It must be very difficult for a leader who likes to exercise authority like Turkish President Erdoğan to admit publicly that he failed to convince Hakan Fidan, the powerful head of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), to stay in office.
During a public rally in the northwestern city of Bursa on Feb. 6, President Tayyip Erdoğan demanded 400 seats in the 550-seat Turkish Parliament in the June 7 elections, saying this target was necessary in order to secure a strong presidential system, a solution to the Kurdish problem, a new constitution, and a “New Turkey.”
The Feb. 4 meeting between the Turkish government and the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at İmralı Island prison, south of Istanbul, was expected to be important regarding the future of the peace talks, as the country heads for general elections on June 7.
The brutal killing of the Jordanian pilot may well have started a new phase in the anti-ISIL fight. Statements and indications show that there could now be an escalation in attacks and counter attacks.
In a rare occasion, all three opposition parties have reacted in a similar way to a new domestic security bill drafted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) and expected to be submitted to parliament’s General Assembly this week.
The meeting to be held this week between Turkish government officials and outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan in the island-prison of İmralı, south of Istanbul is expected to be a critical one for the future of the talks concerning a political settlement in the country’s chronic Kurdish problem
Please accept my apologies because of the over-simplification in the title; I should have written the Kurdish problem-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) instead of “Kurds,” but it would be too long
On Jan. 29, Thursday, daily newspaper Sabah, which closely follows the policies of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, featured a headline stating: “Executive power to go to the president only.”
On Jan. 26, when combined Kurdish ground troops supported by U.S. air forces, regained control over the Syrian town of Kobane (Ayn al-Arab) near the Turkish border after the retreat of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces, Turkish Land Forces Commander General Hulusi Akar landed in the U.S.
