By Fuad SHAHBAZOV, Baku-based independent regional security and defence analyst

After winning re-election, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan significantly reshuffled his ministerial cabinet. Unlike in previous terms, this time, Erdogan decided to make significant changes to his cabinet while signaling upcoming reforms amid economic difficulties at home and political disputes abroad. In addressing domestic needs, the Turkish president appointed internationally respected ex-banker Mehmet Şimşek as the new minister of finance and Cevdet Yilmaz, former minister of development and deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, as vice president. Although the cabinet members are newly appointed bureaucrats, they are not completely “new faces” as they were heavily engaged in Turkish politics before their appointments. READ MORE

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Russian fighter jets accused of conducting dangerous manoeuvres for second day near US military drones over Syria.

• July 7, 2023

Syrian authorities swiftly moved to isolate and control Wagner operatives after the mercenary group rebelled against the Kremlin, Reuters has reported.

• July 7, 2023

Banned by many countries, cluster munitions leave unexploded bombs that pose a risk to civilians for decades to come.

• July 7, 2023

Mixed picture for Kyiv’s forces as Russia fights to hold onto Ukrainian territory captured in its 16-months-old invasion.

• July 3, 2023

Tehran blasts Paris for allowing meeting and protest by dissident group and thanks Albania after raid on what Iran considers a ‘terrorist’ organisation.

• July 3, 2023

Moscow says Ukraine ordered the alleged attack on Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of the annexed peninsula.

• July 3, 2023

Saturday’s attempted mutiny in Russia has led to speculation about the status of Wagner operatives in CAR and elsewhere in Africa.

• June 30, 2023