journalist and law graduate | Istanbul | Cologne |

Turkey
#Turkey for Beginners 🇹🇷 Great map by @SonerCagaptay @denizyuksel130
We all need some fun these days: Turkey for Beginners, with thanks to @denizyuksel130
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Marion Sendker retweeted
A former Turkish ambassador to Israel - so he knows the brief. That said I think it’s absolutely clear that Bibi is playing the Turkish card to boost his election chances. Demonising Turkiye after the Iran war failed.
İsrail’in Suriye’deki Abu Duhur hava üssüne saldırısı İsrail’in dün Suriye’de, Türkiye sınırına yaklaşık 75 kilometre mesafedeki bir askeri hedefe düzenlediği saldırıyı kaygıyla karşılıyor ve gelişmeleri dikkatle izliyoruz. Suriye’de kırılgan güvenlik dengelerinin bulunduğu mevcut ortamda, bu tür askeri müdahalelerin yeni gerilimlere ve bölgesel istikrarsızlığa yol açma riskinin altını çizmek gerekir. Türkiye’nin saldırıya ilişkin ölçülü bir tepki vermesi ve gerilimin daha fazla tırmanmasını önlemeye yönelik bir tutum sergilemesi isabetlidir. Türkiye’nin bölgesel ağırlığı ve güvenlik çıkarları, gelişmelere tepki verirken siyasi söylemden ziyade soğukkanlılık, öngörülebilirlik ve diplomatik kanalların işletilmesini gerekli kılmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, İsrail’in söz konusu saldırısını Türkiye’ye yönelik doğrudan bir meydan okuma veya gözdağı olarak değerlendirmek için henüz yeterli veri bulunmamaktadır. Saldırının hedefi, gerekçesi ve kapsamı konusunda daha fazla bilgi ortaya çıkmadan kesin siyasi sonuçlara varmak doğru olmayacaktır. Aynı şekilde, olayın İsrail’in iç siyasi gündemiyle bağlantılı olduğu yönündeki değerlendirmeler de ancak somut göstergelerle desteklendiği ölçüde anlamlıdır. Bu çerçevede, Likud’un son seçim kampanyasında Türkiye ve Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ı İsrail iç siyasetinin bir unsuru haline getiren söylemlerini de doğru bulmuyoruz. Dış politika ve bölgesel güvenlik meselelerinin seçim kampanyalarında karşılıklı siyasi mobilizasyon amacıyla kullanılması, iki ülke arasındaki gerilimleri azaltmak yerine derinleştirme potansiyeli taşımaktadır. Türkiye’nin dış politikasının İsrail iç siyasetinin malzemesi haline getirilmesi ne kadar yanlışsa, İsrail’in veya başka bir ülkenin iç siyasetinin Türkiye’de siyasi propaganda konusu yapılması da aynı ölçüde yanlıştır. Dış politika, özellikle bölgesel çatışmaların yaşandığı bir dönemde, karşılıklı suçlama ve seçim propagandası üzerinden değil, ulusal çıkarlar ve uzun vadeli güvenlik perspektifiyle yürütülmelidir. Bu nedenle, İsrail tarafına ilişkin değerlendirmelerde de Türkiye’deki siyasi iktidara ilişkin eleştirilerde de aynı ilkenin korunması gerekir: Başka ülkelerin iç siyasi tartışmalarını kendi iç siyasetimize taşımak veya kendi dış politikamızı onların seçim hesaplarının parçası haline getirmek, Türkiye’nin çıkarlarına hizmet etmez. Nitekim geçmişte Türkiye’de de benzer biçimde, yabancı liderler ve ülkelerin iç siyasi gelişmeleri seçim kampanyalarının parçası haline getirildi. Bugün aynı yöntemin başka ülkeler tarafından Türkiye’ye karşı kullanılması, bu yaklaşımın ne denli sakıncalı olduğunu daha açık biçimde ortaya koymaktadır. Türkiye’nin güvenliği ve bölgesel çıkarları, hamasi karşılıklarla değil; doğru istihbarat değerlendirmesi, ölçülü diplomasi, caydırıcılık ve gerektiğinde kararlı fakat kontrollü adımlarla korunabilir. Mevcut gelişmeler karşısında ihtiyaç duyulan da budur.
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#Nato My German colleague @_MarionSendker on Al-Jazeera Arabic with some interesting analysis.
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Turkey in 24 hours: • Court sacks main opposition leader • The Central Bank sells nearly $8bn to stop the panics in the markets • Erdogan closes Bilgi University in the middle of the academic term • He also bans municipalities from establishing new companies
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Turkish court rules to remove leadership of main opposition party Court ruling removes current CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstates former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu
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TURKEY DUMPS US TREASURIES TO DEFEND LIRA Turkey sold nearly all of its US Treasury holdings in March, cutting them from $16 billion to just $1.8 billion, according to US Treasury data. The selloff came as Ankara moved to support the lira during market turmoil triggered by the Iran war. The central bank also sold foreign currency and gold reserves to stabilize the economy. Despite the interventions, the lira remains under pressure, inflation has risen to 32.4%, and Turkish bond yields have hit record highs.
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#Damascus @_MarionSendker and yours truly took a closer look at alcohol restrictions in Damascus for @DLF Und ja, das Ganze ist auf Deutsch. 👇 deutschlandfunk.de/syrien-un…
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Damascus’ new alcohol rules seem to be less about booze and more about reshaping the social contract along sectarian and Islamist lines while still speaking the language of “public order” and “local complaints.” 🧵
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One of the world’s largest economies will not help defend freedom of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Why? Because we are not formally responsible. What a brilliant argument.
Wir werden uns nicht daran beteiligen, in der Straße von Hormus mit militärischen Mitteln eine freie Schifffahrt zu gewährleisten. Der Krieg im Nahen Osten ist nicht Angelegenheit der NATO. Deshalb wird sich Deutschland auch nicht militärisch einbringen.
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Now that Iranian Kurds have become popular and are being covered extensively in mainstream media, people are looking to focus on the Baluch as it is now being discussed to pressure Iran into a land war by using not only Kurds but Baluch as proxies. Personally, it was the only area in Iran I tried to visit quickly and get out of due to security concerns. Baluchis are not particularly known for kidnapping foreign nationals or attacking them, but the Sistan-Baluchistan area is like the Wild West of U.S. history. Many times when Baluchis were conducting cross-border raids, the IRGC and Basij simply withdrew to their bases in rural areas, leaving citizens and towns at the mercy of Toyota pick-ups filled with Baluch raiders. They moved into the cities, took what they wanted, and left without much confrontation. What I gather from Baluchistan today is very mixed. Some tribes, whom I know to have a pretty significant involvement in narco-trafficking, needless to say, in cooperation with the Basij and IRGC, have been siding with Tehran, while other tribes, especially those with strongholds in Pakistan, are supporting Baluchis in openly confronting Tehran. Among elite intellectuals, there is sympathy toward Kurds and their political struggle in Iran, and some degree of low-level solidarity exists, but the ordinary Baluch has little connection to the Kurds. The important thing is that while a Baluch insurgency can be ignited from Pakistan, and Iranian Kurds are clearly being pushed by Trump, a successful two-front confrontation against Iran could cause significant disruption yet it would not be sufficient, as Iranian Kurds are neither trained nor ready, while Baluchistan has very different dynamics, particularly given its ties to Baluch communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as their complex narco-trade cooperation with Tehran. Can Iran break apart? Yes, but only if ALL major ethnic groups revolt simultaneously , something that has not occurred in Iran's history except in 1979. Without Iranian Azerbaijan, bureaucracy and trade would grind to a halt; without the Ahwazi Arabs, the core oil industry would nevertheless keep functioning; and without the Persians (including sub-Iranian groups such as the Gilaki and Mazandarani) the nucleus of the state's central command structure would remain intact. For the Baluchisl's, the best book in recent years is @karloszurutuza's wonderful piece, highly recommended.
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No official statement yet, but it looks like another ballistic missile from #Iran had entered Turkish airspace this early morning, targeting the Incirlik base and probably intercepted. If confirmed, this would the 3rd incident in about a week.
Adana'da çok sayıda vatandaş saat 03.30 sıralarında büyük bir gürültüyle uyandıklarına yönelik bildirimde bulundu. İncirlik Üssü'nden siren sesleri duyuldu. Bir süre sonra gökyüzünde parıltılı bir cismin düştüğü kameralara yansırken, bölgeye yönelen bir füzenin havada imha edildiği ileri sürüldü. Bölgede paniğe neden olacak bir isabetin olmadığı bildirildi. Konuyla ilgili henüz resmi açıklama yapılmadı.
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#Iran fired two rockets at #Turkey. Its government wants to sit out the war. Yet it could become a party to the conflict faster than it would like. Possible scenarios with comments by @RichOutzen @sinanulgen1 for @zeitonline zeit.de/politik/ausland/2026…
Zwei Raketen feuerte der Iran auf die Türkei. Deren Regierung will den Krieg aussitzen. Dabei könnte sie selbst schneller zur Kriegspartei werden, als ihr lieb ist. trib.al/j4nKgNy
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Marion Sendker retweeted
Zwei Raketen feuerte der Iran auf die Türkei. Deren Regierung will den Krieg aussitzen. Dabei könnte sie selbst schneller zur Kriegspartei werden, als ihr lieb ist. trib.al/j4nKgNy
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BREAKING — Turkey deployed 6 F-16 fighter jets and air defense systems to Northern Cyprus this morning
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Baku is put in the position of R2P for Azeri population in Iran...diplomatically but perhaps more? Getting complicated especially if anti-regime Kurds are interested in seizing non-Kurdish areas...some resemblance of Urmia to Manbij a decade ago.
Representing nearly 30 million Azerbaijani Turks living in Iran, the South Azerbaijan Coordination Platform has addressed an official appeal to President Aliyev of Azerbaijan: ———— Dear Mr. President, As a result of the bombing of civilian infrastructure and residential areas in South Azerbaijan, innocent civilians are losing their lives. Women, children, and families are under serious threat. The humanitarian situation in the region is steadily worsening. At the same time, reports that certain armed Kurdish groups are attempting to move to establish control over Urmia and surrounding areas are deeply concerning. Such attempts place the Azerbaijani population in a multidimensional security threat and increase the risk of ethnic confrontation in the region. Our people do not want to experience another Karabakh tragedy in Urmia. The fate of none of our cities should end with occupation, destruction, or forced displacement. Dear Mr. President, Your international standing and your relations with regional actors, including the State of Israel, provide an important opportunity to influence the current situation through diplomatic means. We believe that, as always, the security of the Azerbaijani people and the protection of national interests remain your highest priority. We respectfully request that you undertake effective and urgent initiatives at the international level to defend our compatriots in South Azerbaijan and to prevent the bombing of the civilian population. Timely action can help prevent a larger catastrophe and the spread of terror in the region. We hope that the Azerbaijani state will stand by its compatriots and take the necessary steps to ensure peace and security. With deep respect, Supreme Council South Azerbaijan Coordination Platform Tabriz – South Azerbaijan
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Who supports the LGBT in #Turkey may now have to face up to 3 years in prison – acc. to a new regulation by the Ministry of Justice. (In the Ottoman Empire homosexuality, decriminalized in 1858, was forbidden, but "Oglancilik" (sodomy) is said to have been accepted in some ways)
Adalet Bakanlığı’ndan tartışmalı düzenleme: LGBT’ye destek olana hapis cezası geliyor! cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/ad…
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Two big changes in Turkey: Former chief prosecutor of Istanbul, Akin Gürlek, has been appointed as Justice Minister (replacing Yilmaz Tunc) and Mustafa Ciftci has been appointed as Interior Minister, replacing Ali Yerlikaya.
Adalet Bakanlığına Akın Gürlek, İçişleri Bakanlığına Mustafa Çiftçi atandı hukukihaber.net/adalet-bakan…
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Iran seeked "effective" lifting of sanctions in nuclear negotiations with US. What they got, after indirect talks today in Oman: 🇺🇸 "is sanctioning entities, individuals, vessels to stem the flow of revenue that the regime uses to support terrorism + repress its citizens."
Sanctions to Combat Illicit Traders of Iranian Oil and the Shadow Fleet state.gov/releases/office-of…
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