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.

It has been five years since the failed coup attempt in Turkey and no one has any clear idea yet what actually happened that night. While the complete narrative and evidence about the failed coup have yet to be clarified, the scope of the reaction by the Turkish government to the coup attempt was quite horrifying.