Greece in panic as East Med balance serves Turkey

The Greek foreign minister’s populist behavior, an obvious attempt to impress nationalist voters at home, established, without a shadow of a doubt, which country was being unreasonable.

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Greece in panic as East Med balance serves Turkey
Greek aggression overshadows Turkey s dialogue efforts

Greek aggression overshadows Turkey’s dialogue efforts

The European Union and the United States were approaching Turkey using the language of sanctions and political pressure rather than empathy and genuine understanding of the country's vulnerabilities.

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The European Union’s leaders are still preoccupied with the 'protocol crisis' they conjured up last week, as Turkey launches a diplomatic offensive.

Turkey and Libya enjoy one of the most special bilateral relationships in modern times. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah's latest visit is yet another indication of this remarkable relationship.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to visit Ankara on Thursday

There is almost a consensus among scholars and observers of world politics that we are entering a new phase in international relations. This is expected to be another period of great power rivalry.

Kemalist fears and Turkey's global challenges

veryone responded to the coup-tinted declaration of 104 retired admirals the way I predicted on the state broadcaster TRT’s weekly current affairs show the following morning.

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Kemalist fears and Turkey's global challenges
New momentum in Turkey's trans-Atlantic relations

New momentum in Turkey's trans-Atlantic relations?

Turkey's relations with Washington and Brussels have been in decline for the last several years. This downward trend in diplomatic relations has paused but the accord has not yet been transformed into a more constructive one.

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Ukraine’s Donbass region is, once again, at the top of the global agenda. Tensions have escalated there following the March 26 killing of four Ukrainian soldiers by Russian-backed separatists, as Moscow and Kyiv started a war or words. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, threatened that 'any attempt to start a new war in Donbass could destroy Ukraine.' In truth, Lavrov merely uttered those words on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s behalf.

The European Union leaders summit resulted in minor positive steps and a three-month extension. The description of steps for rapprochement as “gradual, proportional and reversible” was a textbook carrot-and-stick routine. Europe’s method of communication, too, was quite familiar.

Turkey maintains its decisive stance on the ground as normalization signals with Egypt worry the duo further

French President Emmanuel Macron, in contrast, highlighted Europe’s Turkish dilemma in an interview with France 5. First, he recognized Turkey, a NATO ally, as an important trade partner and a key ally in the fight against illegal migration toward Europe. Then, Macron spoke about the fear that 3 million Syrians will come to the continent. Finally, he claimed that Turkey was going to “attempt to influence” French elections.

Unless the EU respects Turkey’s independent will to protect its own interests, it is unlikely that their relations will grow into a stable cooperation in the long run

In the early 2000s, Turkey made remarkable progress in terms of legal and political reform. At the time, there was a belief in total membership as well momentum for political change and adaptation. The EU side slowed down the process and obstructed Turkey's accession progress.

In order for normalization initiatives to bear fruit, ambassadors must be appointed or an agreement on maritime jurisdiction areas must be signed, which are, in fact, options that are not too far-fetched

SETA’s energy researcher, Gloria Shkurti Özdemir, gave an interview for A News regarding the latest development in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Some influential figures in Washington and Brussels are continuing to advise authorities on both sides of the Atlantic to sideline, or even contain Turkey in the defense architecture of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the Black Sea region and southeastern Europe.

Turkey and Egypt, which have been experiencing a tense relationship since the military coup against the democratically elected government of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, have initiated a new diplomatic dialogue in response to changing regional and global dynamics.

This issue of Insight Turkey highlights different affairs regarding the Eastern Mediterranean region. A number of leading and well-known intellectuals and academicians have contributed to this issue focusing on political, legal, and energy dimensions of maritime tensions and the rise of new geopolitics in the region.

It is time for everyone in the Middle East to make a new strategic assessment. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced last Friday that Turkey had made 'diplomatic contact' with Egypt.

The Middle East is experiencing an extraordinary amount of activity on the 10th anniversary of the Arab revolts. A series of developments and debates are intertwined: in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and Egypt are watching each other’s movements, as Tel Aviv sends warm messages to Ankara.