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Showing posts from February, 2025

Turkish foreign policy on the African continent

by Martin Aslan Turkiye's African policy is not new. Since the late 1990s, Turkiye has been seeking to develop diplomatic, cultural, economic and trade relations with African countries. After Reçep Tayyip Erdoğan came to power, this dynamic accelerated sharply. Turkiye's African policy is often interpreted as a return to the Ottoman Empire, which dominated North Africa after the collapse of the Mamluk Sultanate in 1517. Beyond this historical reference, which maintains national cohesion, Turkiye is seeking to develop its foreign trade and secure its supplies. Let's not forget that Africa is a continent rich in natural resources (read article “ Africa, a continent with growing appea l ”). To achieve its objective, Turkiye will coordinate actions in the diplomatic, cultural, humanitarian and security fields. Like China and Russia, Turkiye is showing itself to be an opportunist after the departure of the West. While many African countries aspire to greater independence, the ro...

The PKK, an armed movement aimed at defending the human rights of the Kurdish people

by Martin Aslan   The PKK, a terrorist organization? The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was founded in 1978 by Abdullah Öcalan. Following socialist/marxist principles, its main objective was to establish an independent Kurdish state and ultimately advocate for a fully democratic republic in Turkey. However, in 1984, the PKK initiated an armed insurgency. Over the years, the group has been responsible for violent activities, mainly in 1993, 2011, and 2016. As a result, Turkiye officially designated the PKK as a terrorist organization. The latest outbreak occurred on October 23rd, 2024 when the PKK targeted the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) near Ankara. Türkiye disregard for human rights? A. Öcalan, the PKK leader, has been captured in Kenya in 1999 and sentenced to death. However, as Turkey sought to join the European Union, the death penalty is abolished in the country, and his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He has been held in solitary confinement...