Turkey

Turkish President

20 Apr 2024 5 1

Wolfango Piccoli

Inserted 4 weeks ago

“I think it's mainly about the economy and in particular the inflation...story. I think voters decided to punish Erdogan for these reasons.”

Co-president of the Teneo consultancy firm

01 Apr 2024 2 2

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 4 months ago

“There is no issue between us that is unsolvable. So long as we focus on the big picture and don't end up being like those who cross the sea and drown in the river. We want to turn the Aegean into a sea of peace. Through the joint steps we will take as Turkey and Greece, we want to be an example to the world.”

Turkish President

07 Dec 2023 2 2

Resul Serdar

Inserted 5 months ago

“The US side tried to convince Turkish officials to put more pressure on Hamas and make it release the captives. But the Turkish position was very clear on this matter. They said that the prisoner release should be mutual, where Hamas releases captives and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners. Turkey also asked for an unconditional ceasefire and said there should be an international mechanism to observe the ceasefire, which Ankara would be the guarantor for. But we haven't heard anything about a ceasefire from Blinken. He has been using the phrase humanitarian pause and the Turkish side has told him that this is not enough.”

Al Jazeera’s journalist

06 Nov 2023 5 3

Tamer Qarmoot

Inserted 5 months ago

“Blinken's main mission was to buy more time [for Israel]. And the Turks know this. That's why he got this cold reception.”

Professor in public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

06 Nov 2023 3 2

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 6 months ago

“Hamas is not a terrorist organisation, it is a liberation group, 'mujahideen' waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”

Turkish President

25 Oct 2023 2 1

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 7 months ago

“As Turkey, we believe that we will reach a solution that will meet the expectations in a short time.”

Turkish President

04 Sep 2023 3 2

Kadri Gursel

Inserted 11 months ago

“He [Erdogan] would contest the results if they aren't in his favour and if the margin is narrow, but he can't do much if the opposition gets a landslide victory. He is at the weakest point in his political career.”

Columnist

11 May 2023 1 2

Kerim Has

Inserted 1 year ago

“Erdogan wants a green light for a military operation in Syria. As we saw at the Tehran summit, Iran and Russia are against this operation but I think Erdogan can persuade Putin. Many things depend on the domestic situation in Turkey because Erdogan wants to launch the operation before the elections so he can consolidate at least a few percentage points in the vote.”

Turkish political analyst based in Moscow

04 Aug 2022 5 4

Eyup Ersoy

Inserted 1 year ago

“By virtue of its role in the grain deal, Turkey has succeeded in positioning itself as Russia's diplomatic conduit to the international community. This diplomatic rearrangement has shifted the relational asymmetry more in Turkey's favour and is expected to curtail, to some degree, Russian resistance against Turkish policies and initiatives in issues of common concern.”

Visiting research fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, King’s College London

04 Aug 2022 1 1

Ibrahim Kalin

Inserted 1 year ago

“If all (details) are completed by tomorrow, it seems like there is a high possibility that the first ship will leave the port tomorrow...We will see ships leaving the ports the next day at the latest.”

Turkish Presidential Spokesman

31 Jul 2022 3 2

Hulusi Akar

Inserted 1 year ago

“In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail. The fact that such an incident took place right after the agreement we made yesterday really worried us.”

Turkish Defence Minister

23 Jul 2022 3 1

António Guterres

Inserted 1 year ago

“Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope [and] possibility … and relief in a world that needs it more than ever.”

Secretary-general of the United Nations

22 Jul 2022 3 1

Ibrahim Kalin

Inserted 1 year ago

“The grain export agreement, critically important for global food security, will be signed in Istanbul tomorrow under the auspices of President Erdoğan and UN Secretary General Mr. Guterres together with Ukrainian and Russian delegations.”

Turkish Presidential Spokesman

21 Jul 2022 7 1

Jonah Hull

Inserted 1 year ago

“This allows NATO to put forward a united front in the face of Russian aggression, and that is absolutely core and central to the aims of this summit - not just a united front but an expanded front with two new members.”

Al Jazeera’s journalist

28 Jun 2022 4 2

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 1 year ago

“We are taking another step in establishing a 30km (19-mile) security zone along our southern border. We will clean up Tal Rifat and Manbij.”

Turkish President

01 Jun 2022 3 2

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 1 year ago

“As long as Tayyip Erdogan is at the head of the Republic of Turkey, we cannot say 'yes' to countries that support terror joining NATO. They are not honest or sincere. We cannot repeat the mistake made in the past regarding countries that embrace and feed such terrorists in NATO, which is a security organization.”

Rferl

28 May 2022 3 2

Garret J Martin

Inserted 1 year ago

“The next step is likely to be a flurry of behind-the-scenes diplomacy, and international pressure, to convince Turkey to quickly remove the roadblock. Sweden and Finland will seek to placate Turkey, but we can also expect the US and the EU to play a leading role in this pressure campaign. After all, both have some leverage over Turkey, be it through [Washington's] sale of military equipment or the [EU's] provision of aid as part of the 2016 migration deal. The most likely outcome remains Finland and Sweden joining the alliance very soon. Erdogan is a transactional leader, and the costs of blocking the two Nordic countries - deeply angering Western allies - would far outweigh the benefits in terms of domestic support. Erdogan also briefly blocked in 2009 the nomination of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO's secretary-general, before relenting after receiving a prize in a high-level appointment for a Turkish official in the alliance. Since the rest of the alliance is welcoming Finland and Sweden with open arms, there is clear political will to overcome this temporary roadblock.”

Lecturer and co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at American University

24 May 2022 7 3

Murat Ersavci

Inserted 1 year ago

“Turkish reservations have nothing to do with any sort of appeasement towards Russia. Turkey has always been strongly in favour of NATO enlargement, as seen with the Baltic states, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, as well as Slovenia, Slovakia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, Albania and even Georgia. However, the situation is now different. There is a very strong public perception in Turkey that Sweden is assisting Turkey's enemies, and this exerts huge pressure on the government.”

Former Turkish ambassador to Ireland, Oman, Australia and Belgium

24 May 2022 3 3

Erdi Ozturk

Inserted 1 year ago

“Turkey has every right to block Sweden and Finland's ascension to NATO. However, such a position would be costly as NATO members would likely approach Turkey as a problem child moving forward. It is hard to see Turkey's future position since it is mostly based on domestic political developments. We should remember that Erdogan has been doing these policy changes to win the next election.”

Associate professor in politics and international relations at London Metropolitan University

24 May 2022 5 3

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 1 year ago

“Unless Sweden and Finland clearly show that they will stand in solidarity with Turkey on fundamental issues, especially in the fight against terrorism, we will not approach these countries' NATO membership positively.”

Turkish President

21 May 2022 5 1

Cigdem Ustun

Inserted 1 year ago

“The PKK has been a security threat against Turkey since its foundation. Thousands of people - both civilian and military - lost their lives in the fight against the PKK. So the PKK, and any associated element, would be considered a crucial threat and Turkey expects its allies to understand the security concerns. Of course, Western nations' reluctance to see the PKK and YPG in the same basket is a problem for Turkey. Turkey expected its allies to see the close link between [the PKK and YPG] through the similarities in their organisation, structure and financial resources.”

Secretary general at the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies

20 May 2022 3 3

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 1 year ago

“NATO expansion is only meaningful for us in proportion to the respect that will be shown to our sensitivities. So you won't give us back terrorists but you ask us for NATO membership? NATO is an entity for security, an organisation for security. Therefore, we cannot say 'yes' to this security organisation being deprived of security.”

Turkish President

18 May 2022 4 1

Madalina Vicari

Inserted 1 year ago

“Russia has an interest to maintain its geopolitical clout with Turkey through energy interdependence. Also Russia wants to prove that she still can deliver on nuclear exports despite the sanctions. Ultimately, if the first unit is not ready in 2023, there will be huge disappointment from the Turkish side and that disappointment, most likely, will translate into Turkey's foreign policy approach to Russia.”

Expert on energy geopolitics at the Eurasian Energy Chamber

16 May 2022 4 4

Sinan Ulgen

Inserted 1 year ago

“The Akkuyu project is the first in the global nuclear industry based on a build-own-operate model. It means Russia is responsible for all capital expenses during the construction phase. With sanctions, this model is at risk because it is more difficult for Russia to allocate funding. There is now more pressure on its international reserves - half of them have been frozen - so whether Russia can continue to spend these amounts for a reactor in Turkey is unclear. Russia is likely to pressure Turkey to find local companies to take up to a 49 percent stake in Akkuyu.”

Director of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies

16 May 2022 5 5

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

Inserted 1 year ago

“Here absolutely needs to be security guarantees here. They need to stop supporting terrorist organizations. Swedish and Finnish bans on exporting of some of their defence sector goods to Turkey must end. Our stance is perfectly open and clear. This is not a threat, this is not a negotiation where we're trying to leverage our interests. This is not populism either. This is clearly about two potential member states' support for terrorism, and our solid observations about it, this is what we shared.”

Turkish Foreign Minister

15 May 2022 3 1

Jens Stoltenberg

Inserted 1 year ago

“Turkey made it clear that its intention is not to block membership. I am confident we'll be able to find common ground, consensus on how to move on membership issues.”

Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

15 May 2022 3 5

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

Inserted 2 years ago

“We closed the airspace to Russia's military planes - and even civilian ones - flying to Syria. They had until April, and we asked in March.”

Turkish Foreign Minister

23 Apr 2022 3 1

Gul Gul

Inserted 2 years ago

“We sell seven to eight units to Russians every day. They are wealthy Russians but not oligarchs. They are finding ways to bring their money to Turkey. There are customers buying three to five flats.”

Co-founder of the Golden Sign real estate company in Istanbul

28 Mar 2022 5 3

Ibrahim Kalin

Inserted 2 years ago

“President Putin thinks the positions on the Donbas and Crimea are not close enough to meet President Zelenskyy. What we need is a strategic-level meeting between the two leaders. There seems to be growing consensus … We are hoping there will be more convergence on these issues, and this meeting will take place sooner than later, because we all want this war to come to an end.”

Turkish Presidential Spokesman

19 Mar 2022 7 2

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

Inserted 2 years ago

“We are making efforts for stability and peace.”

Rferl

Turkish Foreign Minister

12 Mar 2022 1 1

Ibrahim Kalin

Inserted 2 years ago

“He [Erdogan] would ask Putin to give a chance to a ceasefire, stop his attacks, and help set up corridors needed for evacuations of civilians and shipments of aid. We are focusing on what steps we can take here to bring the sides to the negotiating table and to convince the Russian side (to stop). It is important that Moscow had a reliable counterpart to talk to as the West had burned bridges with it. This network of trust (with Russia) must absolutely be kept open for these talks, diplomacy to succeed. Otherwise it will be impossible for the whole region, including Russia and Ukraine, to escape from this destruction.”

Turkish Presidential Spokesman

05 Mar 2022 7 3

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 2 years ago

“We cannot give up on either of the countries. We have political, economic and military relations with Russia, and we also have political, economic and military relations with Ukraine.”

Turkish President

24 Feb 2022 2 3

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 2 years ago

“Debate over interest rates has subsided significantly and exchange rates stabilized. Now it's time to pull inflation back to single digits.”

Turkish President

17 Feb 2022 4 3

Erkan Kidak

Inserted 2 years ago

“Two prerequisites must be met for the working class in Turkey to revolt. The first of these is the decline in purchasing power, and the second is the weakening of their bosses and the government. As both prerequisites have been fulfilled, workers employed in different sectors all over Turkey have revolted. I think that the strike wave will continue in 2022, as inflation continues to increase and political instability manifests itself. I predict that 2022 will be characterised as the year of the strike in Turkey.”

Research assistant at the Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations at Turkey’s Pamukkale University

15 Feb 2022 5 4

Kemal Kilicdaroglu

Inserted 2 years ago

“Historians who write the political history of Turkey will quote this meeting.”

Turkish politician - Leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP

14 Feb 2022 2 2

Idris Sahin

Inserted 2 years ago

“The meeting on Saturday was extremely important for building future of our country and agreeing on how to have a parliamentary democracy. Saturday's meeting was a result of our different joint work and the parties agreed on a single document. After February 28, we will agree on how we will work before and after the general elections. In this stage, we have a consensus on the [political] system … If we will have a full consensus on the transition process, we may decide to enter elections together, but before knowing the date of elections, we do not think discussing an election alliance would be beneficial.”

Turkish politician - Deputy chair of the DEVA Party

14 Feb 2022 1 3

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Inserted 2 years ago

“We do not consider the security and stability of all brotherly countries in the Gulf region separate from our own.”

Turkish President

14 Feb 2022 3 2

Canan Kaftancioglu

Inserted 2 years ago

“Politics is for serving the citizens and solving the problems of citizens. Unfortunately, the palace [of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] forgot both the citizens and their problems. Citizens are imprisoned by poverty. The government continuously increases prices of almost everything, including electricity, gas, petroleum, taxes and fees. The high cost of living is making citizens poorer.”

Republican People's Party's provincial president in Istanbul

09 Feb 2022 8 3

Gurkan Ozturan

Inserted 2 years ago

“Targeting national media institutions on the one hand and on the other international media institutions which have become prominent due to the poor news environment in the country raises the question of whether a new series of steps are being taken, targeting the right of society to receive information.”