The first tangible outcome of the “Öcalan Initiative” – which MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli initiated by shaking hands with DEM Party members at the Parliament’s opening on October 1 – materialized on December 28. With President Tayyip Erdoğan’s approval, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç granted permission for two DEM Party heavyweights, Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya
When President Tayyip Erdoğan began reciting the opening verses of Surah Al-Fath in Arabic during his Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on December 25, amid chants of “Conqueror of Syria,” I wrote in my notebook “We’re going into Syria.” However, launching an operation against the PKK/YPG in Syria is one thing; conquest
Milking a cow constantly makes it hard to obtain sufficient and quality milk. Eventually, the cow becomes unwell and can no longer produce milk. The same goes for taxes. Extracting more taxes than citizens, businesses, and institutions can bear may lead to economic instability and injustice. Excessive tax burdens become unsustainable, especially for low-income groups
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced a sevenfold increase in the number of Syrian refugees voluntarily returning to their homeland in the last 15 days following the collapse of the 61-year-old Ba’ath regime in Syria and the flight of President Bashar al-Assad to Russia on December 8. Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA), Minister Yerlikaya
Last weekend, journalist Nevşin Mengü faced investigation over an interview, leading to her detention and subsequent release under judicial supervision with a travel ban. This weekend, journalist Özlem Gürses was investigated for a verbal slip during a live broadcast, resulting in detention, handcuffing, house arrest, and a travel ban. Additionally, news outlet T-24 came under
By Mehmet Öğütçü and Rainer Geiger The Middle East, scarred by years of political instability and economic upheaval, finds itself at a critical juncture. The crises in Syria and Lebanon lay bare the region’s fragility in stark terms. Yet, within this profound crisis lies a unique opportunity to rebuild the Middle East anew. No single
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler made significant statements about Türkiye’s armament program during his ministry’s 2025 budget defense at the Parliamentary Planning and Budget Commission on November 26. According to his statements, the United States, which had previously expelled Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, has apparently
The path to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was opened for senior Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioğlu. On December 3, the OSCE Permanent Council, which convened in Vienna, unanimously decided to submit Sinirlioğlu’s position as Secretary-General for approval by the OSCE Foreign Ministers to be held on November 5-6 in Valetta, Malta.
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
Turkish Defense Minister Güler stated that due to shifting geopolitical dynamics, the US could reinstate Türkiye in the F-35 program despite its possession of Russian S-400 missiles. Turkish National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler announced that the US might readmit Türkiye to the F-35 sales program despite its possession of Russian-made S-400 missiles, confirming that a