Data recently released by the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) has raised expectations that the economy might be on its way to recovery. According to TurkStat, the capacity utilization rate within the Turkish manufacturing sector increased for the third consecutive month in May (www.tuik.gov.tr, June 10).... MORE

Voter apathy within the E.U. during the European parliamentary elections on June 4 resulted in only 40 percent of Europeans' voting. The election witnessed conservatives and center-right parties winning a decisive victory within most European countries. Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Holland, Austria, Hungary,... MORE

Turkey continues to debate the implications of an ongoing controversial fraud case in the German courts involving, among others, individuals close to the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP). After the Turkish courts launched this case, the Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc added a new... MORE

On June 4 during his trip to the Middle East President Barack Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University outlining how his administration intends to develop a new relationship with the Muslim world. Obama delineated seven interrelated issues which need to be addressed. Those included... MORE

Participants in the Caspian oil and gas forum, just held in Baku, confirmed that Turkey's AKP government has reverted to obstruction of the Nabucco project for Caspian gas to Europe (Trend Capital, Day.az, Turan, Reuters, June 3-5). The government in Ankara seemed to have adopted... MORE

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz discussed energy issues with Azeri officials on the sidelines of a recent soccer game. Following his talks, Yildiz commented on the status of the Turkish-Azeri talks on pricing gas imports and Turkey's position on the Nabucco project.... MORE

In response to the Turkish President Abullah Gul advocating a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question, 72 NGO's in Diyarbakir province declared their support for his steps toward solving the issue. They also requested that the PKK extend its unilateral ceasefire first announced in April... MORE

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has started to export its oil to European markets, under partnerships with Turkish and other international energy companies. Following a new consensus on the distribution of revenues between the central administration in Baghdad and the KRG, oil from the Tawke... MORE

On May 30 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered his State of the Union address, focusing on Turkey's enhanced profile in regional diplomacy. Erdogan provided details relating to his trips to Azerbaijan, Russia and Poland, and discussed recent foreign policy initiatives, most importantly Turkey's... MORE