Opinions

Due to the importance of borders as defining feature for statehood, states deploy measures and infrastructure to secure their borders and manage cross-border movements. To this end, governments resort not only to physical barriers but also to mechanisms such as visa requirements, consulates, and airline officers. They also benefit from digital technologies and “smart borders.” They even need the engagement of third countries to control the mobility and security of their borders.15 Following these developments, this paper aims to examine how the concept of the border has been transformed and discuss how states respond to the challenges posed by increased mobility.

Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, Finlandiya Cumhurbaşkanı Niinistö ve İsveç Başbakanı Andersson’un katılımıyla Türkiye, Finlandiya ve İsveç arasında söz konusu ülkelerin Dışişleri Bakanları tarafından 28 Haziran günü Madrid’de bir üçlü muhtıra imzalandı. Bu vesilesiyle 28-30 Haziran tarihlerinde düzenlenen NATO’nun Madrid Zirvesi’nde ittifaka katılım müzakerelerinin başlayacak olması Finlandiya ve İsveç’te sevinçle karşılanırken, anlaşma Türk medyası tarafından da bir zafer olarak takdim edildi.

It was a busy week in Ankara in terms of high-level diplomatic visits. President Erdoğan received Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Turkey on Wednesday. This was for the first time in years when a high-level Saudi leader paid a visit to Turkey. US Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo also arrived on Wednesday in Ankara to meet Turkish officials in order to warn them about the dire consequences of helping Russia to get around the Western sanctions. On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, who is about to become Israel's Prime Minister in the upcoming days with the collapse of the Israeli government.

Onlarca ülkede İsrail diplomatik misyonu bulunmasına ve İsraillilerin turist olarak dünyanın birçok ülkesine gidiyor olmasına rağmen, İran’ın bu suikastlere misilleme yapmak için Türkiye’yi tercih etmesinin çeşitli nedenleri bulunuyor.

The military operations carried out by the Turkish armed forces in Syria and Iraq play an important role in securing not only the country’s borders but also shaping Turkey’s domestic politics. On the one hand, Turkish generals want to extend the buffer zone between Turkey and YPG, an entity with a close relationship with the PKK, whenever an opportunity arises.

NATO member countries are seeking clarity on Turkey's view of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. If it is taken at face value, accusing Sweden and Finland of being a nest of terrorist organizations may not make much sense. It is more likely that their bid to join NATO is collateral for Erdoğan’s long demands from the US government.

AKP Genel Başkanı ve Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, "Biz şu anda İsveç ve Finlandiya'yla ilgili gelişmeleri takip ediyoruz ama olumlu bir düşünce içerisinde değiliz… İskandinav ülkeleri ne yazık ki terör örgütlerinin adeta misafirhanesi gibi. PKK'sı, DHKP-C'si İsveç'te, Hollanda'da yuvalanmış durumdalar. Oraların hatta daha da ileri gidiyorum parlamentolarında da yer alıyorlar. Bu noktada bizim olumlu bakmamız mümkün değil" şeklinde konuştu.

To begin with, Ankara’s current efforts to normalize its relations with its neighbors primarily rely on Turkey’s desire to boost its economy by expanding its export markets and attracting investments. But unlike other wealthy countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, the normalization with Armenia does not present a similar prospect in terms of commercial activities.

Turkish-Saudi relations soured following the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood supported by Turkey in 2013 in Egypt, while Saudi Arabia has been one of the main sponsors of General Sisi. The bilateral relations went from bad to worse with Ankara’s unwavering support to Doha during the conflict between Qatar and its neighbors led by Saudi Arabia in 2017. The murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018 and the subsequent developments were the last straw that totally broke the political relations.

With thisthis outstanding diplomatic activism, Ankara is increasingly shoring up ties with new partners in the region. Yet, what is striking is that the Turkish government keeps pushing to expand its footprint further in distant geographies at a time when the Turkish economy is crumbling.

Mısır’da ordunun yönetime el koyması üzerine 2013 yılında kopan Türkiye-Mısır ilişkilerinin normalleştirilmesini teminen iki ülke arasında Dışişleri Bakanlıkları nezdinde yürütülen istişarelerin ilk turu 2021 Mayıs ayında Kahire’de, ikincisi ise Eylül ayında Ankara´da gerçekleşmişti.

Turkey has economically benefited so far from its neutral status on the invasion of Ukraine, while every other NATO country and several other nations severely cut down their relations with Russia. Given that Turkey has shied away from taking a stand against Russia and imposing sanctions, many Russians ponder Turkey as a way to circumvent Western sanctions.