Politics of Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he is closely following the operation launched on Dec. 14 targeting some members of the Fethullah Gülen movement, including two top executives of media groups close to the U.S.-based Islamic scholar, while he has also slammed international organizations for voicing concerns over media freedom in Turkey.

The Turkey of 2014 is very reminiscent of the Turkey of 2010. Again, the government, especially President Tayyip Erdoğan, is slamming a "treacherous" power that has allegedly conspired to overthrow his government. Again, a certain segment of the media is carrying out a bitter propaganda campaign against this evil cabal, in a language that borders on hate speech.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has pledged to respect the free will of its members of Parliament in an upcoming vote on regarding an inquiry into corruption allegations.

Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani met with Turkish government figures in Ankara and Istanbul on Dec. 19, amid efforts to boost cooperation against Islamist jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

Qatar and Turkey, whose bilateral and regional cooperation has become remarkably more visible in recent years, have taken yet another assertive step to deepen their bilateral relations, signing a series of agreements in Ankara, including a joint memorandum to found a "Supreme Strategic Committee."

Turkey has extended cautious support to a United Nations plan to create "frozen zones" within Syria, while also noting its concerns with the proposals and reiterating its demands that any political recommendations must include the removal of the Bashar al-Assad government.

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has said that he knew there was bug in his offices at the Turkish Parliament before creating a wave online by sharing a jocular Tweet.

An Istanbul court has ordered the arrest of four of the 12 suspects, including Samayolu TV's head, who were detained in a Dec. 14 police operation on media groups linked to U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Eight suspects, including Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı, have been released. The court, however, imposed a travel ban on Dumanlı.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has opposed the detention of two media chiefs who were taken into custody in controversial weekend raids on journalists and television staff linked to U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

"It is not right to deprive a person of their personal freedom for even a single day," Arınç told reporters on Dec. 19.

Three Turks accused of spying on compatriots in Germany for the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) had no links to either the spy agency or the Directorate of Overseas Turks, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told reporters Dec. 19.