ALL ARTICLES - TURKEY

Long-serving Turkey lobbyist Lydia Borland drums up support in Congress  Free

After years of representing the interests of Turkey and Azerbaijan, US lobbyist Lydia Borland has brought in reinforcements to help her in Washington. She is trying to rally support among US policymakers for the allies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ankara bids to get into space observation's major league with Impro 

Young public sector company Impro, which markets the images taken by Turkey's military satellites, has set up a partnership with Telespazio to help it boost Turkey's geospatial intelligence capacity ahead of the eagerly awaited arrival of the Gokturk-3 observation satellite.

Turkey's MIT maps out intelligence academy plans 

Following the lead of a number of Western intelligence communities, Turkey is planning to open an intelligence academy, under the aegis of the MIT, headed by spymaster Hakan Fidan.

• MOLDOVA - Presidential cabinet musical chairs.

• RUSSIA - Roskomnadzor strengthens border controls.

• CHINA/RUSSIA - Beijing gets involved in peace efforts in Europe.

• TURKEY/IRAQ - Ankara searches for equipment to fight PKK in northern Iraq.

Kalman Chaim Sporn helps Turkish embassy in Washington promote rapprochement with Israel 

Despite tensions on the ground, the Israeli-Turkish rapprochement is moving forward with the help of the Turkish ambassador in Washington, Hasan Murat Mercan, flanked by consultant Kalman Chaim Sporn.

Huawei flounders after losing Turkish bid 

Huawei is determined to provide data network services to the Turkish armed forces. Now tangled up in ruthless negotiations with Ankara and local mobile companies, the Chinese giant is damaging its thus-far good relations there.

Boston's Airde Group trips up on Turkish rugs 

The private investigation firm has been working for Turkish carpet maker Orient Turistik Magazacilik San Ve Tic, (OTMSVT) which alleges that distributor Aytek passed off poor quality rugs as imitations of OTMSVT products. The investigation's results have been mixed.

Lobbying firm Straife comes to Turkey's rescue in dealings with US Treasury 

Increasingly concerned about being sanctioned by the US over their alleged links with Russian industry, Turkish companies have hired the services of the lobbying firm Straife, which employs former US intelligence veterans.

SiberAsist, Turkish intelligence's cyber tool shopper 

Behind its shiny sales facade, the Turkish company SiberAsist, one of Cem Günal and Serap Günal's many businesses, has been quietly helping the Turkish intelligence services source cyber-intelligence and forensics technologies.

Turkish cyber provider Pavo Group goes door knocking in UAE 

Pavo Group, chaired by Alper Ozbilen, wants to stretch its horizons beyond its home turf. It is working on new interception and big data tools, and has made contact with the UAE's main defence conglomerates.

Between asset freezes and support, Paris displays contradictory stance over Kurds 

Recent French sanctions against individuals suspected of financing the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, highlight incoherent foreign policy towards the Kurdish movement.

Taksim Square blast makes Ankara ill at ease with its private fighters in northern Syria 

While it is still not clear who perpetrated the deadly attack in Istanbul on 13 November, a theory that Syrian fighters could be responsible has begun to surface in Ankara. This comes on the back of already growing disquiet between these fighters and their sponsor.

Kazakh government prospects Turkish cyber and space sectors 

In the wake of recent defence deals with Turkish companies, the Kazakh government is now prospecting in the Turkish cyber and satellite spheres with the intent of modernising its communications and surveillance apparatus.

• HERZLIYA - Cognyte puts IMSI-catchers in 5G

• ARLINGTON - John Wagner joins Raytheon's ISR division

• ISTANBUL - Turkcell pads out cyber wallet with Barikat

• LONDON - Jocelyn Spottiswoode poached by FTI.

• NEW YORK/LONDON - Exiger Diligence hires AML expert Saba Ahmad.

• WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL - Turkish Sanction Scanner to screen potential sanctioned persons from US.

• PARIS - Head of security firm Chiron publishes autobiography on former life as paratrooper.

Ikon, the new face of Turkish-Singaporean interception software specialist BTT  Free

BTT, the Turkish software firm exposed in the Hacking Team leaks in 2015, has resurfaced as Ikon Arge Teknoloji thanks to a mysterious Singaporean partner.

Behind the new deal between Turkey's MIT and the Mossad  Free

With Israeli-Turkish diplomatic relations now fully restored, a reconciliation over intelligence sharing appears to have been sealed as well. Turkish intelligence services and the Mossad recently discreetly signed an understanding aimed largely at allowing Tel Aviv to track down Iranian cells in Turkey.

Interdata moves into interception market thanks to discreet RedEye acquisition 

Alper Ozbilen's Turkish defence empire has acquired new interception capacities by integrating Ankara-based provider RedEye into its subsidiary Interdata. This move will allow the company to broaden its range of services.

• UNITED STATES - CIA experimenting to solve HR crisis

• TURKEY/PALESTINE/AFGHANISTAN - Istanbul hosts Hamas-Taliban rapprochement

• GEORGIA - Tbilisi looks into its oligarchs

• FRANCE - DPR still not entitled to know about operations in progress

• RUSSIA - Moscow's foreign affairs ministry reassesses view of China

• AFGHANISTAN/EUROPE - Europe's greater numbers of repatriated Afghans