Politics
Turkish justice minister warns drugs, online threats endanger youth
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said Friday that protecting children, youth and families from drugs, illegal betting, online gambling and what he described as “social media terrorism” is not only a public safety matter but also a national security priority.
Speaking during a visit to the northwestern province of Edirne, Gürlek warned that such threats target the country’s social fabric and family structure, posing long-term risks to society.
“Protecting our children, young people and families from these threats is not merely a matter of public order, but also a matter of family, future and, clearly, national security,” Gürlek said.
He added that authorities would continue efforts to combat criminal networks ranging from street-level drug dealers to international trafficking organizations, including their financial and logistical connections.
The minister also highlighted the growing risks posed by digital platforms, saying online environments that seek to influence or manipulate young people are spreading rapidly and should be treated as a pressing issue both globally and domestically.
Gürlek called on families to play a more active role in monitoring and protecting children and youth, describing them as “the most valuable assets” of society. He said the government has already taken legislative steps to address these concerns and signaled that further regulations are being considered.
According to Gürlek, a recently adopted family-focused legislative package includes measures related to social media, while additional provisions could be introduced in a forthcoming judicial reform package.
“Necessary steps have been taken to regulate these areas, and we are considering further measures regarding social media in our next judicial reform package,” he said.
During his visit, Gürlek met with local officials and members of the provincial administration. He later told reporters he was honored to be in Edirne, describing the city as a place of rich cultural and historical significance.
The remarks come as Türkiye continues to emphasize strengthening its justice system and reinforcing public trust in state institutions as part of its broader national development goals.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Friday strongly condemned a resolution adopted by the European Parliament criticizing Türkiye’s 1974 Peace Operation in Cyprus, accusing the assembly of distorting historical facts and acting in line with Greek Cypriot narratives.
In a written statement, the TRNC Foreign Ministry rejected the resolution, saying it misrepresented Türkiye’s 1974 military operation while unfairly targeting both Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people.
The ministry argued that Türkiye launched the operation on July 20, 1974, under its rights and obligations as a guarantor power stemming from the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, following a coup carried out on July 15, 1974, by supporters of union with Greece. It said the operation not only ensured the safety of Turkish Cypriots but also prevented mass killings on the island.
The statement criticized the European Parliament for ignoring atrocities committed against Turkish Cypriots while making “baseless accusations” against the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
According to the ministry, the resolution would serve only to reinforce what it called Greek Cypriot propaganda aimed at misleading the international community.
The ministry also noted that female lawmakers from the TRNC Parliament had sent letters to the relevant European Parliament committee before the vote, disputing claims contained in the draft resolution and seeking to present what they described as the realities on the island. Despite those efforts, the resolution was adopted, which the ministry said demonstrated that European Union institutions had lost their impartiality on the Cyprus issue and were acting as advocates for the Greek Cypriot side.
The ministry said decisions that disregard the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, ignore their inherent rights and deliberately distort realities on the island are “null and void” from the TRNC’s perspective and carry no legitimacy.
It also called on the European Parliament to abandon one-sided approaches, refrain from using the Cyprus issue as a political tool, and respect both the current realities and historical facts on the island.
Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) remained the country’s most popular political party in a June opinion poll conducted by research company GENAR, maintaining a nearly 8 percentage-point lead over the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
According to a report by Sabah newspaper, the survey, conducted with 2,200 respondents across all 81 provinces, asked voters which party they would support if a parliamentary election were held this Sunday.
According to the poll, the AK Party received 36.2% support, while the CHP stood at 28.3%.
The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) ranked third with 9.2%, followed by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) at 8.1%, and the Good Party (IP) at 7.1%.
The New Welfare Party (YRP) received 3.8%, while the Key Party (AP) and Victory Party (ZP) recorded 2.5% and 2.1%, respectively. The Workers’ Party of Türkiye (TIP) received 1.3%, with other parties collectively accounting for 1.4%.
GENAR said the results suggest that the current balance among Türkiye’s major political parties has remained largely unchanged despite recent political developments.
“The June survey shows the AK Party leading with 36.2%, while the CHP remains at 28.3%,” the polling company said in its assessment.
According to GENAR, the findings indicate that the country’s political landscape has not experienced a major realignment and that the hierarchy among the leading parties remains broadly intact.
The company also said the main opposition CHP’s recent internal political turmoil has not yet been fully reflected in voter preferences.
Türkiye’s main opposition has been plunged into a deepening leadership crisis after a court annulled the party’s 2023 congress, setting off a power struggle between reinstated former Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and ex-Chair Özgür Özel amid clashes at party headquarters and growing uncertainty over who will ultimately lead the opposition.
Attention is now shifting to how and how quickly the CHP can resolve the dispute, with rival camps sharply divided over the timing and format of an eventual congress that could decide the leadership question.
A pistol with the name of the recipient engraved on its barrel and a leather-bound book were among the gifts handed to each head of state and government who attended the NATO summit in Ankara this week, media outlets reported.
A photo shared by the office of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda confirmed the reports. It shows Gümüşay (Silver Moon), Türkiye’s first locally made revolver, included in an elegant wooden box, next to a paper box containing apparently live bullets.
A German government spokesperson told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) on Wednesday that Merz’s revolver had been handed over to the German Embassy so that it could be properly imported and then inventoried in the collection of official gifts. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier told reporters about the gifts on his flight home from the summit, according to reports by The Guardian and the Press Association news agency. Starmer said Erdoğan had given all leaders at the summit a similar present, with each weapon engraved with the recipient’s name. Despite a note from Erdoğan waiving export controls, Starmer left his revolver in Türkiye to be decommissioned, as importing it would have breached the U.K.’s strict gun laws, the reports said.
Media outlets reported that Erdoğan also gifted a book entitled “The Politics of Courage: Erdoğan and the Rise of Türkiye,” published by a foundation bearing his name, to leaders. The book recounts Türkiye’s contemporary political history, landmark decisions, challenges, reforms and long-term ambitions through the lens of President Erdoğan’s political life, according to a statement by the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a series of bilateral meetings with Balkan leaders on Thursday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, focusing on defense cooperation, regional stability, trade and Europe’s security architecture.
Erdoğan met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic during the second day of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, hosted by Türkiye.
According to the Directorate of Communications, Erdoğan and Rama discussed bilateral ties and regional issues as NATO leaders gathered in the Turkish capital for alliance talks. The meeting at the Presidential Complex was attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalın, AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran and senior presidential adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
The Ankara gathering marks the second NATO summit hosted by Türkiye after the alliance’s 2004 summit in Istanbul. The meeting has also served as a platform for bilateral talks between allied and partner countries on political, security and economic cooperation.
During his meeting with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Erdoğan said strengthening NATO’s European pillar remains important and stressed that European Union defense initiatives should complement the alliance, according to the directorate.
The two leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in trade, investment, energy and transportation. Erdoğan reaffirmed Türkiye’s efforts to support diplomatic solutions to the wars in Ukraine and Iran, while emphasizing Ankara’s continued push to help end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and promote regional stability.
In talks with Spajic, Erdoğan said Türkiye was committed to further deepening bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, tourism, the defense industry and security.
Erdoğan also welcomed the role of the Balkan Peace Platform, launched under Türkiye’s initiative, describing it as an important mechanism for addressing issues including border security, energy and transportation across the region. He said he expected the platform to contribute to lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the Balkans.
Türkiye, which joined NATO in 1952, used the Ankara summit to reinforce its role within the alliance while advancing bilateral ties with regional partners through a series of high-level diplomatic engagements.
All eyes were on Türkiye this week as heads of state and government from around the world convened in Ankara for the NATO summit. The summit is expected to have many repercussions in the coming days, but one thing is certain: Türkiye is an able host and its diplomatic efforts pay off.
The summit also marked the first time that U.S. President Donald Trump visited the country since he took office, and was an occasion to showcase rapidly improving bilateral relations.
A key meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Trump and the ensuing summit were a demonstration of the “leader diplomacy” Türkiye pursues under the leadership of Erdoğan and of how the country emerged as a global actor in diplomacy.
Through talks with Trump, Türkiye secured a pledge for the lifting of Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions, the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets and engines for Türkiye’s locally made Kaan jet. Elsewhere, the Turkish defense industry signed substantial defense deals, especially with the United Kingdom. Free trade negotiations were launched with Canada, while Germany decided to give a shot at acquiring long-range missile systems produced by Türkiye. Türkiye’s call for NATO allies to lift defense restrictions also made its way to the final declaration of the summit.
The event was also an occasion for Erdoğan to hold bilateral talks with leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Germany’s Friedrich Merz and outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Erdoğan also held talks with top EU officials Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa.
Trump in Ankara
Although every guest was treated with Turkish hospitality, perhaps none were given a welcome as special as the one for Trump.
The official aerial stunt team of the Turkish army put on an air show as the U.S. president arrived at the Presidential Complex, after leaving an airport refurbished to accommodate a large number of guests arriving for the summit.
Türkiye, which has been a staunch ally of the U.S. for decades, saw relations deteriorating under the previous administrations in Washington. It was seeking to improve ties under Trump, and it apparently paid off. As Trump lashed out at other NATO members, he had only kind words for Erdoğan and Türkiye.
Erdoğan welcomed Trump at the airport’s tarmac, and the two leaders walked arm-in-arm, stopping for a chat at times, before walking to the airport lounge. Images of Erdoğan and Trump beaming as they engaged in a warm conversation were among the symbols of evolving relations between the two countries. In their remarks during the summit and afterwards, both referred to each other as “dear friends,” while Trump promised to drop sanctions against Türkiye, six years after he imposed them in his first term.
The relationship grew even brighter over the two-day summit that ended on Wednesday. Trump said he was willing to sell Türkiye F-35 fighter jets, though later he said he had not totally made up his mind and repeatedly praised Erdoğan, with whom he shared smiles, laughs and embraces as they communicated via translators.
For many diplomats, Türkiye’s single biggest challenge had been ensuring that the U.S. leader would even attend the annual gathering of 32 NATO leaders, even though he had not yet missed a summit.
Trump, who has long said that NATO allies are not pulling their weight, said he only attended because Erdoğan was the host. That itself marked a diplomatic success and an opportunity for Türkiye, which wants to boost its stature within the bloc and also overcome longstanding issues with Washington.
“It was valuable that Trump emphasized the importance he places on me and our friendship,” Erdoğan said as the summit closed. “I thank my dear friend once again.”
A day after his warm bilateral talks with Erdogan, Trump on Wednesday threw the summit into disarray as he demanded the U.S. cut trade ties with Spain and reiterated his claims on Greenland, irking NATO ally Denmark. He later said there had been love and “a lot of unity” at a leaders’ meeting, bringing some relief to a trans-Atlantic defense bloc wary of an unpredictable U.S. president who has questioned the alliance’s value.
Sitting alongside NATO head Mark Rutte, Trump went out of his way to defend Erdoğan against sharp criticism from another U.S. ally and regional power: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warned this week against selling F-35s to Ankara.
At an earlier meeting in front of reporters, Trump drew a thumbs-up from Erdogan when he said he would lift U.S. sanctions on Türkiye over its 2019 purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems, and he signalled a willingness to sell the F-35s blocked by those sanctions and other U.S. laws.
Ankara has sought these steps for years even as it stood by the S-400 purchase, which at the time had upset the U.S. and other NATO allies.
The progress, even if mostly rhetorical, comes weeks after a U.S. court concluded a years-long criminal case against Turkish state lender Halkbank, which Erdoğan had called unjust.
Erdoğan on Wednesday hailed the summit for laying the “foundation of a stronger NATO.”
He described it as a “historic” gathering that will help shape the alliance’s future at a time of heightened security challenges across the Euro-Atlantic region.
“We have successfully concluded our NATO summit, which we hosted in our country for the second time in 22 years and for the first time in our capital, Ankara,” Erdoğan said at a news conference following the conclusion of the summit.
He said the meeting came at a critical moment for Euro-Atlantic security and would have lasting significance for the alliance.
“This historic summit, which we hosted at a time when Euro-Atlantic security is being tested, has been conducted in a manner that will shape our common future,” he said.
Erdoğan said Türkiye has had to contend with regional crises and terrorism for decades without benefiting from the post-Cold War “peace dividend” enjoyed by many European countries.
“There were times when we were left alone and treated unfairly. Therefore, we often had to rely on our own capabilities,” he said.
He noted that those efforts have enabled Türkiye to surpass many NATO allies in defense spending, military capabilities and the strength of its defense industry.
“Today, in terms of defense spending, military capabilities and the defense industry that underpins them, we are well ahead of many allies,” Erdoğan said.
The president added that NATO leaders reviewed the implementation of commitments made at last year’s summit in The Hague and reaffirmed Türkiye’s plans to further increase its contributions to the alliance.
Türkiye’s role in NATO
Highlighting Türkiye’s military role within NATO, Erdoğan said the country commands the alliance’s second-largest land force and has long served as the cornerstone of security on NATO’s southeastern flank.
“We currently command NATO’s second-largest land army. For decades, the security of NATO’s southeastern flank has largely been entrusted to our country,” he said.
He said Türkiye remains among the leading contributors to NATO operations, missions and common funding, adding that Turkish F-16 fighter jets will be deployed to Estonia beginning in August as part of NATO’s Air Policing mission.
Erdoğan also said Türkiye will continue leading the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) until September 2026 and is scheduled to command the NATO Response Force in 2028-2029.
Highlighting Türkiye’s defense industry, Erdoğan said the country is among the few NATO members capable of producing its own fighter aircraft, tanks, naval vessels and air defense systems.
He added that Türkiye has become a global leader in unmanned aerial vehicles, naval drones and warship production while also supplying defense products to allied nations.
Erdoğan reiterated that EU defense initiatives should complement NATO, rather than duplicate its efforts.
“The European Union’s defense initiatives must complement NATO and avoid unnecessary duplication. I draw the attention of our allies and the EU leadership to this important point at every opportunity and in every forum,” he said.
Erdoğan also renewed his call for the removal of remaining restrictions on defense trade among NATO allies.
“Although some obstacles to defense industry trade among allies have decreased, they still exist. These restrictions must be removed as soon as possible, without conditions,” he said.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi announced on Thursday that 219 members of the PKK terrorist group have surrendered to Turkish authorities since the group announced its dissolution on May 12, 2025.
Speaking to broadcaster 24 TV, Çiftçi commented on the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched in 2024 and how his ministry contributed to the process, which aims to complete the disarmament of the PKK.
Çiftçi noted that one recent step involved the removal of 2,763 security checkpoints set up particularly in southeastern Türkiye, which has been a hotbed of PKK attacks. “Our inspectors still work in the field and try to determine whether we can remove other checkpoints as well,” he said.
The minister, a former governor who served in the southeastern and eastern provinces that were affected by PKK terrorism, noted how checkpoints have been ubiquitous there as part of security measures.
Emphasizing that the Ministry of Interior has been closely monitoring the initiative, Çiftçi said: “We have been carrying out efforts to persuade members of the terrorist group to surrender. The terrorist group laid down its arms on May 12, 2025. Since that day, 219 members of the group have been persuaded to surrender. Of these, 134 have surrendered this year alone, within this six-month period. Checkpoints were another component of our efforts. We continue our search and sweep operations in the field. We have located 58 shelters, hideouts, storage sites or other living areas used by the terrorist group, and we have dismantled them. Our operations on the ground, conducted through the General Directorate of Security and the Gendarmerie General Command, are continuing at full speed.”
As an example of improved security in the southeast, Çiftçi recalled how Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş joined the public at an event on the outskirts of Mount Cudi, where the PKK had maintained hideouts and carried out attacks in the past.
“Would something like this have been possible in the past? Today, events can be held on Mount Cudi because security has been established and a safe environment has been restored. Likewise, a wrestling festival was held in the Cilo Mountains in Hakkari. In the past, organizing such an event in Hakkari would have seemed unimaginable,” he said.
Çiftçi added that they believe tourism and economic activity in the region will continue to grow as the initiative expands, the region becomes increasingly free of terrorism, and security continues to improve.
Sources close to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), whose leader Devlet Bahçeli first touted the idea of the initiative, told media outlets that the legal amendments to advance the process would likely be presented to Parliament in July and may be enacted before Parliament’s summer recess in August.
The framework law, as it is dubbed by the Turkish media, consists of several articles that are expected to address the future of PKK members after their disarmament. Though the contents are still unclear, they are expected to include partial amnesty for those not actively involved in terrorist attacks. Sources told BBC Turkish that the law would be “temporary” and would be implemented only after it is verified that the PKK has fully abandoned weapons.
The PKK had taken the first step to end its more than 40-year campaign of terrorism in May 2025, announcing it would dissolve itself. In July 2025, the group held a ceremony in northern Iraq, with terrorists literally burning their weapons on the path to complete dissolution. All these moves were a culmination of the initiative launched by Bahçeli, who has called on the group’s jailed ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to urge the PKK to lay down arms, and Öcalan has replied positively, making the said call in February 2025.
The initiative is largely proceeding in secrecy, except for visits to Öcalan by the members of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and for regular meetings of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee, set up by Parliament to provide guidelines for the process.
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