Good morning from Ankara on the first day of May — rainy, cold, and grey, as is tradition. I hope a better month lies ahead of us.
Justice System and Everyday Life in Türkiye
🌪️ Storms, snow and a tornado batter Türkiye, leaving one dead and many injured
Severe weather has swept across several Turkish provinces, with heavy rain, storms and snow lashing Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Mardin and Afyonkarahisar. In Şanlıurfa, evening downpours and gale-force winds in the Birecik and Viranşehir districts killed one person and injured 40, with toppled trees, blown-off roofs and flash floods reported; the provincial governor’s office said seven of the injured were transferred to hospitals in the city centre and 22 were treated at Birecik State Hospital, while 11 sustained minor injuries in Viranşehir. The fatality, a young trainee teacher identified as Nur Ç., was taken to the morgue for an autopsy. Schools in both districts were closed for a day, and public employees with disabilities, chronic illnesses or who are pregnant were granted administrative leave. In Gaziantep, a sudden afternoon burst of rain, hail and wind tore off roofs, brought down trees and electricity poles and injured 23 people across the city, with the metropolitan municipality reporting 60 kilograms of rainfall per square metre in just 20 minutes and describing the event as a “disaster spread over a wide area”; flooding risks along the Alleben Stream were said to be largely under control. Schools were closed for a day in the Şahinbey, Şehitkamil and Nizip districts. In Mardin, a tornado in the Derik district overturned solar panels at an energy plant and a workers’ container, injuring four labourers, while strong winds in the Artuklu district caused a transformer to explode, knocking out power across a large area, brought down a construction scaffold damaging three parked cars, and unleashed a hailstorm in Kızıltepe that damaged vehicles. In Afyonkarahisar, heavy snowfall and ice closed the Şuhut–Afyonkarahisar road from the village of Halımoru, leaving kilometres-long queues on the Şuhut Ramp, with vehicles without snow chains turned away as highway crews ploughed and salted the roads; schools in the Sandıklı and Sinanpaşa districts were closed for a day, and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said the Uşak–Afyonkarahisar, Afyonkarahisar–Sandıklı and Afyonkarahisar–Ankara state roads had been closed to lorries and tow vehicles, urging drivers to take care.
Politics
🏐 Erdoğan congratulates VakıfBank on CEV Champions League triumph
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has congratulated the VakıfBank women’s volleyball team on winning the CEV Zeren Group Champions League, after they beat fellow Turkish side Eczacıbaşı Dynavit 3–1 in an all-Turkish final at Istanbul’s Ülker Sports and Event Hall to claim a record-extending seventh European crown. In his message, Erdoğan also praised Eczacıbaşı Dynavit for their performance in the final, saying that VakıfBank’s success had brought pride to the country and acknowledging the runners-up for their fight on court.
🏛️ Turkish cabinet meets with Middle East war and Hormuz crisis on the agenda
The Turkish cabinet is meeting today under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with foreign policy heading the list of priority items. Tensions between the United States and Iran and the prospect of a ceasefire are expected to be discussed, alongside the latest situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the growing risks in the surrounding region. The impact of rising energy costs on the Turkish economy is also set to be considered, along with the current state of the fight against inflation and possible new measures. On the domestic front, one of the main items will be the “Terror-Free Türkiye” goal, with ministers expected to assess the PKK’s disarmament process — following its confirmation by the National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) — and the legal steps to be taken next. The cabinet will also review the security measures introduced in schools following the recent attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş, and is expected to consider extending the upcoming public holiday to nine days. Following the meeting, Erdoğan is set to address the nation, with messages anticipated on both domestic and foreign policy developments.
🇦🇲 Türkiye attends summit in Yerevan after 18-year gap as Yılmaz represents Erdoğan
The 8th Summit of the European Political Community has opened in the Armenian capital Yerevan, with Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz attending on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Held under the theme “Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe”, the summit at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex brought together leaders from 43 invited states, with Yılmaz welcomed on arrival by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan; the next gathering is set to take place in Ireland in November. The visit is significant as the first official Turkish visit to Armenia at this level in 18 years. The agenda includes strengthening democratic resilience, deepening economic and energy security cooperation and coordination, and discussing recent regional developments and global challenges. Yılmaz is also due to take part in the round-table session and is expected to hold bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Romanian President Nicuşor Dan, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Prime Minister Pashinyan during his visit to Yerevan.
🚆 Türkiye–Armenia normalisation accelerates as border crossings could open on 4 June
Türkiye and Armenia’s normalisation process has gathered significant momentum, with reports suggesting the two countries’ land border crossings could reopen on 4 June 2026, ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections on 7 June. According to Cumhuriyet, a joint working group set up by the two states met in Kars on 28 April and issued a statement calling for the Kars–Gyumri railway — the only rail link between the two countries — to be brought back into service as soon as possible. The line, along with the land borders, was closed by Türkiye in 1993 after Armenia’s expansion of its occupation in Karabakh, and diplomatic relations, which had never been fully established, were also frozen. Normalisation began in 2020 following Azerbaijan’s recovery of Karabakh, with both foreign ministries appointing “special representatives for the normalisation process”. The pace quickened after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev initialled a peace agreement at a meeting hosted by US President Donald Trump in August last year — although Baku is still pressing for amendments to the Armenian constitution before any final signing. Concrete steps have followed, with Turkish Airlines launching İstanbul–Yerevan flights on 11 March 2026 and the scope of the e-visa being expanded. Reopening the borders before the elections is seen as likely to strengthen popular support for Pashinyan, whose party is reported to be ahead in the polls and who has prioritised the economy and adopted a conciliatory tone towards Türkiye, potentially smoothing the way for any constitutional change. The choice of 4 June carries symbolic weight: it marks the anniversary of the 1918 Treaty of Batum between the Ottoman Empire and the Democratic Republic of Armenia — by which the Ottomans became the first state to recognise Armenia, and which was the first international treaty signed by the short-lived Armenian republic during its two-and-a-half-year existence.
💸 Süleyman Soylu’s pay sparks debate as he admits attending parliament once a week
Former Turkish interior minister and AKP Istanbul MP Süleyman Soylu has stirred controversy after revealing that he goes to parliament only once a week, even as his combined parliamentary salary and pension are reported to total 450,854 lira a month. Speaking on TV100, three days after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reminded MPs that attending the General Assembly was their primary duty, Soylu said he attended “as much as he could”, adding that he was not a regular at parliament because he was waiting for his term to end and going in only once a week, mainly to listen to Erdoğan. He summed up his position with the phrase “veleddallin amin” — a fatalistic Turkish exclamation drawn from a Quranic recitation, used to mean “and that will be that”. Soylu has been back in the spotlight in recent days over the investigation into the Gülistan Doku case, and was seen reacting angrily to a journalist’s question at the AKP’s most recent group meeting, intervening with the reporter’s camera, as reported by Sözcü and BirGün.
📺 Türkiye’s broadcasting watchdog opens probe into Bosch Mother’s Day advert
Türkiye’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has launched an investigation into a Mother’s Day advertisement by Bosch in which a dog was portrayed as a child, after the commercial provoked an outcry on social media as an attack on the family unit and was subsequently pulled from circulation. RTÜK chair Mehmet Daniş announced the inquiry on social media, describing a mother’s love as one of the most fundamental and indispensable bonds in human life. While stressing that he had no objection to the love of animals, which he described as a culturally and spiritually important value, Daniş said that equating the mother–child relationship with other symbols was not acceptable, declaring that “motherhood is not a metaphor or a marketing tool” and characterising it as a powerful bond that raises new generations and ensures social continuity. Citing Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution, he reiterated that the family is built on mother, father and child, and argued that presenting the concept of family in alternative forms ran contrary to the natural flow of life, neither reflecting the love of animals correctly nor giving motherhood its proper value. Referencing the “Decade of Population and Family” vision proclaimed by the President, Daniş said motherhood carried not just an individual but a social responsibility, and pledged that RTÜK would not allow an “erosion of values” on screen through the concept of family, confirming that a formal review of the advert had been opened.
🌉 Arınç dismisses Gül ‘new party’ rumours and calls for conscience in the judiciary
Former Turkish Grand National Assembly speaker Bülent Arınç has firmly rejected speculation that former president Abdullah Gül is preparing to launch a new political party, while also delivering pointed messages on the judiciary at a breakfast meeting with journalists. Speaking to Nefes columnist Aytunç Erkin, Arınç dismissed claims raised by journalist Fehmi Çalmuk that occasional gatherings of conservative figures, including activities by Hüseyin Çelik through the Democracy Platform, amounted to preparations for a new party, saying he and Gül still meet from time to time but that the former president has stepped away from politics, has no plans to stand again as a presidential candidate, and that such speculation is being aired by “small men” on television. On the judiciary, Arınç said he had deliberately brought along an underlined copy of Constitutional Court (AYM) President Kadir Özkaya’s recent opening speech, in which Özkaya followed his account of positive law with a call for moral and conscience-based responsibility — urging judges and prosecutors to avoid ostentation, hypocrisy, ill-gotten gains and lies, to live by the labour of their own hands, and to bear no debt to others; Özkaya also pointed to cases in which a 24-year-old judge handles a file that results in a life sentence, only for an acquittal to follow six years later, and quoted poet Necip Fazıl Kısakürek’s line about replacing water pipes in homes with mercy. Asked whether he was acting as a “bridge” between AKP and CHP, Arınç called the suggestion “contemptible”, said he had never been a member of CHP and did not interfere in other parties’ internal affairs, but added that detention should not become a punishment in itself, recalling that he had visited Erdoğan in Pınarhisar Prison after his sentence was finalised. He praised CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for his “Justice March” and his message of “reconciliation”, and, in a story he said he was telling for the first time, recounted that during the attempted lynching of Kılıçdaroğlu at a soldier’s funeral in Çubuk — where attackers tried to set fire to the house in which he had taken refuge — Alevi community leaders are said to have approached Kılıçdaroğlu suggesting that “Çubuk is our Karbala — let us pursue this cause”, a proposal Kılıçdaroğlu firmly refused.
Ruling Government (AKP, MHP and DEM coalition aka People’s Alliance)
🌹 Sırrı Süreyya Önder remembered on first anniversary of his death
DEM Party İmralı Delegation member Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who died of a heart attack in Istanbul on 3 May 2025, was commemorated on the first anniversary of his death at his graveside in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. According to MA, the gathering drew his family and close friends alongside DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan, fellow İmralı Delegation member Pervin Buldan, politicians, artists, civil society representatives and thousands of citizens; a wreath was sent in the name of CHP leader Özgür Özel, while CHP Istanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik attended in person, and members of the Recycling Workers’ Association unfurled a banner reading: “Our love for you is as sacred as the sweat a paper-collector sheds on the slopes.” After prayers, Önder’s daughter Ceren Önder Kandemir reflected on the year since her father’s death, recalling that her young son Can had grown a great deal, showed his grandfather’s photographs to friends visiting the house, and gathered pinecones to lay in the garden — calling the cemetery his “grandfather’s garden”. She said that although she had thought it would be painful to dwell on memories, his sweetness brought joy even in remembrance. Turning to the wider world, she remarked that wars had broken out and the great powers had clashed, but the country’s stubborn pursuit of peace continued, choosing instead to speak of good news: a concert by Koma Amed, miners winning their strike, and the football club Amedspor’s promotion to the Süper Lig, before reading in full a poem she had only been able to finish part of at AKM the previous year. Recycling Workers’ Association chair Ali Mendilioğlu spoke of the void left by Önder, arguing it could only be bridged through solidarity and that his bond with the people could not be measured in material terms, with his very imperfections making him all the more authentic. Buldan said Önder was a shared value across different parts of society and that the most important legacy he left behind was his belief in peace, vowing to keep that legacy alive and to bring peace into being. Closing the commemoration, Bakırhan described Önder as a significant figure in both political and human terms, capable of keeping hope and struggle alive even in difficult times, and said his insistence on peace had taken a strong place in the collective memory; the party, he pledged, would carry forward his legacy and continue working towards peace.
Opposition Parties (CHP and others)
🌪️ CHP demands Gaziantep be declared a ‘disaster area’ after destructive storm
The CHP Gaziantep provincial branch has called for the south-eastern Turkish city to be immediately declared an “Area Exposed to Disaster” following the severe storm that battered the region. CHP Gaziantep provincial chair Vakkas Açar said the press conference originally scheduled to launch a wide-ranging field campaign — billed as one of the most comprehensive and sustained election efforts in Turkish political history — had to be postponed as the party shifted its focus to the streets in response to the damage. Açar reported that vehicles across the city had been left “essentially buried under debris”, with roofs torn off, buildings seriously damaged, trees uprooted and roads blocked, describing the situation not as a mere storm but as a disaster directly affecting daily life. He added that the heaviest blow had fallen on agricultural land and pistachio orchards, the backbone of Gaziantep’s economy, where damage was reported to be far greater than initial estimates and farmers’ work had effectively been wiped out overnight — a loss expected to be felt for years to come. Stating that the scale of the damage went beyond ordinary response procedures, Açar urged the immediate designation of Gaziantep as a disaster area to enable rapid intervention and compensation for affected residents, and added that, as people of the city themselves, party members felt every loss deeply.
Economy
📈 Türkiye’s inflation jumps in April, denting government’s annual target
Türkiye’s Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has released its April inflation figures, showing a monthly increase of 4.18 per cent and an annual rise of 32.37 per cent. Cumulative inflation over the first four months of the year stood at 14.64 per cent, with the twelve-month average rising 32.43 per cent — leaving the government just 1.36 percentage points of headroom against its own full-year target. On an annual basis, the three main spending groups carrying the heaviest weight saw food and non-alcoholic beverages rise by 34.55 per cent, transport by 35.06 per cent and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels by 46.60 per cent, contributing 8.72, 5.66 and 6.30 percentage points respectively to the annual change; the largest annual increase came in education at 50.6 per cent. On a monthly basis, the same three groups rose 3.70 per cent, 4.29 per cent and 7.99 per cent respectively, while clothing and footwear posted the largest monthly increase. The government had set a year-end inflation target of 16 per cent for 2026 — a goal now hanging by just 1.36 percentage points after only four months.
💈 Istanbul barber sealed shut after 7,100 lira bill for 400 lira haircut
A barber shop in Istanbul’s Fatih district has been sealed off by Fatih Municipality after charging a tourist 7,100 lira for what had been agreed as a 400 lira haircut. According to the report, the bill — issued by a barber on the Golden Horn — listed 400 lira each for the haircut and the beard, 1,000 lira for waxing, 1,000 lira for a nose strip, 2,300 lira for a facial and 2,000 lira for hair care. The Ministry of Trade swiftly opened an inquiry, with press adviser Bekir Kaplan saying on social media that the images and complaints regarding the alleged excessive pricing had been placed under immediate review and that the necessary inspections were proceeding without delay. Stressing that the overwhelming majority of Türkiye’s tradespeople serve domestic and foreign guests honestly and in keeping with the country’s “ahi” tradition of artisanal ethics, Kaplan said no practice that undermined that trust would be tolerated. He subsequently announced that, following the inspections, the shop had been sealed by Fatih Municipality, adding that the responsiveness of local authorities to such incidents had once again been demonstrated and that the Ministry of Trade was continuing to monitor the case.
🧪 Türkiye’s chemicals sector becomes second-largest exporter with $3.1bn in April
Türkiye’s chemicals industry has set a record in April exports, becoming the country’s second-largest exporting sector with $3.1 billion in foreign sales. According to figures from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), Türkiye’s overall exports in April rose by 22.3 per cent year-on-year to $25.4 billion, marking the second-highest monthly export figure on record. The Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters’ Association (İKMİB) reported that the chemicals sector accounted for 14 per cent of total exports during the month, with shipments up 19.3 per cent compared to April of the previous year, retaining its position as the country’s second-largest export sector. Looking at the first four months of the year, the sector’s exports approached $11 billion, with the industry maintaining its export strength despite global economic uncertainties.
👕 North Macedonia’s Üsküp FK sues Beşiktaş over ‘Atatürk sweater’ kit
Üsküp FK, the Turkish club from North Macedonia, has launched legal action against Beşiktaş over the alleged unauthorised production of its registered jersey design, said to have been inspired by a sweater worn by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. In a statement, the club accused Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü A.Ş. and Kartal Yuvası A.Ş. of producing and putting the design on sale without its knowledge, approval or permission, and confirmed that an expert witness report has now been filed in the ongoing case. Üsküp FK said it was deeply saddened and surprised that its sole source of revenue, in the cut-throat capitalist football climate, had been “seized” by a club known for its reputation as a gentlemanly institution, with attempts to co-opt the design without any right or authority — a situation it described as unacceptable. The club’s board pledged through its statement to follow the legal process to the end through its lawyers, and added that part of any compensation awarded in the case would be donated to the Mehmetçik Foundation, expressing full confidence in Turkish justice.
Thanks for reading this far, I will see you tomorrow. ☕