Author: Cuneyd Er

It was a cloudy morning in Warsaw. The Royal Castle stood quietly at the edge of the city’s old stone square. Inside, beneath high ceilings and fading portraits, leaders and diplomats gathered for the opening of the Three Seas Initiative’s (3SI) 10th summit. There was no dramatic speech, but Türkiye’s presence said enough. A few streets away, at the Hilton Warsaw City Hotel, business leaders and policymakers convened for the Three Seas Business Forum. It offered a practical space for regional dialogue on transport, energy and digital infrastructure. The atmosphere was more focused than festive; still, its meaning was unmistakable.…

In the changing landscape of the Middle East and South Caucasus, one fact is becoming hard to deny: Türkiye is steadily gaining ground, while Iran appears to be slipping into strategic fatigue. From Syria to the Caucasus, recent shifts have revealed Tehran’s shrinking influence and Ankara’s growing command over regional developments. Azerbaijan’s military gains in 2020 and 2023, both backed by Türkiye, redrew not only borders but alliances. With Türkiye providing equipment, intelligence and coordination, Azerbaijan reclaimed its internationally recognized territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been under Armenian occupation since the early 1990s despite multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.…

In this part of the world, the phrase “dogfight” does not sound so foreign. For decades, Türkiye and Greece have been locked in intermittent aerial standoffs over the Aegean Sea. Particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s, their jets would engage in sharp turns, close passes and maneuvering contests that sometimes ended in tragic collisions or downed aircraft. What began as exceptional incidents gradually became almost routine – nearly ordinary – in the skies above the archipelago. While the public often regarded these encounters as military showdowns or national bravado, beneath the surface, they were shaped by legal logic. Each…

The Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin, signed in 1639, set the borders between Türkiye and Iran. These borders have remained unchanged for centuries, enduring the rise and fall of empires, the chaos of wars and the shifts in regional power. While the geography has stayed the same, their relationship has often changed, sometimes gradually and at other times with great intensity. Now, as Syria moves into a new era after Bashar Assad’s removal, this historic balance faces new and serious challenges. The rivalry between Türkiye and Iran has been one of the constants of the region, as enduring as the rivers…

In a world increasingly defined by rising tensions and unresolved conflicts, Türkiye’s mediation between Somalia and Ethiopia stands as an example of diplomacy bridging divides. The resolution achieved through Türkiye’s facilitation is not merely a localized success. It reflects a broader commitment to promoting stability in an unpredictable global landscape. The dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia centered on Ethiopia’s agreement to lease Berbera Port in “Somaliland,” a move Somalia interpreted as a direct challenge to its sovereignty. The self-proclaimed “Republic of Somaliland” is an unrecognized breakaway territory in northwestern Somalia. It operates with its own government and institutions. However, since…

Across the continent of Africa, we have been witnessing the burning of French flags and the overnight closure of military bases. Once the dominant power across much of the continent, France now watches its influence wane at an unprecedented pace. The closing of French military bases in Senegal and the termination of defense agreements in Chad reflect a larger pattern of rejection; a continent shaking off the remnants of its colonial past and the structures of external domination. France’s retreat from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger marked the beginning of this unraveling. Disillusioned by the prolonged presence of French troops…