Turkey

| VATICAN – TURKEY – LEBANON

The Vatican announced the visit for 27 November to 2 December. Together with Patriarch Bartholomew, Leo will commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which formulated the profession of faith that still unites Christians. The trip to Lebanon, which the late Francis wanted to visit, will take on particular significance given ongoing wars in the region.  Cardinal Parolin speaks on the second anniversary of Hamas’s attacks on 7 October.


CHP provincial chairman Özgür Çelik and his team have been removed from office, replaced by interim officials, led by Gürsel Tekin, a longtime party member who has been less critical of the government. The party’s national leader Özgür Özel expelled Tekin from the party, pledging the same fate for anyone who accepts to be court-appointed.

| 03/09/2025
| TURKEY
by Dario Salvi

More than 12 million people, or 14 per cent of the population, live in extreme poverty. The number of children at risk of removal from their families due to financial difficulties is up. The birth rate is dropping, raising concerns about the country's future demographic balance. One in four citizens is expected to be over 65 by 2080.

| 19/08/2025
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Dario Salvi

According to the Jordanian scholar, the Netanyahu government's ultimate goal ‘goes beyond’ defeating Hamas and redrawing borders. The West Bank becomes an ‘opportunity to be exploited’ with a view to annexation. The weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the international community, the new paradigm of the Abraham Accords. Among the nations of the region, ‘more tactics than alliances’.

| 12/08/2025
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

George Aslan, Christian MP elected with the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, has raised the alarm in a parliamentary question to the Culture Minister about the ancient place of worship set to undergo restoration. Built in the 10th century, the church is considered one of the most significant examples of medieval Armenian architecture.

| 09/07/2025
| TURKEY

Mehran Shamloui, 37, was trying to reach Europe, but was stopped by Turkish authorities who sent him back to his country of origin, he had been sentenced recently to 10 years in prison for religious activities. Meanwhile, Iran continues its policy of expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants.

| 07/07/2025
| IRAN – TURKEY – AFGHANISTAN

Extremist groups have attacked the LeMan magazine, while a Turkish court issued an arrest warrant for the chief editor and three other people, including the cartoonist. Erdogan calls the cartoon a "clear, vile provocation" and accuses the authors of immorality. Activists and civil society movements condemn the manner of the arrest, comparable to "torture", and the posting of its video.

| 02/07/2025
| TURKEY
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“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”