Friday, April 29, 2022

Turkish opposition: Courting Turkey’s disenchanted electorate - Qantara.de

Turkish opposition Courting Turkey’s disenchanted electorate Despite the economic crisis and Turkey's increasingly undemocratic track record, surveys show the ruling AKP is still the party of choice. So what exactly is holding back the opposition? Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul More:Turkish opposition: Courting Turkey’s disenchanted electorate - Qantara.de

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Black Sea and Bosporus: Treaty tests Turkey's stance on Ukraine war

Turkey wants to be neutral in the Ukraine war. But a treaty from 1936 has it on a tightrope PUBLISHED WED, APR 27 202211:50 PM EDT The Montreux Convention of 1936 gave Turkey control over access to key straits of the Black Sea — an agreement that’s considered a big win for the country’s foreign policy to this day. But the agreement was thrust into the limelight after Russia’s invasion, when Ukraine asked Turkey at the end of February to apply the 1936 agreement to stop Russian ships from the crossing the straits into the Black Sea to attack Ukraine. More:Black Sea and Bosporus: Treaty tests Turkey's stance on Ukraine war

Turkey's Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia to mend strained ties - StarTribune.com

Turkey's Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia to mend strained ties By ANDREW WILKS and ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI Associated Press APRIL 28, 2022 — 3:00PM ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan landed in Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening in a major reset of relations between two regional heavyweights following the slaying of a Saudi columnist in Istanbul. More:Turkey's Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia to mend strained ties - StarTribune.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Turkey’s Lethal Weapon | Foreign Affairs

Turkey’s Lethal Weapon From Ukraine to Syria, Drones Are Reshaping Erdogan’s Foreign Policy By Soner Cagaptay and Rich Outzen April 27, 2022 On April 14, Ukrainian forces stunned the world when they sank the Moskva, the heavily armed cruiser that was the flagship of Moscow’s Black Sea fleet. As widely noted in the international press, the Ukrainians succeeded in hitting the ship with their homegrown Neptune missiles, despite the ship’s significant defenses. What has been somewhat less noted, however, were the foreign-made drones that enabled this remarkable attack: according to Ukrainian officials, the strike was coordinated by a pair of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned drones, which were able to evade the ship’s radar and which provided precise targeting information for the missiles. More:Turkey’s Lethal Weapon | Foreign Affairs

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Turkish Opposition Vows to Overturn Sentences Against Kavala, Others | World News | US News

Turkish Opposition Vows to Overturn Sentences Against Kavala, Others By Reuters By Ali Kucukgocmen and Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish opposition leaders vowed to overturn jail sentences against philanthropist Osman Kavala and seven others convicted at the end of a case that lawyers said showed courts had become the government's "vehicle for revenge". More:Turkish Opposition Vows to Overturn Sentences Against Kavala, Others | World News | US News

Erdogan plans visit to Saudi Arabia, mending strained ties

Erdogan plans visit to Saudi Arabia, mending strained ties Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to fly to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, mending a rift between the Suni powers caused by the murder of Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in 2018. More:Erdogan plans visit to Saudi Arabia, mending strained ties

Turkey's consumer confidence worsens in April

Turkey's consumer confidence worsens in April AuthorAleksia Petrova ANKARA (Turkey), April 26 (SeeNews) - Turkey's consumer confidence index decreased to 67.3 points in April from 72.5 points in March, the country's statistical office said. The index stood at 80.2 points in April 2021. More:Turkey's consumer confidence worsens in April

Turkey lifts wearing of masks inside as COVID-19 cases fall - ABC News

Turkey lifts wearing of masks inside as COVID-19 cases fall Turkey has lifted one of its last remaining COVID-19 restrictions, the wearing of masks in crowded indoor locations ByThe Associated Press April 26, 2022, 3:45 PM • 2 min read ISTANBUL -- Turkey on Tuesday lifted one of its last remaining COVID-19 restrictions, the wearing of masks in crowded indoor locations. More:Turkey lifts wearing of masks inside as COVID-19 cases fall - ABC News

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Turkey facing its worst property crisis in history, Central Bank reveals – Middle East Monitor

Turkey facing its worst property crisis in history, Central Bank reveals April 24, 2022 at 10:29 am | Published in: Europe & Russia, News, Turkey Turkey is currently facing one of the worst property crises in its history after a number of economic causes have resulted in the doubling of housing prices in the country, data by Turkey's Central Bank has revealed. More:Turkey facing its worst property crisis in history, Central Bank reveals – Middle East Monitor

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Turkish opposition leader's flat goes dark over unpaid bills

Turkish opposition leader's flat goes dark over unpaid bills Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey's opposition leader said Thursday that his power supply had been cut after he stopped paying electricity bills in protest at soaring prices that he blamed squarely on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) has seized on Turkey's economic troubles to try and mount a serious challenge to Erdogan in elections due by June 2023. mORE:Turkish opposition leader's flat goes dark over unpaid bills

Turkey and Central Asia: One nation, six states? - Qantara.de

Turkey and Central Asia One nation, six states? Turkey is turning towards the Turkic nations of Central Asia, intensifying its economic, diplomatic and military relationships with these countries. So what is driving Turkey’s Central Asia policy? Are we seeing a resurgence in nationalist Pan-Turkic geopolitics? Essay by Yasar Aydin mORE:Turkey and Central Asia: One nation, six states? - Qantara.de

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Hundreds rally against threat to close Turkish women’s rights group

Hundreds rally against threat to close Turkish women’s rights group ANKARA: Hundreds of people demonstrated on Saturday in several Turkish cities including Istanbul and Ankara against a move to close one of the country's most respected women's rights groups. More:Hundreds rally against threat to close Turkish women’s rights group

Friday, April 15, 2022

Turkey’s Neutrality on Ukraine Is Coming at a High Price

Turkey’s Neutrality on Ukraine Is Coming at a High Price (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Last summer, after years of open hostility, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emmanuel Macron called a “verbal ceasefire.”  Now, the Turkish and French presidents are in direct communication as each tries to intercede with Vladimir Putin to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. More:Turkey’s Neutrality on Ukraine Is Coming at a High Price

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Turkey Positions Itself as Key to Ending Europe's Dependence on Russian Energy

Turkey Positions Itself as Key to Ending Europe's Dependence on Russian Energy April 12, 2022 6:29 PM With the European Union pledging to end its dependence on Russian gas, Turkey is positioning itself as a key bridge to alternative energy supplies from other nations. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. Produced by: Rob Raffaele More:Turkey Positions Itself as Key to Ending Europe's Dependence on Russian Energy

Monday, April 11, 2022

Mending fences: The new normal in Turkish diplomacy

Mending fences: The new normal in Turkish diplomacy Analysis Giorgio Cafiero 11 April, 2022 Analysis: From mediation in the Ukraine war to improving ties with its neighbours, Turkey is striking a delicate geopolitical balance through diplomacy. More:Mending fences: The new normal in Turkish diplomacy

Saturday, April 09, 2022

Erdogan Is Like a Juggler in a Hurricane | Internationale Politik Quarterly

Erdogan Is Like a Juggler in a Hurricane The Ukraine war is forcing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reassess his course of maneuvering between Moscow and the West. Is a turnaround in Turkish foreign policy imminent? More:Erdogan Is Like a Juggler in a Hurricane | Internationale Politik Quarterly

Thursday, April 07, 2022

Turkey Transfers Khashoggi Murder Trial to Saudi Arabia - The New York Times

Turkey Transfers Khashoggi Murder Trial to Saudi Arabia The move will almost certainly end the last case aimed at serving justice for a heinous crime that drew global outrage. By Safak Timur and Ben Hubbard April 7, 2022 Updated 10:33 a.m. ET ISTANBUL — A court in Turkey ordered the transfer of the trial in the murder of the Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, a move almost certain to end the last case that held out some hope of serving justice for a heinous crime that drew global outrage. More:Turkey Transfers Khashoggi Murder Trial to Saudi Arabia - The New York Times

Wednesday, April 06, 2022

Ukraine’s defence imports from Turkey jumped 30-fold in Q1 – Turkish data | WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM · 106.9 FM

Ukraine’s defence imports from Turkey jumped 30-fold in Q1 – Turkish data By Syndicated Content Apr 6, 2022 | 5:22 AM ANKARA (Reuters) – Ukraine received almost 30 times as much defence industry equipment from Turkey in first quarter as it did a year earlier, while it prepared for and fought against Russian invasion, official data showed. More:Ukraine’s defence imports from Turkey jumped 30-fold in Q1 – Turkish data | WKZO | Everything Kalamazoo | 590 AM · 106.9 FM

Tuesday, April 05, 2022

Orban’s big win in Hungary bears lessons for Turkey’s staid opposition - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East

Orban’s big win in Hungary bears lessons for Turkey’s staid opposition What's left of Turkey's presidential system may be further eroded if Erdogan follows in Hungary's "illiberal" footsteps. More:Orban’s big win in Hungary bears lessons for Turkey’s staid opposition - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East

In Turkey, President Erdogan’s Political Changes Rile Islamists | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

In Turkey, President Erdogan’s Political Changes Rile Islamists by Hany Ghoraba OPINION After years of poor relations, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Turkey recently, in response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s invitation to “restart relations.” More:In Turkey, President Erdogan’s Political Changes Rile Islamists | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

Friday, April 01, 2022

West Africa and Turkey forge new security relations

Turkey and West Africa devise new security relations as Ankara’s continental presence expands By Mehmet Özkan and Aïssatou Kanté for ISS Today The transcontinental nation’s rapid African expansion holds lessons for countries in the region looking to diversify their partnerships. More:West Africa and Turkey forge new security relations

Turkey hikes gas prices for industry, households | Reuters

Turkey hikes gas prices for industry, households Reuters ISTANBUL, April 1 (Reuters) - Turkish state-owned energy importer BOTAS said late on Thursday it had raised natural gas prices for industrial facilities by 50% and those for households by 35%, raising the prospect of further stoking inflation which is expected to top 60% in March. More:Turkey hikes gas prices for industry, households | Reuters

Stakes high for peacemaker Erdogan

Stakes high for peacemaker Erdogan The very fact that talks have moved from Belarus, a key Russian ally, to Turkey is an indication that things have changed, and that Russia’s military position is not as strong as it had originally hoped for. Meanwhile, the decision to hold the meetings in Turkey makes sense for a number of reasons. It’s not the first time the two sides have met since the invasion on February 24. More:Stakes high for peacemaker Erdogan

Turkish parliament approves contentious election law changes :: WRAL.com

Turkish parliament approves contentious election law changes Posted March 31, 2022 2:40 p.m. EDT By SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press ANKARA, TURKEY — Turkey’s parliament on Thursday approved electoral law amendments that critics maintain could pave the way to election fraud and aim to curtail an opposition alliance’s chances of wresting control of the house in the next elections. More:Turkish parliament approves contentious election law changes :: WRAL.com