Anti-Western sentiment

The proposal for a "foreign agents" law, introduced by the pro-Russian party "Revival" (Vazrazdhane) and modeled after a similar Russian law, failed in its first reading within a parliamentary committee focused on culture and media. The bill garnered support solely from deputies aligned with Kostadin Kostadinov's party.

The United States must take a firmer stance toward Turkey and stop underestimating the growing anti-American sentiment in the country, according to Steven Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, in this interview with Kathimerini.

In the Bulgarian National Assembly, a request by the "Revival" party to host an exhibition portraying the Palestinian perspective on the war in Gaza has sparked controversy. The party's leader, Kostadin Kostadinov, called on the parliamentary leadership to reconsider their decision and find a space for the exhibition.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reiterated his call for a new constitution, emphasizing the need for a "civilian" text.

"Türkiye needs a new constitution to achieve its goals in economy, democracy, global politics, rights and freedoms," Erdoğan said during an event in the capital Ankara on Sept. 18.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye's unwavering support for Gaza with an AI-created video he shared, pledging to stand by its people through all available means and to back their "honorable resistance."

Erdoğan shared a "boycott"-themed video created with artificial intelligence by the AK Party on his social media account, supporting the Palestinian people.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized the importance of an independent judiciary as a cornerstone of economic progress.

"A well-established, objective, independently functioning judiciary... This system is the guarantee of economic development and progress," Erdoğan said at an event on the training of assistant judges and prosecutors in the capital Ankara on Sept. 16.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lauded the economic impact of foreign students in Türkiye, highlighting their contribution of $3 billion annually.

"There are 340,000 students [in Türkiye] from 198 different countries in the world. Of them, 95 percent study with their own means," Erdoğan said at an event at Istanbul's Marmara University on Sept. 13.

A Turkish court on Friday jailed pending trial the mother and brother of a murdered eight-year-old girl whose body was found in a sack hidden under rocks in a case that horrified the nation and triggered protests since her disappearance three weeks ago.

Russia completely disagrees with comments from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Crimea should return to Ukrainian control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Erdogan said this week that Turkish support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence was unwavering, and the return of Crimea was a requirement of international law.

In a recent statement from the parliamentary podium, Kostadin Kostadinov, chairman of the right-wing, pro-Russian party "Revival" (Vazrazhdane) expressed serious concerns about Bulgaria's military and national sovereignty.