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
When President Tayyip Erdoğan mentioned the possibility of Türkiye parting ways with the European Union on his way to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, no one from the EU has so far said “Don’t go, stay; we’ll give you what you want”. Perhaps there is an expectation among the Turkish President and
The US administration imposed sanctions 5 Turkish companies and 1 Turkish citizen for violating US sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war, Reuters reported on September 14. “For the past 18 months, we’ve shared our concerns with the Turkish government and private sector and informed them of the significant risks of doing business with those
Strong defence ties and the need for geostrategic cooperation between Türkiye and the US used to provide the main resilience against problems and crises between two countries. The level of economic and trade ties, by contrast, never reflected the strategic cooperation between the two allies. In fact, Türkiye’s purchase of armaments constituted the main bulk
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
On August 16, Russian media reported that Russian armed marines raided a cargo ship with a Turkish crew and Turkish ownership. In the same week, Turkish citizens learned from the British media that Ankara has signed an immigration agreement with the United Kingdom. And then, as a third stroke, Libyan, Russian, and Greek media reported