EGF Turkey File, September — October, 2017

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics

September — October, 2017

By Ben McPherson, Incoming Turkey and Black Sea Regional Analyst

Key Points:

• President Erdogan has successful visit to New York in connection with UN Summit, but new Ankara-Washington tensions grow over the arrest of a Turkish national working at the US embassy. Both countries have announced the suspension of all non-immigrant visas, a serious development.
• "Euphrates Shield 2" operation launched, a new campaign aimed at Idlib province in Syria, with the cooperation of Ankara-backed militias, Iran, and Russia.
• Turkey-Iran-Iraq come together in condemnation and sanction of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, as a result of their recent independence referendum.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu makes overtures to Germany in an attempt to heal latest tensions.
• Turkish courts announces 40 life sentences for top plotters of last year"s failed coup.