Published December 08,2025

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In a milestone for Türkiye’s rising space diplomacy, Turkish Space Agency (TUA) President Yusuf Kıraç has been unanimously elected to lead the APSCO Council for the 2026-2027 term, becoming the first Turkish official to head the organization.

In a statement Sunday, the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry said Kıraç’s election at APSCO’s (Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization) 19th Council Meeting in Bangkok marks a historic milestone, noting that no Turkish representative had ever held the council presidency before.

The ministry described the decision as a clear reflection of Türkiye’s growing influence in regional and global space governance.

APSCO promotes the peaceful use of space, capacity-building, joint satellite programs, training schemes and technical cooperation among member states. Türkiye has increasingly become a prominent contributor to these technical, diplomatic and academic initiatives, the ministry added.

It said TUA’s active participation has positioned Türkiye among the leading actors in joint projects, human resources development programs and data-sharing mechanisms.

Kıraç’s new role is expected to further boost Türkiye’s strategic weight within APSCO, deepen multilateral satellite and ground systems efforts, and enhance regional space capacity through collective projects.

TÜRKİYE EMERGES AS ACTIVE ACTOR IN GLOBAL SPACE DIPLOMACY

The statement also noted that Kıraç was elected vice president of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) during the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, becoming the first Turkish representative to serve in the IAF’s governance structure.

“When assessed together — APSCO Council presidency, IAF vice presidency, and Türkiye’s hosting of IAC 2026 in Antalya — it is clear that Türkiye’s diplomatic, institutional and scientific capacity in the space field is rising comprehensively,” the ministry said.

“This three-pillar structure shows that Türkiye is not only developing space technologies but is also becoming an active global actor in space diplomacy and governance,” it added.

Published December 07,2025

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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on the margins of the Doha Forum on Sunday, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

Fidan met with Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Qatar’s capital, though no further details were shared on the content of their talks.

He also met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Sheibani. According to the sources, Fidan marked “December 8 Freedom Day,” congratulated the Syrian people and his counterpart, and said Türkiye would continue supporting efforts to achieve stability, security, and prosperity in Syria.

The ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues and reviewed the latest developments regarding the March 10 agreement announced by the Syrian presidency that envisioned integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — dominated by the YPG/PKK terror group — into Syria’s state apparatus, stressing the country’s territorial integrity and rejecting any separatist designs.

Fidan additionally held talks with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. Their meeting covered regional security, as well as economic and energy cooperation between the two countries, according to diplomatic sources.

Fidan also met Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during the forum, the Foreign Ministry said in a post on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

In another engagement, Fidan met with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide as part of his Doha program.

According to the information obtained from Turkish diplomatic sources, the meeting addressed the situation in Gaza, developments regarding Ukraine, and the civil war in Sudan.

The 23rd edition of the Doha Forum opened Saturday under the theme Justice in Action: Beyond Promises to Progress.

The two-day event brought together senior officials and global figures, including Fidan, Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Anadolu is the forum’s global communications partner.

Published December 03,2025

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb on Wednesday discussed the ties and regional and global issues in a phone call, said Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.

Noting Ankara’s efforts to increase trade volume with Helsinki, Erdoğan said Türkiye intends to advance the relations through the steps that will be taken.

Türkiye is striving for the successful completion of the peace process between Ukraine and Russia, Erdoğan said, adding that the Istanbul talks constitute a diplomatic platform whose “effectiveness has already been proven.”

“President Erdoğan stated that Türkiye is closely monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, that lasting peace in the region is possible only through the two-state solution vision, and that Finland’s recognition of the State of Palestine would be welcome,” the Directorate added.

Erdoğan congratulated his counterpart on Finland’s Independence Day, which falls on Dec. 6.

Published December 04,2025

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Türkiye’s benchmark stock index opened Thursday at 11.029.06 points, slightly down 0.07%, or 7.76 points, from the previous close.

On Wednesday, the BIST 100 decreased 0.78% to close at 11,036.82 points, with a daily transaction volume of 186.4 billion Turkish liras ($4.39 billion).

As of 09.50 am local time (0650GMT), exchange rates stood at 42.4650 liras to the US dollar, 49.5995 to the euro, and 56.8015 to the British pound.

The price of an ounce of gold was $4,187.60, while Brent crude oil was trading at $62.90 per barrel.