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
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
Ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Türkiye on November 5-6, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made an important statement on the Gaza crisis and relations with Israel. He said that severing relations with Israel over the Gaza crisis was not on the agenda, but that he would no longer deal with Prime
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan offered to act as guarantor for Israeli-Palestinian peace on October 16 at a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. I find it quite important. But first, I would like to talk about the diplomatic scandals that took place in the midst of the war and that were initiated
After the October 1st bomb attack on the Interior Ministry, which is claimed by the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) affiliated group, Ankara has adopted a more hawkish stance both politically and militarily. This hawkishness happens on two fronts, one military and the other diplomatic with two operations challenging the West. Statements from Foreign Minister Hakan
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye, from now on, regards all “infrastructure, structure, and energy facilities belonging to the PKK and YPG in Syria and Iraq as a legitimate target,” stating that two terrorists who carried out a bomb attack on the Interior Ministry on October 1 came to Türkiye from Syria. “All infrastructure,
Turkish Foreign Ministry on September 1 announced that Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on September 3 upon the invitation of Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran. “During the visits Minister Fidan will hold high-level meetings in Tehran. The visit will render the opportunity to
On August 25, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley gave an exclusive interview to the Jordanian TV channel Al-Mamlaka in Amman. This interview was mostly highlighted in the Turkish press on the grounds that the US had no intention of leaving the Middle East due to its energy interests, which
In his speech at the 14th Ambassadors Conference on August 7, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced Ankara’s vision for the 100th anniversary of the Republic as “making Türkiye one of the playmaker actors”. I wish he had emphasized more the importance of the Republic of Türkiye entering its second century against all obstacles, but a
The only common feature of the diplomatic contacts of Türkiye in the last few days, especially after the new bureaucracy was formed with the critical elections, is the focus on the fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). With Hakan Fidan, to whom President Tayyip Erdoğan entrusted the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) for thirteen