TURKEY: India’s Boycott & more – 20th May 2025

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 20th of May twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Friday the 16th, major Indian e-commerce platforms, including Myntra and Ajio, suspended sales of Turkish apparel brands like Trendyol, Koton, and LC Waikiki. This move followed Turkey's support for Pakistan during recent military tensions, prompting the Confederation of All India Traders to call for a nationwide boycott of Turkish goods.

On the same day, fruit traders in Rajasthan's Alwar district removed Turkish apples from their markets. The Alwar Fruit Mandi Union declared a complete halt on the sale of these imports, aligning with the broader national sentiment against Turkey's political stance.

On Sunday the 18th, five Turkish crew members finally returned home after surviving a drone strike on the Conscience, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s humanitarian aid ship heading to Gaza. The vessel came under attack off the coast of Malta nearly sixteen days earlier. Authorities said the ship suffered severe damage.

The incident occurred about 2,000 kilometers or 1,200 miles from Gaza, raising concerns about the reach of Israeli military actions. Turkish, Maltese, and Italian authorities coordinated the evacuation. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, active for over sixteen years, continues to push for an end to the blockade on Gaza and says it will keep sending aid despite the growing risks.

Speaking of Malta, on Monday the 19th, Erdeniz Şen, Turkey’s ambassador to Malta, passed away at the age of fifty-one while receiving treatment in Ankara. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep sorrow and shared condolences with his family.

Şen served in various roles at the ministry’s headquarters and worked with the Presidency and Parliament under the rule of the Justice and Development Party or AKP. He became ambassador to Malta in December twenty twenty-two.

His family hasn’t shared the details of his illness.

Now, an update to a story we reported last week about the A Turkey Without Terror initiative, which aims to promote peace and reconciliation in regions affected by past conflicts with the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK. On Sunday the 18th, Yusuf Tekin, the Minister of National Education, expressed support for the initiative in a Twitter post. He praised Erdoğan and credited him for lifting the state of emergency in two thousand two—originally imposed in the nineteen nineties— which restricted Kurdish cultural rights, including bans on Kurdish music and language. He framed Erdoğan as someone who supported Kurds.

Tekin faced backlash for openly praising Erdoğan and mixing unrelated issues in his post. The reconciliation process with the PKK was once again called into question, as it seems to be a part of an agenda to get Kurdish votes for Erdoğan in the next elections rather than real peace.

But that’s not the only update we’ve got this week. On Tuesday the 20th, the third wave of anti-corruption operations targeted the Istanbul Municipality. The operation included arrest warrants for twenty-two municipality employees, including Taner Çetin, the head of İBB’s Press and Public Relations Department.

The probe accuses Çetin of steering tenders to friendly companies and receiving bribes, with suspicious financial flows linked to these firms revealed in financial intelligence reports. Several municipal employees and company workers face detention, searches, and asset seizures.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office continues investigating İmamoğlu, the suspended İstanbul mayor, and others for charges including running a criminal organization, bribery, fraud, and tampering with public tenders.

On another investigation, on Monday the 19th, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board reported that Maydonoz Döner, a fast-food chain with nearly 1,000 locations, funneled over seven million liras, which is 180 thousand dollars, to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization which Turkey believes is behind the twenty sixteen coup attempt, through six branches in the northwestern city of Eskişehir. The franchise moved the money via informal partnerships and trusted intermediaries linked to the group, including local jewelers.

Earlier this month, police in four cities across the country carried out a wave of raids targeting this network. Antalya prosecutors, who launched the investigation, said the group used Maydonoz Döner’s franchise model to disguise these partnerships. They also traced profits from the branches as donations and uncovered international franchise deals used to move money abroad.

On Monday the 19th, the Ministry of Education reported serious irregularities after inspections of private schools nationwide. The Ministry found that some schools failed to record student absences and gave fake grades to students who skipped exams. Officials also discovered students who didn’t meet official secondary education enrollment requirements, such as a minimum score of two out of five in each subject, and fewer than thirty days of absence.

As a result, the Ministry canceled over 400 diplomas and sent nearly 400 other students back a grade.

The Ministry continues to monitor private schools closely to ensure proper education standards and fair assessment for all students.

In some news on international relations, Monday the 19th marked the 106th anniversary of the start of the Turkish War of Independence. On the same day, Greek officials, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, shared statements commemorating what they call the Pontus Genocide—something Turkish officials strongly rejected. The Pontic Greeks were a community that once lived along Turkey’s Black Sea coast.

Turkey reminded that during the Greek invasion of Anatolia, the region where Turkey is situated, Greek forces committed well-documented atrocities. These were cited in international reports and addressed in the nineteen twenty-three peace Treaty of Lausanne, where Greece was ordered to pay compensation. Turkey urged Greece to stop using historical allegations for political purposes and instead focus on improving relations between the two countries.

On Monday the 12th, the ruling AKP’s April report on public opinion data showed mixed feelings across Turkey. Reportedly, about 37% of people said the imprisoned İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu is not involved in corruption, while nearly 29% believed he is. The rest remain undecided.

The report also showed 62% support for the Republican People’s Party’s boycott calls on brands that remained silent on İmamoğlu’s arrest, which they say is unlawful. It also revealed a slight rise in confidence in economic management from March

On foreign policy, 34% of respondents believed the recent U.S. tariffs would have little impact on inflation. Recall that the US imposed a 10% tariff on Turkey and higher tariffs on China, which could raise global prices since many American companies produce goods in China and ship them worldwide.

Meanwhile, the government is moving forward with key election promises aimed at improving retirement benefits. First, the executive will reduce the required Bağ-Kur contribution days for early retirement from 9,000 to 7,200, aligning with the Social Insurance Institution or SSK standards.

Bağ-Kur is the social security system covering self-employed workers and small business owners, while SSK is for formally employed workers with regular salaries. This change is expected to benefit over one million small business owners, including barbers, grocers, and market vendors.

Also, housewives will receive state support covering one-third of their voluntary insurance premiums, helping them access retirement and healthcare benefits. Officials expect these changes to become a law by year-end.

On Sunday the 18th, the Justice Minister announced that all notary documents would soon require QR codes to combat a surge in real estate fraud involving fake seals. This measure aims to secure property transfers. The QR codes will enable instant verification of document authenticity, reducing the risk of forgery. The Ministry plans to implement this change across all notaries within twenty twenty-five.

Finally, the Ministry of Trade plans to take control of permits for wholesale fruit and vegetable markets from municipalities. The change will shift management, sales, and delivery rules under the ministry’s authority, cutting municipal powers. This sparked concerns about shrinking local power.

In recent years, ministries have taken over several municipal duties, especially from opposition municipalities: the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change gained control of zoning in the Bosphorus and Princes Islands. İzmir’s urban renewal projects also shifted to this ministry.

Meanwhile, fire inspections for hotels and tourist sites were passed to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Some see these as a move to improve regulation, while others worry it weakens municipal authority.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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