Politics
President Erdoğan, Vucic, vow to deepen Türkiye-Serbia cooperation
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday underscored deepening economic and defense ties between Türkiye and Serbia amid regional and global uncertainties, as they signed a joint declaration to boost bilateral cooperation.
Meeting in Ankara, the two leaders voiced satisfaction with the progress achieved under the High-Level Cooperation Council, established in 2017, and highlighted its role in advancing relations through four meetings held to date.
In a joint declaration adopted following the talks, the sides welcomed the rise in bilateral trade to $3.5 billion in 2025 and stressed the importance of taking coordinated steps to reach the new $5 billion target. They agreed to convene the next meeting of the Türkiye-Serbia Joint Economic Commission at the earliest opportunity, describing it as the backbone of economic and trade relations.
The leaders reaffirmed their determination to expand cooperation across a wide spectrum, including foreign policy, trade, defense industry, culture, tourism, education, energy, transportation, connectivity, advanced technologies and environmental issues.
They reiterated their commitment to boosting defense industry collaboration, in line with understandings reached during the fourth High-Level Cooperation Council meeting held in Belgrade in October 2024.
Erdoğan and Vucic also underlined the importance of EXPO 2027 in Belgrade for regional economic growth and cooperation and expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the first two meetings of the Balkan Peace Platform, held on July 26, 2025, and Jan. 23, 2026.
The two leaders welcomed the steady increase in mutual tourist numbers, noting its contribution to closer ties between the two nations, and praised Turkish construction firms for their successful infrastructure projects in Serbia, particularly in transportation and energy.
They pledged to accelerate efforts toward agreements strengthening the legal framework in advanced technologies and education and to enhance cooperation in civil aviation, culture and tourism.
Reaffirming their readiness to continue cooperation in bilateral and regional platforms to strengthen peace and stability in the Balkans, Erdoğan and Vucic emphasized the importance of regular high-level visits in further deepening ties and agreed to hold the next council meeting at the earliest opportunity.
In a joint news conference, Erdoğan said that Türkiye is working to ensure peace and stability in its region and beyond “at a time of rising global uncertainty,” stressing that Ankara “never neglects the Balkans.” The president emphasized regional engagement and highlighted Turkish efforts to promote peace and stability across the Balkans alongside broader diplomatic initiatives.
He said the two leaders assessed the impact of ongoing developments on their relationship and discussed next steps.
“At a time of rising global uncertainty, Türkiye is working to ensure peace and stability in our region and beyond, and we never neglect the Balkans,” he stressed.
During their talks, he noted that they also discussed how to maintain Balkan stability and strengthen regional economic development.
He also announced that Türkiye will participate in EXPO 2027, which Serbia will host in Belgrade, expressing confidence that the event will provide additional opportunities to strengthen economic, commercial, and cultural ties.
Erdoğan acknowledged Serbia’s strong interest in learning Turkish, saying institutions such as the Yunus Emre Institute and the Türkiye Maarif Foundation are working to meet that demand.
He said they also discussed development projects in the Sandzak region, which he described as a bridge of friendship between the two countries, and noted that Türkiye closely follows initiatives aimed at fostering growth there.
Erdoğan congratulated the Muslim community in Serbia on the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
He also highlighted Türkiye’s efforts to promote regional ownership-based initiatives, citing the second meeting of the Balkan Peace Platform hosted in Istanbul on Jan. 23, 2026, and thanked Vucic for his personal support for the platform.
Erdoğan described Vucic’s visit as highly valuable for advancing peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
Serbian president hails Erdoğan’s leadership, backs stronger bilateral cooperation
For his part, Vucic praised Erdoğan’s leadership and voiced support for deeper economic, political, and security cooperation between the two countries.
“When I speak to you, I do so with the utmost respect, as a great leader, not only of Türkiye, but also of the region and indeed a leader with global influence,” he said, noting that the issues discussed and conclusions reached were “very important.”
Vucic said Türkiye is “an extremely important partner for Serbia,” highlighting its political weight as well as its role in the economy, defense industry, and technology.
Turkish influence in economic, military, technological fields
He emphasized that although Serbia is smaller in size, it highly values Türkiye’s political importance and its influence in economic, military and technological fields.
He underlined that Turkish companies are investing in various parts of Serbia, particularly in less developed southern regions, creating job opportunities.
He said some in Serbia may not fully recognize the scale of Turkish investments in less developed regions, especially in the south, where companies are contributing to employment and development.
The Serbian leader also referred to major infrastructure projects involving Turkish public institutions and private firms, including road and railway developments, and expressed hope that Erdogan’s next visit to Serbia would be his largest ever, with “very important agreements” to be signed.
He said the two sides discussed numerous infrastructure projects in detail, including highway and railway developments, and expressed hope that agreements related to a key highway project would soon be signed to help resolve transportation challenges.
Balkan Peace Platform
“I strongly support President Erdoğan’s Balkan Peace Platform initiative,” Vucic said, adding that regional cooperation is “extremely important.”
He said he would gladly accept an invitation to participate in future meetings under the Balkan Peace Platform, describing the initiative as vital for preserving regional stability.
According to him, bringing together people and economies across the Balkans is essential for long-term peace and prosperity.
He also said the two sides discussed activating a joint committee that will have an intensive agenda in the coming months, noting that further frameworks for parliamentary friendship groups are expected to be established.
For the first time, he said, the leaders discussed cooperation in military and technical fields, including collaboration between their armed forces. Strengthening such cooperation could help preserve peace and ensure a better future for both nations, he added.
Vucic thanked Türkiye for agreeing to participate in EXPO 2027 to be hosted by Serbia, calling the decision important for expanding economic and cultural ties.
He described Erdoğan as an “experienced and wise leader” who knows how to contribute to peace, and said Serbia, as a sovereign and independent country, respects leaders who seek to preserve stability.
Vucic thanked Erdoğan for his hospitality and reiterated that Serbia looks forward to hosting him soon for what he hoped would be a landmark visit.
The unprecedented surge of migrants from Morocco to the Spanish territory of Ceuta last week prompted Europe to consider suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain. The issue, which some suspect involved Israeli influence, has been viewed by Europe as a test of border security and territorial control rather than a humanitarian tragedy. Europe’s approach stands in sharp contrast to Türkiye’s response to humanitarian crises, both in its own region and around the world.
Türkiye acts under the principle that “A fairer world is possible,” articulated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and reaches out to disadvantaged communities in need around the world without discrimination. Whether in Syria, Palestine, among the Rohingya Muslims, or in Somalia, Türkiye’s aid destinations have varied, but its commitment to humanitarian assistance has remained constant. Unlike many European countries, Türkiye has not turned away those seeking refuge at its borders and has also responded to humanitarian crises in distant regions.
For instance, since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Türkiye has hosted more than 2 million Syrian refugees fleeing atrocities committed by the now-defunct Assad regime. At the same time, it called for a fair sharing of responsibility and burden as Syrian migrants reached European borders in pursuit of a better life. Even as Europe was slow to help Türkiye address the needs of refugees, Türkiye continued to welcome them and still provides refuge to Syrian nationals, two years after the Baathist regime collapsed in its southern neighbor.
Elsewhere, Türkiye has hosted Palestinians injured in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, providing them with medical treatment.
Supporting a lasting and just peace to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Türkiye has assumed the role of mediator and facilitator while also taking in hundreds of Ukrainian children who lost their families in the war under the “Childhood Without War Project,” supported by first lady Emine Erdoğan.
Ilkay Çiçek, the mayor of Menderes district in the western city of Izmir from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was among 13 suspects detained on Tuesday on charges of bribery, corruption, abuse of office and forgery of official documents.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Türkiye’s third-largest city announced that the detentions were part of an investigation into allegations that municipal officials accepted bribes in exchange for building and zoning permits.
Security forces launched operations in Izmir’s Menderes, Karabağlar and Konak districts to apprehend 16 wanted suspects. Three other suspects, including Menderes’ deputy mayor, a municipal assembly member and a former municipal bureaucrat, remain at large.
Çiçek was elected mayor of the small Aegean coastal district in the 2024 municipal elections, replacing another CHP mayor in a district that has been a stronghold of the opposition party for years.
Dozens of CHP mayors have been the subject of criminal investigations, and many have been detained or arrested on corruption charges, along with a sizeable number of municipal bureaucrats. The alleged web of corruption, as the CHP’s rivals describe it, often involves accusations that mayors and municipal staff accepted bribes in exchange for granting permits that otherwise would not have been approved and awarding lucrative municipal tenders to businesses with ties to municipal officials or those that paid bribes to mayors and bureaucrats.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Libya’s Acting Defense Minister Abdulsalam Zubi and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s National Security Adviser Ibrahim Dbeibah in Ankara on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said.
The meeting was held behind closed doors and no further details on the agenda or the discussions were provided.
Ankara emerged as a prominent diplomatic actor as it helped ease military tensions in Tripoli and stepped up its outreach to the eastern faction throughout 2025 as it shifted its Libya policy.
Libya remains split between two administrations: a government appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and based in Benghazi, led by Osama Hammad, which controls the east and much of the south; and the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, in Tripoli, which runs the west.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Israel must fully comply with the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza Peace Plan for it to succeed, as the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and regional developments in a phone call on Monday.
Erdoğan held a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, discussing Türkiye-Saudi Arabia relations as well as regional and global issues, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
According to the statement, the leaders reviewed cooperation between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and exchanged views on regional and global developments during the conversation.
During the call, Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to promoting lasting peace and stability in the region, expressing sorrow over recent attacks targeting Saudi Arabia.
The Turkish president also stressed that Israel’s full adherence to the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza Peace Plan is essential for the initiative’s success.
Erdoğan said Türkiye is closely monitoring developments related to the implementation of the plan, underscoring Ankara’s continued support for efforts aimed at securing a lasting cease-fire and regional stability.
Three crew members were critically injured after a Turkish-owned roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo ship came under a drone attack in the Black Sea on Monday, Turkish maritime authorities said.
The NADEZHDA, a Turkish-owned cargo vessel sailing from Russia’s Novorossiysk to the Turkish port of Samsun, was attacked about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) off Novorossiysk on Monday, according to a statement by Türkiye’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs.
The vessel was carrying 22 crew members, including 13 Turkish nationals.
Initial assessments indicated the ship sustained damage to its living quarters and bow, while a fire continued to burn on board.
The Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said that, following coordination with Russia’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Novorossiysk, all crew members were safely evacuated to the Russian port by Russian maritime units.
According to preliminary information cited in the statement, three crew members may have sustained critical injuries.
The agency added that the fire remained active aboard the vessel, but rescue operations could not be carried out because of the continuing risk of drone attacks in the area.
The Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said it was closely monitoring the situation and wished all affected seafarers a speedy recovery and safe return to their families.
More than three years of the Russia-Ukraine war have jeopardized maritime security in the Black Sea. Türkiye has witnessed several drones of Russian or Ukrainian origin crash on its territory, while uncrewed armed naval vessels have frequently washed ashore. In response to growing threats, Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria established a maritime security initiative primarily tasked with clearing stray naval mines in the Black Sea.
Türkiye is preparing to define its “red lines” in a new phase of its fight against PKK terrorism through the terror-free Türkiye initiative. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is expected to submit a draft framework law to Parliament later this week after holding talks with all political parties. The framework law and the consultations will focus on the integration of PKK members and on how those who surrendered or are serving prison sentences will be treated once the PKK’s full dissolution and disarmament have been verified by the authorities.
The initiative began in October 2024, when Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key government ally, proposed that jailed PKK ringleader Abdullah Öcalan call on the terrorist group to lay down its arms. Öcalan accepted the proposal and shaped his side of the initiative over the following months. After issuing his historic call to the PKK in February 2025, the terrorist group complied and began laying down its arms. However, Turkish authorities have not yet verified its complete disarmament and continue monitoring the group’s senior leadership in northern Iraq.
The government has repeatedly said that legislative steps would be taken if the PKK dissolved itself, something the terrorist group had long sought. In return for disarmament, the authorities plan to reduce the sentences of convicted PKK members. Those plans have culminated in the framework law, which political parties have discussed in meetings with the parliamentary speaker and among themselves. Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş reaffirmed last week that the bill could be submitted to Parliament this week before the legislature begins its summer recess.
According to media reports, Kurtulmuş, AK Party parliamentary group chair Abdullah Güler, party spokesperson Ömer Çelik and Deputy Chair Efkan Ala, who also took part in the previous “reconciliation process” aimed at persuading the PKK to disarm, met on Monday to finalize preparations for the framework law. Güler will also hold talks with representatives of political parties at Parliament for a “preliminary” meeting to inform them about the contents of the draft bill.
A report by broadcaster A Haber said the framework law would focus on three categories: those who did not actively participate in the PKK’s crimes, those convicted solely of PKK membership, and PKK supporters living in European countries who were not involved in acts of terrorism. Those currently serving prison sentences could become eligible for judicial supervision, under which they would be returned to prison if they committed another offense within three years.
A Haber also reported that the Presidency and Parliament would establish two committees to monitor the next phases of the initiative. The committees would operate for six months and oversee the return of PKK members from abroad, the surrender of weapons, and the social integration of former members of the terrorist group. Öcalan and the PKK’s senior leadership would not be eligible for any leniency.
Öcalan, who was visited by a delegation from the PKK-aligned Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) on Sunday, released a message through the delegation on Monday. He welcomed the framework law and said that “a step was required to begin a one-thousand-kilometer journey.”
“With this law, we are setting out to resolve a historic issue. We are at the beginning of a democratization process that will be at least as significant as the founding of the republic,” Öcalan was quoted as saying by the DEM Party.
“With society’s organized participation, we will achieve a historic breakthrough. This step will make an enormous contribution to both peace and the economy. Not everything has been resolved yet. However, there is also no reason to adopt a negative approach. What matters is that this step is properly understood and that everyone assumes responsibility for the success of the process. The law to be enacted by Parliament will serve as the key to unlocking this process. It will open the door wide to a democratic republic,” he added.
Kurtulmuş said last Thursday that the proposed legislation would pave the way for “a new era of brotherhood,” while reiterating that it would not amount to a general amnesty. Speaking at a ceremony at Parliament, Kurtulmuş said the initiative had reached a critical stage following months of work by Parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, which brought together representatives from nearly all political parties.
“Our goal is to build a terror-free Türkiye,” Kurtulmuş said, describing terrorism as a decadeslong burden that has cost the country thousands of lives and caused significant economic losses.
Kurtulmuş said the process had been carried out with great care through cooperation among state institutions and political actors. He described the initiative as the result of what he called the convergence of “state wisdom and the nation’s collective conscience.”
He also said Türkiye had an opportunity to leave behind decades of violence and painful memories, arguing that the country was entering a new phase focused on national unity, democratic consensus and social cohesion.
“The doors to a new era will be opened with the adoption of this law,” Kurtulmuş said. “Türkiye will begin a completely new period of brotherhood.”
He added that strengthening national solidarity, democracy and social unity would reinforce Türkiye’s position and ensure that no external force could hinder the country’s progress.
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