Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan

30/05/2026

tarafından düzenlenen

“Ortadoğu: Güvenlik, Enerji ve Bölgesel Dönüşüm” başlıklı webinar

3 Haziran Çarşamba günü Türkiye saatiyle 20:00’de gerçekleşiyor.

Herkese açık ve ücretsiz olan webinara kayıt için
👉 Link story’de

25/03/2026

On 23rd March at the midday press briefing of the EU Commission, EU’s position on the imprisonment of Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, the presidential candidate of the main opposition in Turkey, was raised by a journalist. Here is the reply by the Spokesperson of the Commission:

“Last Thursday indeed marked one year since the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in Türkiye along with other elected officials and municipalities workers. So the continued detention and prosecution of Mayor İmamoğlu, of elected officials, opposition figures, political activists, civil society, business representatives, journalists, give rise to increasing questions regarding Türkiye’s commitment to democratic values. It also deepens our concerns about the independence of the judiciary.

As a candidate country and as a long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye should apply the highest democratic standards and practices. So safeguarding political pluralism and the ability of elected representatives to perform their duties without undue interference and without fear of unjust repression are essential elements of a democratic system. So the Commission 2025 enlargement report for Türkiye notes backsliding as regards the rule of law and democratic standards. So the EU is closely monitoring the situation and has continuously urged the Turkish authorities to follow due process.”

30/01/2026

During the B40 Balkan Cities Network Summit in Zagreb I have presented our initiative called “International Observatory for Mayors at Risk” (IOMAR), a global platform to defend the autonomy of mayors, monitor threats to local democracy, and mobilise solidarity across borders.

IOMAR, designed as a city-led solidarity and early-warning platform, aims to combine political will, technical expertise, independent monitoring, and a broad coalition of partners.

Across the world, mayors are increasingly at the forefront of defending democratic values, fundamental rights, and the rule of law. Yet, for that reason, they are also among the most vulnerable actors in political systems.

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a rise in authoritarian practices targeting local governments; elected mayors removed from office, detained, subjected to judicial harassment, politically motivated investigations, financial strangulation, or silenced or discredited through orchestrated media campaigns. In some countries, mayors have faced threats to their lives.

It is in this context that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality proposed the establishment of IOMAR.

For more information, you may wish to read my recent article on Substack link in story.

29/11/2025