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
İstanbul’s opposition CHP member Metropolitan Mayor (IBB) Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained from his home on the morning of March 19. At 06:15 in the morning, the police arrived with a force of 20 vehicles at his official residence in Rumelihisarı district. They detained İmamoğlu within the framework of the investigation opened by the Istanbul Chief
On March 17 and 18, Geneva will host an international gathering again that promises all the grandeur of a high-stakes negotiation but none of the actual progress. The so-called “informal” Cyprus talks will bring together Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, along with the three guarantor powers—Greece, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom—under the watchful eye of
NATO has been the cornerstone of Western security for over seven decades, preventing another world war despite setbacks in various conflicts. However, with Donald Trump back in the White House and openly questioning America’s role in the alliance, NATO’s future has become increasingly uncertain. Can Europe step up and defend itself without the US? What
This sentence, uttered by the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to the Financial Times, summarizes the view of Türkiye regarding the changing global geopolitics in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s comments in the last few weeks. This sentence is preceded by “Türkiye would want to be part of any new European security architecture
The return of Donald Trump to the White House has reshaped global geopolitics overnight. His administration’s reassertion of the America First doctrine, alongside public threats to reduce US commitments to NATO and pressuring European nations to shoulder more of their own defense costs, has placed the European Union at a crossroads. While Europe has long
When I was writing my book “Kürt Kapanı (The Kurdish Trap)” about the full story of the capture of Abdullah Öcalan, the founding leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Süleyman Demirel, the Turkish President of the time, told me that İsmail Hakkı Karadayı, the Chief of General Staff at the time, had said