Politics
Mitsotakis gets warm welcome as Ankara sees brighter side in ties
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accompanied by ministers, was welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Wednesday.
Mitsotakis was in Türkiye for the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council that aims to improve occasionally strained ties between the two neighbors.
Erdoğan and the prime minister were scheduled to hold a joint news conference after their meeting.
It remains to be seen whether Mitsotakis’ visit will add further momentum to warming ties, especially after the prime minister said in an interview earlier this month that the dispute over the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean stood out as an obstacle to better ties.
Athens and Ankara have tried to overcome their differences in recent years, leaving behind a troubled past. Last month, diplomats from the two countries came together in the Greek capital for a “positive agenda” meeting.
Tensions have flared intermittently in recent years between the historic rivals, who remain divided over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean, an area believed to hold significant energy potential and linked to disputes over airspace and overflights.
Last month, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said Greece intends to extend its territorial waters, potentially including areas of the Aegean Sea, despite long-standing Turkish objections. Greece has already expanded its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 nautical miles following agreements with Italy, and it has signed a maritime delimitation deal with Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lana Zochiou said on Tuesday the aim was “to assess the progress of bilateral cooperation” and “to keep communication channels open to defuse any potential crises.”
Ministers of the two countries will sign a series of agreements to strengthen bilateral ties and will exchange views on regional and global issues during Mitsotakis’ visit.
Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications, said last week that the meeting was expected to comprehensively assess ties between the two nations and discuss ways to further enhance cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Regarding his meeting with Erdoğan during his Türkiye visit, Mitsotakis told Skai TV earlier this month that Greece and Türkiye did not need arbitrators or intermediaries to discuss bilateral issues. He hailed improvement in relations since the Athens Declaration was signed during Erdoğan’s visit to Greece in 2023.
Mitsotakis noted that resolving their dispute in maritime delimitation would bring Türkiye closer to the European Union, of which Ankara hopes to be a member. He warned, however, that the prevalence of “casus belli” in the Aegean would prevent Türkiye’s access to European funds. Mitsotakis, quoted by the Greek TV, admitted that Athens used the issue as “leverage” against Türkiye, so that Ankara would “abandon misguided claims.”
Türkiye recently extended the navigation warnings, known as Navtex, in the wake of Greece’s violation of Türkiye’s maritime borders. Mitsotakis, who was accused by the Greek opposition of remaining silent on the issue, hit out at the warnings and claimed they were illegal and Greece would not seek Türkiye’s permission for running projects in those waters, such as electrical interconnection projects.
Details have emerged on a draft report by a parliamentary committee on the terror-free Türkiye initiative for the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK.
The most significant sections of the report focus on legal arrangements to encourage the terrorist group to lay down its arms and references to rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and Türkiye’s Constitutional Court.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who also chairs the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee of Parliament behind the report, sent the draft report to political parties for consensus. The document was prepared within the framework of work carried out by the committee, which is composed of deputy parliamentary group leaders serving as coordinators. The report is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
The report recommends enacting a special law for the process and amending certain existing laws. It cites the need to establish a legal framework to encourage and accelerate the disarmament process of the PKK. It emphasizes the necessity of legal regulations to provide a basis for PKK members on the run to return home.
It proposes that necessary amendments to the Turkish Penal Code, the Law on the Execution of Sentences and the Anti-Terror Law be made in parallel with the proposed laws.
Under the heading “Democratization Steps,” the report highlights rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and Türkiye’s Constitutional Court, as well as principles of international law.
It does not explicitly mention an individualized “right to hope,” which was once proposed to be implemented for Abdullah Öcalan, jailed ringleader of the group. However, it makes an indirect reference through its emphasis on ECtHR and Constitutional Court rulings and international legal principles.
The report also assesses that certain administrative steps could be taken regarding the practice of appointing trustees to municipalities whose administrators were accused of funding the PKK and/or aiding and abetting the terrorist group.
Under the democratization heading, the report notes that amendments may be made to the laws on political parties, elections, and public meetings and demonstrations.
Three irregular migrants died after a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Foça in western Türkiye, authorities said Thursday, as search efforts continued for four people believed missing.
The vessel set out despite stormy weather and went down early in the morning off Izmir’s Foça district. Coast Guard Command teams were dispatched to the area following an emergency call.
Rescue crews saved 38 migrants from the sea and recovered the bodies of three others. Survivors told authorities that four more people had been on board, prompting an air- and sea-backed search and rescue operation.
Türkiye is a key transit route for migrants attempting to reach Europe, and its coast guard regularly carries out rescue and interception operations along the Aegean coastline.
In a separate development, five suspected migrant smugglers were arrested in Izmir in connection with a deadly incident off the Greek island of Chios earlier this month.
Prosecutors said the boat, which departed from the Çeşme district, capsized after being struck by a Greek Coast Guard vessel on Feb. 3. Fifteen migrants, 11 men and four women, died, and 24 others were injured. Some passengers were initially reported missing.
An investigation launched by the Çeşme prosecutors led to the detention of seven suspects accused of organizing the illegal crossing. Five were formally arrested on charges including migrant smuggling and “killing with probable intent,” while two were released under judicial supervision.
Türkiye has intensified nationwide operations in recent years amid rising regional migration pressures.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye and Greece remain committed to strengthening dialogue and cooperation as both neighbors pursue a more stable phase in bilateral ties, noting that issues are solvable.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Erdoğan noted that the two sides must keep communication channels open “as neighboring allies are committed to cooperation.”
Erdoğan said he conveyed to Mitsotakis Türkiye’s expectation that the Turkish minority in Western Thrace fully benefit from their religious freedoms and educational rights, calling these protections the “human dimension” of relations that must be safeguarded with historic responsibility. He added that while longstanding disputes in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean are complex, they are “not unsolvable” within the framework of international law, and said the two leaders share a common view that diplomacy is the most constructive path forward.
Erdoğan said he and Mitsotakis held frank discussions on the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, stressing that goodwill, constructive dialogue and a clear will to resolve disputes are essential.
“I was pleased to see that my dear friend Kyriakos and I agree on this,” he said, expressing confidence that the positive momentum since 2023 can help both sides make progress on interconnected issues.
The Turkish president also said he reiterated Ankara’s expectations on combating terrorism and organized crime, and highlighted the need to address minority-rights issues with historic sensitivity.
“We must act with an awareness of our responsibility toward minorities, who form the human dimension of our relations,” he said.
During the talks, Erdoğan emphasized that high-level contacts have provided “a conducive environment” for progress and said he hopes the agreements signed earlier in the day will further consolidate the legal foundation of bilateral ties. He noted that Türkiye aims to raise its trade volume with Greece from roughly $7 billion last year to $10 billion.
Business councils from both countries also met to explore new economic opportunities, he said.
Mitsotakis received a warm welcome in Ankara as the two sides convened the 6th High-Level Cooperation Council. Both governments say they want to leave behind years of strained ties and focus on a positive agenda. Last month, diplomats met in Athens to advance this track, as the neighbors work to ease friction over contested maritime boundaries and airspace in the Aegean.
Athens and Ankara have tried to overcome their differences in recent years, leaving behind a troubled past. Last month, diplomats from the two countries came together in the Greek capital for a “positive agenda” meeting.
Tensions have flared intermittently in recent years between the historic rivals, who remain divided over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean, an area believed to hold significant energy potential and linked to disputes over airspace and overflights.
Speaking to the Financial Times in an interview published on Thursday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the U.S. and Iran are showing flexibility on a nuclear deal, with Washington appearing “willing” to tolerate some nuclear enrichment.
“It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries,” Fidan, who has been involved in talks with both Washington and Tehran, told the FT.
“The Iranians now recognize that they need to reach a deal with the Americans, and the Americans understand that the Iranians have certain limits. It’s pointless to try to force them.”
Washington has until now demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, a small step away from the 90% that is considered weapons grade.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran would continue to demand the lifting of financial sanctions and insist on its nuclear rights, including enrichment.
Fidan told the FT he believed Tehran “genuinely wants to reach a real agreement” and would accept restrictions on enrichment levels and a strict inspection regime, as it did in the 2015 agreement with the U.S. and others. U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks through Omani mediators in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy, after President Donald Trump positioned a naval flotilla in the region, raising fears of new military action. Trump on Tuesday said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran prepared to resume negotiations.
The Turkish foreign minister, however, cautioned that broadening the Iran-U.S. talks to ballistic missiles would bring “nothing but another war.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received a Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) delegation, including Turkish Parliament Deputy Speaker Pervin Buldan and Van lawmaker Mithat Sancar, at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Wednesday.
In a written statement released after the meeting, the delegation said discussions focused on recent developments in the region and their implications for Türkiye’s domestic political climate and the broader peace process.
“The determination to continue the process was once again mutually reaffirmed,” the statement said.
The delegation emphasized the need for concrete and confidence-building steps in the process, calling on Parliament, relevant ministries and public institutions to intensify their efforts.
It also highlighted the importance of preparing a report by the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission with an inclusive approach that would provide a solid foundation for democratization and expanded freedoms as part of the terror-free initiative.
The commission was formed in August to tackle the terror-free Türkiye initiative for the disarmament of the PKK terrorist group. It is expected to lay out a road map to Parliament for legislative or other regulations for the next stage of the initiative. The PKK’s disarmament has been a unilateral process, but political parties participating in the committee suggested that new regulations may be enacted to facilitate the process, especially lenient sentencing for PKK members not involved in acts of terrorism.
The statement also underlined the necessity of establishing a comprehensive legal framework without delay and through the broadest possible consensus, arguing that such a framework would serve as a cornerstone for Türkiye’s democratic future and ensure participation from all segments of society.
The delegation said it believes the meeting, held at a time of significant global and regional political developments, would contribute to peaceful coexistence in Türkiye and the wider region. It thanked President Erdoğan for receiving the delegation.
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalın and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairperson Efkan Ala also attended the meeting.
Authorities in Germany arrested two men suspected of connections to the PKK terrorist group and confiscated several illegal firearms and a significant quantity of drugs, local media reported Thursday.
According to Bild daily, the investigation began when police officers in the eastern city of Leipzig stopped a taxi during a routine traffic check on Saturday evening.
The passenger, identified as 23-year-old Numan K., attempted to flee but was apprehended. Officers found five unregistered 9 mm pistols with ammunition in his bag.
Authorities then searched an apartment shared by Numan K. and a second suspect, 56-year-old Metin B., where they discovered additional unregistered weapons and more than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine, according to the report.
Authorities were investigating the suspects’ ties to the terrorist group PKK and whether they may have been planning terror attacks, particularly in light of Metin B.’s recent social media posts supporting the PKK and its affiliate, the YPG, in northeastern Syria.
German authorities estimate that the PKK and the YPG have more than 15,000 active followers in the country, many of them pursuing extensive propaganda activities among the Kurdish immigrant population. Germany banned the PKK in 1993. Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, classifies it as an ethno-nationalist and separatist terrorist organization.
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