Author: Dilara Aslan Ozer

The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is preparing to hold its 8th Grand Congress on Feb. 23, 2025, in Ankara. This event is expected to be a defining moment for the party as it seeks to refresh its leadership and strategy following last year’s elections and broader political challenges. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to announce a new reform package, which will include topics ranging from green transformation to legal arrangements, as hinted at previously by AK Party Deputy Chair Efkan Ala. The package will touch upon several critical fields in Turkish bureaucracy and much-needed economic areas. Anticipated…

This week, upon an invitation by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani, I visited the Grand Al-Faw port, which is projected to constitute the heart of the Development Road project, which will link the East to the West. After a road trip from the capital to the southern Basra province, we entered the huge area of 54 square kilometers (33.5 square miles) devoted to the port town. A long, curvy road is to be followed until one can reach the seaside. Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, accompanied us, showing the different features…