Although all of parliament went to recess following lengthy budget talks, the Constitutional Commission is continuing its work on the proposed constitutional amendments in a bid to expedite the voting process in the legislature
Only a few days after the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) killed 14 riot police in a suicide car bomb attack on Dec. 17, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) announced there were 16 martyrs on Dec. 21 in Turkey’s ongoing Euphrates Shield Operation that is aiming to clear al-Bab, a strategic town in northern Syria, from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists
After two deadly suicide attacks in Istanbul and Kayseri on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 respectively, which claimed the lives of dozens of young policemen and privates, a gunman assassinated Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov on Dec. 19. The attack stunned Turkey, Russia and the rest of the world.
Although painful and difficult to implement, the ceasefire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia should be considered a positive development, as it will save the lives of many civilians in Aleppo.
In parallel with increased diplomatic traffic between Ankara and Moscow, relevant mechanisms to provide a better and more efficient civil society dialogue have been re-activated between Turkey and Russia as part of efforts to fully normalize bilateral relations.
In a statement on Dec. 7, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan underlined that Turkey was on the eve of “very crucial” decisions on the European Union, in reference to ongoing negotiations on granting visa liberalization to Turkish citizens.
Even his foes admit the talent of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a politician in reaching out to the people and molding public opinion on even controversial issues, an ability that secured him an indisputable leadership since late 2002
Although the text has not been publicized yet, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has already begun collecting the required signatures from its lawmakers for a constitutional amendment package in a bid to accelerate the process to introduce a presidential system.
It’s everybody’s opinion that the relationship between Turkey and the EU is at a crossroads, especially after the European Parliament last week voted in favor of temporarily freezing accession negotiations.
