Following the two major earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitudes that caused severe destruction in Türkiye and Syria, the death toll continues to rise. According to Türkiye’s disaster management authority, AFAD’s latest statement 18,342 people died, 74,242 people injured as of February 10 at 8:30 (GMT+3). 75,780 people were transfered from the earthquake-stricken provinces to other
I asked Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomez Cravinho, whom I met with a small group of journalists after his visit to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu in Ankara, how would Portugal react if Türkiye approved only Finland’s NATO application and not Sweden’s, even though they applied together? The question is meaningful because decisions in NATO
It would have escaped my attention if I had not followed the Twitter accounts of two terrorism experts. One from Türkiye, Nihat Ali Özcan of the think tank TEPAV, and the other from the US, Bruce Hoffman from Georgetown University. Both drew attention to the fact that The Washington Post, in the caption of the
Türkiye’s six party opposition block held their 11th meeting on January 26, falling short of meeting high expectations with their joint declaration. The opposition cooperation that is often called the “Table of Six” has been regularly meeting since last February pledging to instate a “strengthened parliamentary regime” against the current “presidential governmental system,” which was
President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s announcement that he would use his presidential authority on March 10 to renew the election on May 14 quickly fuelled the debate that he would not be able to run again. Despite main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s statement that
Türkiye condemned Sweden over the burning of a copy of the Quran, the holy Book of Muslims in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on January 21, further straining ties between the two countries as Sweden seeks Turkish approval to be a member of the defense alliance NATO. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said
Among the contradictions Turkey faces ahead of the crucial 2023 elections is the gap between political activity that is in compliance with the Constitution and “realpolitik,” the German term for “politics in accordance with circumstances, not principles.” This is most evident in the question of whether President and ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) leader
One of the most prominent questions in Turkish public debates about the upcoming 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey is undoubtedly who will be the presidential candidates. Even though President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has not yet announced his candidacy, his name is almost certain for his People’s Alliance. When it comes to the opposition,
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to support peace and negotiation efforts, in a written statement by the Turkish Presidential Office on January 5. The statement was issued following a telephone conversation between Erdoğan and Putin. Türkiye has been in contact both with Putin and Ukrainian
Türkiye, Syria defence ministers held the first high-ranking meeting in Moscow along with intelligence officers on December 29, Turkish Defence Ministry announced. The meeting was attended by Turkish Defence Minister Akar, Intelligence Chief Hakan Fidan, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Syrian Defence Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas, along with Russian and Syrian intelligence chiefs. “Syrian