★ On July 20, Turks in both Turkey and Cyprus commemorated the 51st anniversary of the Turkish intervention in Cyprus. This intervention followed a coup orchestrated by supporters of a union between Greece and Cyprus, backed by the ruling Greek Junta. Having faced extremist Greek Cypriot aggression for over a decade and confined to enclaves, Turkish Cypriots feared annihilation by the coup leaders and believe the Turkish intervention saved them.

  Cyprus is now divided into two separate entities: the northern third, home to Turkish Cypriots, and the internationally recognized south, controlled by Greek Cypriots. For years, numerous rounds of negotiations to reunite the island ended in failure.

  After an eight-year lull, Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders, alongside representatives from Greece, Turkey, and Britain, attended talks in New York on July 16-17, under the auspices of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. However, these discussions yielded no breakthrough on the core issue of the island's future governance. Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar advocated for a two-state solution, while Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides maintained support for a bizonal, bicommunal federation, citing relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

  On the 51st commemoration day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly backed Mr. Tatar's two-state solution proposal.

★ According to Bianet, the Turkish Parliament has established a new committee to oversee a renewed peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party.

  Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş officially notified political parties, requesting them to submit their nominees for the 51-member committee by August 31.

  This new phase in the peace process began after Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Action Party, made a dramatic reversal—halting his previous criticism of the Kurds and urging Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party, to dissolve the organization in exchange for a possible release.

  Following this shift, meetings were held between a delegation from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and Öcalan, culminating in his February call for the Kurdistan Workers Party to lay down arms and disband.

  The organization formally declared its dissolution in May and held a symbolic weapon destruction ceremony in northern Iraq on July 11.

  Many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, classify the Kurdistan Workers Party as a terrorist organization. Since 1984, its conflict with Turkey has resulted in nearly 50,000 deaths, the majority of them civilians.

★ According to Bianet, post-quake Reconstruction in Turkey Faces Delays, Safety Concerns, and Labor Violations.Here is a summary of their lengthy article:

  Two and a half years after the February 2023 earthquakes, tens of thousands in southern Turkey still remain in temporary shelters. The government initially pledged to build 319,000 homes within a year and 650,000 in total, but later revised this to 450,000 by the end of 2025. The project has drawn criticism for unrealistic timelines, poor planning, and a lack of transparency.

  Construction is especially concentrated in the hardest-hit provinces, such as Hatay and Malatya. However, this urgency has led to alarming safety issues. In 2024 alone, over 550 workers died in the construction sector—nearly a quarter of them in the quake zone. Reports cite unregistered labor, excessive workloads, and widespread violations of occupational safety standards.

  Experts warn that the end-of-year housing goal is unfeasible and risks undermining both worker safety and construction quality. Critics urge the government to adopt a transparent, realistic, and rights-based reconstruction plan.

  Read more at >> here <<

★ Another Bianet article, dwelled on the International Association of Democratic Lawyers' 19th Confrence held from July 18 to 20 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The conference elected imprisoned Turkish lawyer Selçuk Kozağaçlı as a vice president of its 48-member executive bureau.

  Turkish authorities accuse Kozağaçlı of membership in a terrorist organization—an allegation that, according to observers, reflects a broader pattern of using terrorism charges to silence critics and suppress opposition voices.

  Hosted by Nepal's Progressive and Professional Lawyers Association, the conference brought together over 250 delegates from more than 30 countries under the theme: "The Role of Democratic Lawyers in Defending the Rights of Peoples, Peace, and International Law Against Fascism, Genocide, Militarism, and Wars of Aggression."

  The gathering focused on practical legal strategies to resist global injustice, addressing topics such as militarism, racism, gender-based oppression, climate justice, and political repression. Participants shared experiences of resistance from regions including Palestine, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and South Africa, emphasizing that while fascism takes different forms globally, it requires international solidarity in response.

  Lawyer organizations from Turkey, including the Progressive Lawyers Association and the Association of Lawyers for Freedom, contributed to the discussions. Despite ongoing political repression in Turkey, Selçuk Kozağaçlı's election as vice president served as a symbol of transnational legal solidarity. His appointment was widely viewed as recognition of his persistent advocacy for the right to a fair trial and justice.

  The conference reaffirmed the commitment of democratic lawyers worldwide to stand with oppressed peoples and to uphold justice through legal activism. It marked a significant moment for international legal cooperation in the face of deepening global crises.

★ Last week, after sectarian clashed and ensuing the Israeli air strikes, Turkish officials said they would help Syria defend itself if asked.

  This week, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense announced that Syria has formally requested military assistance to strengthen its defense capacity and combat terrorism, particularly the Islamic State. Ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk stated that Turkey is providing training, advisory services, and technical support in response.

  Rear Admiral Aktürk also commented on the March 10 agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. He emphasized that preserving Syria's territorial integrity is essential for national and regional stability and called for swift implementation of the agreement. Turkey considers the Kurdish forces an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which it designates as a terrorist organization—a designation also held by the United States.

  The Syrian Democratic Forces deny any such link and continue to receive support from the United States.

  In response to claims that Turkey and the United States have issued a 30-day deadline for the Kurdish forces to disarm, the group stated that laying down arms is currently not possible due to ongoing threats, particularly from the Islamic State.

★ On July 21st, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced that both Germany and Britain have expressed positive interest in Turkey purchasing Eurofighter Typhoon jets and expects the deal to be finalized soon.

  For some time, Germany had opposed the deal. However at the German Social Democrats convention earlier in the year, Turkey's opposition leader Ozel From the Republican people's party convinced the Germans for the sale By saying that Turke,y not the ruling Erdogan administration, needs the fighter jets, Press reported in Turkey.

  President Erdogan and his party disputes this.

★ Turkey announced a joint project with Spain to build a 300-metre aircraft carrier, significantly expanding its naval power beyond the TCG Anadolu and placing it on par with American and Chinese carriers.

  The new vessel, informally called MUGEM, will host advanced aircraft, drones, and command systems, aiming to extend Turkey's maritime reach and influence in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

  The initiative reflects a major shift in Turkey's naval doctrine, signaling a move toward sustained power projection and a more assertive regional and global maritime presence.

  Currently, only Britain, France, Italy, and Spain has aircraft carriers in Europe.

★ A July 2025 Pew Research Center survey conducted across 25 countries reveals diverging global opinions about the United States, identifying it as both a vital ally and a top threat—often within the same country. While the United States was cited as the most important ally in half of the countries surveyed, it was also named the greatest threat in eight nations and tied for the top spot in two others.

  In Turkey, perceptions of the United States have shifted significantly since 2019. That year, 46 percent of Turkish respondents identified the United States as the greatest threat to their country. As of 2025, that figure has declined to 30 percent. Today, Turkey names Israel—rather than the United States—as its top threat, with 43 percent of Turkish adults holding that view. Turkey stands out as the only country in the survey where Israel is viewed as the leading national threat.

  Regarding allies, Turkey remains an outlier among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members. Fewer than 10 percent of Turks consider the United States their most important ally. Instead, 42 percent named Azerbaijan—a close regional partner—as Turkey's top ally. This positions Turkey as the only surveyed country where a neighboring, non-Western state is overwhelmingly favored over the United States.

★ Turkey remains a critical hub in the shadow trade network helping Russia bypass international sanctions, according to recent Reuters reporting.

  A July 22, 2025 article notes that despite the European Union's 18th sanctions package, Russian oil continues to flow through opaque trading routes, many of which run through Turkey. Turkish ports and intermediaries are identified as key players in this "shadow fleet" system, enabling Russia to maintain energy revenues despite Western embargoes.

  In a separate piece published July 21, 2025, analysts argue the United States could pressure countries like Turkey and India—major buyers of Russian oil—to limit such trade without resorting to broad secondary sanctions. The Turkish role in refined product re-export and shipping logistics is central to these unofficial transactions, which remain outside the formal sanctions regime.

★ Seyyit Bozdoğan's exhibition The Infinity of the Boundary at Galeri Selvin in Arnavutköy explores the inseparable unity between humanity and nature, inviting viewers on a deeply layered journey of discovery.

  The veteran painter, born in 1941 and considered one of the pioneers of contemporary Turkish art, brings together figurative and abstract elements in works that challenge boundaries through the universal language of art.

  Bozdoğan reinterprets themes like nature, memory, and space with original forms and a distinct color palette, encouraging viewers to transcend the physical and mental limits of perception.

  His lifelong disciplined artistic practice and profound inner connection to art are powerfully evident in this exhibition, which remains on view until July 30.

★ Elif Saydam is presenting her first solo exhibition in the United States, List Projects 32, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's List Visual Arts Center in Boston, on view through August 31, 2025.

  Saydam, a Berlin-based artist born in Calgary in 1985, creates works that blend miniature painting, queer aesthetics, popular culture, and ornamental language to reflect on urban life and social hierarchies.

  Her exhibition features paintings on unconventional surfaces like batik-dyed canvases, convex mirrors, and sponges, incorporating nostalgic items such as 1980s stickers and plastic charms to explore themes of surveillance, visibility, and class.

  At the heart of the show are four large multi-panel works that reinterpret the motif of the brick as both barrier and bridge, layering political and architectural references from Stonewall to postcolonial urban design into a visually rich, critical commentary on resistance, beauty, and queer history.

★ One of the most remarkable productions of the 29th Istanbul Theatre Festival will be a reinterpretation of Hamlet performed by eight actors with Down syndrome, staged under the direction of Chela De Ferrari.

  Presented by the Teatro La Plaza company from Peru, the play reframes Shakespeare's tragedy into a powerful story of collective existence, celebrating the strength of difference and the inclusive spirit of art.

  This bold and original performance will be shown for the first time in Türkiye on October 24 and 25 at Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage as part of the festival, which runs from October 20 to November 22.

  By placing actors with Down syndrome at the center of one of literature's most iconic texts, the production offers a new lens on Hamlet's themes while expanding the boundaries of classical theater.

★ Türkiye has successfully repatriated a bronze statue believed to depict Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon in the 1960s and recently exhibited in the United States.

  Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy hailed the statue's return as a historic victory achieved through diplomacy, law, and scientific evidence.

★ Turkish artist Eşref Yıldırım has created a site-specific performance titled Camouflage as part of an international project honoring Joseph Beuys, organized by the Marina Abramović Institute and Museum Schloss Moyland in Bedburg‑Hau, Germany.

  Drawing from Beuys' legacy of nature-human-animal interrelations, Yıldırım performs silently in a natural setting, covered in aquatic plants, to explore mourning, animal rights, and ecological awareness.

  Inspired in part by the loss of his dog Yağmur, the work serves as both personal tribute and political reflection.

  Yıldırım's performance took place during Performance Week 1, from July 13 to July 20, 2025

  The project features 13 artists worldwide and will be documented in an upcoming film by Kirsten Becken.

★ Larry Muñoz's first solo exhibition in Istanbul, titled Graceful Elegant Beasts, is on view at Zilberman's main venue in the Mısır Apartment, Beyoğlu, through July 26, 2025.

  Hosted by Zilberman Gallery, the show presents a constellation of videos, photographs, and installations crafted from found and weathered materials.

  Muñoz explores fragility, beauty, and contradiction by reinterpreting industrial and organic remnants, placing viewers at the center of questioning the limits of what is exhibit-able.

  The exhibition blurs the line between harmony and chaos, inviting a poetic reflection on how objects mediate our relationship with space and memory.

★ The "Theotokia" Cultural Gatherings, now in their eighth year, began in August at the Yeniköy Panayia Greek Orthodox Church and School Foundation, offering a month-long celebration of Istanbul's multicultural identity.

  The program includes concerts, exhibitions, talks, and book presentations, each event designed to foster neighborhood culture and honor the city's pluralistic heritage.

  Highlights include a photo exhibition by Nikolaos Kaseris (August 3), concerts of Greek and Black Sea music (August 10 and 26), and a Bosphorus boat tour (August 13).

  The program extends into September with a book presentation on the 1955 Istanbul events (September 6) and a photography exhibition by İzzet Keribar (September 10), blending historical reflection with contemporary cultural expression.

★ A selection of photographs by Faik Şenol, a pioneering photojournalist of the early Republic, is on display in the exhibition "Memory of the City" at Taksim Sanat through July 31.

  Curated from Şenol's extensive archive, the exhibition captures Istanbul's transformation across decades, offering glimpses of political life, daily scenes, and urban landscapes from the mid-20th century.

  Şenol, who began his career at just 15, contributed to major newspapers and magazines, and helped shape visual documentation in Turkish media history, including projects on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and early sports encyclopedias.

  Hosted by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Kültür AŞ, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the city's evolving identity through the lens of one of its most attentive chroniclers.

★ Archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Troy in Çanakkale are focusing on uncovering a destruction layer from the Late Bronze Age that may be linked to the legendary Trojan War.

  Early finds from the 2025 season include hundreds of clay and stone sling bullets discovered near a palace structure, suggesting the site's military significance.

  Previous evidence such as burn marks, arrowheads, and hastily buried skeletons between the agora and defensive walls further supports the possibility of war-related destruction.

  While no definitive proof of the Trojan War has been found, each excavation brings researchers closer to bridging myth with archaeological reality.

★ A well-preserved Hittite bird omen tablet has been uncovered at Kayalıpınar (ancient Samuha) in Sivas, Türkiye, during ongoing excavations led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Maner of Koç University.

  Inscribed on all sides and pierced with a hole for suspension, the tablet offers rare insights into divination practices where bird behavior was interpreted as divine guidance in Hittite religious and political life.

  Kayalıpınar, known historically as a sacred center dedicated to the goddess Ishtar, also yielded over 50 Hittite seal impressions likely linked to administrative rituals and official correspondence.

  Excavations continue through September, with future plans to open the site to the public as research deepens our understanding of Hittite communication networks and ritual traditions.

★ Excavations at Ayanis Fortress near Lake Van have revealed new findings in rooms surrounding the monumental temple dedicated to the Urartian chief god Haldi, shedding light on Iron Age ceremonial and military practices.

  This year's discoveries include two doorways, numerous ceramic fragments, and a terracotta bathtub, which may have been used for fermentation or ritual storage, possibly related to royal functions.

  Also uncovered were bronze and iron artifacts, seals, written documents, and the burnt remains of a human skeleton—marking the first human remains ever found at the site.

  According to excavation director Professor Mehmet Işıklı, the architecture and bronze weapons discovered near the temple suggest that this sacred complex was not only a place of worship but also a symbolic center of royal power, military elite, and ceremonial authority.

★ In the 2025 rescue excavations at Pınarbaşı in Karaman, researchers uncovered microliths, stone tool fragments, and organic remains dating to the Late Pleistocene, providing new insights into Anatolia's prehistoric past.

  The site, which includes a rock shelter and adjacent mound, is significant for studying the transition from mobile hunter-gatherers to early settled communities, with ties to nearby Boncuklu Höyük.

  Recent test excavations 125 meters south of the shelter revealed evidence of early human presence, including charred plant remains and animal bones, suggesting adaptation strategies prior to the Neolithic.

  Led by Karaman Museum with academic support from Turkish and British universities, the interdisciplinary project applies geoarchaeological, zooarchaeological, and radiocarbon analyses to better understand environmental change and early human settlement patterns in the region.

★ Turkey was gripped by extreme heat this week, and forecasts indicate the scorching temperatures will persist. Alongside the heatwave, forest fires continued to rage across the country.

  This week, Silopi, Turkey, was the hottest place on earth with 123 degrees F on Friday,

  Tragically, on July 23, Turkish press reported that ten firefighters lost their lives and 14 others were injured while battling a wildfire in Eskişehir province in central Turkey. Experts criticized the government for inadequate firefighter training and a lack of essential equipment, including firefighting aircraft.

  A widely shared social media post highlighted the disparity by comparing Turkey to Greece: despite having only 17 percent of Turkey's land area, Greece reportedly maintains 40 firefighting planes and just one presidential jet, while Turkey has only 10 firefighting planes and 10 presidential jets. (One opposition leader claimed 16.). However, President Erdogan said there were 27fire-fighting aircraft.

★ Istanbul is currently hosting the 7th European Para Youth Games from July 21 to 28 at the Cebeci Sports Complex, bringing together young para-athletes from 31 countries across nine sports including athletics, swimming, taekwondo, and goalball.

  Turkish athletes such as Esra Yüce and Reyhan Taşdelen are among the top medal contenders.

  Yüce, competing in the S5 classification, previously won gold in the 50-meter butterfly at the Gymnasiade World U15 Championships, while Taşdelen, the youngest Turkish para-athlete selected for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, is competing in T20 sprints and long jump.

★ At the Summer World University Games (July 16–27 in Rhine‑Ruhr, Germany), Turkey earned six gold, five silver, and four bronze medals so far.

  Notable champions include Şevval Çakal (taekwondo, women's 62 kg) and Sude Yaren Uzunçavdar (women's 73 kg), with Berke Akçam winning men's 400 m hurdles gold on July 23, and Özlem Becerek taking women's discus gold on July 24.

  🏹 In archery, a Turkish team secured gold in men's compound team on July 25, while Berkim Tümer claimed individual recurve bronze later that day.