Politics
Czech consul general highlights shared values, growing connections
While giving a tour of the terrace garden she maintains at the Czech Consulate, Olga Hajflerova, paused to admire the Istanbul skyline.
“It’s a privilege to be in this part of the city,” the consul general remarked.
Hajflerova, who recalled her two and a half years of experience in Türkiye with great admiration, said that she appreciates the strengthening ties between the two countries.
She noted that many Czech citizens once viewed Türkiye as a distant holiday destination with a different culture and that Europe and Türkiye have not always been certain how they perceive one another.
However, defining her mission as helping Czechs and Europeans understand that Türkiye and they have much in common, she said, “We are based on the same values, not just interest or needs. We are one people.”
“Our societies may function slightly differently in detail, but fundamentally we are the same,” Hajflerova added, reminding that she gave the same message a year ago in the opinion article she wrote for Daily Sabah.
To promote mutual understanding, Consul General Hajflerova and her team have been actively working in Istanbul.
“If I had a team 10 times bigger here, I would still be very busy because the potential is enormous,” she explained.
Expanding cultural, educational ties
One of Hajflerova’s personal interests is education, as she described the Czech Consulate General as one of Istanbul’s most dynamic in this field, supporting more than 20 student clubs.
She shared her love of meeting with Turkish university students and discussing international affairs, political developments, and diplomatic careers with them.
“In exchange for my experience, I receive their energy and motivation, and I hope it is as meaningful for them as it is for me,” she said.
Apart from the field of education, the Czech Consulate General organizes events to promote cultural exchange.
The next planned event, Hajflerova said, is a photo exhibition by Turkish photographer Izzet Keribar. Opening April 2 at Nişantaşı Işık Gallery, it will showcase Prague and Czechia to Turkish visitors.
Following that, in May, Hajflerova noted the consulate will organize a Czech food festival. As the third edition of the event, the festival will feature special chefs from Czechia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Previously, the consulate hosted several other events, which included an exhibition of Czech crystal artistry at the Basilica Cistern and a photo and documentary exhibition dedicated to the legacy of former Czech President Vaclav Havel.
Hajflerova added that, beyond the success of these events, attracting the Turkish public’s interest in the Czech Republic requires little effort, as Turks are already enthusiastic about the country, especially when it comes to visiting.
Growing co-op across sectors
However, when it comes to visiting the European Union for academic, touristic or business reasons, Turkish citizens have been facing difficulties in obtaining Schengen visas for years.
The EU has argued that the processes managed by accredited visa agencies have been slow due to the high number of applications and that it has been discussing possible solutions with Ankara.
“The general imagination that the EU countries restrict Turkish citizens from coming to Europe is not true,” Hajflerova said, adding that the Czech Consulate has been trying to make the procedure as easy as possible for visitors.
She also emphasized that about 90% of Turkish applicants for Schengen visas to visit Czechia were approved.
According to Türkiye’s Minister of Trade, Ömer Bolat, tourism flows between Türkiye and the Czech Republic are steadily increasing, with approximately 100,000 Turkish citizens traveling to the Czech Republic each year, while the number of Czech visitors to Türkiye has reached about 400,000 annually.
Underlining the significance of connectivity, Hajflerova also highlighted Turkish Airlines and Pegasus having multiple daily direct flights between Türkiye and the Czech Republic.
“I am also very pleased to announce that we are in talks with Pegasus Airlines, and I understand they are eager to expand connections between our countries,” she added.
In December 2025, Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines announced it signed a deal to buy the biggest Czech airline, Smartwings, along with its owner, Czech Airlines (CSA), in a bid to strengthen its presence in Europe and expand globally.
While tourism and civil aviation connectivity are important elements of Türkiye and the Czech Republic’s relations, defense cooperation also has a significant place in the two countries’ bilateral relations.
In February, Türkiye’s defense and electronics giant Aselsan and Czech defense firm Excalibur International, part of the CSG group, signed a strategic cooperation agreement to establish an EU-based joint venture while simultaneously introducing the Korkut air defense system integrated on the Tatra Force 6×6 wheeled platform.
“The partnership aims to expand joint defense capabilities for European and global markets,” stated the Czech firm.
Hajflerova emphasized that, in addition to existing economic, industrial and defense cooperation, many other sectors have potential for growth, including agriculture.
Referring to Czech companies’ participation in Agroexpo International Agriculture and Livestock Exihibition which was organized in İzmir in February, Hajflerova said, “We brought ecological methods of agricultural production to help that production is healthy and sustainable.”
The consul general said that Czech participation in the event drew strong interest not only from Turkish companies but also from firms in the region.
Agroexpo 2026, one of Europe’s four largest agricultural fairs and Türkiye’s largest, hosted 426 participants, 56 of whom were foreign. A total of 110,715 people visited Agroexpo, 12,760 of whom were foreign, from 112 countries.
Syria has integrated about 9,000 former members of the U.S.-backed YPG forces into its national security institutions as part of a broader effort to unify the country’s armed forces, while appointing a former senior YPG official as a deputy defense minister, according to officials familiar with the process.
The integration marks one of the most significant steps in the implementation of an agreement between Damascus and the YPG aimed at dissolving the terrorist group into Syria’s state institutions following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.
Roughly 5,000 former YPG fighters have joined the Syrian Defense Ministry, while another 4,000 have been incorporated into the Interior Ministry, officials said. Non-Syrian foreign fighters previously affiliated with the YPG have been removed from the country as part of the restructuring process.
Syrian authorities describe the process as a gradual, reciprocal approach sometimes referred to as a “zipper model,” under which security, administrative and political measures advance simultaneously to build confidence between the two sides.
The military integration has accelerated in recent months, while negotiations continue over local governance, political representation, constitutional reforms and language rights for Kurdish communities.
On Jan. 16, the Syrian army launched an offensive against YPG-controlled areas in northeastern Syria. After days of the offensive, the YPG consented to sign a new deal with Damascus on integrating both “administrative” and “military” structures of the YPG to post-Assad Syria. The terrorist group agreed that Syrian security forces would be deployed in Hassakeh and Qamishli, two key areas occupied by the YPG.
The agreement, which entered into force on Feb. 2, also includes provisions for transferring control of oil fields and border crossings to the central government. Syrian officials say it guarantees civil and educational rights for Kurdish citizens and supports the return of displaced people to their homes.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the government distinguishes between Syria’s Kurdish population and the YPG as an armed group.
“Kurds and the YPG are two different issues,” al-Sharaa said, adding that citizenship rights previously denied under the former government had been restored, cultural rights had been recognized and Nowruz had been declared an official public holiday.
Al-Sharaa acknowledged that implementation of previous agreements with the terrorist group had faced setbacks but said the latest arrangement rests on a stronger foundation.
“We must avoid every option that could drag Syrians into a new conflict,” he said. “Every solution that prevents confrontation is valuable.”
A source close to the Syrian government told Al-Arabiya that the YPG is expected to formally announce its dissolution, along with the dissolution of the self-administration it established in parts of the country’s north and northeast.
According to the source, officials are expected to make the announcement at a news conference, although a date has not yet been finalized. The conference is expected to take place in early August, pending final logistical arrangements.
The Syrian president also said Damascus is actively working toward a security agreement with Israel with support from several countries, while emphasizing that any future arrangement would not require Syria to relinquish its claim to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Türkiye, on the other hand, is a major supporter of post-Assad Syria and views the YPG as a threat to its own national security.
Ankara has hinted that it may resort to a military option in Syria as it did in the past to thwart the YPG’s ambitions, but repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve the dispute between the YPG and Damascus.
Türkiye’s main opposition-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) came under renewed criticism Tuesday after officials from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said a dive in the Golden Horn revealed severe pollution, accusing the city administration of failing to preserve one of Istanbul’s most iconic waterways.
The event, organized by the AK Party’s Istanbul Environment and Urban Policies Directorate to mark World Nature Conservation Day, aimed to highlight pollution in the historic estuary.
Zakire Nurdoğan Yüzbaşıoğlu, AK Party’s Istanbul deputy provincial chair and head of its environment and urban policies unit, said visibility underwater was limited to about 30 centimeters, making it difficult for divers to navigate.
“I couldn’t even see the other divers,” Yüzbaşıoğlu remarked. “We encountered thick layers of mud on the seabed and had to hold hands for safety. The sludge was extremely dense and dark. It is impossible for marine life to survive under these conditions.”
She underlined that the Golden Horn requires another comprehensive dredging and environmental rehabilitation program to restore its ecosystem, urging authorities to increase water circulation in the inlet and remove accumulated sediment.
Recalling restoration projects carried out during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s tenure as Istanbul mayor in the 1990s, she noted the Golden Horn had once regained a cleaner environment but claimed unpleasant odors had returned, particularly during humid and rainy weather.
Moreover, AK Party Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality council member Özlem Erol also criticized Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s municipal cleaning operations during the event. She said several boats operated by ISTAÇ, the municipality’s waste management company, approached the diving area but did not conduct cleanup work.
Erol alleged the boats remained near the group without carrying out cleaning activities and said the municipality should maintain regular environmental operations in the Golden Horn.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan received U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Representative for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack in Ankara on Monday. Neither side commented on the content of the meeting, but media outlets quoting diplomatic sources said they discussed negotiations between Iran and the United States. Fidan is among the top diplomats working to bring the sides to the table to end their conflict. He held phone calls with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Sunday regarding the same matter.
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides.
“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press briefing.
“Claims that Iran has requested negotiations are fabrications that the other side circulates from time to time,” he added.
Hostilities resumed between Iran and the United States earlier this month after diplomatic efforts collapsed amid an impasse over the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting has nonetheless paused since early Saturday, following 13 days of exchanges of fire between the two sides.
Baqaei criticized the United States, saying its conduct in recent years has “resembled that of a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws.”
“So long as such behavior by the United States continues, we cannot be hopeful about the emergence of a reasonable process,” he added.
Iran insists on retaining control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the collection of service fees, while keeping Oman involved as a coastal state.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have turned back multiple vessels in recent days, including six earlier on Monday, that attempted to transit the strait outside the route designated by Iran.
On Monday, Baqaei reiterated that Washington had nothing to do with recent talks with Oman over the administration of the Strait of Hormuz.
“These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” Baqaei said, adding that the waterway “remains closed.”
A high-profile campaign billboard promoting an Israeli prime ministerial candidate near Larnaca Airport has caused an outcry and political friction within the Greek Cypriot administration, according to local media reports.
The promotional displays for Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israel Defense Forces chief-of-staff and leader of Israel’s Yashar party, have prompted demands for an outright ban on third-country political advertising across the island’s Greek Cypriot-controlled areas.
The advertisements have been put up ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 general election, aimed directly at the soaring numbers of Israeli tourists and expatriates on the island.
One billboard greeting arrivals read, “Israelis, enjoy! You deserve it,” while a second sign placed along the return highway to the airport urges travelers to “Come back and win!”, reported the English-language daily, Cyprus Mail on Monday.
Eisenkot’s campaign headquarters confirmed to the Cyprus Mail that the billboards were an official strategy to mobilize Israeli voters vacationing abroad.
However, the unprecedented sight of foreign political propaganda has exposed growing public unease over the expanding footprint of Israeli capital, real estate buys, and businesses in southern coastal hubs like Larnaca and Limassol, the newspaper reported.
This photo was not taken in Israel, but in my country, Cyprus.
This time is political propaganda, but it is also becoming increasingly common to see billboards advertising real estate in Hebrew across the island.
This is simply not right. We must defend Cyprus’s sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/wGTBjC1Qaw
— Fidias Panayiotou (@Fidias0) July 26, 2026
Independent Member of the European Parliament Fidias Panayiotou spearheaded the political backlash, calling the development “particularly concerning” in a video broadcast on social media.
Panayiotou argued that the campaign demonstrates foreign political strategists now consider the concentration of Israeli nationals in southern Cyprus vast enough to justify overseas campaign spending.
“This is unacceptable,” Panayiotou said, proposing new legislation to ban third-country electioneering within government-controlled areas. He warned that safeguards are urgently needed to ensure foreign influence does not place Cyprus at a future “political or geostrategic disadvantage.”
Despite the political uproar, local authorities in the south admitted to a complete regulatory vacuum regarding foreign political displays.
The Greek Cypriot administration’s Interior Ministry said it has no legal framework under its competence to govern campaign advertisements, referring inquiries to the country’s Advertising Regulation Organisation (Caro).
Caro similarly acknowledged to the local media that commercial billboard content remains entirely at the discretion of private landowners and advertising firms, provided general codes are respected.
Too much water or none, the Turkish capital Ankara is challenged by the liquid that sustains life. All can be blamed on the municipality run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who has been a popular name in the party and splinter New Party (YP) as well.
Despite recent downpours that left streets across the city flooded, the municipality’s water utility Ankara Water and Sewage Administration (ASKI) increased the frequency of water shortages in the city, citing “water pump problems.”
This week, ASKI warned of “unplanned cuts” due to problems with the utility’s facilities in the Altındağ district, but soon the cuts expanded to other districts, from Yenimahalle to Etimesgut and Gölbaşı. The cuts primarily stem from the P10 pumping station of the grid, which also broke down on May 31, at that time due to fluctuations in the electric grid. As a matter of fact, it has been only seven weeks since the said station was renovated.
Locals speaking to the Sabah newspaper say the cuts have been continuing infrequently since winter, and the problems linked to low pressure in water supplies also led their water heaters to malfunction.
The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) was under the spotlight in winter amid frequent water cuts in the districts of Mamak and Çankaya. Back then, the municipality blamed the government for cuts, linking them to the government not supplying water to the capital, while authorities responded that the municipality in fact was responsible for the delivery of water throughout the capital.
New Party Chairperson Özgür Özel acknowledged that they were broke but insisted that they may exceed 40% in any election.
Özel on Monday night gave his first televised interview since he announced the formation of the party last Friday to Halk TV, a network which historically aligned with Republican People’s Party (CHP), before Özel’s predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took over in May.
“We left all the money in butlan,” Özel said, using the Turkish word for “absolute nullification” verdict by a court that paved the way for reinstatement of former CHP chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. “We have logistics needs, we need to pay the party’s staff. But we have no fundraising campaign. I advise all supporters not to fall for any fake campaigns. Follow our official social media accounts only to learn about any campaign,” he said. Devlet Bahçeli, leader of government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has earlier called for a regulation for access for YP to CHP funds provided by the government’s treasury to all political parties, arguing that the party, founded by former CHP lawmakers, was entitled to aid. Özel said they don’t want any cash from CHP but supported any such regulation.
Özel, who carried CHP to a rare victory in the 2024 municipal elections, months after he was elected as its chair, still believes that New Party can go further. “If New Party can explain itself to the public better, if we can meet people’s expectations and if people continue their support, we can exceed 40% of the vote in the next election,” he said, referring to the 2028 general election. Özel claimed they were now in a stronger position than where they had left the CHP.
“The New Party is the first party in Turkish political history to be founded as the main opposition. It is not a splinter party formed by people leaving another party in search of something else. It is actually a party built around an understanding, and around resistance and struggle against the coup that was carried out,” he stated. Özel also claimed that they would grow stronger, adding that more than 200 mayors of the CHP would join them. “Such a wave is coming that we can’t say, ‘Stop.’ There is an unprecedented level of desire and support in political history,” he confidently underlined. It is still unclear whether Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who was once viewed as CHP’s future presidential candidate, would join YP, but Özel said it was “enough for them as long as any mayor does not support butlan.”
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