Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran says US strikes render April ceasefire ‘meaningless’ Fresh US strikes and Iranian retaliation deepen regional tensions, while Washington tightens sanctions, France pushes for a larger role in Lebanon, and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Russia in talks on 'reformatting' its military sites in Syria: What to know Moscow signals it wants to maintain its presence in Syria, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa recently said that Russian bases will be converted into training centers. Syria
Interview Armenia candidate Tatoyan eyes Pashinyan's pro-West mantle in sea of Russia-backed rivals In an interview from Yerevan, Armenian opposition candidate Arman Tatoyan denies pro-Russian ties and says he would deepen cooperation with the European Union and the United States while pursuing a gradual approach to relations with Moscow. Arman Tatoyan Founder, Wings of Unity Party
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Oil eases as Trump pauses Iran strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Russia mulls strategy to solve Syrian conflict Moscow continues to see the Syrian president as an important ally in the struggle against extremists, and its support for an inclusive national dialogue prompted the Russian Foreign Ministry to host two inter-Syrian consultative meetings that appear to have played a positive role. Syria
Russia and the nuclear-free zone While Russia blames the US, the UK and Canada for not supporting a recent international agreement on a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm is said to be exploring the options of providing Saudi Arabia with a nuclear power plant. Russia
Russia weighs in on Yemen After Russia's shift to soft power in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin discusses Russia's "need to abandon ‘the law of the strongest’ and ‘rule of the fist.’” Yemen
NATO taps Turkey to counter Russian threat Turkey recently hosted a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, who discussed efforts to transform the organization into a highly maneuverable body that can rapidly intervene in crises with the support of regional alliances. Turkey
The Turkey-Saudi axis against Damascus Will the US support the gains of Islamist opposition in Syria? Saudi Arabia
Is Turkish Stream a pipe dream? Turkey and Russia appear keen on the Turkish Stream pipeline project, setting aside differences, but analysts suggest there is more political than economic logic involved. Turkey
Russia's recognition of Armenian genocide strains ties with Turkey Moscow’s acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide and President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Yerevan for the genocide commemorations shake Turkish-Russian ties. Turkey
Should Saudi Arabia test Iran’s offer of diplomacy on Yemen? Iranian officials offer diplomatic initiative and warnings on Yemen; book burning in Giza; Kremlin ignored Israeli objections on missile system sale to Iran; Russian "soft power" in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia
Russia turns to soft power in the Middle East While Russia is most commonly seen as a hard power state, regional developments since the Arab Spring have positioned it as a soft power force. Russia
The Kremlin's unexpected decisions Moscow’s current Middle East policy is characterized by, among other things, maintaining a strong focus on bilateral relations, striving to diversify or to develop relations with states that are at conflict and wishing to play a mediating role in conflict situations without claiming a monopoly or opposing other players, in particular the United Nations. Russia
Turkey’s Circassians in uproar over alphabet Turkey’s largest Circassian organization is infuriated by a government decision to introduce the Latin alphabet in Circassian language courses in public schools, alongside the Cyrillic one. Turkey
Progress stalled on Russia's pipeline through Turkey The project to pump gas from Russia to Europe via the Black Sea and Turkey has not broken ground despite plans for completion by 2019. Turkey
