Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Türkiye has begun working on plans to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, following major developments in Damascus where opposition forces have taken control of the capital and President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly left the country. Speaking at the Doha Forum 2024 in Qatar, Fidan outlined Türkiye’s vision
Like many others, I have been watching Türkiye’s policies regarding immigrants, refugees, and foreigners, especially the citizenship process, with growing concern for a long time. The lack of transparency, ambiguous statistics, and the failure to clearly articulate the purpose of the pursued policies have transformed this process into one of the worst examples in the
With Donald Trump announcing his victory in the US presidential race, Türkiye is closely watching developments in Washington. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was among the first leaders to congratulate him. Trump’s first term was marked by an unconventional foreign policy that often relied on pragmatism and unexpected maneuvers, which led to a volatile relationship
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on the morning of October 10 that ships sent to evacuate Turkish citizens in Lebanon have departed for Mersin. The Turkish Armed Forces’ landing ships TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar, accompanied by the frigate TCG Salihresis, were sent to the port of Beirut two days ago with 300 tons of
Following the assassination of Hassan Nasrullah and 17 other senior Hezbollah leaders, Israel has launched a limited ground operation targeting the organization’s military infrastructure and leadership in Lebanon, which could significantly alter the geopolitical and security balance in the Middle East. As Iran’s most powerful proxy, Hezbollah plays a critical role in maintaining Tehran’s influence
The situation in Lebanon has taken a precarious turn, as highlighted by Israel’s recent attacks on Hezbollah. The country finds itself at risk of descending into a more complex and potentially bloodier conflict than it has seen before. This escalation is pushing Lebanon to its limits, with the potential for spillover effects reaching as far
When asked what would change for Türkiye if Donald Trump or Kamala Harris won the presidential elections in the US on November 5th, I can hear many of you saying “Nothing”. To understand, we need to look at which of today’s problems in Türkiye-US relations would be “normalized” – let’s not say solved – under
President Tayyip Erdogan delivered a speech on August 24th at the Aksaz Naval Base in Marmaris, vowing to further strengthen Turkey’s navy and army. The impressive TCG Anadolu, Turkey’s first amphibious assault ship, served as a backdrop. Anadolu had just returned to Aksaz after participating in a joint military exercise with the United States in
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on August 12 and, summarizing from the American State Department’s statement, asked Türkiye to use its influence to get Hamas to return to the negotiation table with Israel on August 15. Fidan, as I summarize from Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli’s statement, told him
