The National Security Council (NSC) is back in the spotlight, but not with the notorious image it once retained. The council, whose members include the president, vice president, ministers of justice, national defense, interior, foreign affairs, the Chief of General Staff and commanders of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), recently launched a series of conferences.

The conferences aim to expand the outreach of the council from ministers and commanders to other top officials. The NSC says the conference will help deepen the knowledge of administrators from different disciplines and institutions on matters regarding national security, expand their viewpoints and boost cooperation between different public institutions.

Eray Güçlüer, a staff member at Istanbul Altınbaş University and president of Eurasian Strategic Research Center (ASAM), recounted how the NSC in the past was simply a “tool” to advance the agenda of certain circles instead of the country’s security.

“The National Security Council was one of the most powerful tools used during the Feb. 28 era to allegedly legitimize the mentality of the Feb. 28 tutelage,” Güçlüer told Daily Sabah. The so-called “postmodern” coup of 1997 in Türkiye is known as the Feb. 28 coup, as that was the day when the NSC held a lengthy meeting and ultimately decided to issue a veiled ultimatum to the government. Soon after the meeting, the government collapsed, in another blow to Turkish democracy which already suffered from coups and military memoranda since 1960.

“Because the National Security Council is related to state security, all decisions made there that ran counter to this country’s values, beliefs and culture were framed as if they were decisions of the state, as if they were legitimate, and as if they were related to security. In doing so, a perception was created to use the NSC as a tool, a seemingly legitimate tool, at all times to establish and develop this process of tutelage in Türkiye,” Güçlüer said.

“In this manner, those with backward, obsolete mindsets and foreign-directed mentalities, who sought to generate leverage through tutelage, used the NSC as a springboard and a sphere of legitimacy for themselves,” he added.

Güçlüer stated that only after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched the processes to end the military tutelage in 2001, back when the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power, did the council manage to transform itself. “Today, the NSC has attained a position that solely contemplates the nation’s security, acts in harmony with the values of its society, and proceeds along a national line,” he said.

Recent council meetings demonstrate a focus on high-stakes, authentic national security priorities instead of, for instance, the threat of “reactionary forces,” an excuse used by plotters of the 1997 coup to clamp down on conservative citizens simply seeking to practice their faith while serving the public. In the realm of counterterrorism, the NSC has coordinated vital cross-border operations against the PKK, its Syrian wing YPG, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh. On regional geopolitics, the council formulated and/or reinforced the Blue Homeland maritime doctrine and managed critical energy security in the Eastern Mediterranean. Additionally, it tackles modern hybrid warfare by addressing state-level cyber threats, misinformation campaigns and intelligence coordination.

Mert H. Akgün, researcher in law and human rights at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), said a substantial number of challenges to modern democracies over the past century have stemmed from the efforts of military elites to intervene in civilian politics. “As part of this anti-democratic pursuit of power, military autonomy was carved out at the expense of elected governments in many countries. In Türkiye’s case, one of the most important pillars of that autonomy was the National Security Council,” he told Daily Sabah.

“The post-coup constitutions conceived of the NSC essentially as an instrument for overseeing the government. In line with this approach, the council functioned not as an advisory mechanism assisting the government on national security matters, but as a platform of military tutelage through which military elites held civilian politics to account and issued directives to elected governments under the rubric of “national security policy,” Akgün said.

“The 1961 Constitution, adopted in the aftermath of the May 27 military coup, elevated the NSC to constitutional status and increased the number of military members on the council. The 1982 Constitution, drafted by the perpetrators of the Sept. 12 coup (in 1980), went even further by giving the military a majority over civilian politicians within the council,” Akgün stated.

“It is telling that the council was referred to in certain periods as a ‘shadow cabinet.’ Time and again, the media and the public saw that real power rested with the military elite. Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the council operated as part of a military oversight structure that supervised democratically elected governments on a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues from counterterrorism to the Cyprus question, from the European Union accession process to freedom of religion and worship,” Akgün also said.

The NSC’s transformation ran parallel with the resistance of the AK Party governments to a return to a past where elected leaders were forced to bow down to an all too powerful military that also enjoyed support from other organs of the state such as the judiciary, as well as the media. Since its first victory in the early 2000s, the AK Party governments have battled threats to shut down the party, a notorious e-memorandum issued by the Chief of General Staff, and most recently, a coup attempt by infiltrators of FETÖ in the army.

Akgün pointed out that many modern democracies have similar bodies established to assist the government on matters of national security. “In liberal democracies such as the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands, these councils are composed entirely of civilians. In the United States, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is not a member of the National Security Council but serves as its military adviser. In Spain, Greece and Italy, the chiefs of general staff are among the council members. It is also notable that the secretaries-general of national security councils are predominantly civilian bureaucrats,” Akgün said.

“While the principal function of these councils is defense policy, their agendas are not confined to purely military matters. In the U.S., the National Security Council’s agenda includes global climate change, international economic developments and pandemic threats. Likewise, in the U.K., the council’s remit covers issues such as development and energy security. The same holds true for Italy’s equivalent body, the Supreme Council of Defense,” Akgün said.

Akgün stated that the NSC was normalized through constitutional and legal reforms. “These reforms made clear that the council’s decisions were advisory in nature, opened the way for a civilian to be appointed as its secretary-general, and abolished the NSC’s authority over political matters and civilian institutions. Finally, the 2017 constitutional amendment removed the commander of the gendarmerie from the council. Through these steps, the NSC was transformed from a platform of military-civilian confrontation that repeatedly generated systemic problems into an institution focused on national and international security. Today, it is no longer a source of political crises but functions as a stabilizing mechanism in the face of multidimensional threats,” Akgün said.

Speaking at the inauguration of NSC conferences on June 9, President Erdoğan said the transformation of the NSC was one of the symbols of the “silent revolution in state administration.”

“I find it very valuable, not only for Turkish democracy but also for Türkiye’s national security, that our general secretariat has been freed from these tasks that distracted its attention and energy, allowing it to focus on its core duties. By making the best use of the advantages that (executive presidency system) has brought to our state administration and decision-making processes, we will, God willing, continue to add strength to Türkiye’s power,” Erdoğan said.

The end is near in Türkiye’s oldest party for those loyal to Özgür Özel. Less than one month after he replaced Özel, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu launched disciplinary proceedings for several prominent names from the Özel camp. This week, he plans to launch similar action against chairs of the party’s several provincial branches.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who lost a 2023 election to Özel, returned to his former tenure in May when a court ruled that Özel’s election was the result of a vote-buying scheme in the intra-party vote. In the wake of an “absolute nullification” verdict for the Özel administration, Kılıçdaroğlu has pledged to clear the CHP of all “corruption and wrongdoings it is associated with.” This “cleansing” as Kılıçdaroğlu branded involves parting ways with lawmakers, mayors and other influential names in the party, mostly those implicated in corruption probes and sex scandals.

Nine lawmakers were referred to the disciplinary board last Wednesday and on Friday, the party’s administrative committee ordered disciplinary proceedings for Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan and Serkan Tuncer, mayor of Mersin’s Mezitli district. Özcan, who staged a protest march for the resignation of Kılıçdaroğlu in the wake of latter’s election defeat in the 2023 presidential elections, announced that he resigned from the party. Özcan was recently detained on charges of corruption as media reports uncovered his multiple affairs. The party also seeks the expulsion of Hasbi Dede, the former mayor of Giresun’s Görele district who was earlier arrested on charges of sexual harassment. Dede was already expelled from the party but his expulsion was nullified when the court ordered the nullification of the Özel administration.

Party sources speaking to the Sabah newspaper said that the Kılıçdaroğlu administration planned disciplinary proceedings this week for Ümit Erkol, chair of the party’s Ankara branch who was arrested in a corruption probe linked to CHP-run Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and Çağatay Güç, head of the Izmir branch. The administrations of both branches were behind the controversial pro-Özel rally outside Parliament last week where the two rival camps in the party confronted each other. The Sabah report says Mustafa Bozbey, former mayor of Bursa who was arrested in corruption and faces hundreds of years of prison terms and incumbent Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay are also among those facing disciplinary action. The sources told Sabah that the whole “cleansing” process would be completed within the next two months.

Meanwhile, ousted Chair Özgür Özel, who was rumored to have founded a new party with his supporters, told a rally on Saturday that they were “here and won’t leave.” Özel told the rally in the northwestern province of Kırklareli’s Lüleburgaz district that the state of the CHP after the nullification verdict was not an “internal matter” and insisted that it was a scheme perpetrated by others, namely the government, to divide the CHP.

Özel’s supporters claim Kılıçdaroğlu is a stooge of the government and have conveniently branded him as traitor, only after three years where Kılıçdaroğlu was viewed as the “savior” of the CHP to defeat the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Indeed, the most fervent supporters of the idea of nominating Kılıçdaroğlu for the 2023 presidential elections are now his most staunch critics. Ali Mahir Başarır, the lawmaker who faces expulsion under the new Kılıçdaroğlu tenure, faced backlash earlier this week when he portrayed Kılıçdaroğlu as a pathetic liar, though at the time he was among his major supporters before the presidential elections. Several CHP supporters on social media accused him of hypocrisy for the remarks in an online interview.

Along with Başarır, other names close to Özel has been quick to publicly reprimand the Kılıçdaroğlu administration but Özel sought to change the narrative in the Lüleburgaz rally where he never cited the name of Kılıçdaroğlu. He claimed the CHP had no dispute and “the real issue” was between the party and the government. Özel also said the nation was behind them and they brought together people of all political views. He referred to the party’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and said they followed in his footsteps and were working to unite people like Atatürk did in the War of Independence.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday will chair a new meeting of his Cabinet. The meeting will focus on preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, developments in the Middle East, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the terror-free Türkiye initiative, according to the media outlets.

Erdoğan and ministers are expected to discuss how the capital is prepared for the July summit that will bring together heads of state and governments from NATO allies. Improvement of infrastructure in Ankara and security measures will be on the agenda at the Cabinet meeting.

Also on Monday, the president is scheduled to take the inaugural flight from Istanbul to Etimesgut airport, which underwent improvement specifically for the summit. Originally a military airport, it will be renamed Ankara Airport and aims to relieve air traffic burden from Esenboğa Airport on the occasion of the summit, where thousands of people from around the world descend on the Turkish capital. The airport’s runways were expanded and it was upgraded to host large-body aircraft during eight months of renovation work. It can now accommodate 44 airplanes simultaneously on its apron. Throughout the summit on July 7-8, authorities will declare several venues “red zones” or areas with high security and limited access to pedestrians and vehicles. Among them are the city’s main airport, Esenboğa, and its surroundings, the venue of the summit, routes to and from the summit venue, and locations where the visiting delegations will be accommodated in 15 hotels. Authorities also banned public events and public assemblies between July 1 and July 15 across Ankara. Some 40,000 security personnel, including police and gendarmerie officers, will be tasked with the security of the summit. Along with uniformed officers, plainclothes officers will be in charge of security in Ankara. In addition to CCTV cameras across the city, authorities will install high-tech “observer cams” at 100 critical locations during the summit. Incoming flights from other countries to Esenboğa will be limited throughout the summit, while security checkpoints will be set up on the roads to Ankara.

The Cabinet will also discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, particularly the anticipated deal between the U.S. and Iran and Türkiye’s diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. As the conflict was reignited recently with mutual attacks, Türkiye has expressed concern. “We recommend the sides cease attacks and return to the negotiation table and finalize the text (on a lasting peace) they are close to agreeing upon. We work to ensure it. We have seen that it is no benefit to anyone to escalate the conflict, to return to all-out war,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a news conference on June 11.

Erdoğan and ministers will also discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza and how to improve it for the benefit of Palestinians suffering from the Israeli blockade. Diplomatic initiatives to prevent violations of the cease-fire and for permanent stability in the region will be discussed. Israel’s attacks on Lebanon will also be discussed. In addition, the ministers will discuss the developments in the eastern Mediterranean where Erdoğan issued a stark warning to Israel and its associates against stirring up the region.

On domestic matters, the Cabinet will tackle the latest developments in the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which involves the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK. The ministers will discuss the process in light of reports by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which monitors disarmament abroad and reports by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Additionally, the ministers will discuss the legal steps in response to the PKK’s dissolution and a possible timetable for new laws or legal amendments and regulations in return for the full disarmament of members of the terrorist group. Separately, the Cabinet will discuss economic developments, particularly economic indicators regarding the second half of the year and how to make the downward trend in inflation lasting.

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A ruling by the Turkish Constitutional Court earlier this month brought a massive defamation campaign against a former minister to the spotlight.

The top court sided with former Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak in a complaint filed by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

The CHP has claimed that the compensation they were ordered to pay Albayrak by a lower court, over their campaign against the minister, was a violation of freedom of expression. However, the court, in a verdict issued on June 11, said a just balance was needed between freedom of expression and safeguarding individuals’ reputation and honor. It approved lower court’s verdict on compensation, citing that the CHP had failed to link the issue of declining reserves of the Turkish central bank to Albayrak and this, in turn, constituted defamation.

The CHP launched a campaign against Albayrak in 2021 under the motto of “Where is 128 billions of dollars?” claiming the central bank was ordered to spend that amount to keep the interest rates low.

Authorities have repeatedly denied the claim but the CHP adhered to the allegations, adorning billboards with the campaign posters and claiming that the dollars were wasted. Then-CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, his successor Özgür Özel, and former Treasury Undersecretary and CHP lawmaker Faik Öztrak were behind the campaign.

Then allies of the CHP, leaders of the Good Party (IP), the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and the Future Party (GP) endorsed the campaign. In a short time, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which enjoyed support from the CHP during their 2013 coup attempts, launched a parallel campaign on the social media. FETÖ’s fugitive members took to social media for a campaign of misperception. Bot accounts controlled by FETÖ circulated the allegations while FETÖ members released a trove of online videos to support the CHP’s campaign. Cevheri Güven, a fugitive FETÖ member, was behind several videos where he claimed central bank reserves were funneled to certain figures, contributing to the CHP’s false narrative. Other members of the group released fake infographics to detail where the millions of dollars were “funnelled.” The terrorist group used the narrative to claim that Turkish economy was collapsing. Through thousands of bot accounts, FETÖ sought to portray allegations as a natural public reaction, releasing doctored graphics regarding the central bank’s reserves.

FETÖ’s primary tactic was to hurt the image of the bank and Albayrak, presenting the bank’s legal and transparent market interventions, such as swap and foreign exchange sales conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain exchange rate stability and provide market liquidity, as “secret and shady deals.”

Social media accounts on “finance” operated by the terrorist group distorted technical data to produce the argument that “money was sold off-the-record, the buyers are being hidden, and pro-government circles were enriched.” The CHP then institutionalized this campaign by carrying these allegations to its political rallies and billboards.

Yet, it was someone from the CHP itself that disrupted the campaign. CHP lawmaker İlhan Kesici openly declared in an interview that all actions of central bank was public record.

Media reports and a judicial process on the allegations revealed that the campaign had three objectives, including discrediting Albayrak, who is credited with a string of successes, during his tenures both as finance minister and as minister of energy and natural resources. The campaign also aimed to perpetrate economic chaos, to scare away foreign investors by hurting Türkiye’s financial reputation. Finally, it also aimed to mobilize the crowds to overthrow the government as was the case during the 2013 Gezi Park riots, which originally began as a protest by environmentalists before it was hijacked by terrorist groups.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday hailed the agreement between the U.S. and Iran as an important step toward achieving peace and stability in the region.

In a statement posted on X, Erdoğan said he viewed the agreement positively and expressed hope that it would help establish a lasting environment of peace and security.

“I welcome the agreement reached between the United States and Iran and see it as an important development for ensuring peace and tranquility in our region,” he said.

Erdoğan said he sincerely hoped the agreement would contribute to lasting peace and security in the region, adding that the development was one the world had long needed.

He also urged all parties to avoid actions that could undermine the process before the agreement is formally signed.

“I would like to emphasize the importance of refraining from rhetoric, provocations and actions that could escalate tensions, and of remaining vigilant against possible acts of sabotage until the day the signatures are affixed,” he said.

Erdoğan thanked the U.S. and Iranian leaderships for their role in reaching the agreement and expressed special appreciation to Pakistan for what he described as its exceptional mediation efforts. He also praised the diplomatic support provided by Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“As Türkiye, we will continue to support all efforts aimed at establishing peace, stability and prosperity in our region, and contribute to lasting solutions based on diplomacy and international law,” Erdoğan said.

Fidan calls for futher talks

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, meanwhile, told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi in a call Monday that Ankara hopes further talks with the U.S. would yield positive outcomes after an Iran-U.S. deal to halt the war, a Turkish diplomatic source said.

He also warned against “provocations” that could derail the agreement and vowed that Türkiye would continue supporting efforts for regional peace, the source said. ‌Araghchi ‌thanked Türkiye for its ‌efforts in the negotiation process, the source added.

Chairman of Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and AK Party Ankara Deputy Fuat Oktay also issued a statement expressing his satisfaction with the U.S.-Iran agreement.

On his X account, Oktay said that they welcomed the agreement reached to end the war between the U.S. and Iran, adding that “This development is a very important step toward the restoration of peace and stability in our region …”

He underlined that all parties must show a responsible and prudent attitude, so as not to allow a sabotage of the deal and maintain regional peace.

He also congratulated Pakistan and all other countries that contributed to the mediation process and added that Türkiye has actively contributed and supported the peace process from the beginning.

“Our efforts to establish peace, tranquility and stability in our region will continue with determination as always,” Oktay said.

Pakistan lauds Türkiye role

Later Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked President Erdoğan for his “highly” supportive role in bridging the negotiated settlement between the U.S. and Iran.

“I especially thank my dear brother, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for his highly supportive role and his support to our efforts … ,” Sharif said while addressing the National Assembly in the capital Islamabad.

He also appreciated Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other regional partners for their “continued” support to Islamabad’s monthslong mediation.

Sharif lauded the role and efforts of Pakistani army chief, Field Marshall Asim Munir, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the Foreign Ministry team to broker the landmark deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that an agreement with Iran had been finalized and said he was authorizing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of a U.S. naval blockade.

The Pakistani premier also announced early Monday that the U.S. and Iran have reached a peace agreement following intensive negotiations, with both sides declaring an immediate and permanent end to military operations across all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Both Washington and Tehran later confirmed the announcement.

Pakistan has been mediating between the two sides since securing a ceasefire on April 8, weeks after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

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Remarks by Slovenian member of European Parliament Vladimir Prebilic regarding possible sanctions by the EU against Justice Minister Akın Gürlek drew the ire of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

The party’s spokesperson, Ömer Çelik, accused Prebilic of “political backwardness” and acting like “a colonial commissioner.” In remarks to Turkish journalist Cansu Çamlıbel published online on June 12, Prebilic said they would suggest including Gürlek in a sanctions list of the European Union, citing Gürlek’s former tenure as a chief prosecutor in corruption investigations against opposition-run municipalities.

Gürlek himself responded to the remarks on Saturday through a social media post and said European Parliament reports where his name may be included were “political texts about recommendations” and “targeting Türkiye’s judiciary over such texts is a futile attempt against national will and our country’s sovereignty.” Gürlek vowed Türkiye’s fight against corruption and other crimes would not be derailed by campaigns of political pressure and “nobody should think that they could exert pressure on the judiciary of Republic of Türkiye.”

On Sunday, Çelik said in a social media post that it was a “political shame” for Prebilic to speak “like a colonial commissioner.”

”Nobody has a right to target our justice minister with such a disrespectful rhetoric,” he said.

Çelik, a former minister of European Union affairs, said the European Parliament “used to be a school for politics and human rights in the past.”

“Now, its reputation is eroding because of some unqualified politicians engaged in biased political lobbying. It is known that past reports by the parliaments have been built upon addressing to certain political circles rather than reflecting the reality and paving the way for dialogue. We attach importance to dialogue but we cannot allow disrespect to Türkiye’s sovereignty rights,” he said.

Çelik stated that the European Parliament should first mend its image on basic humanitarian issues, “such as failing to be on the right side of history on Gaza.”

“If they want to utilize their ‘sanctions’ instrument in a reputable manner, they may consider exerting them on European politicians supporting crimes of genocides committed by Zionists in Gaza,” Çelik also said.

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