As part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Gulf tour, which included Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman and resulted in the signing of 24 agreements, declarations, and joint statements across various fields, Al-Estiklal spoke with two Turkish academics about the visit’s broader implications.

In the elections held on October 19, 2025, Tufan Erhürman, leader of the Republican Turkish Party and former PM, was elected president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, continuing the policy shift that began after the failed 2017 negotiations with the Greek Cypriot administration.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is accelerating Damascus’s efforts to redefine its relationship with Moscow, seeking to open a new chapter between the two countries based on shared interests rather than hostility.

On October 6, 2025, Ankara and Dakar signed a new military cooperation agreement, their second in just two months, following an earlier deal reached on August 6.

While Ankara continues to issue warnings to the SDF, diplomatic contacts between Turkiye and Syria are increasing, particularly after the two countries’ defense ministries signed a joint training and advisory agreement.