Foreign Policy
- Turkish President Erdogan Rejects EU Request on Antiterrorism Laws
- Erdogan reaffirms EU membership as Turkey’s ‘strategic goal’
- Merkel, Renzi Insist on EU Migrant Deal Amid Turkey Crisis
- Turkey’s Çavuşoğlu discusses anti-ISIL fight with Trump’s possible vice presidential pick
- US ‘concerned’ over Can Dündar, Erdem Gül convictions
- Turkish warplanes attack Kurdish militant targets in Iraq
Economy & Energy
- S&P Raises Turkey’s Credit Rating Outlook to Stable
- Turkish Markets Swing Amid Power Struggle
- Squeezed again by political worries, Turkey stocks head for worst week in five years
- Bad loans and bankruptcies sound the alarm for Turkey’s economy
- Turkish Inflation Rate Drops to Lowest Since May 2013
- Turkish industrial production edges up in March
Domestic Politics
- Turkey’s prime minister resigns amid high-level rifts and deepening crises
- No turning back from presidential system, says Erdoğan
- Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition says lifting immunity will bring more violence
- Journalists sentenced to jail in case highlighting media crackdown in Turkey
- Under ISIL fire, Kilis locals demand more protection
Foreign Policy
Turkish President Erdogan Rejects EU Request on Antiterrorism Laws
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday rejected European Union calls for Ankara to revise its antiterrorism laws, signaling a tougher stance toward the bloc as he seeks to consolidate power at home.
Wall Street Journal, Turkish President Erdogan Rejects EU Request on Antiterrorism Laws, May 6, 2016
Erdogan reaffirms EU membership as Turkey’s ‘strategic goal’
Membership of the European Union remains Turkey’s strategic goal and a deal to liberalize visas for Turks visiting the bloc should accelerate the accession process, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Reuters, Erdogan reaffirms EU membership as Turkey’s ‘strategic goal’, May 9, 2016
Merkel, Renzi Insist on EU Migrant Deal Amid Turkey Crisis
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi insisted that the European Union’s deal with Turkey on migrants must be implemented despite the imminent departure of the country’s premier.
Bloomberg, Merkel, Renzi Insist on EU Migrant Deal Amid Turkey Crisis, May 5, 2016
Turkey’s Çavuşoğlu discusses anti-ISIL fight with Trump’s possible vice presidential pick
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held a meeting with visiting U.S. Senator for Florida Marco Rubio, also a former Republican presidential candidate, on May 5 focused on regional issues and the U.S.-led coalition’s fight against jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey’s Çavuşoğlu discusses anti-ISIL fight with Trump’s possible vice presidential pick, May 9, 2016
US ‘concerned’ over Can Dündar, Erdem Gül convictions
The United States has criticized the conviction of Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and the daily’s Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gül, who were sentenced to jail time for revealing state secrets.
Hurriyet Daily News, US ‘concerned’ over Can Dündar, Erdem Gül convictions, May 7, 2016
Turkish warplanes attack Kurdish militant targets in Iraq
Turkish warplanes hit targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on Sunday, military sources said, as three soldiers and 12 militants were reported killed in separate clashes over the weekend.
Reuters, Turkish warplanes attack Kurdish militant targets in Iraq, May 8, 2016
Economy & Energy
S&P Raises Turkey’s Credit Rating Outlook to Stable
Standard & Poor’s revised Turkey’s credit-rating outlook to stable from negative Friday, citing the resilience of the Turkish economy in the face of global and local threats to the country’s stability.
The Wall Street Journal, S&P Raises Turkey’s Credit Rating Outlook to Stable, May 6, 2016
Turkish Markets Swing Amid Power Struggle
Turkish markets whipsawed Thursday as a political leadership struggle triggering the ouster of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu raised concerns about the country’s economic future.
Wall Street Journal, Turkish Markets Swing Amid Power Struggle, May 5, 2016
Squeezed again by political worries, Turkey stocks head for worst week in five years
Turkish stocks fell 1.3 percent on May 6, on track for their worst weekly performance in nearly five years, hit by renewed political uncertainty after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he would step down.
Reuters, Squeezed again by political worries, Turkey stocks head for worst week in five years, May 6, 2016
Bad loans and bankruptcies sound the alarm for Turkey’s economy
After years of growth fueled by credit and domestic consumption, bad debts and bankruptcies are rising in Turkey, squeezing banks and exposing a fragile real economy which risks denting support for the ruling AK Party.
Reuters, Bad loans and bankruptcies sound the alarm for Turkey’s economy, May 4, 2016
Turkish Inflation Rate Drops to Lowest Since May 2013
Turkey’s annual inflation slowed in April to the lowest level in three years, giving the central bank further room to lower interest rates after cutting the past two months.
Bloomberg, Turkish Inflation Rate Drops to Lowest Since May 2013, May 3, 2016
Turkish industrial production edges up in March
Turkish industrial production expanded at a rate of 2.9 percent in March from the previous year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) stated on May 9.
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkish industrial production edges up in March, May 9, 2016
Domestic Politics
Turkey’s prime minister resigns amid high-level rifts and deepening crises
Turkey’s prime minister resigned Thursday after a public rift with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, throwing the country’s politics into turmoil and paving the way for Erdogan to consolidate power at a time of domestic and regional crises.
Washington Post, Turkey’s prime minister resigns amid high-level rifts and deepening crises, May 5, 2016
No turning back from presidential system, says Erdoğan
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stressed that there is no turning back from a presidential system in his address during a mass opening ceremony, a day after Prime Minister Davutoğlu announced he would leave his post following a rift with Erdoğan.
Hurriyet Daily News, No turning back from presidential system, says Erdoğan, May 6, 2016
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition says lifting immunity will bring more violence
A bill proposed by Turkey’s ruling party that would strip some parliamentarians of their immunity from prosecution is likely to create more violence and stifle democratic politics, the co-head of the pro-Kurdish opposition party said.
Reuters, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition says lifting immunity will bring more violence, May 4, 2016
Journalists sentenced to jail in case highlighting media crackdown in Turkey
A Turkish court sentenced two prominent journalists to five years in prison for “divulging state secrets” Friday in a high-profile case that has drawn international scrutiny — just hours after one of the reporters was nearly killed in an assassination attempt outside the courthouse in Istanbul.
Washington Post, Journalists sentenced to jail in case highlighting media crackdown in Turkey, May 6, 2016
Under ISIL fire, Kilis locals demand more protection
Locals in the southeastern border province of Kilis have appealed to the Turkish state in a newspaper advert calling for additional measures to ensure their security amid persistent rocket fire from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-held territories in northern Syria.
Hurriyet Daily News, Under ISIL fire, Kilis locals demand more protection, May 6, 2016