February 9 might mark a beginning of a new era in relations with the U.S. and Türkiye, depending on the news about the F-16 sales expected from Congress. It would be prudent to be cautious, but the US State Department’s statement on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s expected visit to Türkiye can be considered one of
After President Tayyip Erdoğan signed and sent the approval for Sweden’s NATO membership to the Turkish Parliament, U.S. President Joe Biden also notified Congress for the sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets and 79 upgrade kits to Türkiye for $23 billion. A 15-day process has commenced. To prevent the opposition in Congress from blocking the
Türkiye has approved Sweden’s participation in NATO’s Steadfast Defender 2024 military exercise, which is due to start this week, even though the nordic country is not yet a member. Steadfast Defender 2024, which starts this week and will last for three months, will be NATO’s largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War.
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
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 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
The European Commission adopted its 2023 Enlargement Package on November 8 and is testament to the direct or indirect influence of Russia. In a couple of decades, we may look back on the map of Europe and see how Russia has influenced the alignment of countries. We may have not noticed it, but Russia is
It would be a geostrategic fallacy to see US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s November 2-10 tour of the Middle East and Asia as solely about the Gaza Crisis. Likewise, it would be an exaggeration to say that the US and the European Union have put Ukraine aside because of its support for Israel, even
On Saturday, October 14th, marches for solidarity with Palestinian people and condemning Israel for civilian deaths took place in Istanbul (and many cities in Türkiye), as they did in many cities worldwide. It was the 7th day of the bloody clashes that began with the October 7 attack by Hamas upon Israel. Crowds of tens
Nikol Pashinyan’s political inexperience and opportunism continue to cost Armenia dearly, while İlham Aliyev’s dynamic alliance policy and experience continue to benefit Azerbaijan. Of course, while the Armenian leadership’s supporters, particularly the US and France, are losing ground, Iran is skidding in place, if not losing ground. Meanwhile, along with Azerbaijan, Russia, Türkiye, and Israel