10 MAR 2022 · Israel and Turkey need to re-establish trust and harmony in their relations if they are going to achieve the aim of bolstering ties and strengthening security cooperation in the region, said Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Erdemir spoke in comments for Ahval’s 12 Minutes podcast after a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey’s capital Ankara on Wednesday. Herzog held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2007.

23 FEB 2022 · Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government will not join the West in implementing punitive measures on Russia even after opposing Moscow’s decision to formally recognise two breakaway states in eastern Ukraine, said Aykan Erdemir, senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) in Washington D.C. Erdemir, who is head of the FDD’s Turkey programme, said NATO member Turkey’s reaction to Russia’s actions, which have also included ordering troops into the region, was rhetorical and there were no hints of political or economic repercussions.

9 FEB 2022 · Turkey’s efforts to normalise ties with Armenia and Israel are a tactical shift in diplomacy rather than a value-based commitment to cordial relations, said Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies (FDD) in Washington D.C. Turkey and Armenia have appointed special envoys for re-establishing diplomatic relations, broken since the early 1990’s, and re-opening their common border. They held their first meeting in Moscow on Jan. 14. Israeli President Isaac Herzog may meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara next month after Tel Aviv cautiously welcomed Turkey’s calls to repair ties ruptured by regional policy differences and the Palestinian problem.

26 JAN 2022 · The legal appeal of Turkey’s Halkbank to the U.S. Supreme Court represents President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest attempt to scuttle the prosecution of the Turkish public lender for its alleged role in helping Iran evade sanctions, Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Ahval on Tuesday.

12 JAN 2022 · Turkey is unlikely to take advantage of financial assistance offered to emerging markets by the International Monetary Fund because President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is reluctant to abandon his influence over autonomous state institutions, Aykan Erdemir, senior program director for Turkey at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), said in an interview for Ahval’s podcast series 12 Minutes on Tuesday.

9 DEC 2021 · Although the Biden administration would like to continue a pragmatic relationship with Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s regime is too toxic across the U.S. political spectrum, Aykan Erdemir, a senior program director for Turkey at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) and a former opposition member of the Turkish parliament said in an interview on Thursday for Ahval’s podcast series ‘12 Minutes’.

24 NOV 2021 · The Turkish lira’s meltdown on Tuesday was a “train crash” long in the making caused by the unorthodox Islamist economic views of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said Aykan Erdemir, senior program director for Turkey at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) and a former opposition member of the Turkish parliament. The free-fall in the lira has been caused by a series of policy mistakes that started during the term of former Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, who is Erdoğan’s son-in-law, Erdemir said in an interview on Tuesday for Ahval’s new podcast series ‘12 Minutes’. Albayrak resigned in November last year.