Politics
Türkiye strives to avoid ‘fire’ as Erdoğan calls for common sense on war
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of Israel over the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, while he reiterated Türkiye’s intention to keep the nation out of the conflict and pursue mediation efforts.
Addressing the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara, Erdoğan said that the war, in its second month, was escalating in terms of threats.
“Our priority is that our country should come out of this stormy period without any incident. We are determined to keep Türkiye out of the fire. We are not falling for the traps of the opposition and manage this process in a cautious, balanced and rational manner,” he said.
The opposition adopted a more hawkish tone in the early days of the war and mostly called for siding with Iran while sending mixed signals about the “regime change” in Iran. The government has avoided a firebrand or one-sided approach so far, despite Türkiye seeing four missiles entering its airspace since the war began on Feb. 28. Ankara has never been harsh in its discourse toward Iran, and the missiles were intercepted by NATO’s defense systems. Instead, Türkiye has been keen on playing the role of mediator as it did in the other conflicts in the region and beyond.
Erdoğan reminded that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan joined a quadrilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan to discuss steps to stop the war. He said Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın were also exerting efforts to that extent.
Stating that Türkiye’s stance is clear and that they consider it their duty to do whatever is necessary without hesitation to ensure peace prevails in the region, Erdoğan said: “If there is even an iota of hope for stopping the bloodshed, ending the tears, silencing the guns and resolving problems through diplomacy, it is our duty of honor to pursue it. Since the beginning of the war, Türkiye’s principled stance, attitude and the messages it has given to the world and the region have been the voice of humanity and conscience.”
He said that they sincerely desire an immediate end to the suffering of brotherly and friendly countries.
“Among the primary dangers awaiting our region is the risk of the war prolonging and turning into a regional civil conflict. Unfortunately, retaliations targeting energy, transportation and civilian infrastructure increase this possibility. The primary party responsible for this unlawful war, which not only turns our region into a place of fire but also places a very heavy economic burden on the shoulders of all humanity, is the Israeli government, which is addicted to conflict, chaos and crisis. Every development that causes the war to continue by opening new fronts will serve Israel’s bloody strategy and cause our region to lose. It must not be forgotten that every drop of blood shed in the war will be the ‘water of life’ that extends Netanyahu’s political lifespan.”
Expressing that a war with Iran clearly does not serve the vision of global peace, but instead sabotages and jeopardizes it, Erdoğan said diplomacy, dialogue and compromise were keys to overcoming it.
“Reason, conscience, international law, justice and equity require this. Our hope is for common sense to prevail, thereby opening the path to peace without further bloodshed,” he stated.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance, values or position of Daily Sabah. The newspaper provides space for diverse perspectives as part of its commitment to open and informed public discussion.
Turkish defense officials and industry executives gathered Wednesday at the 3rd Strategic Partnership Summit hosted by Turkish missile company Roketsan in Ankara.
The officials underlined that strengthening domestic production, supply-chain resilience and space-based capabilities has become increasingly critical to national security, as wars and geopolitical tensions reshape the nature of modern conflict and put new pressure on the global defense industry.
During the event, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), Haluk Görgün, and Roketsan CEO Murat Ikinci remarked that Türkiye’s defense sector must be able to sustain production, adapt quickly to battlefield needs and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
Speaking at the event, Görgün said countries now bring not only their military platforms and munitions to the battlefield, but also their logistics capacity and industrial ecosystems.
“For this reason, the defense industry has become a strategic field of power that directly reflects a nation’s warfighting capacity, resilience and continuity,” Görgün said.
He said recent conflicts have shown that warfare is undergoing a fundamental transformation, with land, air, sea, cyber and space domains increasingly integrated into a single operational environment.
According to Görgün, space-based systems are gaining importance by accelerating decision-making and improving coordination between units through communications, surveillance, positioning and time synchronization capabilities.
Görgün also noted modern conflicts increasingly favor munitions and platforms that can be produced quickly, replaced easily and deployed at lower cost. That, he said, has elevated the importance of serial production, continuity in manufacturing, stock planning, storage infrastructure and logistics architecture.
“Today’s defense industry architecture is shaped by real-time feedback from the field,” he stressed, adding that Türkiye’s gains in the sector stem from the strong link it has built between operational requirements and industrial production.
He described the strengthening of domestic and national capabilities as vital to national security and said Roketsan’s resilience through its supplier ecosystem had become an example for the wider sector.
Ikinci, speaking at the same summit, said Roketsan had reached a domestic sourcing level of 92%, helping insulate the company from global supply-chain shocks that have disrupted defense and civilian industries alike.
“We are affected by disruptions in the global supply chain,” Ikinci said. “But because we operate with a domestic value-added ratio above 90%, we are less affected than some other stakeholders or competitors.”
He said the company was continuing to invest heavily in alternative supply sources and local production to build a fully independent defense industrial base.
“The supply chain has taken a very serious blow right now,” Ikinci said. “There is difficulty across all industries in the world. But even in this environment, our ability to continue production is a major advantage for us.”
He said Türkiye’s broader defense ecosystem now meets much of the country’s military requirements domestically, describing the country as a stabilizing force in a volatile region.
He stated that Turkish authorities had launched a series of initiatives aimed at making companies more visible, effective and sustainable, including measures to increase the role of small and medium-sized enterprises, support financial stability, ease access to funding and assist firms in export agreements and contracts.
Expectations in Turkish defense
Moreover, Ikinci also drew attention to Roketsan reinvesting its revenue into infrastructure and serial production capacity, and he signaled that more announcements on expansion plans would be made public soon.
“Roketsan is investing all the money it earns into its infrastructure to increase serial production capacity,” he said.
He said the capacity increases would be seen across a wide range of missile systems, including the Tayfun ballistic missile, the SOM cruise missile, the Atmaca anti-ship missile, and the Siper and Hisar air defense systems.
Asked about the Siper-2 air defense missile, Ikinci said development work was continuing and that the system was expected to move toward serial production. He stated that Siper-2, designed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye’s defense research arm, TÜBITAK SAGE, would be among the most advanced missiles in the Siper family, with Roketsan expected to take part in production as an industrial partner.
He added that Turkish efforts to strengthen air defense capabilities were not limited to Siper and included all elements of the Steel Dome air defense concept, as well as the Hisar and Sungur families and other next-generation missile programs.
Ikinci said existing systems would continue to gain new sensors and added capabilities, and that new members would join the Siper family in the future.
Alongside Görgün and Ikinci, the event was attended by Roketsan Chairman Faruk Yiğit and a broad group of sector representatives, suppliers and experts.
The event continued with panel discussions featuring Olcay Elmalı Meço, director at Roketsan in charge of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies developments; Irfan Durmuş, director of the Rare Earth Elements Application and Research Center (MUNTEAM); Celal Erbay of the National Intelligence Academy; Saruhan Saklar of Türkiye’s General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration; Murat Eskici, Roketsan’s supply chain director; Aziz Meydan, chairperson of the board of HMS Machining company; Şenay Idil, general manager of Alp Aviation; and Ali Rıza Alptekin, head of the Defense and Aviation Group at Kale Group.
Key NATO ally Türkiye recently acknowledged plans for the establishment of a multinational corps headquarters. Another rumored plan for an additional NATO force for the Black Sea sparked speculation, especially about the status of the Montreaux Convention.
In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said none would affect Türkiye’s stance on the convention, and they acted in accordance with the principle of regional ownership.
The ministry said recent reports regarding two issues stemmed from “mistakes on certain concepts and lack of knowledge.”
Responding to a question by journalists regarding NATO and non-NATO multinational naval headquarters and planned multinational corps headquarters in the southern city of Adana, the ministry said the naval headquarters was part of Türkiye’s basic strategy for the Black Sea.
“It is out of question to make concessions on the principle of regional ownership and the Montreaux Convention. Türkiye’s security approach on the Black Sea is based on the preservation of balance and stability provided by the Montreaux Convention, prioritizing littoral countries’ role in this regional ownership,” the ministry said.
The statement came one day after the Russian Embassy in Ankara posted a tweet about its support for Türkiye’s adherence to the convention, with an attached image of a news article about the signing of the convention in 1936.
Signed on July 20, 1936, at the Montreaux Palace in Switzerland, the convention gives Türkiye permission to remilitarize the Bosporus and Çanakkale Strait. It came into effect on Nov. 9, 1936, and was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series on Dec. 11, 1936. It gives Türkiye control over the Bosporus and Çanakkale Strait and regulates the transit of naval warships. The convention guarantees free passage to civilian vessels in times of peace and restricts the passage of naval ships that do not belong to littoral Black Sea states.
The ministry noted that Türkiye’s stand on Montreaux ensured the Black Sea does not turn into a wider area of conflict.
“Throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Türkiye resolutely applied the convention and prevented the conflict from spilling over into the sea. Despite escalating geopolitical rivalries and security risks in the Black Sea, our country is committed to standing for preserving regional stability, de-escalation of tensions and assigning responsibility primarily to littoral countries for the security,” the statement said.
“Türkiye continues taking the initiative to prevent the Black Sea from turning into an area of competition and a leading role in maintaining regional security architecture,” the statement reiterated.
Türkiye recently hosted officials from the Coalition of Willing for Ukraine, and the ministry noted that the coalition, though multinational, was not linked to NATO. The statement said the Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U) established by the coalition was planned to be commanded by an operational headquarters based in France.
“This force’s maritime command will be tasked with safeguarding security and stability, preserving the balance ensured by the Montreaux Convention. Our country will lead this command,” the ministry said, adding that the maritime command was composed entirely of Turkish personnel.
“Fourteen countries declared contribution to the Command, but only Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria will be contributors of maritime platforms,” the ministry underlined.
The ministry also rejected claims that Israel was the culprit in the crash of a Turkish C-130 plane on the Azerbaijan-Georgia border in November 2025 that killed 20 Turkish soldiers. Doğu Perinçek, chair of the Homeland Party (VP), voiced the allegation this week. The ministry said the allegations were baseless and “disinformation,” and they filed for legal proceedings against the claims. The ministry noted that the investigation into the crash was still underway and its results would be shared with the public once it is concluded.
On Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay also underlined that they were committed to the Montreaux Convention. Answering lawmakers’ questions at Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Bozay said they were always grateful to the statesmen of the past for the convention.
“We implement every regulation without violating the convention,” he said. Bozay said Türkiye sought to have full control over multinational headquarters and related matters. “You must be aware of developments in the Black Sea, detection of unmanned naval vehicles and incidents involving vessels. We are not pursuing an approach that would harm our security while remaining committed to our responsibilities stemming from being a NATO member,” he underlined.
Maj. Murat Kalaç, who was on the wanted list of the Interior Ministry for his involvement in the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, was captured on Wednesday, security sources said.
Kalaç was on the run since the coup attempt, instigated by military officers linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), was quelled. Authorities earlier issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, who was stationed at the Gendarmerie General Command at the time of the coup attempt.
Authorities did not disclose where Kalaç was captured, but security sources said that the suspect had contacted someone to build a secret room in the location where he was captured, to avoid pursuit.
The major’s name came up in a case related to the coup attempt. An earlier indictment against Kalaç says he was a user of Bylock, an encrypted messaging app developed and exclusively used by FETÖ. He patrolled the gendarmerie headquarters on behalf of the putschists and refused to surrender to anti-putschist forces, locking himself in his room at the headquarters. He later managed to escape.
FETÖ thrived thanks to its widespread infiltration into key public institutions for decades. The terrorist group’s members managed to disguise themselves through secretive communication methods and by conspiring against those who detected their infiltration, through blackmail, sham trials organized by prosecutors linked to the group and other methods. Once he believed he had a sizable number of military infiltrators, the group’s leader, Fetullah Gülen, ordered them to stage another coup attempt on July 15, 2016. The coup attempt, this time carried out by military infiltrators of the group, spectacularly failed due to an unprecedented public resistance. Gülen died in 2024 before his expected extradition from the U.S., where he lived for years. In the aftermath of the coup attempt, Türkiye expanded its crackdown on the group.
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran on Wednesday strongly condemned a controversial bill passed in the Israeli Parliament that envisions the death penalty exclusively for Palestinians, calling it a grave violation of justice, human rights and the rule of law.
In a sharply worded statement, Duran described the measure as “an extension of genocidal policies against innocent people,” warning that it deepens discrimination, legitimizes collective punishment and reflects a dangerous escalation in Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
He said the move marks a new phase in the systematic pressure and violence faced by the Palestinian people, exposing the extent of occupation policies and what he called a “racist and discriminatory mindset” incompatible with legal and humanitarian principles.
Duran urged the international community not to remain silent in the face of what he described as a clear violation of international law, stressing that defending justice, human rights and universal values is an urgent and unavoidable responsibility.
Reaffirming Türkiye’s stance, he said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country will continue to stand with the oppressed and oppose injustice, adding that supporting the Palestinian cause remains a moral and humanitarian duty.
Israel’s controversial death penalty legislation drew international condemnation.
The law outlines that executions would be carried out by hanging, overseen by prison personnel assigned by the Israeli Prison Service, who would be granted both anonymity and legal protection.
It further stipulates that individuals sentenced to death would be held in designated high-security facilities, with visitation strictly limited to approved individuals. Access to legal counsel would also be restricted, with lawyer-client meetings conducted only via video link.
Under the proposed framework, courts would be able to hand down death sentences without a formal request from prosecutors, and decisions would not need to be unanimous, allowing verdicts to be reached by a simple majority.
The provisions would also extend to military courts handling cases involving Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, while giving the defense minister the authority to submit an opinion to the court before a ruling is made.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) held a consultation meeting with representatives of the Romani community on Wednesday in Ankara.
The party’s deputy chair, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, told the representatives that the Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change worked on a comprehensive plan for urban transformation in neighborhoods heavily populated by the Romani community.
Türkiye’s ambitious urban transformation projects involve the construction of new residences and commercial spaces to replace decades-old, decrepit buildings at the risk of collapse. The underprivileged Romani community, the majority of members of which are impoverished and at risk of poverty, has been among the inhabitants of such buildings.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Kaya highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s admiration for the Romani community and said they witnessed that the feelings were mutual. Erdoğan grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Istanbul with a large population of Romani citizens. She stated that they planned to hold a major event with the participation of Erdoğan on April 8, International Roma Day, but scrapped the plans due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Kaya stated that they aim to maintain a close dialogue with Romani citizens and Roma representatives within the ministry in the provinces. “We emphasize maintaining close dialogue and contact with you and producing solutions to your problems,” she said.
“Our Ministry of Environment has promised us a project, especially within the scope of urban transformation, aimed at the neighborhoods where our Romani brothers and sisters live. We will carry out our work,” she pledged.
Romani citizens have long been treated as second-class citizens in Türkiye, but affirmative action under the leadership of Erdoğan changed this state mindset. In 2016, Türkiye announced an action plan as part of the government’s Romani Initiative to improve the living conditions. The president, who attended Romani conventions that brought together representatives of the community, was also the first to apologize to the community in 2010 for the Turkish state’s past policies depriving the community of their rights.
Education and employment pose serious challenges to the Romani community, although their situation has improved with a string of projects in recent years. Most Romani citizens work at low-level positions and low-paying jobs due to their limited access to education. The government has worked to help them access better jobs with better social security and seeks to encourage participation in free vocational training courses where participants are automatically employed in public services and private companies once they complete the training.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is pushing for an early election as the corruption cases pile up.
In remarks on Tuesday, the party’s leader, Özgür Özel, hinted at a new move for rescheduling the 2028 general elections. Though he did not elaborate, pro-CHP media outlets say the party may have several lawmakers resign to force Parliament to have an early election.
Özel has been vocal about his calls for an early vote as a court in Ankara handles a trial questioning the legitimacy of Özel’s leadership at Türkiye’s oldest party. On Wednesday, a new hearing was held in the trial over the CHP’s 38th Congress, which brought Özel to power in November 2023. Özel and his associates are accused of buying votes of delegates to oust then-Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The trial was postponed to May 6 amid media reports that the verdict will likely be an “absolute nullification” of the Özel administration.
Suspects testifying at Wednesday’s hearing rejected allegations that they either were paid by the close circle of Özel to vote for him or were scheming to offer gifts and cash to other delegates to sway their opinion of Özel. Testifying at the hearing, witness Veysi Uyanık, a delegate at the 2023 congress, said that the then Istanbul mayor, who was arrested last March on charges of corruption in a separate case, met him and other delegates before the congress, seeking their support for Özel. Uyanık said Özel had an election office in Ankara and his supporters were “handing out cash” to delegates. “I asked how much they pay, Özgür Karabat (one of the defendants in the case) told me that they would pay TL 100,000 ($2,250). Karabat’s chauffeur then gave me a ride to my hotel. They pulled a cache of free food coupons from the trunk and gave them to me. I later found out they were worth TL 1.5 million,” he said. Uyanık said he handed TL 20,000 to other delegates staying with him at the hotel after taking TL 100,000 from Karabat.
Mehmet Sevigen, a former lawmaker who testified at the hearing, said he heard reports of vote-buying at the congress and repeatedly warned the CHP administration to respond to the allegations. “But they did not answer,” he told the court.
If judges annul the 2023 congress where Özel was elected, the chairperson would be stripped of his mandate, and Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the party for more than a decade before narrowly losing to Özel, would automatically return as chair.
The CHP is already embattled with a series of corruption cases that saw its mayors detained or arrested on charges of widespread corruption. The party’s future presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoğlu, is among them and faces a hefty prison term on charges of running a criminal network thriving on bribes and rigging public tenders, through collaboration between the municipal bureaucrats and businesspeople.
Since the corruption cases emerged, Özel has been more blunt on his calls for the early elections, apparently encouraged by an unprecedented success by his party in the 2024 municipal elections. Özel told a news conference in Ankara that he would seek a meeting with Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş in the coming days. “The speaker should declare his stance on an early election. We will make a significant move soon for an early election,” he sufficed to say.
Media outlets reported that the CHP would initially seek a by-election in Parliament. The Constitution allows a legislative by-election after 30 months have passed since the last general election and one year before the scheduled date of the next election. If vacant parliamentary seats are 30 or more, Parliament is mandated to declare a by-election. Unconfirmed reports say eight seats are already vacant, and if 22 CHP lawmakers resign, Parliament may decide on a by-election. However, the resignations will be only valid if Parliament’s General Assembly approves, where the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) retains a majority. Özel will likely seek to persuade Kurtulmuş to approve the resignations, media reports say. The government has repeatedly rejected calls for an early election, although the AK Party signalled that the 2028 election may be rescheduled, but only to the last months of 2027.
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