The cultural dimension of Turkish-Iranian relations and the scope of Turkey's soft power were discussed at a seminar jointly organized by the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM) and the Tehran branch of the Yunus Emre Institute over the weekend in the Iranian capital of Tehran. 

While drinking tea by the Bosphorus a few days ago, I looked up and there sailing past me was the Moskva, a formidable-looking Russian missile cruiser returning home from its mission in support of Russia's Syrian pal, Bashar Assad. [...]Turkey possesses the political stability, economic vitality and military strength to play an ever greater role in its tumultuous region and beyond.

Kurdish forces, the Peshmerga – which means “ready to die.” They have had more success against IS than anyone else, even though they are fighting for a homeland that appears on no maps except their own. It is time for the rest of the world to acknowledge the courage and importance of the Kurds and recognize an independent Kurdistan.

Photography artist Rıza Erdeğirmenci traveled around Turkey for two years for his latest book ‘Lokanta.' He spent days at tradesmen restaurants and observed culinary culture. [...] Erdeğirmenci believes that food is where our culture shows. 

How do the Central Asian republics perceive Turkey? Do they view it as a trading partner or an economic rival, politically conservative or liberal, an Islamic state or secular regime, a close Asian neighbor or a distant Western satellite? Each of the Central Asian republics [...] shares many common trends and developments alongside distinctive political, economic and social characteristics that affect the development of the relationships with Turkey discussed in this article.