Politics
Türkiye’s military leads world in drone technology, top commander says
Türkiye’s military is the global leader in the use, management, and development of both armed and unarmed drone systems, the country’s chief of General Staff said Friday.
“The Turkish Armed Forces are truly number one in the world in the use, management, and technology of UAV and UCAV systems,” Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu told journalists in Germany, at the Distinguished Observer Day of NATO’s largest and most comprehensive live exercise of the year, Steadfast Dart 2026.
He said the Turkish Armed Forces took part in the exercise particularly in the amphibious and land operations, as well as in air command and control components.
“As one of the countries with the highest level of participation, we carried out this exercise successfully,” said Bayraktaroğlu, who attended along with Gen. Metin Tokel, the Turkish Land Forces commander.
Bayraktaroğlu said the Turkish Naval Forces Command successfully carried out its amphibious operations during the exercise, adding: “In addition, a mechanized task force from the Land Forces Command successfully conducted the land operations component of the exercise. We also managed the air system successfully.”
He said all the personnel taking part in the exercise fulfilled their duties successfully and stressed that all weapons, equipment, and systems used by Turkish personnel were entirely domestically produced.
He added that the Turkish task group took part in highly successful air and amphibious operations in the Baltic Sea. He said that the UCAV Bayraktar TB3, after taking off from the ship TCG Anadolu, successfully hit its target with full accuracy and completed its mission.
Bayraktaroğlu said this also got NATO’s appreciation, noting that Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe (SACEUR), visited him and declared that Bayraktaroğlu had come with one of NATO’s largest armed forces.
He added that all NATO member countries and the commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum, Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, commended the Turkish Armed Forces units participating in the exercise.
“Our units carried out their duties extremely successfully. All the weapon systems they used are domestic and national. We are proud of this. I congratulate all elements of our armed forces who participated here in both amphibious and land operations, and I wish them continued success,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday reaffirmed Türkiye’s support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying Ankara is prepared to take part in any international initiative aimed at supporting security and safeguarding the country’s sovereignty following the completion of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) current mandate.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Erdoğan said extending UNIFIL’s mission would mark an important development, adding that Türkiye wants to contribute to efforts to maintain stability in southern Lebanon after the international force eventually withdraws.
He also said Türkiye would continue supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces in the field of security.
Describing Lebanon as one of the countries that has suffered the most after becoming an arena for regional rivalries over many years, Erdoğan said the country stands to benefit greatly from the peace, stability and cooperation Türkiye seeks to promote across the Middle East.
He noted that Israel is committing crimes against humanity in Lebanon as it has killed over 4,300 Lebanese people in the country.
Erdoğan said he has been closely following Lebanese President Aoun’s initiatives and that the two leaders discussed ways Türkiye could further contribute to Lebanon’s recovery. He added that Ankara would continue supporting the country’s institutional capacity as well as providing humanitarian and technical assistance.
Erdoğan also welcomed the ongoing dialogue between Lebanon and Syria, saying continued engagement between the two neighbors would be beneficial.
For his part, Aoun said Ankara and Beirut share deep-rooted ties, adding that there is a strong will to cooperate in ways that serve the interests of both nations.
Legal proceedings involving municipalities run by Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) continue to expand, with new allegations and developments emerging in separate investigations centered on the western province of Uşak and Istanbul’s Üsküdar district.
One of the most prominent cases involves Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, a leading CHP figure, who was referred to court along with five other suspects following their detention as part of a corruption investigation.
The suspects are accused of irregularities in the issuance of construction and occupancy permits, including alleged bribery and misconduct in public office.
After completing procedures at the Financial Crimes Division of the Istanbul Police Department, the suspects were transferred to the Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse following medical examinations.
The Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the investigation after receiving complaints, statements from alleged victims and testimony from some suspects regarding alleged irregularities in the municipality’s permitting process.
The investigation targets Dedetaş on allegations of bribery, misconduct in public office and establishing and leading a criminal organization.
Prosecutors also named Deputy Mayor F.D., mayoral adviser U.M., private secretary A.K., Kent AŞ General Manager N.A., as well as several department heads and municipal employees as part of the investigation.
According to investigators, employees of the municipally owned company Kent AŞ, despite having no legal authority over the permitting process, allegedly coordinated the issuance of construction permits by directing municipal personnel through an encrypted internal email network and color-coded Excel spreadsheets organized by land parcel.
Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) findings allegedly showed that Kent AŞ signed numerous sham “consultancy service” agreements with contractors worth a combined TL 1.08 million ($37,800). Prosecutors allege the contracts were used to conceal the collection of approximately TL 361.4 million from developers seeking construction permits as part of the activities of a criminal organization operating within the municipality and its subsidiary.
Investigators also allege that in larger construction projects, bribes in U.S. dollars were collected in cash from contractors under the coordination of adviser U.M. and Kent AŞ General Manager N.A. In exchange, occupancy permits were allegedly issued despite failing to meet legal requirements. Prosecutors said phone records, cell tower data and suspect statements indicate that the cash was delivered in installments to the mayor’s adviser inside the Üsküdar municipal building.
Following the investigation, police carried out simultaneous raids at 11 locations on July 29, detaining six suspects.
Separate probe in Uşak
In a separate investigation, authorities referred 15 suspects to court after they were detained in connection with businesses allegedly owned by former Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım.
The Uşak Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the investigation after determining that several individuals were formally registered as employees of municipal companies but allegedly worked instead at a restaurant, entertainment venue and hotel linked to Yalım.
Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 22 suspects. During simultaneous operations conducted by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command on July 29, 15 suspects were detained. The number later rose to 16 after another suspect was taken into custody.
Fifteen suspects were transferred to the courthouse after completing their procedures with the gendarmerie, while one suspect, identified by the initials F.A., was released after giving a statement.
Authorities continue efforts to locate Yalım, who is subject to a detention warrant, as well as A.A., who is alleged to have had a personal relationship with Yalım and is reported to have worked for both the Uşak and Bornova municipalities for a period.
The investigations in both cases remain ongoing, and the allegations have not yet been adjudicated in court.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Ünal Üstel in Ankara on Friday, the Foreign Ministry said, as the two sides held talks in the Turkish capital.
No further information on the meeting was immediately provided.
On Thursday, the TRNC said the EU’s appointment of a “representative” for Cyprus, at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration, carried no legitimacy.
The Foreign Ministry said the EU lost its impartiality on the Cyprus issue when it admitted the Greek Cypriot Administration as a member in 2004 while disregarding the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Last week, Üstel welcomed Fidan’s stance during his meeting with the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy on Cyprus, saying it reflected the shared position of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people on the island’s future.
Üstel said Fidan’s remarks that “no approach that does not recognize the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status, will serve a solution” were important, adding that this approach reflected not only Türkiye’s unwavering position but also the unchanging will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Recalling that the Turkish Cypriot people were equal founding partners of the 1960 Republic, Üstel stressed that no approach aimed at reducing Turkish Cypriots to minority status by ignoring this historical and legal reality would be accepted.
Erdal Beşikçioğlu, the mayor of Ankara’s Etimesgut district, was among 52 people detained on Thursday as part of an investigation into alleged corruption at the municipality. Three other suspects remain at large.
Other suspects include municipal staff as well as the owners and employees of several companies. They face charges of running a criminal network, bribery, embezzlement, rigging public tenders and abuse of public office.
Prosecutors opened an embezzlement investigation into the municipality in March after irregularities were found in its accounts, broadcaster NTV said.
Beşikçioğlu, 56, a veteran actor perhaps best known for his role as a police officer fighting corruption within law enforcement in a long-running TV series, was nominated by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the 2024 municipal elections. He won a landslide victory in the district, which had long been a stronghold of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
CHP mayors have been the subject of corruption investigations in recent years. Investigations have alleged that mayors and other municipal officials accepted bribes from companies seeking to do business with municipalities or from contractors requesting building permits that would otherwise have been illegal. On Wednesday, Sinem Dedetaş, the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district, was detained on similar charges along with a number of municipal staff.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a presidential welcome in Ankara on Thursday after arriving on a short-notice visit. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was scheduled to hold talks with Aoun and a joint news conference was scheduled following their meeting.
One day before his arrival, Aoun told Anadolu Agency (AA) that his country was counting on Türkiye for economic recovery and support for the framework agreement with Israel mediated by the U.S.
Türkiye and Lebanon maintain good relations, and Ankara has thrown its support behind Lebanon as Israel stepped up its attacks on the country.
This is Aoun’s first official visit to Türkiye since taking office in January 2025. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited the country earlier in July and met with Erdoğan.
Aoun told AA that Lebanese-Turkish relations have “the potential to move to advanced levels of cooperation.”
“Türkiye has a central position in the current regional scene, and coordination with it is a strategic necessity, not a temporary option,” he said.
Lebanon and Israel signed the U.S.-sponsored framework agreement on June 26. The deal provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory in return for the deployment of the Lebanese army there, along with the disarmament of armed groups, including Hezbollah.
“Türkiye’s NATO membership and broad regional ties qualify it to play a supportive role in the international promotion of the framework formula and to encourage relevant parties to fully comply with its terms,” Aoun said.
“Türkiye can contribute to the success of this track, especially since the framework that emerged from negotiation rounds in Washington and Rome requires broad regional and international follow-up to ensure its implementation on the ground,” he added.
The Lebanese president stressed that Beirut is committed to implementing the framework agreement.
“But the success of this agreement depends on clear guarantees, foremost among them a full Israeli withdrawal that is simultaneous with the deployment of the Lebanese army, a permanent halt to violations and attacks in the south, and an effective international mechanism to verify both sides’ compliance, so that Lebanese commitments do not become a unilateral step in the absence of a corresponding Israeli move,” Aoun said.
“We call on Türkiye, given its regional weight and extensive relationships, to support this track politically and diplomatically in a way that strengthens its chances of success, prevents it from becoming an agreement with incomplete implementation, and contributes to Lebanon’s efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal and reinforce international efforts aimed at preventing any security vacuum in the south, in line with our commitment to preserving stability in this sensitive area,” the president said.
Asked about Türkiye’s possible role in supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability, Aoun said: “Ankara, as an active regional power, has real tools of influence and can contribute to supporting the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, foremost among them the army, in a way that strengthens the extension of state authority across all Lebanese territory.”
“Türkiye can also use its relations to help secure the eastern and northern borders and prevent arms smuggling or infiltration that threatens Lebanon’s security,” he said.
“We are not asking Türkiye for a role that replaces the Lebanese state, but for a supportive and complementary role that aligns with our efforts to place arms solely in the hands of legitimate state authorities and stabilize the country after years of war,” he added.
Aoun said Lebanon looks forward to strengthening cooperation with Türkiye in supporting state institutions, especially the army, while opening new avenues for cooperation on border security and combating the trafficking of illegal weapons.
On the economic front, Aoun said Lebanon is counting on Türkiye to contribute to the country’s economic recovery through investment, trade and reconstruction.
“This could be done by encouraging Turkish companies to make direct investments in Lebanon’s productive sectors, activating existing trade agreements, removing logistical obstacles to the exchange of goods in a way that eases the burden on Lebanon’s struggling economy, and benefiting from Türkiye’s extensive experience in reconstruction,” he said.
Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that expanding defense and security cooperation with Iraq has become a key pillar of regional stability, highlighting recent bilateral agreements as Ankara continues to deepen coordination with Baghdad.
The remarks came during the Turkish Defense Ministry’s weekly press briefing, where ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk outlined recent military developments and addressed regional security issues, including cooperation with Iraq, border security, counterterrorism operations and the conflicts in the Middle East.
During the briefing, the ministry said Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s recent visit to Türkiye and the agreements signed following talks hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan marked another step toward strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
“The agreements are important for regional stability and security,” it noted, adding that cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq in recent years has become one of the key factors contributing to gains in the fight against terrorism.
The ministry said existing bilateral mechanisms continue to function effectively, with coordination on border security, counterterrorism and defense industry cooperation remaining a priority. It added that previous meetings between the two countries had resulted in agreements to expand cooperation in those areas.
While recent diplomatic contacts have increasingly focused on economic and energy cooperation, Aktürk said the security mechanisms established between Ankara and Baghdad continue to operate without interruption.
The ministry also pointed out that closer cooperation with Iraq is important not only for regional stability but also for the security and well-being of Iraq’s Turkmen population.
Israeli violence in region
Addressing developments in the Middle East, the ministry criticized Israel’s violation of the cease-fire agreements through military operations in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
The spokesperson said the humanitarian situation facing Palestinians had further deteriorated and called on Israeli officials to refrain from provocative statements and actions.
Israel’s activities involving holy sites in Jerusalem were also criticized, stressing their historical and legal status must be respected.
“The provocative initiatives targeting the holy sites in Jerusalem are unacceptable,” he said, urging Israel to comply with international law and cease-fire obligations and to abandon policies that undermine regional peace and stability.
Fight against terrorism
On counterterrorism operations, Aktürk said four members of the PKK terrorist group surrendered to Turkish security forces during the past week. Turkish forces also continued operations to detect and destroy mines, improvised explosive devices, caves and shelters used by terrorists in operational areas, he said.
Providing an update on border security, Aktürk also noted Turkish authorities detained 468 people attempting to cross the country’s borders illegally over the past week, including four individuals identified as members of terrorist groups. Another 1,102 people were prevented from crossing before reaching the border, he added.
Since the beginning of the year, authorities have detained 6,953 people attempting illegal border crossings and prevented 43,878 others from crossing, according to ministry figures.
Aktürk also outlined Defense Minister Yaşar Güler’s recent diplomatic engagements, including telephone calls with the defense ministers of Saudi Arabia and Niger, a meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, talks with the British ambassador to Ankara, and scheduled meetings with Moldova’s deputy prime minister and defense minister.
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