Politics
Turkish VP, Canadian FM discuss ties, regional tensions in Ankara
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Ankara on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties and regional developments.
The meeting took place at the Presidential Complex and was also attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Levent Gümrükçü, according to Turkish officials.
In a statement shared on social media, Yılmaz said the talks focused on enhancing cooperation in key areas such as energy, trade and defense, while also addressing broader regional and global issues.
He warned that a prolonged conflict risks deepening instability. “The continuation of war increases destruction and carries the risk of deepening hostilities, in addition to its economic and social impacts,” Yılmaz said.
He added that Türkiye is working to prevent further escalation in the region and to promote diplomatic solutions. “As Türkiye, we are mobilizing all our means to prevent rising tensions in our region, strengthen channels of diplomacy and dialogue, and open pathways to peace,” he said.
Yılmaz also thanked Anand for what he described as her constructive contributions during the visit.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler met with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in Rome on an official visit on Monday, as the two NATO allies discussed the regional and global developments.
According to a statement from Türkiye’s Defense Ministry, Güler traveled to Italy at Crosetto’s invitation, accompanied by Chief of the General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu.
He was welcomed with a military ceremony upon arrival in Rome, where Italian military officials and Turkish diplomatic representatives, including Ambassador to Rome Elif Çomoğlu Ülgen, were present.
Following the ceremony, Güler and Crosetto held a one-on-one meeting before leading broader talks between their delegations. Bayraktaroğlu also attended the expanded discussions.
The meetings come as Türkiye and Italy continue to strengthen defense ties within NATO, amid ongoing regional and global security challenges.
No further details were immediately provided regarding the outcomes of the talks.
Türkiye and Italy have maintained close cooperation in defense and security, including joint efforts within NATO missions and collaboration in the defense industry.
The visit underscores ongoing high-level contacts between the two countries aimed at enhancing military coordination and strategic partnership.
Recently, earlier this month, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conveyed Italy’s support for Türkiye after Turkish authorities announced that a ballistic missile launched from Iran was intercepted.
Meloni expressed solidarity with Türkiye during a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the two leaders discussed escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Italian prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Preparations for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in Syria’s eastern city of Raqqa are unfolding in an atmosphere of relative peace and security for the first time in years, a stark contrast to past celebrations overshadowed by terrorist control and violence.
Long a battleground among competing armed groups, the city’s markets are now filled with families buying new clothes, sweets and cookies, children play in the streets, and cafes echo with laughter, scenes once rare in a land worn by conflict.
Residents say they are enjoying a sense of safety that has eluded them through years of terror group presence and instability.
For more than a decade, Raqqa was caught in the crosshairs of the Daesh and PKK/YPG terrorist groups, which imposed strict controls that kept people away from public life and celebration. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, which has waged a decadeslong campaign that killed over 40,000 people in Türkiye, Syria and Iraq. The YPG is allied with the U.S. under the pretext of fighting Daesh remnants in the region and controls oil-rich cities in the northeast.
Locals such as Mudahiye Canım say this year’s festive atmosphere feels unprecedented.
“In previous years, young people feared being detained or harassed in crowds. Now markets are full,” she said, adding that visible security forces have helped restore public confidence.
Another resident noted this was the first holiday preparation without a PKK/YPG presence in the city, with people now free to take photos and move about without apprehension. Families who once avoided crowds are now out in force, a sign of restored daily life.
Raqqa’s economic pulse appears to be reviving too: shopkeepers report brisk business as demand for holiday goods fuels activity in previously quiet squares and streets. Many note that despite some price increases, customers are undeterred, and social gatherings have taken on new vibrancy.
The shift comes amid broader regional developments aimed at curbing terrorist influence and fostering stability.
In January, the Syrian government reasserted control over areas previously held by the YPG, launching operations west of the Euphrates on Jan. 16 and later moving east with support from local tribal forces.
A cease-fire and integration deal reached on Jan. 18 called for the YPG to withdraw from Raqqa and Deir el-Zour, return public institutions in Hassakeh to state authority, and integrate YPG fighters into government security forces.
After brief clashes, a Jan. 30 agreement stabilized the truce, outlined steps to merge the YPG with Syrian state institutions, and addressed Kurdish civil rights and the return of displaced residents.
Türkiye, which has carried out cross-border operations into northern Syria against PKK/YPG terrorists from 2016 to 2019, has welcomed the agreement as a step toward Syria’s territorial unity but has expressed continued concern that terrorist networks may try to exploit the transition. Ankara stresses that the YPG must be fully disarmed and held accountable to prevent any re-emergence of threats.
Türkiye continues to maintain that the removal of PKK/YPG terrorists is essential not only for Syria’s stability but also for regional security. Officials have emphasized that areas cleared of terrorist groups in northern Syria now allow residents to live freely, move safely, and rebuild normal daily life, an experience mirrored in Raqqa for the first time in years.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues unabated, with civilians facing ongoing violence, displacement and deepening shortages of basic necessities due to Israel’s cease-fire violations.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Fidan said the conflict is spreading beyond Iran, warning that it has begun to expand into Lebanon and is becoming increasingly complex in Iraq. He stressed that Türkiye is intensifying efforts to help lift the “calamity” affecting the Islamic world.
Fidan also criticized Israel’s assassinations of Iranian officials, calling them illegal acts that violate international law and must come to an end.
He warned that if the Middle East war spreads, it could create a “permanent” refugee crisis, as Israel’s bombardment in Lebanon alone had displaced over a million people.
“If the war… spreads, there is a possibility this will turn into a permanent refugee crisis with refugees seeking shelter outside the borders of their countries,” Fidan said and added:
“This needs to stop as soon as possible.”
He announced that he will begin regional visits starting Wednesday to discuss steps to halt the war, share President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s messages and present Türkiye’s proposals for achieving lasting peace in the region.
Fidan added that he has been in contact with numerous Western and Eastern counterparts to exchange views and assess the situation, emphasizing that the shared goal is a region where all countries live in security and sovereignty, including the establishment of a Palestinian state. He said Türkiye remains committed to working with determination toward a vision of lasting peace, stability and coexistence in the region.
The trial of 41 defendants, including suspended Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek, began Monday in southern Türkiye in a wide-ranging corruption and bribery case tied to alleged irregularities within the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.
The first hearing was held at the Antalya 6th High Criminal Court, where Böcek appeared alongside several co-defendants, including his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek and Ilker Arslan, a former senior official in the Antalya Police Department who had been suspended from duty.
Five of the defendants are currently in custody. The hearing began with the verification of identities and the reading of a summary of the indictment.
Several members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), including Deputy Chair Gökan Zeybek and a number of lawmakers, attended the hearing along with Antalya Deputy Mayor Büşra Özdemir, the defendants’ relatives and numerous observers.
The case stems from a corruption investigation coordinated by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities launched the probe in 2025 into allegations of bribery, abuse of influence and financial misconduct involving municipal officials and business figures.
Böcek and his former daughter-in-law, identified by the initials Z.K., were detained on July 5, 2025. Böcek was later arrested and removed from his position as mayor by the Interior Ministry. Z.K. was released under judicial supervision with a travel ban.
Investigators determined that Böcek’s son, Mustafa Gökhan Böcek, had been abroad at the time of the initial detentions. He was taken into custody and arrested on Aug. 19, 2025, after returning to Antalya from Vienna.
The investigation expanded over the following months through a series of coordinated police operations targeting suspects connected to the municipality, including businesspeople and municipal officials.
Authorities allege that irregular financial transactions carried out through a municipal company caused approximately 399.5 million Turkish liras (nearly $10 million) in public losses.
Several suspects were detained and later arrested in multiple waves of operations between August 2025 and January 2026. Some individuals were subsequently released after cooperating with investigators under provisions related to effective remorse in Turkish law.
The indictment accepted by the Antalya 6th High Criminal Court accuses the defendants of a range of offenses, including bribery through coercion, illicit enrichment, influence peddling, money laundering, aggravated fraud and defamation.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of between 15 years and six months to 44 years for Böcek on charges including coercive bribery, unjust enrichment and laundering of assets derived from criminal activity.
The indictment also calls for increased penalties under provisions related to repeated or organized offenses.
Court proceedings are expected to continue in the coming months as judges hear testimony from defendants, witnesses and legal representatives.
The operation was launched following claims that unlawful expenditures were carried out through the Infrastructure Management and Consultancy Trade Inc. (ALDAŞ), a municipally owned infrastructure management and consultancy subsidiary and Antalya Water and Wastewater Administration (ASAT).
According to the investigation file, reports prepared by a chief civil inspector appointed by the Interior Ministry and expert assessments commissioned by prosecutors concluded that irregular transactions carried out through ALDAŞ resulted in public losses totaling millions of Turkish liras.
The majority of domestic and international travel expenses incurred by officials from ASAT and the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality were paid by ALDAŞ, even though many of the trips lacked official assignment records. Prosecutors said some individuals whose flights were paid for had no professional connection to either ALDAŞ or ASAT, amounting to what investigators described as indirect embezzlement of public funds.
Iran has denied launching missiles toward Türkiye after three ballistic missiles fired from Iranian territory were intercepted by NATO air defenses this month, as Ankara seeks clarification over the incidents that rattled southern Türkiye.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had “no intention” of attacking Türkiye and rejected claims that Iranian missiles were directed at the country.
“Iran has no intention of attacking Türkiye,” Baghaei told Ihlas news agency on Monday. “We do not attack any neighboring country. Our defensive actions focus only on the sources of military attacks against Iran.”
NATO air defenses in the eastern Mediterranean intercepted a third ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Türkiye, the Defense Ministry said Friday, adding that it was asking Tehran for clarification.
The alliance had already shot down two other missiles on March 4 and March 9. Turkish officials said the first was intercepted before entering Turkish airspace, while the second had already crossed into it.
Authorities have not disclosed the intended target of the third missile, but an explosion was heard overnight near the Incirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana, according to witnesses and verified social media footage.
The base hosts U.S. forces along with Turkish and allied personnel. Ankara has said Washington has not used Incirlik in its air operations against Iran alongside Israel.
Baghaei rejected claims that missiles had been launched toward Türkiye or Azerbaijan, who reported four injured in its Nakhchivan exclave after four Iranian drones crossed its border on March 9.
“Allegations that missiles were fired from Iran toward Türkiye or Azerbaijan are false,” Baghaei insisted. “Iran’s armed forces are extremely careful in selecting targets. We target U.S. military bases and assets used to attack Iran.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that Ankara was discussing discrepancies between Tehran’s statements and technical evidence gathered from the launches.
Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Fidan said Turkish authorities possessed technical data regarding the missiles and were raising inconsistencies with Iranian officials.
Baghaei also suggested that “false flag” operations could be possible.
“Some malicious actors may attempt false flag operations to create disputes between Iran and neighboring countries,” he said.
Türkiye, which shares a border with Iran and fields NATO’s second-largest army, has stressed that it does not want to be drawn into the war between Iran, Israel and the United States.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Ankara was taking preventative measures to protect its airspace.
“Our main priority is to keep our country away from this pit of fire,” Erdoğan said.
Turkish authorities have lodged diplomatic protests with Tehran after each missile incident while maintaining contact to clarify what happened.
Following the second missile incident, the Iranian Embassy in Ankara reiterated that Iran had not targeted Türkiye and said Tehran respected Türkiye’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“It is emphasized that no projectiles have been launched from Iran toward Türkiye,” the embassy said in a statement posted on social media, adding that Tehran had proposed forming a joint investigative team following a call between the two countries’ presidents.
Turkish security sources said Ankara was acting cautiously to avoid escalating tensions but had delivered a clear message to Tehran to identify those responsible and prevent further incidents.
The Kürecik NATO radar base in southeastern Malatya province plays a key role in detecting missile threats in the region. NATO has reinforced ballistic missile defenses following the incidents and deployed a U.S. Patriot air defense system to strengthen protection around the facility.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand plans to visit Türkiye on Tuesday and is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, as Turkish Foreign Ministry sources announced on Monday.
During the meeting, Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance attached to deepening bilateral relations between Türkiye and Canada as NATO allies, and underline that increasing mutual high-level contacts and visits would be beneficial in this regard.
He is also expected to stress that the current $2.7 billion bilateral trade volume does not reflect the real potential of commercial cooperation between the two countries, while expanding partnerships in the defense industry, as with the HURKUS aircraft, would contribute to strengthening both military and commercial ties.
Cooperation in renewable energy, including nuclear energy, which is likely to add a new long-term dimension to Türkiye-Canada relations, as well as joint efforts in the fields of security and counterterrorism, are expected to be noted by the Turkish foreign minister.
The recent developments in the Middle East and the global repercussions of the Iran war, particularly the required joint action of the international community to stop the conflicts as soon as possible and urge a return to the negotiating table, are among the issues that Fidan is expected to address.
Also, Fidan and Anand are expected to exchange views on regional and global issues, particularly the situation in Gaza, the Palestinian issue, the Russia-Ukraine war, and developments in Syria.
Fidan and Anand last met on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting on Dec. 3, 2025, and also held a phone call on March 4.
Bilateral relations
Relations between Türkiye and Canada have gained momentum in recent years, with an increasing number of high-level contacts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in New York and Johannesburg in 2025.
Fidan visited Canada on Dec. 9, 2023, under the Gaza Contact Group. Former Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly also paid a visit to Türkiye on May 15-16, 2024, while Türkiye-Canada Counterterrorism Consultations were held in Ankara on Nov. 26, 2025.
The second meeting of the Türkiye-Canada Joint Economic and Trade Committee was held in Ottawa on Jan. 20 this year.
Canada-based AtkinsRealis and Türkiye Nuclear Energy Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding on March 3 to deepen the cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
In 2025, the total bilateral trade volume reached approximately $2.7 billion, with Türkiye’s exports at $1.57 billion and imports at $1.16 billion.
Canadian investments in Türkiye amount to $608 million, while Turkish investments in Canada stand at $253 million.
The number of registered Turkish citizens living in Canada is around 65,000.
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