Hilal Kaplan

Hilal Kaplan is a columnist for Turkish newspaper Sabah

Monday

Hilal Kaplan

What Erdogan’s victory means for British-Turkish relations

During his 21 consecutive years in power Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has proven many of his critics, and Turkish opinion polls wrong. Once again he has won a decisive victory in the country’s presidential elections. In the end, Turks cast their votes for stability, despite a considerable number of western analysts expecting the opposite outcome earlier this year.  Now, what does that mean for Turkish-British bilateral relations?   It’s no secret that Europe’s security starts at Turkey’s borders. Various regional conflicts – such as Iraq, and Syria – have proven this to be the case.

Sunday

Hilal Kaplan

Boris’s Turkish fan club isn’t fazed by partygate

If Brits are falling out of love with Boris Johnson over partygate, there is still hope for him in Turkey. If you were to quiz my fellow Turks on a list of ‘foreign leaders whom Turks find favourable’, there is no doubt Boris would be somewhere at the top of the list. Despite his hand in the Brexit campaign – when the prospect of a possible Turkish invasion was weaponised to convince people not to back remain – Boris remains popular over here.  Boris's Turkish roots going back to his great-grandfather’s hometown, Orta in Cankiri (a central Anatolian town) are one of the reasons he remains loved. Us Cankiris, at least, are proud of Boris. When he first became PM he was hailed as 'Boris the Turk'.