, which—contrary to their promise to disarm and come to Ankara in anticipation of a regime change in Iran during the Israel–Iran war in June 2025—transferred armed forces from Iraq instead. Speaking
Cyprus has seen countless diplomatic moments that promised more than they delivered. The island has lived through phases of hope, disappointment, silence and outright denial of shared political space. Yet something quietly significant happened in Nicosia last week. For the first time since the collapse of the Crans Montana negotiations in 2017, the two Cypriot
As Syria’s new regime completes its first year on Dec 8, Ankara has sent three warning messages—via the SDF to the PKK and to the SDF’s patron, the United States—indicating that “the wind may turn” if the current course continues: 1. Statements by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Doha Forum 2. Visits to Damascus
TBMM Commission’s 4 December Meeting Seen as Critical for 2026 Phase of “Terror-Free Türkiye” The 4 December meeting of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Commission is viewed as a crucial milestone for the AK Party–MHP alliance’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative as it enters the first half of 2026. In his opening remarks on 5
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that the Russia–Ukraine conflict is spreading to a wider region, calling the trend “deeply alarming.” Speaking after the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting on Ukraine in Brussels on December 3, Fidan said the European Union’s expectations from Ankara are being “held hostage” by the Greek Cypriot Administration. Fidan also noted
A workshop titled “Looking Together Toward a Shared Future” was held in Ankara on 1 December, bringing together around 60 representatives from political parties, business groups, civil society, research organizations, and the media. The event was jointly organized by the Diyarbakır-based Rawest and Kurdish Studies Center and the İzmir-based Bayetav. Discussions focused on the political,
Within the framework of the government’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” project, it was announced that the delegation of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission—established under Parliament—met with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on İmralı Island Prison on 24 November. In the statement released by the Office of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM),