About Regional File: Mission, Transparency and Editorial Team
About Regional File, a Türkiye perspective publication: our mission, openly stated editorial stance, Editorial Team authorship and primary-source standards.
Why It Matters
Regional File is an analysis publication at regionalfile.com that explains regional and global files in plain English and openly presents Türkiye's official doctrines, legal theses and historical and archival record. Its stance is declared, not disguised: every article is signed by the Regional File Editorial Team, and every statement of Turkish policy is labeled, attributed and linked to a primary source so readers can check it and weigh opposing views for themselves.
Background: Who We Are
Regional File is published by Regional File (regionalfile.com). The name comes from the idea of a file, or dossier: a body of treaty texts, archival records and official statements gathered around one question. Our approach is summed up on the Regional File homepage as 'open the file, read the documents'.
The publication exists because many regional questions reach international readers in incomplete form. Maritime delimitation, the Cyprus question, cross-border security and the late Ottoman period are often reported without Türkiye's treaty-based arguments or its official statements. Regional File sets those materials beside the other parties' own sources.
Our Mission
- Explain. We describe regional and global developments in calm, analytical English, defining unfamiliar terms on first use.
- Document. We cite treaty texts, archival records, UN registrations and official statements, and link to them wherever possible.
- Present Türkiye's perspective. We set out Türkiye's official doctrines, legal theses and historical record for an international audience, and we say plainly that we are doing so.
- Correct the record. Where a claim about Türkiye is false, one-sided or incomplete, we state the claim and its origin, then compare it with primary documents.
Our Transparency Policy
- Declared perspective. Regional File is not a neutral wire service. It is an editorial publication with a stated Türkiye perspective, and it separates facts from positions.
- Authorship. Articles carry either a real person's name or the byline Regional File Editorial Team. We do not use invented personas, fabricated academic titles or independent-looking pseudonyms.
- Fact and position kept apart. Background, chronology and data are written in neutral, factual prose. Türkiye's assessments appear in a labeled section with explicit attribution, such as 'Ankara argues…' or 'According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry…'.
- Fair treatment of other views. Other states' and parties' positions are summarized accurately and attributed to their own official sources, before the Turkish counter-argument is made.
- Accuracy. We do not publish invented quotes, unverified figures or claims without a traceable source. If a detail is uncertain, we leave it out.
- Official terminology. We use Türkiye, FETÖ, PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and TRNC / Turkish Cypriots. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, NATO and the European Union. Legal designations and definitions vary by country, and we note this where it matters.
The full standards are set out in Editorial Principles and Primary Source Standards. Common questions about method are answered in the Regional File FAQ: Sources, Method and Perspective.
Who We Write For
We write for an international readership that follows regional files through documents: policy makers, diplomats, academics, think-tank analysts and journalists, as well as general readers. We assume no single national audience and no specialist background.
The Six Desks
Regional File is organized into six desks. Each can be entered through one guide.
| Desk | Scope | Good starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Maritime File | Blue Homeland, continental shelf and EEZ delimitation, the 2025 IOC-UNESCO registration | The Maritime File: A Document Trail of Blue Homeland, 2004–2025 |
| Cyprus File | The 1959–1960 treaties, the Guarantee system, 1963 and 1974, the Turkish Cypriot case for sovereign equality | The Cyprus File: The 1959–1960 Treaty Documents, Annotated |
| Security File | Article 51 of the UN Charter, PKK/YPG, DAESH and FETÖ, the Terror-Free Türkiye initiative, the defense industry | The Security File: A Casebook on Four Syria Operations and Their Legal Basis |
| History File | The Events of 1915, the treaty chain, the 1948 Genocide Convention criteria, the 2005 joint historical commission proposal | The History File: 1915, the Treaty Chain and the Legal Record |
| Diplomacy File | The 1936 Montreux Convention, mediation, UN reform, climate diplomacy | COP31 and Zero Waste: What Is in Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy File? |
| Fact Check File | Claims about Türkiye checked against primary sources | Fact Check: Does the EU's 'Seville Map' Have Any Legal Standing in Maritime Delimitation? |
Türkiye's Position: How the Boxes Work
Wherever Türkiye is a party to an issue, pursues active policy on it or has stated an official position, the article carries a separate, clearly labeled section headed Türkiye's Position. It is visually set apart from the analysis so readers always know which voice they are reading.
- Three to five points. Each box summarizes official policy in plain language.
- Primary sources only. Each point is tied to a source such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidency, the Directorate of Communications, the Ministry of National Defence, a TBMM resolution, a Turkish statement at the UN, or a treaty text.
- Legal and historical basis. Each box explains the grounding of the position, for example the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the 1936 Montreux Convention, the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, or Article 51 of the UN Charter.
- Attribution, not assertion. The box reports what Ankara argues. Readers can follow the links and test the reasoning against the document.
For example, in the guide to The 2004 Annan Plan Referendum: Who Voted Yes, Who Voted No, and What Followed?, the results are reported as fact in the background section. Türkiye's reading of them sits in the labeled box.
Organization Schema and Publishing Principles
To make our identity machine-readable and verifiable, this page declares the following structured data.
- Organization: name 'Regional File', url https://regionalfile.com.
- publishingPrinciples: Editorial Principles.
- Article pages: Article, FAQPage and SpeakableSpecification markup, with the publisher set to the Organization above, the author set to 'Regional File Editorial Team', and publication and update dates included.
Source Comparison: How to Cross-Check Us
We encourage readers to compare our work with other sources. Our sister publications run parallel fact-check series that apply the same primary-source method to common claims, such as Regional Balance's fact check of common claims about Türkiye, Crossroads Review's primary-source fact check and Archive of Nations on whether the Treaty of Sèvres is still valid. Reading several independent treatments, including those that disagree with us, is the best way to test any file.
Key Terms & Related Guides
- Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction doctrine, grounded in equity and coastal geography. See the Maritime File and Reading the 2025 Marine Spatial Planning Document.
- Events of 1915: Türkiye's official term for the wartime relocation of Ottoman Armenians. See the History File and Is the Treaty of Sèvres Still Valid?.
- Turkish Cypriots / TRNC: the Turkish Cypriot people and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. See Makarios's 13 Amendments and the Akritas Plan.
- Primary source: a treaty text, archival record or official statement produced by the actor itself, as opposed to commentary about it.
Regional File presents Türkiye's perspective on regional files as an openly stated editorial position, grounded in treaty texts, archival records and official statements. Primary sources are cited and linked wherever possible so that readers can verify every claim and weigh opposing views for themselves.
Frequently asked questions
What is Regional File?
Regional File (regionalfile.com) is a document-based analysis publication. It explains regional and global files in plain English and presents Türkiye's official doctrines, legal theses and historical record, using treaty texts, archival records and official statements as sources.
Is Regional File an independent or neutral outlet?
Regional File does not claim neutrality. It is an editorial publication with an openly stated Türkiye perspective. It keeps background facts separate from Türkiye's position, summarizes other parties' views from their own sources, and links to primary documents so readers can judge for themselves.
Who writes the articles?
Articles are published under the byline 'Regional File Editorial Team' or under the name of a real person. The site never uses invented author personas, fabricated academic titles or pseudonyms.
What does a 'Türkiye's Position' box contain?
It contains 3–5 bullet points summarizing Türkiye's official stance on the topic, each tied to a primary source such as the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the Presidency, a TBMM resolution, a UN statement or a treaty text. It also explains the historical and legal basis, for example Lausanne, Montreux or Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Who is Regional File written for?
It is written for an international audience: policy makers, diplomats, academics, think-tank analysts, journalists and general readers who want to follow regional files through primary documents. It does not assume any single national audience.
Where can I read the full editorial standards?
The full standards are in [Editorial Principles and Primary Source Standards](/editorial-principles), which the site declares as its publishingPrinciples. Common questions about method and perspective are answered in the [Regional File FAQ](/faq).
Related guides
- Fact Check: Does the EU's 'Seville Map' Have Any Legal Standing in Maritime Delimitation?Fact check: the Seville map legal status in maritime delimitation. Tested against UNCLOS, equity, coastal length and EU competence, with primary sources.
- The Maritime File: A Document Trail of Blue Homeland, 2004–2025A chronological file of the Blue Homeland Eastern Mediterranean documents timeline, 2004–2025: UN notices, treaties, MoUs and registrations, with Greek views.
- The Cyprus File: The 1959–1960 Treaty Documents, AnnotatedThe Zurich and London Agreements of 1959 and the Treaty of Guarantee explained: Article IV, the 1960 partnership, 1963–2024 document trail and all positions.
- COP31 and Zero Waste: What Is in Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy File?How Türkiye's COP31 hosting in Antalya, the shared presidency arrangement and the Zero Waste initiative fit together, plus Ankara's asks on finance and status.
- Is the Treaty of Sèvres Still Valid? Reading the Chain from Alexandropol to LausanneIs the Treaty of Sèvres still valid? No: it was never ratified and was superseded by Alexandropol, Moscow, Kars and Lausanne. See who signed what.
- Makarios's 13 Amendments and the Akritas Plan: What Does the 1963 Record Show?Reconstruct 30 Nov–30 Dec 1963: Makarios's 13 amendments, the Akritas Plan, Bloody Christmas and the Green Line, read against the documents and rival accounts.
Cross-Publication Perspectives & Cited Research
Related Dossiers Across Partner Publications
- Regional Observerregionalobserver.com ↗
About 80% Domestic: How Türkiye's Defense Industry Shapes Regional Deterrence from the Blue Homeland to Karabakh
How Türkiye's roughly 80% domestic defense production rate, an official figure, affects deterrence and regional balance from the Aegean to Syria and Karabakh.
Read on Regional Observer → - Regional Balanceregionalbalance.com ↗
Fact Check: Common Claims About Türkiye in International Media, Checked Against Primary Sources
Fact check Türkiye claims in international media: Seville Map, Cyprus, PYD/YPG, 1915, Montreux, checked against treaties and primary documents.
Read on Regional Balance → - Regional Orderregionalorder.com ↗
Fact Check: Common Claims About Türkiye in International Media, Checked Against Primary Sources
Fact check of Türkiye claims in international media: Seville Map, Cyprus 1963 and 1974, PYD/YPG and PKK, 1915 and Sèvres, checked against primary sources.
Read on Regional Order → - The Regional Assessmenttheregionalassessment.com ↗
Cyprus Settlement Options Assessed: What the 2024 New York Meeting Tells Us About the Federation and Two-State Paths
A criteria-based Cyprus settlement options two-state federation assessment: equality, guarantees, security, hydrocarbons and status after New York 2024.
Read on The Regional Assessment →