The photograph above is taken on March 9, 2023 in Brussels. President Tayyip Erdoğan’s Chief Foreign and Security Policy Advisor and Spokesperson, İbrahim Kalın, with Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar on his left, holing a press conference. The topic is whether Türkiye should give its approval to Sweden and Finland, two countries that want to join
Türkiye’s right-wing opposition İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener announced on March 3 that she defies the six-party opposition alliance over a presidential candidate, stirring debate that she left the alliance with her harsh tone. “I regret to say that at the point we have reached, the table of six has lost its ability to reflect
After the 6 February earthquake disaster, many experts examined whether there will be an impact or change in our foreign policy as a result of the aid and support provided to our country by more than a hundred countries. While our country is healing its wounds, this assistance asserts the human element. Turkey has also
With 18.2 million students and 1.1 million teachers, the Turkish education system is a massive one. Including the tertiary education, more than 25 million students have been affected by the school closures in Turkey due to the devastating earthquake on February, 6. In the following week, The Council of Higher Education (CoHE) announced that the
At their February 22 meeting, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) imposed broadcast suspensions and fines on Halk TV, Tele-1, and Fox TV for their earthquake coverage. On that evening, Halk TV was broadcasting a fundraiser to collect donations for tents and rental aid for earthquake victims. As the day turned to February 23,
On February 6, 2023, two equally destructive earthquakes struck Turkey leaving behind them an unprecedented loss of life and property. Eleven provinces were devastated. With every stone lifted, the ugly face of bad governance showed itself more clearly and exposed the level of incompetence that our institutions are suffering due to politicized appointments. The earthquake
The series of earthquakes that shook Türkiye and snuffed out lives has forced President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Tayyip Erdoğan to change his electoral tactics. Both the impression from the ruling circles in Ankara and Erdoğan’s recent moves and outbursts suggest that the president is preparing to turn the state’s earthquake repair
The insistent proposal made by Bülent Arınç, a founding member of the AK Party, to postpone the elections set for June 18, 2023, seem like an attempt to hammer the last nail in the coffin of our hybrid democracy, which now may be more aptly called an elective autocracy. Mr Arınç is surreptitiously suggesting that
The earthquake caused great suffering. Massive loss of life, numerous injuries, destroyed homes, broken families… It is hard to comprehend that pain unless you have experienced. There was also significant economic destruction due to the earthquake. Many homes and businesses collapsed, and many more became unusable. Schools, hospitals, and other public buildings should be
The February 6 Kahramanmaraş double-earthquake not only shook Türkiye with terrible loss of life and destruction. It also upset the political balance and increased economic uncertainty ahead of a critical election. Politically, President Tayyip Erdoğan and his twenty-odd year old AK Party government have been the most affected by this trauma. Erdoğan has a difficult