[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]

English

Gas Exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey should be cautious against Greek Cypriot gas drilling Serkan Demirtaş writes that a joint Greek-Turkish Cypriot commission to oversee gas exploration off of Cyprus could have several positive outcomes, namely reducing tension between both sides and setting an example for a future reunification process. However, he cautions that until then, Turkey should avoid using military force against civilian exploration vessels.

No Drilling for Gas in Cyprus without Consent of Turkish-Cypriots, Erdogan says President Erdoğan has stressed that Turkey will not accept unilateral moves by Greek Cyprus regarding oil and gas exploration, stating that both drilling operations and profits must be shared between Greek and Turkish Cyprus.

Cyprus says unity talks blocked over Turkey blockade Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has said that Turkey's prevention of drilling ships from reaching Cyprus has led to a stall in the reunification process, and has said that Cyprus will continue with oil exploration despite Turkish pressure.

ExxonMobil’s Cyprus gas search could flare U.S.-Turkey tension Ilhan Tanir writes that oil exploration off the coast of Cyprus by ExxonMobile could lead to new tensions between the US and Turkey if the Turkish navy intervenes.

Detention of Greek Soldiers

Which way will the Turkey-Greece pendulum swing this time? The arrest of two Greek soldiers is the latest in a series of incidents between Greece and Turkey that is representative of the two countries' history of alternating between war and peace.

Greece not planning exchange of two soldiers held in Turkey: Katrougalos The Greek Junior Foreign Minister declared that Greece would not exchange the eight Turkish soldiers that fled to Greece after the 2016 coup attempt for the two Greek soldiers detained in Turkey on espionage charges.

Greece issues formal complaint to EU and NATO over detention of soldiers in Turkey Greece has issued a formal complaint to both the European Comission and NATO after a Turkish court rejected a request for the release of two Greek soldiers. In response to the ruling, Greece rejected an extradition request by Turkey for a suspected member of the DHKP-C.

Afrin

US determined to keep its word about YPG in Manbij, official says A senior US official assured the Daily Sabah that the US would fulfill their promise to Turkey of removing the YPG from Manbij.

Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch Enters a New Phase The Turkish think tank EDAM has released a lengthy report detailing Turkey's future plans in Afrin.

Syrian Kurds (KNC) call on U.S. to stop Turkey’s Afrin offensive The Kurdish National Council of Syria, a group which opposes the YPG, has said that civilians are paying the highest price for Turkey's operation in Afrin, and has called on the US to pressure Turkey into ending the operation.

Press Freedom

No one in Turkey dares report accurately on the war in Syria The Economist writes that fear of arrest is not the only thing preventing objective coverage of Operation Olive Branch in Turkish media; the ties of media conglomerates to major industries, as well as the difficulty for journalists to find employment after being fired for political reasons, also have a sizeable effect on how the operation is portrayed.

An open letter to President Erdoğan from 38 Nobel laureates Following the sentencing to life imprisonment of Mehmet and Ahmet Altan, 38 Nobel laureates have written an open letter urging a return to judicial independence and freedom of speech in Turkey.

Ahmet Şık has the key to Varna Aslı Aydıntaşbaş writes that Turkey could signal its commitment to improving relations with the EU by releasing three imprisoned Cumhuriyet journalists before the upcoming Varna Summit.

‘I Will Never See the World Again.’ Ahmet Altan describes his day in court in vivid detail, and reflects on how his sentencing to life in prison mirrors a scene in one of his novels.

Domestic Politics

Istanbul Canal provides rich pickings for Emlak Konut Although the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Istanbul Canal has not yet been completed, a subsidiary of the Turkish government's housing agency has already unveiled a map showing its 33 potential real estate projects alongside the planned canal, which is intended to serve as an alternative to the Bosphorus in connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara.

CHP’s Pekşen says false identities have tarnished elections A CHP MP has caled for an inquiry as to whether or not new identities, created through assigning new citizenship numbers to people who have died, have been used to vote in elections.

In the grip of poverty Mustafa Çakır writes that price increases have caused living expenditures to surpass 2,000 lira a month, adding that retirees and over half of Turkey's workers earn less than this amount, while civil servants barely earn more.

International Politics

Yerevan revokes Armenian-Turkish Protocols, border to remain sealed Armenia has annuled the yet-to-be ratified 2009 Armenian-Turkish Protocols that were meant to normalize diplomatic relations and open land borders between the two countries. Armenia has cited Turkey's refusal to ratify the protocol until the resolution of the Karabakh conflict as the reason for its annulment.

Turkish-Americans protest taxes going to YPG Several Turkish-American Organizations are lobbying congress over the panned $500 million dollars that is planned to be allocated to SDF forces in the 2019 budget, stating that they do not want their tax dollar going to the YPG.

Congress, State Department divided on sanctions against Turkey Although US officials are considering sanctions such as targeting visa bans or banning imports of Turkish manufactured handguns, many in the policy community warn that US sanctions may not have the same effect as those implemented by Russia or threatened by Germany, due to the lack of shared interest between the US and Turkey.

Cyprus-Greece-Turkey: End of myths Cengiz Aktar writes that ties Turkey's ties to the EU and NATO no longer strong enough to prevent actions that negatively affect the EU, such as the planned Istanbul Canal, the construction of a nuclear power plant near Cyprus, or disputes over gas exporation in the Mediterranean.

Turkey calls on Germany to extradite PYD ex-leader After his release by Czech authorities, Turkey has sent another extradition request for Salih Muslum, this time to Germany. It has also asked Interpol to issue a red notice for the former YPG leader.

Migration

EU-Turkey migrant deal redundant, rights chief says The EU's Human Rights Chief has said that a realization of the extreme difficulty in reaching Northern Europe paired with worsening conditions in Greek camps has made migrants wary of crossing the Turkish border into Greece.

Sounds From Istiklal, Turkey An essay on how the competition between young street performers on Istiklal avenue is a reflection of the larger tension between Syrian refugees and other marginalized groups in Turkey.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Indie film festival showcases Turkey's new directors Turkish consumption of domestic films is the highest in Europe. Independent films, such as those shown at the recent !f Istanbul Independent Film Festival, provide a means of addressing complex societal issues while facing less censorship than other forms of media.

The complicated history of punk rock in Turkey An essay on the evolution of punk music in Turkey, starting with its emergence during the chaos of the 1970s.

Turkish

Domestic Politics

Cengiz’in Murgul’daki ‘ölüm çukurları’: Yılda 70 işçi akciğer hastalığına yakalanıyor A report by Doğu Eroğlu on the prevalence of lung diseases and hearing loss amongst mine workers in Artvin, and the unwillingness of mining companies to take measures to prevent occupational illnesses.

İyi şeyler güzel şeyler Yekta Güngör Özden writes that, despite the deteriorating rule of law in Turkey, it is important to stop and notice positive developments, especially in the arts and sciences. He cites the return of journalist Bekir Coşkun to writing after an 8 month battle with cancer as one such happy event.

Enflasyonu düşürmeye çakallık da yetmedi! Murat Muratoğlu writes that inflation will remain at double digits in Turkey, and that attempts to mask the problem by importing goods will only harm local producers without actually lowering prices.

Ceylanpınar Cinayeti: Çözüm Süreci Nasıl Bitirildi? The murder of two police officers in Ceylanpınar in 2015 led to the end of the peace process between Turkey and the PKK, however, the PKK claims that it was not behind the incident, and to this day, no perpetrator has been arrested.

MİT saldırıyı bekliyormuş: Katliamından iki ay önce Emniyet’e gönderilen rapor ortaya çıktı Two days before the November 10 bombing in Ankara, Turkey's intelligence service released a report warning that ISIS could be planning an attack on touristic or crowded places in Ankara.

Déjà-vu: Bu Filmi Daha Kaç Kere Göreceğiz? TRT's ban on 208 songs is reminiscent of the post-coup years of the 70s and 80s, in which radio and television were heavily restricted by the state.

International Politics

Suriye’deki çelişki Irak’tan keskin Fikret Bila writes that while in Iraq, Turkish and American objectives were completely different, with Turkey focused on the PKK and the possibility of a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq and the US focused on Saddam, the contradiction between the two's interests is even more apparent in Syria, despite both sides having the same original goals of ousting Assad and combating ISIS.

Ermeni Soykırımı’na Tanık Olan Yahudiler Depite the refusal of Israeli Knesset to recognize the Armenian genocide, many Jews throughout history have advocated for it to be recognized, including American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Austrian writer Franz Werfel, and Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Manyak mıyım ben kendimi böyle öveyim Turkish folk singer Selda Bağcan states that she was misrepresented as egotistical in an interview with the BBC, recounts her time spent in prison after the 1980 coup in Turkey, and says that she was just as famous in the 70s as she is today.