The meeting between the head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT), İbrahim Kalın, and Hamas leader İsmail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar, on February 3 has increased the curiosity of Ankara diplomatic circles recently. A few hours after Anadolu Agency’s report, citing security sources, Hamas spokesman Osama bin Hamdan announced overnight that no new ceasefire
“If we had not been there, the organization’s attacks on our borders would have continued as before and we would have paid a higher price in our own cities,” Yaşar Güler said on January 16 as he and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan briefed the Turkish Grand National Assembly in response to the PKK attack to
President Tayyip Erdoğan is on the verge of one of the most difficult decisions of his political life. He has to take this strategic step with high political risk not only as a president but also as a rulnig Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Parliament’s winter recess ends
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s glance at Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç’s cell phone has become a hot topic in Ankara politics. We will get to that, but first, let me tell you the news. When it was revealed that no replacement for Türkiye’s Ambassador to Washington Murat Mercan, who will complete his term on January 14
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Jan. 6 in Istanbul as a part of his week-long diplomatic tour amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly in the context of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The high-level meeting attended by Fidan, National Intelligence
The Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee approved Sweden’s NATO membership protocol at its meeting on December 26. Once the approval is voted by the General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Türkiye will be deemed to have ratified Sweden’s NATO membership. Political sources say that the plenary vote is likely to take place on
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
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
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
Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee decided to postpone the deliberations on Sweden’s Accession Protocol to NATO, stating that they needed more information from Sweden about its commitments at the first meeting after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed the protocol for the parliamentary approval. The Foreign Affairs Committee on November 16 voted to adjourn the meeting