Politics
Greek Cyprus-France defense agreement undermines regional peace: Üstel
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Monday strongly criticized a newly signed defense agreement between the Greek Cypriot administration and France, warning that the deal ignores the realities on the island and risks fueling tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by French and Greek Cypriot defense officials was a unilateral move that disregards the existence of the Turkish Cypriot people and the political realities of Cyprus.
“The agreement ignores the current realities of the island, fundamental principles of international law and the delicate balance that must be preserved in the region,” Üstel said in a statement.
He argued that the deal would create a legal framework for a more permanent presence of foreign military personnel on the island and accused the Greek Cypriot administration of pursuing policies that could transform Cyprus into a hub for foreign military deployments.
Üstel also criticized Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, saying his administration had systematically expanded military and strategic partnerships since taking office, a trend he described as harmful to both Cyprus and wider Eastern Mediterranean security.
The TRNC prime minister warned that efforts to increase France’s military footprint in the region could undermine the fragile balance in the Eastern Mediterranean and deepen regional polarization.
He said the agreement comes at a sensitive time when diplomatic efforts are underway to promote dialogue on the island, including contacts led by the U.N. secretary-general’s personal envoy.
Reaffirming the Turkish Cypriot position, Üstel said a lasting settlement, sustainable stability and genuine peace on the island could only be achieved through recognition of the sovereign equality of the two peoples and the equal international status of the two states.
He also stressed that no initiative targeting the legitimate rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people and Türkiye would succeed, while calling on the international community to respect the realities on the island and adhere to international law.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez discussed bilateral relations and global developments during talks in Istanbul on Monday, according to Türkiye’s Communications Directorate.
During the meeting, Erdoğan said Türkiye would continue to stand by the people of Venezuela and underscored Ankara’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Caracas across a range of sectors, particularly trade, energy and mining.
The leaders also reviewed steps aimed at reaching the two countries’ shared goal of increasing bilateral trade volume to $3 billion, while exchanging views on regional and international developments.
Rodriguez, who is visiting Türkiye at Erdoğan’s invitation, was received with an official ceremony before the leaders moved on to one-on-one and delegation-level meetings.
The talks were attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran and Chief Foreign Policy and Security Adviser Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
The meeting brought together senior officials from both countries as Türkiye and Venezuela continue efforts to strengthen cooperation and deepen bilateral ties.
Türkiye on Monday welcomed the successful completion of Armenia’s parliamentary election and expressed hope that the post-election period would create conditions conducive to the signing of a final peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said it was pleased that the election had been conducted peacefully and wished the results to be beneficial for the Armenian people.
The ministry voiced hope that developments following the vote would pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a step seen as critical for lasting stability in the South Caucasus.
Türkiye will continue to support regional peace, stability and prosperity on the basis of the shared interests of countries in the region, the statement said.
According to preliminary results, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party secured an outright parliamentary majority, winning 61 of the legislature’s 105 seats with nearly 50% of the vote.
Official election results are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in the western city of Izmir issued detention warrants for 78 suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) on Tuesday. The warrants were part of an investigation into the group’s “education network,” authorities said.
The terrorist group orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded. Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Türkiye has targeted its active members and sleeper cells nonstop, and its influence has been much reduced since 2016. However, the group maintains a vast network, including infiltrators suspected to be still operating within Turkish institutions.
FETÖ backers in army ranks and civil institutions have disguised their loyalty, as operations and investigations have indicated since the 2016 coup attempt. FETÖ is also implicated in a string of cases related to its alleged plots to imprison its critics, money laundering, fraud and forgery.
The terrorist group faces operations almost daily as investigators still try to unravel their massive network of infiltrators everywhere.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will represent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Southeast European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Sofia on June 10, where regional leaders are expected to discuss cooperation, security and economic development across the Balkans, Foreign Ministry sources said.
The summit, hosted by Bulgaria under the theme “Strengthening Regional Unity for a Stable, Secure and Sustainable Future: Reflections on 30 Years of Partnership and Progress,” will bring together heads of state and government, foreign ministers from 13 participating countries and the secretary-general of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the operational arm of the SEECP.
A summit declaration is expected to be adopted at the conclusion of the meeting.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan is expected to reaffirm Türkiye’s support for enhancing regional cooperation based on the principles of regional ownership and inclusivity. He is also expected to emphasize Ankara’s commitment to the SEECP, describing the platform as one of the most important mechanisms for political dialogue in the Balkans.
Fidan is anticipated to underline the strategic significance of the Balkans not only for regional stability but also for the security of a broader geographic area.
He is expected to stress that strengthening good-neighborly relations remains a shared responsibility and highlight Türkiye’s efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation through initiatives such as the Balkan Peace Platform.
The Turkish foreign minister is also expected to call for stronger transportation and energy connectivity across the region, arguing that deeper integration would help unlock the Balkans’ economic and strategic potential while contributing to prosperity and sustainable development.
Fidan is expected to reiterate Türkiye’s support for diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Russia-Ukraine war and emphasize the importance of maintaining dialogue between Iran and the United States and preventing renewed regional tensions.
The SEECP was established in 1996 and remains the only regional cooperation platform that includes all Balkan countries.
Romania is scheduled to assume the bloc’s rotating chairmanship from Bulgaria on July 1.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Monday announced the start of the party’s congress process and urged members to stand united ahead of a parliamentary group meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
Kılıçdaroğlu said the main opposition party would formally launch its congress process with its first Party Assembly meeting on Thursday, June 11.
In a statement shared on social media, the CHP leader emphasized unity within the party, describing its members as a large family brought together by a common purpose despite differing views.
“We are not rivals to one another. We are the sons and daughters of the Republican People’s Party walking shoulder to shoulder,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
He reiterated the party’s goals of strengthening democracy and justice in Türkiye during the second century of the republic and called on party members to demonstrate solidarity throughout the congress process.
Kılıçdaroğlu also invited CHP members to attend Tuesday’s parliamentary group meeting with a spirit of unity, urging them to remain connected through what he described as common sense and comradeship.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its ally in the People’s Alliance, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) proved they are still a force to reckon with as the country went to by-elections in several neighborhoods and “beldes” (small districts). Despite its last-minute campaigning, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which relied on its belief that people were fed up with the current government, lost to the alliance, securing only one mayoral seat out of six.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the party’s victory as he addressed a crowd of supporters via phone link at Mustafapaşa, a newly created belde in central province of Nevşehir.
“People’s Alliance won four seats and MHP won another one. This is a great victory we achieved together. I send my greetings and love to all brothers and sisters who devoted themselves to this cause. We hope this success will continue,” he said. Mustafa Özer, AK Party candidate for Mustafapaşa mayor secured 876 of 1,695 votes according to unofficial results while CHP followed it with 378 votes and Bliss Party (SP) won 259 votes.
Out of six beldes in Nevşehir and provinces of Tokat and Gümüşhane, CHP only won the mayoral seat in Çevrecik of Tokat. Even there, it surpassed AK Party only with 74 votes.
Ali Ihsan Yavuz, deputy chair of AK Party in charge of electoral affairs, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that the election results were testament to the popularity of AK Party and President Erdoğan. He said that compared to the 2024 municipal elections, the by-election indicated that the nation was still supportive of their party and the People’s Alliance. AK Party has lost several of its strongholds, including Ankara for the first time in decades, in the 2024 elections. “Unofficial results show the AK Party won 94% of the vote in Tokat’s Bağtaşı belde and it is extraordinary compared to past elections held in Tokat. Similarly, the vote in Yolüstü belde is about 82%. In Tokat’s Kuşçu, we backed the MHP’s candidate and they won around 60% of the vote. Elections in Mustafapaşa were critical for us, and there, the AK Party won 52% of the vote. Similarly, in Gümüşhane’s Tekke, unofficial results show a 65% rate,” he said.
Yavuz stated that the outcome was particularly interesting in Çevrecik where CHP won. “Compared top ast elections, we increased our votes five-fold,” he said.
The by-election was a test for the opposition as well as CHP, which counts on forcing the government to reschedule the 2028 vote to an earlier date to end AK Party’s decades-old streak of wins in general elections. Özgür Özel, who was ousted from chairmanship of CHP, campaigned in the by-election constituencies days before the vote, seeking to rally party’s supporters. Özel, who was replaced by his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, bypassed Kılıçdaroğlu for the campaign, though his only title in the party is parliamentary group chair. Still, he managed to attract crowds in the constituencies he visited. In his speeches, Özel portrayed the by-election as one step toward his party’s “march to power,” firmly believing that the CHP may end its unlucky streak under his leadership, which has been dubious after a court ruled that the intra-party election he won in 2023 was stained with vote-buying allegations.
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