Politics
Terror-free Türkiye initiative will boost democracy: VP Yılmaz
The initiative to end terrorism in Türkiye will create new opportunities to elevate democratic and developmental standards, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said Friday.
In a landmark development, the PKK terrorist group earlier this month announced its dissolution and the end of its four-decade terror campaign that cost tens of thousands of lives in Türkiye, as well as in Iraq and Syria.
“‘A Türkiye without terror’ is very valuable in terms of democracy and development because we all know that terror causes great harm to democracy and development,” Yılmaz told Turkish broadcast Tvnet in an interview.
“An environment where terror is eliminated will also provide us with a new atmosphere and opportunity to raise our democratic and development standards. This will contribute greatly to Türkiye’s growth and becoming a strong country.”
Regarding the PKK’s decision to disarm and disband, the most important issue is the implementation of this decision in the field, he said.
The vice president assured that mechanisms have been established within this framework.
“These are not easy processes, but Türkiye is a very experienced country in these matters,” he said, citing an extensive field network of intelligence units, foreign missions and security forces contributing to counterterrorism.
“Developments in the field will be carefully monitored and reported, and the developments here will carry Türkiye into a new environment,” he said.
The initiative was launched by government ally Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who called on the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan to appeal to the group to lay down arms in a historic speech last year.
Soon, his call evolved into a new initiative that saw People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) lawmakers visiting Öcalan in the island prison where he is incarcerated in the Marmara Sea. As Öcalan warmed up to the idea, Türkiye moved to the next stage in the initiative, with the PKK convening a “congress.”
Media outlets reported earlier this month that PKK members will hand over their weapons within the next four months, and some 3,500 terrorists will leave their hideouts in Iraq’s north.
Turkish authorities continue to discuss the next steps in the process, including with their Syrian interlocutors, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Türkiye expects the PKK’s dissolution to include all affiliated groups, including extensions in Iraq and specifically its Syrian offshoot, the YPG.
The YPG is located largely around oil-rich regions of northern Syria and is backed by the United States under the guise of driving out Daesh remnants. Initially opposed to Öcalan’s call to disband, the YPG in March signed a deal with Damascus to disband and join Syria’s new state institutions.
Implementation is due by the end of the year, but it was unclear how the YPG’s armed operation would be integrated.
Ankara has insisted that the YPG take immediate steps to fulfill the March deal, stressing the need for a “comprehensive government, a single legitimate armed force” for stability in Syria.
Turkish authorities have detained 237 people in operations carried out across 42 provinces over the past two weeks as part of an investigation targeting the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
According to the ministry, the operations were coordinated by public prosecutors and units of the National Police, including intelligence, counterterrorism and anti-smuggling departments. 128 of the suspects were arrested pending trial, while 61 were released under judicial control measures.
Legal proceedings for the remaining suspects are ongoing.
Authorities said that the suspects were active in various branches of the movement, including its financial, student and secretive networks and had maintained communication through pay phones. Some were also accused of providing financial support to the terrorist group.
The FETÖ orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 were wounded. The group is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, especially in the military, police and judiciary.
In a separate operation in the central province of Kayseri, police detained a former police chief who had been sentenced to eight years, one month and 15 days in prison for “membership in a terrorist organization,” authorities said.
The suspect, identified only by the initials M.A., was taken into custody during a raid on a residence and transferred to prison following legal procedures.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay an official visit to Canada on June 25-26 for talks aimed at deepening bilateral relations, expanding economic cooperation and discussing key regional and global security issues, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
Fidan is scheduled to begin his visit in Toronto on Thursday with a tour of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, one of Canada’s largest nuclear energy facilities. Turkish officials said the visit is intended to provide firsthand insight into Canada’s capabilities and expertise in the nuclear energy sector as Ankara seeks to expand its own energy portfolio.
The foreign minister will also attend a meeting with business leaders, academics and representatives of civil society organizations to discuss opportunities for economic cooperation and investment between the two countries.
On Friday, Fidan will travel to Ottawa for talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. The meeting is expected to focus on strengthening political dialogue, boosting trade and investment, and elevating Türkiye-Canada relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
Turkish officials said Fidan will emphasize the importance of increasing high-level contacts and reciprocal visits, while calling for efforts to remove barriers to trade and accelerate negotiations on a long-discussed free trade agreement.
Bilateral trade between Türkiye and Canada reached approximately $2.7 billion (TL 125.54 billion) in 2025, with Turkish exports totaling $1.57 billion and imports from Canada standing at $1.16 billion. Turkish officials have said there is significant potential for further growth in trade and investment ties.
Energy cooperation is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions. Fidan is expected to highlight opportunities for collaboration in nuclear energy and other energy sectors, while advocating closer cooperation in the defense industry and stronger military ties between the NATO allies.
Regional security issues are also expected to be on the agenda. Sources said Fidan will stress the need to remain vigilant against attempts to undermine the recent understanding reached between the United States and Iran. He is also expected to underline the importance of restoring unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as vital for global trade and energy supplies.
The Turkish foreign minister is expected to reiterate Ankara’s support for diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and call for increased international pressure on Israel over its policies in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
Relations between Türkiye and Canada have expanded in recent years, particularly in defense and nuclear energy cooperation. Canada is home to an estimated 130,000 Turkish citizens, while direct air connectivity has increased following Turkish Airlines’ decision to raise its weekly flights to Canada from 12 to 21 earlier this year.
Fidan has maintained regular consultations with his Canadian counterpart. Most recently, Canadian Minister Anita Anand visited Türkiye on March 17, 2026.
A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul’s Adalar district and several senior municipal officials as part of a corruption investigation alleging that municipal authorities solicited payments from institutions and individuals in exchange for permits and administrative approvals.
The investigation, conducted by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, centers on allegations that officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run Adalar Municipality demanded money in return for occupancy permits and other municipal procedures.
According to the Sabah newspaper report, municipal officials allegedly collected nearly TL 3 million ($65,000) from representatives of a Greek Orthodox foundation on Büyükada, despite the institution’s legal exemption from such fees.
Prosecutors allege that Deputy Mayor Hüseyin Yılmaz pressured foundation representative Vasil Poridis to make payments related to an occupancy permit, arguing that the municipality needed funds. Wiretap records included in the case file allegedly show discussions between Yılmaz and Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat regarding the collection of the payments.
The investigation claims that the payments were made in several installments. One intercepted conversation dated Jan. 26, 2026, allegedly references the receipt of TL 1.68 million in cash. Prosecutors say additional payments were later requested.
Authorities also allege that municipal officials monitored the permit process and linked its progress to the collection of funds. The prosecutor’s assessment states that an institution legally exempt from municipal fees was allegedly compelled to make payments under the guise of permit charges, providing financial benefit to senior municipal officials.
The case file further alleges that municipal authorities examined similar permit-related matters involving other religious institutions in the district, including the historic Halki Seminary on Heybeliada.
Last week, police detained 42 suspects, including Akpolat and Deputy Mayors Hüseyin Yılmaz and Fırat Durak. The operation targeted 90 locations across four provinces.
Following questioning, 39 suspects were referred to court while three were released. The court later ordered the arrest of 35 suspects, including Akpolat and the two deputy mayors. Four others were released under judicial supervision pending trial.
A draft report prepared by a parliamentary committee on the prevention of juvenile crime was recently wrapped up and includes diverse suggestions to authorities.
In 2025, Parliament set up the Committee on Children Driven to Crime, a legal term for underage individuals committing crimes, after several murders of children committed by their peers grabbed headlines, along with the rise of criminal gangs recruiting minors as hitmen.
The report proposes a myriad of measures to curb the disturbing phenomenon. Among them are screening programs among preschoolers and primary school students to assess their mental health and social factors affecting their upbringing. Other proposals include broader surveillance of schools and legal amendments for minors involved in crimes to ensure “social justice.”
The draft report will be presented to Parliament’s presidency after more input by lawmakers. The report is composed of six chapters and 691 pages. In an introduction to the report, the committee’s chair, Müşerref Pervin Tuba Durgut, said the issue was tackled by the committee not as a mere judiciary matter but a multi-layered phenomenon affecting society. Durgut said they assessed risk factors driving children to commit crimes within a wide scope of interactions, from the impact of families, schools and peers to neighborhood ties, the digital world and public policies.
For months, the committee heard academics, experts and those affected by crimes committed by children driven into crime and made field visits.
Explaining that a cross-sectional study was also carried out with 610 children selected via stratified random sampling from 4,989 children in juvenile closed penal institutions and juvenile education houses, Durgut said they examined the risk factors the children were exposed to.
“The findings obtained from these studies have clearly demonstrated the need for inter-agency coordination, the importance of early intervention mechanisms, the dissemination of best practices developed at the local level, and the necessity of holistic policies that center the child in crime prevention. The committee’s work has contributed to understanding the multi-dimensional structure of juvenile delinquency and has revealed the importance of holistic, interdisciplinary and practice-based approaches in policy development processes,” she said.
The report also included official statistics and academic studies regarding juveniles dragged into delinquency in Türkiye.
Stating that juvenile delinquency has become a rising trend, the report stated that research on judicial incidents involving children and adolescents has generally developed in an upward direction.
According to the official data, the number of incidents involving children who came or were brought to security units due to an alleged crime rose from 133,829 in 2015 to 202,785 in 2024. The report stated, “Accordingly, an increase of approximately 51.5% occurred in the number of incidents involving children in the last 10-year period. This increase reveals that children’s contact with the judicial system has become more widespread.”
Among other suggestions in the report are mandatory hospitalization and treatment for children (if the court rules in favor) with anti-social behavior, disorders and substance addiction, effective public service models for psychological counseling and crisis intervention for at-risk families. Lawmakers suggested that families at risk should receive employment support and be included in income-generating programs, to prevent children from turning to crime to support themselves or their families.
The report also proposes the installation of camera systems in all schools and the introduction of electronic passes for entry to schools, in light of recent school shootings that have emerged as another threatening aspect of the phenomenon.
A suspected member of the Daesh terrorist group was killed on Tuesday, and his wife was wounded during a clash with Turkish special operations police conducting a raid near the capital, Ankara, authorities said.
The operation took place in the Sazağası neighborhood of Ankara’s Haymana district, where security forces moved to detain the suspects at their residence.
According to Turkish authorities, the suspects opened fire on police, triggering an exchange of gunfire. The male suspect, identified as 25-year-old Muhammed K., was killed at the scene, while his wife, identified only by the initials N.K., was captured alive after being wounded.
Investigators later determined that Muhammed K. had allegedly maintained contact with Daesh operatives through social media platforms and participated in online discussion groups linked to the terrorist group.
Moreover, authorities also said evidence collected during the investigation indicated that a Daesh operative identified as Ismael J.K.A. had allegedly communicated with Muhammed K. through TikTok and provided instructions related to potential activities in Türkiye.
Investigators also found that Muhammed K. operated two separate TikTok accounts. One account, reportedly bearing his own name, was allegedly used to join online chat groups associated with a publication linked to the Daesh.
A second account, operating under a nickname, was allegedly used to communicate with senior members of the group, according to the investigation.
Türkiye has carried out numerous operations against suspected Daesh members in recent years, targeting recruitment networks, financing activities and online propaganda channels. Authorities have repeatedly warned that social media platforms remain a key tool for communication and recruitment among extremist organizations.
Nimet Özdemir, a lawmaker who resigned from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), formally joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Özdemir at the parliamentary group meeting of the party.
Özdemir, a business executive, had left former CHP ally Good Party (IP) for the main opposition in 2024. She has been a member of Parliament’s Türkiye-EU committee and the environment committee.
Two weeks ago, another former IP lawmaker, Ersin Beyaz, joined the AK Party, soon after his resignation from the opposition party.
The AK Party has seen a stream of new transfers in the past two years.
Since the 2024 elections, 15 mayors have left their parties and joined the AK Party. Most of them were formerly members of the CHP.
Nationwide raids against FETÖ net 237 suspects in Türkiye
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Nationwide raids against FETÖ net 237 suspects in Türkiye
Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Kurtulmuş met with the Speaker of the Omani Parliament Al Maawali
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