Lale Sariibrahimoglu

Turkey and Russia Renew Bilateral Confidence

One retired Turkish ambassador told Jamestown that the latest energy deals signed between Turkey and Russia are as promising as the 1970 agreement on establishing an iron and steel plant...

Turkish Counter-Terrorist Police Allege Hizb-ut-Tahrir Link with Ergenekon

A total of seven lieutenants from the Turkish navy were arrested recently on charges of plotting to assassinate two admirals as part of the trial concerning the alleged activities of...

Turkish Almanac Promotes Security Sector Reform

As the Turkish government has refocused on civilianization prompting tension with the country's politically powerful armed forces, a liberal think tank launched its second almanac recently, drawing a bleak picture...

Turkey Adopts Civil-Military Reform

The Turkish Parliament's adoption of an amendment made during a late night debate on June 25 to the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK), which has paved the way for the...

Planned De-Mining of Turkey’s Border with Syria Referred to Court

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced that it will take the de-mining law adopted in parliament on June 3 to the constitutional court. The controversial draft bill...

Turkey’s Military Procurement Dilemma with Israel

The latest hurdle to emerge between Israel and Turkey over the persistent technical problems in developing the former's Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), has highlighted not only the weakness of...

Davutoglu Promoting “Strategic Depth” in Turkish Foreign Policy

On May 2 Professor Ahmet Davutoglu (50) was appointed as Turkey's Foreign Minister, replacing Ali Babacan (42). Davutoglu had been the "behind the scenes" figure instrumental in devising what is...

Turkey’s PKK-DTP Operations Further Complicate Kurdish Solution

Simultaneous operations recently conducted in twelve Turkish cities against what police sources described as urban networks of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in which 120 people were detained, including...

Democratic Reforms Imminent in the Wake of Turkey’s Local Elections

The local elections in Turkey on March 29, widely regarded as a referendum for the ruling Justice and Democratic Party (AKP) as well as for its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip...

Turkish Prosecutor Indicts Another 56 Suspects in Ergenekon Investigation

On March 10 the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office submitted its long-awaited second indictment in the case of Ergenekon, a clandestine organization with members from various state agencies, including the military, charged...

Undeterred by Financial Crisis, Turkish Defense Companies Plan to Increase Domestic Arms Production

It is estimated that Turkey has been spending about $5 billion for arms per year and according to a report released by the country's main arms procurement agency, has set...

Speculation Mounts over Protection for Retired Generals in “Deep State” Trial

The release from jail of the former Aegean Army commander, retired General Hursit Tolon, on February 7 on grounds of lack of evidence has sparked speculation that he and other...

Israeli-Turkish Relations Put to the Test

How much Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan damaged Israeli-Turkish relations with his harsh criticism of Israel for its three-week assault Gaza will probably become apparent in the coming weeks...

Investigation Deepens Divisions Within Turkey

As Turkish police have been uncovering arms and ammunition buried deep beneath the ground in various places in Ankara, divisions within the Turkish political scene, the judiciary, and the intelligence...

Economic Crisis to Affect Turkish Defense Sector

Turkey’s top procurement officials have claimed that the current global economic crisis would not have an impact on Turkey’s relatively lucrative defense industry, but both Western and Turkish defense industrialists...

TURKMENISTAN WARMS TO TURKEY, BUT MAKES NO PLEDGE FOR GAS SUPPLIES

Turkey, located in the middle of the East-West energy corridor, and natural-gas-rich Turkmenistan have recently improved their relations after almost seven years without any high-level dialogue. This development has raised...

TURKEY THROWS ITS WEIGHT BEHIND NABUCCO

The European Union has intensified its efforts to turn the Nabucco pipeline project into a reality, now that Turkey has pledged to throw its weight behind the project. Due to...

ANKARA DOES NOT RULE OUT FURTHER ENERGY TIES WITH TEHRAN

Visiting Madrid on January 14, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara would proceed with fresh gas deals with neighboring Iran, although Tehran had once again halted gas...

SECURITY CONCERNS AND LOCAL INDUSTRIALIZATION BOOST TURKISH MILITARY BUDGET

Although Ankara reduced its defense budget in recent years due to economic restraints, on December 11 Turkey’s parliament approved a 1.7% increase for the Ministry of Defense (MD) budget for...

FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS AND TURKEY BACK ECONOMIC ZONE IN CAUCASUS

With the November 21 launch of the long-stalled Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railroad project that will link Azerbaijan and Georgia with Turkey, Ankara has made headway toward its goal of creating an...

EUROPE TO START BUYING AZERI GAS VIA TURKEY BYPASSING RUSSIA

Monday, November 18, leaders from Greece, Turkey, the United States, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Italy will officially launch a new Turkey-Greece pipeline project along the Maritza River. The 300-kilometer-long natural gas...

ANKARA WILLING TO RISK U.S. SANCTIONS FOR CHEAP IRANIAN ELECTRICITY

Iran and Turkey are broadening their energy cooperation to include electricity. According to recent statements by Turkish Minister of Energy Hilmi Guler, Ankara is determined to proceed with energy agreements...

PKK STAGES ANOTHER DEADLY ATTACK NEAR IRAQ’S BORDER WITH TURKEY

At 12:10 am Sunday, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) staged its second attack in two weeks against a Turkish battalion stationed four kilometers off the Iraqi border, killing at...