FinPol Digest

  A violent civil war exploded in Sudan during April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Recent disclosures from Turkey confirm its direct involvement in this conflict through the operations of its major defense company Baykar. Evidence indicates that Turkish military equipment delivery programs have multiplied the battling intensity between opposing forces in Sudan despite Turkish claims to take a conciliatory role in Sudan. Evidence supports that Baykar facilitated a secret weapons transaction between its organization and Sudan. A Washington Post article from March 7, 2025 showed how Turkey's dominant defense company Baykar sent $120 million of drone vehicles along with warheads to Sudan's military forces during 2023. Baykar defended the transport of at least eight TB2 drones and 600 warheads through intermediaries to Sudanese military bases throughout the civil war period. Deployment of Bayraktar Drones in Khartoum Turkish manufac...

  In a visit that highlights a significant shift in regional dynamics, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi travelled to Turkey for the first time in 12 years to meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The visit comes at a time when both nations are navigating complex regional conflicts, including the Gaza war and the Libyan crisis, while also seeking to repair and strengthen bilateral ties after a decade of estrangement. From Estrangement to Reconciliation The breakdown in relations between Egypt and Turkey dates back to 2013, when Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the ousting of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Mursi. Mursi, who had the backing of Turkey and Erdogan’s support, was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. His removal sparked a sharp diplomatic rift between the two nations, which would last for years. Efforts to reconcile began in 2020 when Turkey embarked on a diplomatic campaign to mend relations with regional rivals, including Egypt. By 2022...

 In a recent speech to the Syrian parliament, President Bashar al-Assad openly addressed the ongoing efforts to mend ties between Syria and Turkey. Despite the involvement of significant mediators like Russia, Iran, and Iraq, al-Assad stated that these initiatives had so far failed to yield any tangible results. He emphasized that while the mediators were serious and genuinely keen on facilitating reconciliation, the efforts did not produce outcomes worth mentioning. The strained relations between Syria and Turkey trace back to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Turkey, a staunch supporter of the Syrian opposition, severed ties with Syria as it backed rebels seeking to overthrow al-Assad. Over the years, al-Assad and his regime have faced accusations from international bodies and human rights organizations of committing war crimes, leading millions of Syrian civilians to flee areas under government control. Al-Assad highlighted the need for openness and a willingness to ...

 In a recent development that could reshape regional trade dynamics, Turkey has reportedly entered into discussions for an alternative trade corridor that could bypass the traditional India-Middle East route. This move has the potential to open up new avenues for economic cooperation and connectivity in the region. For years, the India-Middle East trade corridor has been a crucial artery for commerce between South Asia and the Middle East. This corridor allows goods to flow seamlessly, benefiting both regions. It has played a pivotal role in trade, particularly in sectors such as energy, textiles, and electronics. However, geopolitical complexities, including strained relations between some Middle Eastern nations and India, have led to the exploration of alternative routes. Turkey, strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia , has emerged as a potential game-changer in this scenario. Recent reports suggest that Turkey is actively engaging in discussions to establish ...

`  Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, has said that more than 550,000 Syrian refugees have returned to places that have been freed from terrorism. Cavusoglu stated in an interview that was live-streamed on the NTV channel, "We sent back 553,000 immigrants to the regions we cleared of terrorism." In addition, he stated that 1 million refugees will be housed in 240,000 homes in northern Syria. The minister said, "We aim to transport Syrians to locations that the (Assad) administration controls as well as to safe places. In order to ensure Syria's security and stability, Cavusoglu emphasized the significance of a quadripartite summit on the country. "We decided to set up the necessary infrastructure for Syrians to return to regime-controlled regions in a secure manner. At the previous summit of foreign ministers in Moscow, we reached an agreement. In other words, we are already committed to send the Syrians back, and we have agreed to set up a committ...

 Turkey and Russia called for multilateral negotiations to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Recently, Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, held talks with Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. During the meeting, the Russian minister reiterated that Israel and Palestine must resolve the internal dispute. After the meeting, the Russian minister attended the press conference. He reportedly said, "We have long been advocating to resume the multilateral process for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement, as there is a universally recognised collective mediator, which is the Quartet comprising Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations." He further said that the leaders should search for a mutual agreement to provide a solution to Israel and Palestine. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called for peaceful dialogue between Israel and Palestine. He expressed concern about recent clashes betw...

 The Egyptian foreign minister has arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, marking the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister to Syria since its civil war began in 2011. Sameh Shoukry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt , arrived in Damascus on Monday. He was received at Damascus airport by Faisal Mekdad, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria.  According to the Syrian state news agency (SANA), the two ministers talked with each other. A tweet by Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesperson also confirmed that the Egyptian minister arrived in Syria.  An Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement that the Egyptian minister would “convey a message of solidarity from Egypt” during his visits to Syria and Turkey.  Egyptian President Abdul Fattah El-Sisi called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time on February 7. He gave his condolences to the Syrian President. On Sunday, Egypt’s parliament speaker met Assad in Damascus.  Fo...

 The United Nations (UN), an intergovernmental organization with the aim of maintaining international peace and security, has launched a $397 million humanitarian appeal for earthquake victims in Syria. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, launched the appeal to help nearly 5 million survivors of a devastating earthquake.  The appeal was launched a day after Guterres welcomed an agreement between the UN and Syrian President Bashar Assad to open two new crossing points from Turkiye for three months in order to help the survivors of last week's devastating earthquake. Guterres reportedly said, “The humanitarian appeal will cover a period of three months and will help secure desperately needed, life-saving relief to nearly five million Syrians.” Earlier, the UN delivered relief aid to the northwest Idlib area of Syria through a single crossing at Bab Al-Hawa. The UN already sent 84 trucks, carrying relief aid, to Syria through Bab Al-Hawa. Guterres also...

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has sent three more relief aid planes to earthquake-hit areas in Turkey and Syria in order to help earthquake victims.  According to the state agency SPA (Saudi Press Agency), the fourth and fifth planes, carrying search and rescue teams and equipment, including tools, pumps, and medical supplies, landed at the Gaziantep airport in Turkey on Friday. The sixth plane, carrying 98 tons of relief aid, including food items, tents, blankets, rugs, shelter bags, and medical supplies, also landed in Turkey to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.  The search-and-rescue teams, which came from the General Directorate of Civil Defense and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, went to earthquake-hit areas in Turkey and Syria in order to evacuate citizens. Meanwhile, a statement from the Saudi Arabia embassy in Turkey said that the body of a missing Saudi female was found under the rubble of a building in Antakya, the capital of Hatay Province, t...

The sanctions imposed on Syria by the United States (US) have been lifted temporarily in order to help people impacted by the destructive earthquakes in the country.  The US Treasury lifted sanctions temporarily to allow new earthquake relief efforts in Syria after Monday’s earthquake in Syria and Turkey killed thousands of people and injured others. The US Treasury also said that the US sanctions on Syria “will not stand in the way” of saving lives. The Treasury’s Syria General Licence authorised earthquake relief efforts for Syria in order to help earthquake victims and mitigate the impact of earthquakes in the country. Wally Adeyemo, United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, sent condolences to the people of Turkey and Syria for the tragic loss of life and destruction due to devastating earthquakes. Adeyemo said, “I want to make very clear that the US sanctions in Syria will not stand in the way of lifesaving efforts for the Syrian people.” He further said that the US Tr...

 The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has launched a fundraising campaign to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. KSrelief announced on Wednesday that the relief centre launched the campaign through the “Sahem” platform. As of Thursday morning, many donors had contributed approximately SR80 million to help those affected by the massive earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, KSrelief’s supervisor general, lauded the efforts of Saudi Arabia in helping Turkey and Syria. He revealed that Saudi Arabia already sent over SR13 million in relief aid to these countries before KSrelief announced its official fundraiser. On Thursday morning, Saudi teams went to Turkey to take part in relief efforts. Specialists from the relief centre departed King Khalid airport in Riyadh to join the international mission to provide assistance to Turkey.  Saudi Red Crescent’s vice president for operational affairs Fah...

 Following Monday's devastating earthquakes, The Guardian revealed that four Australians are still unaccounted for in Turkey and Syria. According to the nation's Foreign Ministry, assistance is being given to the relatives of the missing citizens as well as to another 40 or so Australians who are in the earthquake zone. We've all seen the pictures of destruction and heard the tales of human tragedy that we are witnessing,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement to the Australian Senate on Wednesday. “Therefore, I'm sure we all want the government to urge our military to offer this support even though they are far away.” Australia will send 73 defense personnel and $10 million in funds to help with rescue and relief efforts, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. These highly trained urban search and rescue professionals can find, provide medical care to, and evacuate people who have become trapped or harmed by a structural collapse. "I express my d...

The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century rattled Turkey and neighbouring Syria early Monday, killing over 1,900 people in their sleep, levelling buildings, sending survivors into the snowy streets in their pyjamas, and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland. The 7.8-magnitude quake, that struck Turkey at 4:17 am local time, was followed hours later by a couple more strong ones. It was powerful enough to wipe out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a region occupied by scores of people who have fled conflicts like the civil war in Syria. While, according to state media and medical sources, the quake killed at least 783 people in rebel and government-controlled parts of Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the death of another 1,121 in his country. With Turkey's tightly-contested election on May 14, Erdogan's handling of the disaster could have a major impact on his re-election chances. He has conveyed his sympathies and requested nation...

 President Biden's trip to the Middle East is a continuation of US diplomacy there over a long period of time, including efforts to protect Israel's security and oppose Iran's nuclear program. However, there is also an urgent need for Middle Eastern oil and gas gave the global energy tensions brought on by the Ukraine crisis, particularly in Europe. The mission of President Biden's travel to the Middle East is also pretty clear: to show that the United States is still present there and to issue a warning to his "competitors" about trying to increase their influence there. Objectively, President Biden's trip to the Middle East did not produce any notable outcomes. In truth, there are significant gaps between current US views on Saudi Arabia, Israel, the JCPOA resurrection, and other topics, which severely limits the impact of President Biden's visit. In conclusion, despite the tardiness of President Biden's journey to the Middle East, it is obvious ...

 I want to share something really concerning about what I read today. It’s about how Syrian evacuees have been a significant issue in Turkey since the episode of their nation of origin's polite conflict. A huge number of Syrians looked for refuge in Turkey when, in 2011, the Assad system utilized lopsided military power to curb showing regular citizens. As the number of shelter searchers rose, the Turkish specialists said that assuming their number moved toward 100,000, the nation would need to change its entryway strategy. The quantity of Syrian refuge searchers has now gone a long way past 100,000. Their number is today assessed to be multiple million, around 3.5 million of whom are enrolled under transitory insurance. As time passed by, many sections of Turkish society began to have an uncomfortable outlook on the rising number of Syrians. The crime percentage among Syrians isn't higher than that of Turkish residents, yet when wrongdoing is perpetrated by an outsider it tu...

I want to share something intriguing about what I read today. It’s how besides currying favor with Washington, further developed relations with Israel will revamp Turkey's discolored status as a speculation objective. The extraordinary departure of Western capital from Turkey brought back the risks of capricious monetary arrangements to the nation's chiefs, who are quick to show they have what is going on taken care of. For me, In front of the outing, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett underlined the significance of "dependability" with respect to his country's international strategy. The obvious absence of consistency from Ankara will keep on influencing its political and financial fortunes. The past arrangement to assemble a submerged pipeline to see Israeli gaseous petrol moved to Europe was to sidestep Turkey in spite of the good freedoms it offered Israel on the grounds that the last option favored the unwavering quality it had found in its Greek and Cyp...

 The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member Turkey is in a tough spot over the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Turkey finds itself in a frail position for maintaining its good relations with both countries. On Thursday, Russia launched air and ground assaults on Ukraine . Turkey’s control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits made Turkey an indispensable partner for the West. Ukraine reportedly issued an official appeal to Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits to Russian warships. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar informed Turkey about the latest situation in Ukraine and Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.  Reportedly, Turkey has the legal authority to control the straits under the 1936 Montreux Convention. Under the Montreux Convention agreement, Turkey has exclusive rights to restrict the passage of warships not belonging to countries bordering the Black Sea. During wartime, Turkey can close the...

 Here’s something interesting that I want to share with what I read today. It’s how the days when the resistance nearly crushed Assad were the days when Turkey and Saudi Arabia facilitated on Syria, and there will be no arrangement except if they do as such once more. The Kingdom has a chance to carry Turkey to its side. Rising oil costs, alongside Turkey's intense monetary emergency and urgent requirement for hard money, give Saudi Arabia monetary influence. This is the ideal opportunity for the Kingdom to step in and help Turkey while adjusting Erdogan to its local arrangement, and Syria ought to be the principal subject for coordination. For me, A Turkish-Saudi rapprochement would fortify the resistance and put the squeeze on the Assad system. Likewise, when Moscow sees Riyadh and Ankara joined together, they will understand that they have a solid rival they can't face and that they need to think twice about it. Putin will withdraw on his maximalist requests and consent to...

There are people who were on the run and couldn’t settle in any nation all the time they were alive and unfortunately, with the ongoing war, these people don’t even have access to the grave after being dead. Just plain concrete gravestones painted with a number and the word “Afghan” were seen against all those unidentified migrants who died trying to enter Turkey through the rough mountainous border with Iran.   People have died escaping from conflict or poverty, mostly from Afghanistan but also from other countries in the region. Thousands of people even succumbed after exposure to extreme weather whereas others died being the victim of unfortunate accidents as their smugglers crammed people in trucks and boats.   People who were not identified were buried in dirt lots in special sections of cemeteries near the borders of Iran. Their grave markers bear as well which states their nationality or date of death if it is disclosed or known.   An official said that during the ...

Once again, Bashar Assad completed his swearing-in ceremony on Saturday as he was announced as the President of Syria for the fourth term.  The Syrian president has been controversial for forcing the results on the people in the war-torn country. He pledged to be responsible for dealing with western sanctions which were imposed due to threats in the country. He also promised to bring the country on a track that has been destroyed due to years of fighting.  The swearing-in ceremony, which was held in the presidential palace, was attended by clergymen, members of parliament, political figures, army officers, and other supporters of the president. The re-election of Assad as the president of the nation was handled with severe scrutiny by the west and was considered a sham as Assad has proved to be a huge threat for the nation.  Assad has been in power since 2000 and with the new term, he will look to further establish his strength and control over the country. He also has a ...