Politics
New phase begins with terror-free Türkiye report
The Turkish Parliament’s adoption of the “Terror-Free Türkiye Report” has marked a new phase in the government’s counterterrorism efforts, shifting attention to a verification and reporting mechanism seen as a prerequisite for upcoming legal reforms.
The report finalized by the parliamentary Commission on National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy on Wednesday, after months of deliberations since Aug. 5, 2025, outlines a road map for the continuation of the process. It stresses that legal arrangements can move forward only after the disarmament of the terrorist organization is verified and confirmed.
According to officials familiar with the discussions, lawmakers will not require the surrender of the “last weapon” as a condition for legal reforms. Instead, reaching a certain threshold in the disarmament process will be deemed sufficient. As an example, the evacuation of areas stretching toward Kandil in northern Iraq, including Metina, Hakurk and Gara, has been cited as a possible benchmark.
Developments on the ground are being monitored by the National Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). The two institutions are expected to submit a joint assessment to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the coming weeks, detailing the current stage of the disarmament process. Erdoğan is then expected to assign a specific body to oversee and monitor the next phase.
Officials say regional dynamics have influenced the pace of the process. Disarmament efforts by the PKK had slowed amid tensions related to the YPG’s failure to adhere to a March 10 agreement. However, following the YPG’s deal to integrate with the Syrian administration, activity on the ground has resumed, and the pace of weapons surrender and cave evacuations has accelerated.
If the current momentum continues, authorities believe the necessary threshold for formal verification could be reached by late March, paving the way for legal steps to begin in Parliament as early as April.
The report also emphasizes that the verification mechanism must operate in coordination among state institutions and be based on objective, measurable, transparent and auditable criteria. It underlines that the process will not be limited to declaring the end of an armed threat but will also serve as a starting point for implementing a new legal and policy framework.
On the other hand, in a statement posted on X, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik also said Türkiye is advancing its “terror-free Türkiye and terror-free region” goals with what he described as strong principles, strategic patience and coordinated state action.
Çelik noted that President Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli have demonstrated a “clear will” guiding the process, which he described as a state-led project supported by all institutions.
He said the initiative aims to strengthen domestic unity and regional solidarity, adding that Türkiye would continue to promote what he described as civilized values and democratic principles in the face of global challenges.
“The goal of a terror-free Türkiye and a terror-free region is for the future of every member of our nation and every one of our brothers and sisters among the peoples of neighboring countries. With a political wisdom distilled over centuries and grounded solely in our nation, we will further strengthen our resolve to rid our country and our region of terrorism,” he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov underlined that Türkiye has the option to transfer its S-400 air defense systems to another country and that Moscow would weigh any proposal.
Türkiye acquired the S-400 system from Russia in 2019, after talks for air defense deals with Western countries fell through. The purchase triggered sanctions by its NATO ally, the United States, which removed Türkiye from its F-35 program the same year. Since then, Türkiye has tried to revive the F-35 deal, but it came close to success only after Donald Trump began his second term in the White House. During last July’s NATO summit in Ankara and talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump signaled that Türkiye may return to the fighter jet program, sparking a debate over the fate of the S-400 systems. Media outlets have reported that Türkiye was considering reselling the S-400 to a third country, reportedly the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said he would not comment much on the matter but that there were several “possibilities.” He reiterated that Türkiye needed Russia’s approval for any resale.
“The country the systems will be transferred to should act responsibly and have friendly relations with the Russian Federation. Thus, we can ensure that those systems are not delivered somewhere else from there. This is of critical importance,” Lavrov was quoted as saying.
Russia’s top diplomat said Europeans purchased weapons from all across the world and signed agreements banning their resale, but they discovered that European countries eventually transferred those weapons to Ukraine. He said they needed assurance that such “violations” would not happen after the transfer of the S-400 systems.
Azerbaijan’s leader laid flowers at a monument in Baku, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a message on Sunday to mark the sixth anniversary of the Second Karabakh War.
Azerbaijan’s victory in the war ended 30 years of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory and paved the way for the normalization of ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The 44-day war, which began on Sept. 27, 2020, was a sign of Azerbaijan’s resolve to maintain its sovereignty over occupied lands. Azerbaijan and Armenia had a cease-fire in place for years, but attacks by the Armenian Army in 2020 triggered a new conflict. The killing of Azerbaijan’s Maj. Gen. Polad Hashimov in July 2020 during Armenian attacks on Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region prompted mass protests in Azerbaijan, and Baku moved to take decisive action against the Armenian occupation. When Armenian forces launched an all-out attack on the morning of Sept. 27, 2020, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev ordered a counterattack, which eventually escalated into the war.
Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive led to the liberation of hundreds of settlements and villages from the occupation of Armenian separatists. About two months later, the two countries signed an agreement to end the fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
Azerbaijan’s casualties, which amounted to 2,908 people, led to the declaration of Sept. 27 as Remembrance Day to honor the fallen soldiers of the Patriotic War, as the Second Karabakh War came to be known in the country.
Azerbaijan offered Armenia a lasting peace deal following its victory. Significant progress was made in talks between the foreign ministries of the two countries, and the sides reached an agreement on the text of a peace treaty. The text of the agreement was initialed at a trilateral summit hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug. 8, 2025.
On Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a close friend of Aliyev, commemorated veterans and others who fought to liberate Karabakh from occupation and restore its freedom on the occasion. Azerbaijan and Türkiye enjoy close ties, symbolized by the motto “one nation, two states.”
In a post on his social media account, Erdoğan said: “On the occasion of the Remembrance Day of friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan, I commemorate with mercy our heroic martyrs who fought to liberate Karabakh from occupation and restore its freedom, and pay tribute to our veterans with respect.”
In his post, President Erdoğan used the Azerbaijani spelling of Karabakh, saying: “Qarabağ is Azerbaijani territory and will remain so forever.”
Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva also stressed in a message that harm inflicted on civilians’ lives and health during the war, as well as the destruction of residential areas and civilian infrastructure, had serious humanitarian consequences.
Aliyeva listed restoring human rights violated by wars and conflicts, determining the fate of missing persons, clearing areas contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance, and ensuring the safe and dignified return of people forced to leave their homes among the main humanitarian priorities of the postwar period.
The ombudsman said progress on the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia and developments toward finalizing a peace agreement were important for the future of the region. She added that securing lasting peace was the responsibility of all relevant parties, including the international community.
Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office announced on Sunday that an investigation had been launched into alleged wrongdoing by Mustafa Erdem, a lawmaker for the main opposition New Party (YP).
Erdem’s name came up in digital correspondence involving a suspect captured during a counternarcotics operation in the capital earlier this week.
Authorities said Erdem would be investigated for bribery. The correspondence, allegedly between the drug operation suspect and Erdem, indicates that the lawmaker had a $5 million (TL 244.71 million) deal with the man, reportedly over a forensic report intended to help arrested Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek. Erdem left the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), of which Böcek is also a member, after the YP was founded in July by the CHP’s former chair, Özgür Özel. Erdem’s constituency is based in Antalya, where Böcek was arrested last year on charges of widespread corruption. Earlier, Böcek had admitted to secretly sending a substantial amount of cash to CHP headquarters and Özel as a bribe to secure his candidacy in the previous municipal elections.
The correspondence, purportedly between Erdem and A.B., who had links to organized crime, according to Turkish media, shows A.B. swearing at the lawmaker and claiming that Erdem had “defrauded” him by failing to pay a “promised” bribe. In a statement Saturday, Erdem acknowledged that he had corresponded with A.B. as well as M.E., another suspect in the case, but said he had only sought legal counsel to see whether Böcek’s imprisonment could be converted to house arrest due to the mayor’s health problems. He denied offering money to either man and claimed he was threatened by people he did not know after his contact with M.E.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday, his second visit to the country since March. Turkish diplomatic sources said his talks would focus on several issues and Ankara would “confirm its full solidarity with the UAE, one of the countries most affected by the war in the Gulf.” Fidan and Emirati officials will also review preparations for the second upcoming meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council.
Sources said Fidan would emphasize how outside intervention has worsened conflicts in the region and underline the need to strengthen “regional ownership” in his talks in the UAE. “Regional ownership” often comes up in Fidan’s talks regarding the region, which has been fragmented and driven into conflicts for decades due to the intervention of what Türkiye calls “imperialist powers,” namely European countries.
Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for regional and global stability, and to stress that a united Yemen that has achieved peace and stability is also critical to security in the Middle East.
Sources said Fidan was also expected to say that the second phase of the Peace Plan for Gaza should begin without delay, humanitarian conditions should be improved, and reconstruction efforts should be launched. In this context, he is anticipated to hold consultations on the work of the Board of Peace, of which both countries are founding members.
Separately, the minister will emphasize the importance of the international community taking a determined and united stance to preserve and make permanent the ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon in the face of attacks by “occupier Israel,” sources said.
Türkiye and the UAE have maintained a strategic partnership since 2023. The first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council, established between the two countries in 2023, was held at the leaders’ level in Ankara on July 16, 2025. The UAE is the Gulf country with the largest investments in Türkiye and Türkiye’s largest trading partner in the Gulf. Trade volume between the two countries stood at $19.346 billion in 2025.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz offered condolences Friday for soldiers who lost their lives during a military exercise in the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan.
In a message posted on social media, Yılmaz said he shared the grief over the deaths of the soldiers during the exercise in “friendly and brotherly Kazakhstan.”
“I extend God’s mercy to the soldiers who lost their lives and offer my condolences and patience to their families, loved ones and the people of brotherly Kazakhstan,” he said.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also expressed condolences to Kazakhstan over the deaths of 12 soldiers in the accident during the military exercise.
“I was deeply saddened by the loss of soldiers in the tragic accident that occurred during a military exercise in the Caspian Sea in brotherly Kazakhstan,” Duran said in a social media post.
“I ask God to have mercy on the fallen soldiers and extend my condolences and patience to their grieving families and the people of brotherly Kazakhstan. On this painful day, we stand with our friend and brother Kazakhstan. May they rest in peace,” he added.
Ömer Çelik, deputy chairman and spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), also issued a condolence message for the soldiers who died during Thursday’s exercise in the Caspian Sea.
Çelik said they had learned with deep sorrow of the accident during the military exercise.
“We extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of the soldiers who lost their lives, as well as to the people of our friend and brother Kazakhstan,” Çelik said.
He added that he shared Kazakhstan’s grief on its day of national mourning and expressed hope for positive news from the search and rescue efforts.
The death toll rose to 14 after soldiers were swept into the sea during a military exercise in Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea.
The accident occurred Thursday off the coast of Aktau during a training exercise involving naval units.
Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry said rescue teams recovered the bodies of Sgt. Mansur Gumarov and private Miras Turdibekuly during search and rescue operations, bringing the number of fatalities to 14.
The ministry said the search and rescue operation had been concluded.
Authorities had initially reported that 19 soldiers were swept into the sea during the exercise on Sept. 24 after weather conditions suddenly deteriorated and winds intensified. Three soldiers were initially reported to have been rescued, while the Defense Ministry later revised the number of soldiers swept into the sea to 17.
Türkiye’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu met his Pakistani and Saudi counterparts in Riyadh as the three countries moved forward with cooperation under the recently signed Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
Bayraktaroğlu attended the meeting in the Saudi capital alongside Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Saudi Chief of General Staff Gen. Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, the Defense Ministry said.
The talks were held within the framework of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The meeting brought together the three countries’ senior military commanders as Ankara, Islamabad and Riyadh continue efforts to deepen defense coordination under the agreement.
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