Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in İstanbul on May 16 for possible peace talks. These are the third round of negotiations between the two countries, since the Russian war on Ukraine started in 2022; the previous two were also held in Türkiye with the mediation of the Turkish government. This time, a high-ranking US delegation
The energy map of the Middle East may be redrawn with the revival of the Kirkuk–Baniyas oil pipeline—a move that could sideline Türkiye. Iraq’s decision to bring back to life the pipeline connecting Kirkuk with Syria’s Mediterranean port city of Baniyas is not merely an infrastructure investment; it’s a strategic maneuver capable of shifting the
Impatience is growing and nerves are on edge in Ankara because of a recent statement by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) regarding the “laying arms” congress that the President Tayyip Erdoğan administration is waiting for. Following a suggestion by Erdoğan’s ally, the MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, PKK’s founding leader Abdullah Öcalan called on
Six hitmen working for Israel who had been put to sleep in different European countries, were woken up two days earlier and sent to Tunisia. The day before, two ships of the Israeli navy, one of them a submarine, and a helicopter carrier disguised as a civilian freighter had been stationed off the coast of
I have been watching to see who would name it correctly. Finally, it was Tuncer Bakırhan, the Co-Chairman of the Kurdish-problem-focused Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM). The following sentence in Bakırhan’s address to the DEM Parliamentary Group on April 8 seemed like a routine proposal to the government. Still, it contained the actual name
At its March 27 meeting, the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Board (RTÜK) imposed the heaviest fines ever on TV channels that do not toe the government line. With the fines, Sözcü TV received a 10-day blackout penalty, and the cancellation of its broadcasting license is now imminent. According to RTÜK member İlhan Taşçı, who
İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on March 23rd by an İstanbul Court on duty on charges of “bid rigging, recording personal data, bribery and establishing an organization of interest”. İmamoğlu was not arrested on charges of aiding the PKK within the framework of the “urban reconciliation” with Kurdish politicians but nevertheless
The informal five-party Cyprus conference held on March 17-18, 2025, in Geneva once again highlighted the profound differences between the sides. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that the process would continue, with a new informal conference scheduled for July. However, despite extended discussions, no common ground was found for launching comprehensive negotiations. The conference’s most
Our short visit (*) to Armenia with a group of journalists from Türkiye allowed us to interview Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and talk to the country’s leaders. It is possible to summarize Pashinyan’s policy as ‘If you don’t have a big brother, it is best to make peace with the people in your neighborhood’. If