On November 3, 2023, the 10th anniversary summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) began in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The summit was attended by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Also attending the summit were representatives of the observer countries to the OTS, namely Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Anti-Israel sentiment is rising globally in light of the events in the Gaza Strip and the Israel Defense Forces’ ongoing disproportionate strikes on civilian targets, including hospitals, in the name of combating Hamas. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy, declared the end of diplomatic ties with “Bibi”, charged Tel Aviv of “war crimes”, and pledged to do the necessary research and gather proof to present to the appropriate international bodies. So, as Erdoğan’s words should not contradict his actions, the Turkish leader…

Media reported that on the 47^th day of the current Palestinian-Israeli war, the parties reached a deal for a four-day pause in fighting. This truce deal is aimed primarily at the exchange of hostages and the supply of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. “We will have to make difficult and important decisions regarding the hostages in the coming days,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on 21 November after visiting the headquarters of the army’s Gaza division…

The pro-Iranian Shi’ite military organisation and political party Hezbollah (“Party of Allah”) is known to advocate the establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon along the lines of Iran. Initially, this structure supported the just struggle of the Palestinians against Israel, for which it was recognized by Tel Aviv as a terrorist organisation. With the beginning of the anti-Israeli military conflict of Hamas on 7 October this year, “Hezbollah declared its readiness to support the Arabs the very next day, and to enter the war if the IDF launched a ground operation against the Gaza Strip…

On November 3, 2023, the10th Anniversary Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Astana. The event was attended by the heads of the OTS member states and the leaders of the OTS observer states. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed the leaders of the OTS member states (Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan) and the OTS observer countries (Turkmenistan and Hungary). As we all know, Turkey was the only internationally recognized Turkic state in the world before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991…

During the years of Recep Erdoğan’s rule, Turkey has pursued a more active policy aimed at imperial revanchism and entering the “club of world leaders”. In particular:

– demonstratively declare a diplomacy independent from the influence of its main allies in the West (primarily the US);

– build more independent and productive economic relations with other world centres (especially China and Russia) in addition to the Western countries;

– position itself as a leader of the Islamic and Turkic world;

– generate a new geopolitical strategy…

On the night of 26-27 October this year, the Israel Defense Forces launched an aggressive assault on the Gaza Strip, using tank brigades and special forces, with air and sea cover. As promised by Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, a “deadly attack” – a “combined land, sea and air attack” – hit the Gaza Strip. This offensive resulted in hundreds and thousands more Palestinian casualties (including civilians). However, to say that with this offensive the IDF has begun and completed the ground operation against Hamas would be wrong, for the resistance continues. Such a night raid by the Israeli side, supported by Western allies…

Due to ethnic kinship, the confluence of “seasonal romance,” or other subjective factors, some experts who hold a particularly positive opinion of Turkey and remember the history of the Ottoman Empire in “rosy colors” also point out that the current Republic of Turkey, as the legitimate heir to the Ottoman heritage (including the Caliphate), demonstrates responsible foreign policy. Petr Akopov, for instance, believes that Turkey opposes the US-led Western policy of neocolonialism, attempts to step back and prevent wars in times of crisis, especially in the Russian-Ukrainian and Arab-Israeli conflicts, advances the goal of establishing…

With more than 7,000 people, including 3,000 children, dead in Gaza, Israel’s war is turning into an issue that will continue to shape the Middle East for a long time. Already, the war has meant the end of Washington’s Abraham Accord policy and its possible expansion to Saudi Arabia. There are strong indications that the Middle Eastern states are increasingly turning to China and Russia to mediate conflict resolution. At the same time, however, Israel’s relentless bombing, ignoring the (Arab) states’ pleas – and Iran’s clear warnings of further escalation…

The military conflict in the Middle East continues to keep the world diplomatic community on its toes. Israel is still planning a ground operation against Hamas militants and commanders in the Gaza Strip to clean up the territory once and for all. In planning this operation, Tel Aviv ignored numerous calls from various countries and international organizations urging it to refrain from any actions that could lead to a collective massacre of civilians living in this Arab enclave, numbering more than 2 million people. The temporary pause before X-Day is motivated by the need for more thorough preparation…

Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey is currently going through something of a crisis in relation to its foreign policy, and its neo-Ottoman ambitions to revive its status as an imperial power. Or, in other words, along with Turkey’s growing economic crisis, it may also be suffering from a kind of “diplomatic stagnation” caused by a number of factors. NATO’s expansion to the North-East, or, specifically, Finland and Sweden’s accession to the alliance, was unexpectedly opposed by its easternmost member, Turkey. Ankara, using its influence with the Turkic states…

For many centuries, one of the most important elements in a country’s ability to successfully expand economically has been its ability to access marine trade routes. The capacity to significantly increase the number of trading partners and to enhance the volume and speed of cargo transportation are two of the obvious benefits of marine trade. A minimum of a modest stretch of sea or ocean coast is also necessary to avoid relying on transit through neighboring states, which helps a country achieve political independence. However, not all nations have direct access to the world’s oceans; at the moment, 44 nations only have land borders and are in some manner…