Author: Turkiye Scoop

The recent changes in the geopolitical situation and a United States that is less committed to the region could push Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to work together and focus on pragmatic cooperation in the Libyan crisis and the Eastern Mediterranean, experts said. Converging interests have driven regional power shifts in the Middle East, mainly led by Turkey and the UAE. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) visited Turkey for the first time since 2012 in November while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid a visit to the UAE last week. “Turkey is carrying…

In the past week, “get well soon” messages have poured in from around the world wishing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a quick recovery after he tested positive for COVID-19. Among the many well-wishes, there were two important leaders, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) and Israeli President Isaac Herzog – a significant development in light of Turkey’s normalization efforts with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel. While President Erdogan is scheduled to visit the UAE early next week, the Israeli president is expected to visit Turkey in mid-March. From the Turkish perspective, the normalization efforts with both…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be traveling to Kyiv at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The 10th meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council, the highest advisory body between Ukraine and Turkey, will be held with the participation of both countries’ ministers to review all aspects of the strategic partnership. The agenda also includes the signing of an array of agreements and memorandums that will make a significant contribution to the foundation of bilateral relations. In addition to bilateral ties, regional and international issues will also be discussed at the gathering. Considering that Ukraine is on the verge of…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s statements in a televised interview on Wednesday evening contained very important and clear messages regarding Turkey’s foreign policy. These statements embodied the signals being transmitted through the country’s recent normalization steps to deal with areas experiencing long-term problems. Highlighting that the new era will resume with his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February, Erdoğan also announced that Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected visit to Turkey in the first week of February. Perhaps the most prominent element of these normalization steps is the Israeli president’s visit to Turkey for the first time in 13-years.…

Turkey is likely to increase its active diplomacy regarding the latest tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and may even take on a mediating role as unresolved rivalries among its three ethnic groups stoke fears of a new conflict, experts said. Turkey is a friendly country that has been supporting Bosnia-Herzegovina’s stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity since the 1990s up until today, professor Ali Hüseyinoğlu, deputy head of Trakya University’s Balkan Research Institute, told Daily Sabah. “The messages delivered by the Turkish authorities from the highest level signal that Turkey will play a far more active and influential role in ebbing the tensions…

The statements from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the United States this week have brought the warming of the waters of the Black Sea to a tipping point. In the midst of this tension, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Ukraine at the beginning of February is extremely critical for the prevention of a possible confrontation and the maintained sobriety of the parties involved. President Erdoğan is also expected to have a face-to-face or telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin before or after this visit. To be realistic, no country today, except Turkey, has the power to mediate between the two sides.…

The talks between Russia, the United States and NATO this week and the developments in Kazakhstan have revealed how important the geopolitics of Central Asia and Eurasia will be in the new era. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, during his statements after the NATO-Russia Council meetings the previous day, stated that there is a real risk for an armed conflict in Europe. This assessment indicates that all parties with influence in this region against a possible armed confrontation will take one side or another or be forced to take a position. Stoltenberg also stressed that if Russia does not compromise and…