Need to catch up on the Turkey-PKK peace talks? @sinemadar.bsky.social outlined the most recent and most important developments on Recap radio, including: - Steps taken to date - Demirtaş' release prospects - AKP-MHP alignment - CHP's role/stance - Syria and more www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ3r...

Here is the link to our conversation. Thanks @diegocupolo.bsky.social for the kind invitation. www.turkeyrecap.com/p/the-next-p...

I won't be surprised if the parliamentary commission or a group from within it soon visits Imrali. t24.com.tr/haber/erdoga...

Join us today if you have time 👇

🎙️ Live webcast today @sinemadar.bsky.social, an associate at CATS/SWPBerlin, joins us to take stock of the Turkey-PKK peace talks – which entered their 'second phase' according to proponents. Tune in to figure out what that means @ 1200 UTC / 1500 TRT:

Check the bank accounts

Listen to @berkesen.bsky.social on this!

Trip down memory lane: Back in October last year, Bahceli objected to involvement by Demirtas ("Edirne") and the PKK ("Kandil") and called for direct communication between Ocalan and the DEM Party to bring the armed conflict to an end.

Trip down memory lane: Back in October last year, Bahceli objected to involvement by Demirtas ("Edirne") and the PKK ("Kandil") and called for direct communication between Ocalan and the DEM Party to bring the armed conflict to an end.

Demirtas was the first to oppose Erdogan's efforts to consolidate his power. While releasing him would be logical to build trust, it goes against the logic of power politics. Bahceli knows this.

Demirtas was the first to oppose Erdogan's efforts to consolidate his power. While releasing him would be logical to build trust, it goes against the logic of power politics. Bahceli knows this.

"Turkey’s oil refiners have started cutting their purchases of Russian crude after the US sanctioned Moscow’s top two oil producers and are instead seeking extra barrels from nations including Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan" www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Looking beyond the disagreements and tensions between Israel and Turkey, the more interesting story is the Trump administration's apparent efforts to balance one against the other.

Looking beyond the disagreements and tensions between Israel and Turkey, the more interesting story is the Trump administration's apparent efforts to balance one against the other.

Osman Kavala için adalet mesajları: 'Masum olduğunu herkes biliyor' 📌Abdullah Gül, Cemil Çiçek, Ahmet İnsel'in de aralarında olduğu pek çok isim Kavala için destek mesajı yayınladı. 📌Kavala, cezaevinde 8. yılını doldurdu. kisadalga.net/haber/gundem...

This week's newsletter also includes: -Several Syrian PKK cadre arrive after release from Turkish prisons -Deir ez-Zour clashes -SDF/Shammar tensions -Gov't sends military cadets to Turkey & Saudi -New Turkish ambassador -latest al-Houl repatriations akmckeever.substack.com/p/this-week-...

My country of marriage seems to have done better this time.

Bundeskanzler Merz reist heute in die Türkei. Zentrale Themen sind sicherheits- und wirtschaftspolitische Kooperationen. Im SWP-Podcast erklären @hurcanasliaksoy.bsky.social @sinemadar.bsky.social & Günter Seufert, warum Ankara als Partner für Europa wichtig ist: 🎧 www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/...

Bahceli's written statement on the occasion of the Republic's foundation is interesting not because he praises the presidential system or he confirms commitment to the rapprochement process with Ocalan.

As the Turkish government's operation against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu continues in full swing, I am reposting this blog post compiling discussions (notably from the Turkish and international press, research centres and think tanks) on the subject since March. medium.com/@Mayis_Sikin...

"The real message out of this, because it's a massive" landslide victory is a combination of voters said "look, we have our own agency. Stop pushing us around." @fionamullency.social on how Turkish Cypriots rejected foreign influence in recent TRNC elections: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESjt...

Former Foreign Minister Davutoğlu stated in a television interview that he would be ready to take on the role of vice president if invited to “repair and reform the state.” t24.com.tr/haber/davuto...

At a certain point in Turkey, virtually every non-public person I interviewed refused to give their last name. Eventually I stopped even writing "______ declined to give his/her last name for fear of government reprisal," because it became redundant, and editors understood. But here's the thing...

"Ultimately, this is not peace — it is a world without the rules established after World War II to prevent a return of the lethal mix of authoritarianism and aggression that is once again ascendant. That kind of world can seem orderly for a time.

Does anyone know the number of PKK fighters left in Turkey (given that the organization was mostly pushed since 2016 beyond the borders of Turkey)?

Will the Turkish government proceed with a ‘tactical retreat’ and focus its siege solely on Imamoglu? For M.Yetkin, this is not certain: some plans are being discussed, which would target a group of party MPs (immunity case) and President Ozgur Ozel in particular. yetkinreport.com/2025/10/25/i...

Erhürman sworn in as the new leader of Turkish Cypriots. Very conciliatory comments, so let's see. He, however, insists possible talks cannot be open-ended, and there is no return to status quo, if Greek Cypriot leadership walks out of the talks (like in Crans Montana). Fair enough, I'd say

“It's unhelpful to think about it in binary terms on whether Turkey will or won’t invade. There’s a lot of gray space in which they could do things to pressure the SDF and sort of escalate tensions without sending a division of Turkish troops across the border” www.turkeyrecap.com/p/back-to-th...

I might be wrong but I tend to view this second moment of retreat quite significant, as an indication of the shortage of stamina, a disruption to consolidation efforts.

This hypothesis is all the more plausible given that, a few hours before the verdict, a new investigation (for espionage) was launched against the imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.

I might be wrong but I tend to view this second moment of retreat quite significant, as an indication of the shortage of stamina, a disruption to consolidation efforts.

I am not surprised that the court today dismissed a case seeking to oust Ozgur Ozel, and annul the CHP's 2023 congress over irregularities. Following the tactical retreat in last month's hearing, Ankara seems to have decided to limit the assault on the CHP to Imamoglu.

This episode last year tries to explain some of the deeper history and international political dynamics underlying this latest push 👇🎧 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

This is not reform. It is the promise of symbolic inclusion in an authoritarian regime

I am mostly convinced that there is more or less an international consensus over a negotiated settlement between STG&SDF for a united and decentralized Syria. My impression is that Ankara's prominence during Trump's Gaza deal is also part of this consensus. en.majalla.com/node/327922/...

Interesting remarks by a Yeni Safak columnist reflecting on the recent elections in Northern Cyprus&its likely implications for the political landscape in Turkey. The bottomline is that the priority for Turkish citizens is the economic situation, to which Ankara appears to offer no good solution:

As repression extends and becomes multi-layered, the critical question for me remains to be the following: what is the upper threshold of using might to discipline and punish discontent within and outside?

The most recent arrest wave&raids targeting businesses including those with close relations with the AKP should, IMO, also be considered against the backdrop of this growing discontent.

Some parallels with the fight in Russia between technocratic economic governance that is restricting credit to keep inflation under control and elite interests that want to see looser economic policy which benefits them

As repression extends and becomes multi-layered, the critical question for me remains to be the following: what is the upper threshold of using might to discipline and punish discontent within and outside?

The most recent arrest wave&raids targeting businesses including those with close relations with the AKP should, IMO, also be considered against the backdrop of this growing discontent.

Excellent thread. I would encourage everyone to take a look at this morning's front page of Yeni Safak, which is highly critical of Economy Minister Simsek and his interest rate policy. And this is not an isolated case; the newspaper has been publishing similar front pages for several months now.

Interesting remarks by a Yeni Safak columnist reflecting on the recent elections in Northern Cyprus&its likely implications for the political landscape in Turkey. The bottomline is that the priority for Turkish citizens is the economic situation, to which Ankara appears to offer no good solution:

My working assumption is that Erdoğan and Bahçeli are playing good cop-bad cop after Sunday's election in Northern Cyprus. Turkey's two-state-policy has not changed.

Some of the stuff up on there now

My working assumption is that Erdoğan and Bahçeli are playing good cop-bad cop after Sunday's election in Northern Cyprus. Turkey's two-state-policy has not changed.

Grateful to @centuryintl.bsky.social for the chance to bring together, update, and expand some of my writing on maps and Middle Eastern borders tcf.org/content/repo...

Mavi Hat - 20 - Gazeteci Sarkis Kassargian @sarkiska.bsky.social ve Amberin Zaman @amberinzaman.bsky.social konuşuyoruz. 📌Şam-Ankara-SDG üçgeninde son durum ne? 📌Trump'ın Gazze-Suriye beklentileri gerçekçi mi? ⏰19.00'da Abone olmayı unutmayın! www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Us2...

According to Mete Hatay, more than 50 per cent of the Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus voted for Erhurman. www.diken.com.tr/kibrisli-tur...

For the uninitiated, the current president, Ersin Tatar is an ally of Erdogan and supports a permanently divided Cyprus. Erhurman is relatively young and associated with a negotiated settlement