Turkey inks $5.1B in climate loans at COP31: What to know Ankara can count 10 loan deals worth $5.1 billion with four multilateral development banks so far at the UN climate summit, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Thursday. Turkey
Explainer Bilal Erdogan, floated as father’s possible successor, visits Lebanon: What to know Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that will include meetings with officials and religious leaders, as well as stops in Sunni-majority cities. Lebanon
Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran war shadows Turkey’s COP31 summit By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Salafists Vow to Fight Until There Is 'Islamic State in Syria' In a rare interview, an Ahrar al-Shams fighter tells Al-Monitor that the goal of his Salafi group is to establish an Islamic state in Syria and that "We will not let go until we achieve our goal." He explained that most of his comrades “don’t know anything” about the external Syrian opposition, and that he believes Turkey is profiting from the war. Syria
Paris Killings Highlight Kurdish, Regional Issues for Turkey The murders of three PKK activists in Paris highlight the centrality of the Kurdish issues in Turkey, Iraq and Syria, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey
Turkey's Kurdish Issue: How Did We Get Here? Tulin Daloglu reviews the history of Turkey's Kurdish issue. Turkey
Paris Murders Reveal Sensitive Nature of Turkish-French Ties The murder of three PKK activists has brought attention to the changes in Turkish-French relations, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Erdogan's Domestic Challenges Of Peace with the PKK Prime Minister Erdogan's peace initiative with the PKK should be understood in the context of his other domestic political initiatives, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Paris Murders Just One Element Of PKK Puzzle Tulin Daloglu writes that the recent murders of three PKK members in Paris may not derail the current initiative by Prime Minister Erdogan, but other issues might. Turkey
Erdogan to Continue PKK Talks Despite Paris Murders Cengiz Candar analyzes the potential motivations for the murders of three PKK activists in Paris and what it might mean for the Turkey-PKK talks. Turkey
In Erdogan’s Turkey, Censorship Finds Fertile Ground Censorship in Turkey is on the rise, raising questions about the state of Turkish democracy, writes Sibel Utku Bila. Turkey
Who Is Behind Paris PKK Murders? Kadri Gursel speculates on whether the murders of three PKK activists in Paris might be linked to the recent peace initiative between Ankara and the PKK, and the "regionalization" of the Kurdish issue in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Turkey
KRG Oil Sales to Turkey Inflame Tensions with Baghdad Baghdad has threatened legal action in response to the Kurdistan Regional Government's decision to export oil to Turkey, while Washington stands by, writes Semih Idiz. Iraq
Talks With Ocalan Offer Slim Hope for Turkey-PKK Deal Tulin Daloglu writes that Ankara's decision to "talk" with imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan offers limited prospects for an agreement on the Kurdish question in Turkey. Turkey
Is Turkey's Foreign Policy Really Sunni? Mustafa Akyol writes that Turkey is pursuing an enlightened regional strategy that is not based upon sectarianism. Turkey