It was announced by its leader, Mazloum Abdi, in Damascus on the evening of August 25 that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had dissolved itself and joined the Syrian army. Abdi made the announcement at the Presidential Palace after meeting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa. He was wearing not guerrilla clothes but a smart suit, just
There were two current elements missing from the summary of President Tayyip Erdoğan’s phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on the evening of August 17, as released by the Directorate of Communications. One was the fact that the Russia-Ukraine War was not mentioned, despite Russia’s reaction to Türkiye’s arms sales to Ukraine. The other
The framework law, the key document serving as the roadmap for implementing the “Terror-Free Türkiye” process, was approved by a clear majority in a vote held in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) on August 10. The bill for the law, whose full name is the “Law on Strengthening National
Should the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye extend the “right to hope” to PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, this practice would also cover Selahattin Demirtaş, Osman Kavala, and all prisoners in similar situations. On the evening of 5 February, after confirming this information in Ankara’s political circles, I was granted permission to report it on the
Tension over Syria is rising in Ankara on two interconnected levels. One is the military pressure Israel is exerting on the Ahmed al-Shara administration and on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The other is the SDF’s reluctance to take responsibility for the disarmament process—acting as if it has no connection whatsoever with the PKK—while keeping
A workshop titled “Looking Together Toward a Shared Future” was held in Ankara on 1 December, bringing together around 60 representatives from political parties, business groups, civil society, research organizations, and the media. The event was jointly organized by the Diyarbakır-based Rawest and Kurdish Studies Center and the İzmir-based Bayetav. Discussions focused on the political,
Within the framework of the government’s “Terror-Free Türkiye” project, it was announced that the delegation of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission—established under Parliament—met with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on İmralı Island Prison on 24 November. In the statement released by the Office of the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM),