Once traditionally strong allies, Russia and Armenia are seeing relations hit their lowest point since the fall of the Soviet Union. Sharing century's long cultural and religious links, Russia has often stepped in as Armenia's main political and military backer in the South Caucasus. But that decades old partnership is starting to see strains. Last week, in a rare public rebuke, Russia blamed Armenia for the breakdown in peace talks with Azerbaijan over the Karabakh region. The two rivals have been deadlocked for months, in trying to broker a peace deal over the occupied territory, which saw a ..read more

2022 was a bumper year for Turkiye's Defence industry. Export targets were exceeded, new markets opened. Now expectations have been set high for 2023, with a goal of $6 billion in exports. This year will also see testing of the country's newest homegrown defence technology, everything from unmanned aircraft, to amphibious assault ships and satellites. Several combat aircraft and UAVs are scheduled to make their maiden flights, including the latest Bayraktar TB3 drones. The UAVs will be deployed on Turkiye's future flagship, the TCG Anadolu, which is scheduled to be deployed this year. Ismail D ..read more

Tensions in South Caucasus had ups and downs throughout 2022. Turkiye, Russia, the European Union and the US took important steps to bring peace to the region and end the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Armenia and antigovernmental protests in Iran have made the situation in South Caucasus even more fragile. Many issues aren't yet settled, but Turkiye seems to be in a better position to mediate with greater presence in the region through the Middle Corridor. Let's take a look at this report. Guests: Mathew Bryza Former US Ambassador t ..read more

Seeking shelter under the NATO umbrella. That's what Finland and Sweden have strived for, since Russia launched its attack on Ukraine in February. But as a long-term partner of the bloc, Türkiye voiced its concerns about PKK activities in the Nordic countries. Since entering NATO requires a unanimous vote, both countries have formalised their policies to avoid Ankara's veto. But will they now keep their word to Türkiye to join the Western alliance? Guests: Adam Michalski Türkiye Analyst Zuhal Mert Uzuner Associate Professor at Marmara University Zeynep Ozden Oktav Professor at Istanbul Medeniy ..read more

It was a record turnout for Turkiye's presidential and parliamentary elections. But after more than 55 million votes were cast, no candidate passed the 50% threshold in the first round, setting the stage for a run-off scheduled for May 28. The record number of voters coincided with several new political parties entering the race for the first time. The People's alliance led by the ruling AK party is set to maintain its majority, as the country waits anxiously for the presidential run-off later this month. Guests: Helin Sari Ertem- Associate Professor at Medeniyet University Vehbi Baysan- Assoc ..read more

For decades, Western countries have engaged the African continent with a mixture of aid packages that often came with strings attached. Straddled with the legacy of colonialism, many African countries were often left dependent on their former rulers to develop their economies. But over the past decade, new players started engaging the African continent, offering alternatives to the West. Russia with its security and defence deals, and China with its massive infrastructure projects and loans. But now Turkiye is also trying to get into the mix, with its own unique approach. Guests: Alex Vines Di ..read more

Bitter enemies Iran and Israel have been fighting a shadowy proxy war in Syria and beyond for years. But this low intensity conflict is seeing more and more armed UAVs. Even the US has thrown itself into the mix, including a drone strike that was launched in Syria earlier this month. The US military says it killed a suspected Daesh member who was planning an attack in Europe. Just a few weeks before that, the US said it retaliated against Iran-linked groups in Syria, after a drone attack killed an American contractor. US intelligence said the UAV strike was of Iranian origin. Earlier this mont ..read more

For more than a year, an estimated $300 billion dollars that belongs to Russia's central bank, has been sitting in accounts frozen by the US and its allies. Immediately after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine, the US and several Western governments, blocked Moscow from accessing those funds. Now debate is growing both in Washington and Brussels on what to do with that money. Some US lawmakers are calling for it to be sent to Ukraine, to fund its war against Russia. Since February last year, the US and its allies have allocated nearly $200 billion dollars in support for Ukraine. But more th ..read more

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has paid an official visit to Ankara where he met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. The two ministers said they are taking concrete steps in reappointing ambassadors and will enhance cooperation to ensure stability in Libya. The meeting comes just weeks after Cavusoglu made a landmark visit to Cairo, the first of its kind in a decade. Shoukry's visit to Turkiye is his second since March when he toured the country's south in a show of solidarity following the February 6th earthquakes. Diplomatic ties between the two countries had been cut off after ..read more

America's foes, and even some friends have called for changes in how the world does business. Long dominating international trade, the US dollar also gave America unrivaled power to spend, lend and punish countries unilaterally, by shutting them out of the global financial system. But that could be about to change. Countries like China, Russia, and others across the Middle East, Latin America and the Indo Pacific are calling for less reliance on the US dollar. But when did it all start and what hurdles has the US greenback faced over the decades? Guests: Geoffrey Williams Head of Research and ..read more