Author Archives: Ali Tuygan

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About Ali Tuygan

Ali Tuygan is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 1967. Between various positions in Ankara, he served at the Turkish Embassy in Brussels, NATO International Staff, Turkish Embassies in Washington and Baghdad, and the Turkish Delegation to NATO. From 1986 to 1989 he was the Principal Private Secretary to the President of the Republic. He then served as ambassador to Ottawa, Riyadh, and Athens. In 1997 he was honored with a decoration by the Italian President. Between these assignments abroad he served twice as Deputy Undersecretary for Political Affairs. In 2004 he was appointed Undersecretary where he remained until the end of 2006 before going to his last foreign assignment as Ambassador to UNESCO. He retired in 2009. In April 2013 he published a book entitled “Gönüllü Diplomat, Dışişlerinde Kırk Yıl” (“Diplomat by Choice, Forty Years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”) in which he elaborated on the diplomatic profession and the main issues on the global agenda. He has published articles in Turkish periodicals and newspapers.

The Standoff at the Russia-Ukraine Border

December 13, 2021 On December 7, 2021, Presidents Biden and Putin had a two-hour video conference. According to the White House readout of the meeting, “President Biden focused on what he described as “threatening” movements of Russian troops near the … Continue reading

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Turkey’s Middle East Policy Coming Full Circle

December 6, 2021 The so-called “Friends of Syria Group”, now history, held its first meeting in Tunis on February 24, 2012.  On April 1, 2012, it met for the second time in Istanbul. Later that month in 2012, Turkey’s Foreign … Continue reading

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Migration Tragedies to Continue

November 29, 2021 Last week, twenty-seven migrants lost their lives trying to cross from France to Britain in an inflatable boat. Coming soon after the standoff at the Belarus-Poland border, the tragedy briefly caught the world’s attention. Britain and France … Continue reading

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Spy Games Between Israel and Turkey

November  22, 2021 In late October Turkish news outlets reported that fifteen individuals suspected of spying for Israel were arrested as part of a security operation. Reportedly, the suspects were spying on senior Hamas officials based in Turkey who were … Continue reading

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The Middle East Dimension of the Standoff at the Belarus-Poland Border

November 15, 2021 The standoff over migrants on NATO’s and the European Union’s eastern flank is turning into a wider political conflict. For Belarus’s EU  neighbors this is a deliberate retaliation for EU sanctions. Ukraine is reinforcing border guards to … Continue reading

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Tough Choices for Ankara

November 8, 2021 Another operation by the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria is looming. President Erdogan gave the signal last month. Military reinforcements were sent to the border. On October 26, the Turkish parliament approved a motion extending authorization to launch … Continue reading

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Presidents Biden and Erdogan Meet in Rome

November 1, 2021 A month ago, I concluded a post with the following: “Presidents Biden and Erdogan may meet in Rome, but a genuine reset in Turkish-American relations remains mission impossible in the short term. The Biden-Erdogan meeting  would focus … Continue reading

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Turkey at a Dead End

October 26, 2021 On October 19, the European Commission published its “Turkey 2021 Report”. For a first impression I took look at the “Key findings of the 2021 Report on Turkey”. The word used to characterize our democracy, civil society … Continue reading

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Turkish Foreign Policy Must Restore Its Republican Settings

October 19, 2021 Afghanistan developments could only divert Turkey’s attention from Syria for a while. With the meeting on September 29 between Presidents Putin and Erdogan, and the latter’s comments signaling another  operation against the PYD/YPG, we are back to … Continue reading

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The World Needs a Broad Coalition Against Terrorism

October 12, 2021 On July 8, 2021, in remarks on the drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan President Biden said: “We went for two reasons: one, to bring Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, as I said at … Continue reading

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