Ezgi Akin

Jan 10, 2025 | al-monitor.com | Ezgi Akin

ANKARA — Turkish authorities have eased the country's ban on Syrians returning after visiting their homeland. While the UN and other observers welcomed the move, they also cautioned against raising expectations of mass returns. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday that one adult family member from each Syrian family taking refuge in Turkey will be allowed to visit their homeland and return.

Jan 8, 2025 | al-monitor.com | Ezgi Akin

ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey was ready to take control of the camps that host detainees of the Islamic State members and affiliates of the group as he reiterated his country’s demand that Washington axe its alliance with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Dec 8, 2024 | al-monitor.com | Jennifer Gnana |Ezgi Akin

DOHA / ANKARA — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday urged Syrian opposition groups to unite following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. “Opposition groups should be united now,” Fidan told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar. Amid scrutiny over Turkey’s role in the Islamist-led rebel offensive, Fidan avoided adopting a triumphalist tone as Turkish-backed Syrian rebels celebrated in and around Damascus.

Nov 27, 2024 | al-monitor.com | Ezgi Akin

ANKARA — Turkey scaled back a $23 billion military sales package that includes 40 new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets and 79 modernization kits for its existing fleet, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said. “We gave up on these 79” modernization kits, Guler told lawmakers during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday evening, according to an official transcript of the minutes.

Nov 20, 2024 | al-monitor.com | Ezgi Akin

ANKARA — Istanbul prosecutors have indicted the CEO of Denizbank and another former executive over an estimated $44 million Ponzi scheme that drew money from dozens of people including soccer stars, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. Anadolu reported on Tuesday that the indictment is seeking sentences of 72 to 240 years for Hakan Ates, the CEO of Denizbank, which is owned by Dubai’s Emirates NBD, and Mehmet Aydogdu, a former bank executive.