Strait Talk

Turkey is looking to double its 25 billion dollar bilateral trade within Africa in the next five years. The Africa-Turkey Economic Forum, which was just held in Istanbul, is expected to help reach that goal. Guests: Federico Donelli Researcher at University of Genoa Otunba Dele Oye President of Nigerian-Turkish Business Council

A Taliban delegation has met Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. The Taliban's acting foreign minister says Turkey has an active role to play in the war-stricken country. But the Turkish foreign minister reiterated the world community's expectations, urging the Taliban to be more inclusive, especially in areas of women and minority rights. But the situation in Afghanistan remains tense after a series of terror attacks by Daesh-K. So, will the group be able to stablise the country and get the international recognition it seeks? Guests: Torek Farhadi Political Analyst Shanthie Mariet D'Souza Founding Professor of the Kautilya School of Public Policy

In the UK, France, and Germany, anti-vaxxers are protesting against the issuance of COVID-19 vaccine passes to access places. While there have been no such protests in Turkey so far, the country still has a chunk of population unsure about the safety of vaccines. In order to encourage vaccinations and reach the 70 percent mass immunity target, Turkish authorities are considering to produce proof of vaccine as a mandatory requirement to enter certain spaces. Strait Talk’s Ludovica Brignola reports.

This past year, Turkiye and its former Gulf rivals have gradually moved towards improving relations. The first such step was witnessed during a visit by the United Arab Emirates' de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to Ankara last month. But there have also been significant efforts to normalise ties between Turkiye and other regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. So, what brought about this change of heart? And how might it impact the region? Guests: Ali Bakir Assistant Professor at Qatar University Sara Bazoobandi Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies Tahir Kilavuz Associate Professor at Marmara University

Last week, the mayor of Ankara announced plans to take part in a test programme that will enable users to virtually visit the capital city of Turkiye. As major tech leaders are calling the metaverse the future of the internet, Ankara is looking to seize the opportunity. So, how will the metaverse actually change the world's digital experience? Guests: Ali Hantal CEO of XR Masters Dicle Yurdakul Managing Partner at WEQ Consulting